This article is from page 8 of the 2014-08-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
INTELLIGENCE, hard work and the Young Scientist Competition are being credited for the success of Lisdoonvarna student, Keelan McMahon, who discovered last Wednesday that he’d earned the maximum 625 points in the Leaving Cert.
Keelan, who is a student at Mary Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna, is a veteran of many Young Scientist Competitions which clearly paid off for him as he sat a total of five maths and science based subjects for his exams.
The Lisdoonvarna student, who works at the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Experience, also received his first choice course of Mathematical Sciences in University College Cork when the first round of college offers were made yesterday morning.
“I think the Young Scientist really helped, it definitely influenced me a lot. Before I went up to the Young Scientists I had very little interest in science. But going up there and getting the feel for different sciences when they are done properly got me interested. The Young Scientist definitely did play a big part of it,” he said.
“I’m really happy and a little shocked as well. It’s great to have it all over with to be honest. There was a lot of stress waiting for the results. I couldn’t sleep the night before, so I got up at 9am and went straight in to get them from the school.
“I got six A1s and when you include the extra 25 points for honours math that makes 625. I got the six A1s in math, applied math, physics, chemistry, biology and in German.
“I got an offer for Mathematical Sciences in UCC which was my first choice. I’m starting college there on September 8, which is three weeks away, and I’m looking forward to it. I picket that course because it was so broad and you can go into so many careers after it. But at the moment I’m looking at actuary.”