News
Relief for students as State exams finally begin

Kayleigh O'Connor and Bethany Kelly pictured ahead of their Home Economics exam on Wednesday afternoon.
By Michelle Crean and Grigoriy Geniyevskiy
Although it was a Leaving Cert like no other - that didn't stop some students from feeling nerves and others relief - as they finally began their State exams on Wednesday morning.
After a mix of homeschooling due to the COVID lockdowns, it was a tough final year for the Sixth Years who at times had no idea if they final school exams would even go ahead.
Some have opted for no exams, while others want a mixture of Accredited Grades combined with the option to sit the exams.
And it all began on Wednesday morning as English Paper 1 was first up followed by Home Economics in the afternoon.
REACTION
For Killian O'Brien, a student in St Brendan's College, he said that there was no stress as he headed in.
"I'm grand out, not stressed at all."
George Griffin, also a student in St Brendan's College was glad to begin the final leg of his school journey and said he too felt grand about it.
"Predictable grades are a good backing to it, it levels out the stress."
His classmate Darren Counihan was "not too worried" about what was ahead of him.
"You can only go up in points, not down thanks to accredited points."
Luke Tindall, also a student in the school said he was alright and "not too stressed"
For Adam O'Connor there was some nerves.
"I'm feeling a bit of everything, but mostly stressed," he said. "I'm just waiting to get it done and over with."
In Killarney Community College Oliwia Bielanska spoke to the Killarney Advertiser after coming out of her first State exam.
"I was nervous at first, but once I started writing it was all good."
Aoife O'Brien from the same school said she was "kind of nervous" but that "it was fine".
"It wasn't too bad."
Stefan Lajdar, also a student in Killarney Community College said it went "alright".
"I finished a bit earlier. I was a bit under pressure before the exam, but it was easy enough. We have a backup with the predicted grades so it was fine."
A turbulent year
Principal of Killarney Community College, Stella Loughnane, acknowledged the uniqueness of this year. "This year has been a turbulent and emotional year for this particular Leaving Cert group. Thankfully, all of our students sitting these exams have the security of knowing they already have an accredited grade from their subject teacher and can really try to improve on that when sitting their chosen exams. I think this is of great comfort to students and will ease some of their nerves.The majority of our students have embraced this challenge and chosen to sit their exams."
She added that also this year there are a lot more COVID guidelines from both the Department of Health and the Department of Education that both the school and students must adhere to.
"This year has shown how adaptable our students are, therefore I don't believe they will cause too much fuss. However, like every other year, our students arrived with the age old butterflies in their stomachs but a willingness to begin their exams."
Sean Coffey, Principal of St Brendan's College said it was great to see the exams finally underway.
"It has been the most incredible two years for the students. This is as fair as you can get really. I would say the Sixth Years had a less disruptive year than other students as they had their eye on the prise and could see the finish line in sight."








News
Five questions to ask yourself before buying a stock
By Michael O’Connor, theislandinvestor.com When it comes to investing, nothing is certain. There are no perfect stocks to buy because there’s no way of predicting the future with 100% accuracy. […]

By Michael O’Connor, theislandinvestor.com
When it comes to investing, nothing is certain.
There are no perfect stocks to buy because there’s no way of predicting the future with 100% accuracy.
The truth is, investing is hard, and building a portfolio of top stocks that beat the market is something that even financial professionals have trouble doing consistently.
For most people, investing in index funds is the perfect hands-off approach, providing broad exposure to the stock market at a very low fee. Even my own personal portfolio is made up of roughly 70% ETFs despite the fact I invest in the market for a living.
But I believe some stock picking is a good strategy for many hands-on people.
Taking a small portion of your overall portfolio and diligently selecting a small number of companies to invest in gives you an opportunity to learn about the investing process and fully understand the businesses you are investing in, which helps to build conviction in your positions.
From a psychological standpoint “collector’s instinct” kicks in, enabling people to participate and invest more money over time.
Lastly, for Irish investors, there are tax benefits to consider. If you invest in individual stocks, you are taxed at the CGT rate of 33%, and the first €1,270 of your gains are exempt from CGT each year. When investing in index funds or ETFs, you are taxed at the exit tax rate of 41% with no annual exemption.
For those interested in picking individual stocks, here are five questions you should ask yourself before investing in any company.
Do I understand the business?
Too many people invest in businesses they don’t understand because it ‘sounds good’. If you have no idea how the company works, you won’t have the conviction needed to hold onto the stock when an inevitable downturn comes.
Can the balance sheet withstand severe, temporary adversity?
This seems obvious, but so many people invest in companies without understanding how much money a company holds and who they owe money to. Economic cycles are guaranteed. You must ensure that the company has enough cash-on-hand to avoid becoming obsolete when activity slows.
Will the company benefit from long-term trends?
Make sure the company will remain relevant into the future. If the stock is cheap now, it may be cheap for a reason.
Is the company enjoying profitable growth?
Not growth at all costs, but a combination of sustainable growth and value. All this information can be found online at sites like stratosphere.io.
What are the risk factors?
Is the company trying something new and untested? If yes, who are its competitors and how successful are they? If other players are more established, this company may have a tough time breaking into the market.
News
Ballyspillane staff open up mental health conversation
By Michelle Crean “Hello, How Are You?” that’s the question staff at Ballyspillane Community Centre will be asking next week as part of a new campaign. It’s all in partnership […]

By Michelle Crean
“Hello, How Are You?” that’s the question staff at Ballyspillane Community Centre will be asking next week as part of a new campaign.
It’s all in partnership with Mental Health Ireland (MHI) and the centre will host an information/coffee morning on Thursday next (March 30) at 12.30pm at their centre and all are welcome to attend.
The campaign initiated by MHI identifies the need for positive engagement and connections with the people around us.
It asks people to engage in open conversations about mental health and prompts us all to ask the question “How Are You?”
The word HELLO is a useful acronym to guide everyone through such conversations, H: Hello, E: Engage positively with the person, L: Listen actively, L: Learn about the person and O: seek options to assist the person if required.
“We all need a listening and compassionate ear sometimes to get us through some challenges in our lives and I think the pandemic has opened a new way of looking at the world, where we can all recognise the challenges that people experience more readily,” Derek O’Leary, Manager of Ballyspillane Community & Family Resource Centre, said.
“Our team here are in the business of supporting families and individuals across the Killarney area and beyond and see the challenges that people face first hand. We also see the positive impact that a caring person can have in such circumstances and this campaign that encourages positive engagement, regarding mental health is a great reminder to us all, the role we can play is assisting others who are struggling.”
Ballyspillane Community & Family Resource Centre provide a suite of support and intervention services including family supports, social prescribing/community connection services and physiotherapeutic services across the Killarney municipal area and beyond.
-
Sport1 week ago
An Hour with Paul Galvin: Drawing lines between football and fashion
-
News2 weeks ago
Attenborough to showcase Killarney in latest BBC wildlife series
-
News2 weeks ago
Killarney woman urges support for cancer patient services this Daffodil Day
-
News2 weeks ago
Premiere of Kevin Leahy’s film revealed