Eoin Murphy found you sometimes can’t win as a Leaving Cert student, such as when you get too much sun It’s been back to studying indoors as Eoin Murphy tackles the eight subjects he’s preparing for this year’s Leaving Cert. Mon Jun 01 2026 - 06:01 • 2 MIN READThe recent spate of good weather has not made studying any easier for this year’s State exams students. Eighteen-year-old Eoin Murphy from Co Mayo knows this, because when he tried to take the books outside, he got sunburnt.So it’s been back to studying indoors as he tackles the eight subjects he’s preparing for this year’s Leaving Cert. He’s been studying politics and society outside regular school hours ”just for variation”, he says. His subjects are science-heavy, and this is because he initially thought he’d like to study something medical. “Now I don’t. I hate chemistry,” he explains. He’d ideally like to study “Law and Human Rights in Galway. Or Law (International) in Cork.”Sixth year was intense, he says, particularly since Christmas. “January to June it kind it hit me hard[er]. It just feels constant, non-stop, and you don’t really get a break, because after the mocks you have your orals, and then after your orals you have your projects. And then you have to study for the Leaving Cert.”Of course, the Leaving Cert itself follows a momentous milestone for most students – graduation from secondary school. But with the focus on exams, this milestone can feel surreal. “It doesn’t feel like I’m finished school. We had a graduation a few days ago and it hasn’t really clicked to me yet that I won’t be attending a class again in that school. Maybe when the Leaving Cert is finished I’ll start to realise that ‘Okay, I’m actually done here’.” Murphy will sit his exams in his secondary school and, glorious weather or not, he’ll have to wear his school uniform. “I am absolutely against it. I would much rather wear my comfy clothes. My uniform is itchy and I would much rather wear my comfortable clothes to an exam that’s going to change what I’m going to [study] at college.[ Exam diary: ‘I’m hearing vicious rumours that there will be sunshine’Opens in new window ]“I definitely am feeling the pressure,” he adds, regarding the looming exam schedule. He finds languages quite difficult. “I’m focusing on French because I feel French is easier to learn over Irish, because Irish is just essays, essays, essays.”He also finds maths hard, and so is dreading the higher maths paper. He wouldn’t have taken the subject at higher level, he admits, were it not for the bonus points on offer. But at least the Leaving starts with English, one of his best study areas: “It’s one of my favourite subjects. I really like English.” Still, in spite of the pressure, Murphy knows when “enough is enough”.“I do know when to take a break,” he says. He’s thought about options if things don’t go exactly as he hopes. Having a back-up plan has eased his worries. “I obviously want to try my best and know that I put my best foot forward, but … I feel comfortable knowing that I have another course that I can do.”IN THIS SECTION