This year, students from Carndonagh Community School in Donegal will share their experience of the Leaving Cert in The Irish Times each day, as well as their hopes, dreams and fears for the future.
The road to Ireland’s most northerly school passes through the city of Derry before winding through the stunning Inishowen peninsula along the disputed territory of Lough Foyle.
"Inishowen is one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland but has suffered due to its remoteness from Dublin and its proximity to the Border and the Troubles," says Paul Fiorentini, principal of Carndonagh Community School. "It is a major source of frustration to us that every year we send off another crop of talented pupils who are unlikely to ever come back.
“We need Government support to open up the northwest. The loss of the plane link from Derry to Dublin in the recession was a major blow. We need the A5 as a matter of urgency.”
Emigration is the lot of most young people from Carndonagh. Last month, the county as a whole narrowly voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment. The No vote in Donegal reflects the reality that significant numbers of young people from Donegal voted Yes in Dublin, Galway or Sligo, because they have been forced to leave their home county for work.
Only the economic nexus of Letterkenny-Derry provides any real local chances. However, Derry suffered during the recession and some of its citizens are growing increasingly frustrated at what they see as a focus on Belfast at the expense of the Maiden City (on the other hand, house prices there are significantly cheaper than in Dublin or Belfast).
The school
Carndonagh CS – known locally (in a Donegal accent) as “The Cairn” – was founded in 1973 following the amalgamation of three local schools and is a multi-denominational and co-educational school with a Christian ethos.
At its height, it had more than 1,600 pupils and was the largest school in Ireland. Numbers have fallen from 1,530 in 2000 to 1,027 today – plus about 80 teachers – but it remains one of the largest schools in the State.
While Carndonagh itself is a tight-knit community of just under 2,500 people, young people are bussed in to the school from across the wider Inis peninsula. The local nightclub, Tul Na Rí, is a popular spot for young people right across Inishowen.
"Distance permeates our lives," says Fiorentini. "If we get sick, it is a 40-mile trip to Letterkenny, or if we are sicker, off to Galway or Dublin. If we are to engage beyond the school gates, then travel is a major consideration."
The school is perhaps the remotest in Ireland: the nearest railway station in the Republic is over two hours away, in Sligo.
Just across the Border is a rail link connecting Derry to Dublin via Belfast. The road journey to Dublin can, at peak times, take five hours. Many of the pupils here come from small farming backgrounds, there is little if any industrial employment left in the area and the fishing industry is in decline.
Brexit represents a serious threat to the already precarious future of the peninsula.
“It could be catastrophic for us. I remember what a hard border was like and the complications it introduced. It could be a real stimulus to extremists. We have several staff living in Derry, and to leave Donegal we have to go through Northern Ireland.”
Despite challenges outside its control, the school is a hive of activity, recently winning the Irish schools senior soccer championship.
Graduates are found throughout Irish third-levels, especially Letterkenny IT and Northwest College in Derry. The school is enthusiastically embracing the new junior cycle curriculum which emphasises a more dynamic relationship with learning, says the principal.
Only one of our diarists, Callum Doherty, sees a long-term future for himself in Carndonagh, and he hopes that the roll-out of broadband nationwide will provide him with the chance to build a life and career for himself in his home town.
But, as evidenced by talking to our diarists, Donegal’s young people look out beyond their county boundary, to the rest of the island and over to Europe. “Our future is connected with Europe and we are European in outlook,” says Fiorentini.
“We welcome children from all over the world and we participate in the BeLongTo LGBT Stand up week. We may live on a peninsula, but we refuse to be insular.”
Meet our exam diarists
Tara Kelly
Tara (18) hopes to study physiotherapy at UCD, with sport science as a possible back-up option.
Her favourite subjects are English and biology, and her least favourite are maths and history. Her top study tip is to read notes out loud and to use flashcards.
Tara’s biggest worry is not getting the points she needs and having to repeat the exams, and she is most excited by the possibilities of being young. She is not particularly worried about Brexit but is concerned that her ability to travel may be curtailed by border checks.
Callum Doherty
Repeat student Callum (19) wants to become a journalist and is particularly interested in sports and in scriptwriting.
He has applied for the bachelor of arts at NUI Galway and hopes to study history and politics before later considering a journalism masters. He has already contributed articles to local newspaper, the Inish Times.
Callum’s hobbies include sport and socialising. His favourite subjects are history and English, while his least favourite are Irish, Spanish and accounting.
After the Leaving Cert, he hopes to visit his brother in the US, but he worries about Trump’s policies and behaviour.
He finds talking to friends useful for study. He says Brexit is “stupid” but doesn’t believe that there will ultimately be a hard border, with “all the tension it would bring”.
Sarah Monagle
Sarah, 18, is still undecided about what to study in college and has applied for general entry at UCD, but she may still change her mind.
Her favourite subject is biology; her least favourite is English. When studying, she reads, memorises and says the information out loud, and she also uses flashcards.
She worries about job security and extreme weather, although she is excited about her own future independence and hopes to own a house in the future. She doesn’t really see herself returning to live in Carndonagh after college, but isn’t dead-set against it either.
As for Brexit, she says the British don’t seem to know what they want, but she doesn’t think the fallout will be as bad as some fear.
EJ Gibbons
EJ (17) hopes to become a doctor and has applied to Trinity and the Royal College of Surgeons.
He loves reading and sport and is a member of Buncrana Boxing Club. His favourite subjects are Spanish and biology, and his least favourite is Irish. When studying, he reads the information, rewrites it and breaks it into chunks where possible.
He worries about finding a job but is not bothered by the likelihood of having to emigrate and, indeed, says that he is excited by the prospect of living abroad and travelling the world.
He doesn’t really follow the twists and turns of Brexit but points out that thousands of people cross the Border freely every day and that Derry is a major hub for entertainment and shopping.
Dylan Donegan
Dylan (17) plays piano and has received a conditional acceptance to the DIT Conservatory of Music, with Maynooth University as a back-up.
His favourite subjects are music and Irish and his least favourite is biology. Practice and essay-writing are among his preferred study methods. He’d like to become a music teacher and doesn’t really see himself settling long-term in Carndonagh.
Dylan is excited by the prospect of independence. He thinks Brexit will be resolved and that the worst-case scenario will not play out.
Jade Simpson
Jade comes from a large family and has three brothers and three sisters, and some of her older siblings have already left Donegal. The 17-year-old is studying for the Leaving Cert Applied and, after school, plans to spend a year working at the local SuperValu before going on to a higher or further education course: she is looking at childcare in Derry or Letterkenny.
English and hair and beauty are her favourite subjects, and she loves rally cars and music.
How does she study? “I don’t,” she says frankly. She doesn’t have any major worries or concerns and doesn’t really think about Brexit. But she hopes she can stay in Carndonagh or, at least, live close by.
