Leaving Cert Irish Paper 2 'very manageable' with no surprises at either level

Ellen O'Donoghue

The Leaving Cert Irish Paper 2 will have had students breathing a sigh of relief, according to Irish teacher at Moyle Park College, Dublin, Stephen Doyle.

The Studyclix subject expert said that there is "no doubt" the paper would have been well received.

“The two reading comprehensions were well chosen - the first text focused on Rory Gallagher and music while the second passage about Sport in Ireland was very relevant and easy to relate to," Mr Doyle said.

"Both were very manageable. The grammar threw up no surprises while the 6b questions were a bit more specific than in previous years.

"A sigh of relief could be heard as the long awaited Hurlamaboc made an appearance in the prose section. Students were expecting it last year but it didn't appear; thankfully this year it did. Students had an option between Hurlamaboc and Oisín i dTír na nÓg with the questions being very straightforward with no surprises.

“Again students would have been happy with the choice of poems in the poetry section. An Spailpín Fánach and Colscaradh appeared on this year's paper. There were no difficult or tricky questions. Any student who had prepared these poems will be very happy with the questions asked."

The final section of the paper, Litríocht Breise, offered "good variety and plenty of choice," according to Mr Doyle.

"The question on An Trial and A thig Ná Tit orm was straightforward and focused on the case of the main character. While the questions on Gafa and Canary Wharf focused on the relationships between the characters," he said.

“This paper rewarded students who had studied their texts well and could write clearly about what they had learned. Students will be happy with this one.”

The "student-friendly" Ordinary Level Paper 2 also had no surprise questions, Mr Doyle added, and it covered the basics well.

"The reading comprehensions focused on the Olympics and the Phoenix Park (nature), topics that were accessible and relatable for students. The prose section offered a choice between Dís, Oisín i dTír na nÓg and Hurlamaboc, which was expected and gave students good options," he said.

“The poetry section included Mo Ghrá-sa, An tEarrach Thiar and Colscaradh, with straightforward questions that tested students' understanding of the main themes and content. There were no surprise questions. Overall, this paper provided ordinary level students with plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge successfully.”