Limerick student gets nine H1s and 'exceptional grades' in Leaving Certificate

AN 18-year-old student who studied three extra subjects for his Leaving Certificate has secured nine H1s and the maximum 625 points.

Tiernan O’Mahoney, who went to Coláiste Íde agus Iosef secondary school and is from Abbeyfeale, decided to study three extra subjects despite only needing six to get the maximum marks.

Having gotten his Business paper rechecked, the “modest, kind, polite young man” received the news that he got nine H1s. He is now a student at University College Cork (UCC), where he studies finance.

“Tiernan studied seven subjects in Coláiste Íde agus Iosef and he studied Biology and Accounting himself,” Tiernan’s mother Sinead said.

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“We are super proud of him! When he told me he was going to study two extra subjects, I asked ‘why?’

“His response was, ‘don't you think I can?’

“He said he would have done 10 subjects including Applied Mathematics but, as part of this exam, there was extra course work and we didn't have anyone to correct it, as the school doesn’t teach it.”

Tiernan represented his former secondary school twice in the Team Maths competition in previous years and also entered the BT Young Scientist competition in 2023.

He got a part time job in Donal Casey’s accountants last summer in Abbeyfeale, and now wants to become a chief financial officer (CFO) after he obtains his college degree.

“We’re hoping he’ll get some kind of scholarship with these exceptional grades, as everyone knows the expense of third-level education,” Sinead said.