Leaving Cert Guidance
Guidance Counsellor, Donnchadh O Mahony, hosts the Leaving Cert Guidance Podcast. Donnchadh gives up to date information to applicants of the CAO, UCAS, PLCs, HEAR and DARE, HPAT etc. Make sure to follow @leavingcertguidance on Instagram and TikTok to stay up to date on when the latest podcast episodes come out.
Episodes
106 episodes
My 625 Journey with @hennieonhenny
Sarah interviews Hennie about her experience with the Leaving Cert, discussing her journey, study strategies, and the importance of managing stress. Hennie shares her insights on subject choices, study techniques, and the significance of past p...
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28:17
613 Student Recalls his LC Experience and Gives Tips
Richard Chen, who got 613 points in his LC, joins the Leaving Cert Guidance podcast and shares his experiences navigating the Leaving Cert, the pressures of exam preparation, and the emotional journey leading up to results day. He discusses the...
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19:23
Medicine and the HPAT with Martha Harper
In this episode, Sarah interviews Martha Harper, a medical student who gained popularity on TikTok for her content about the HPAT and her journey into medicine. Martha shares her experiences with the HPAT, the challenges of transitioning from s...
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37:41
Mastering CAO 2026 Application
In this episode of the Leaving Cert Guidance podcast, Sarah Ó Tuama and guidance counsellor Donnchadh discuss the Central Applications Office (CAO) process, providing essential tips and insights for students navigating college applications. The...
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30:10
Navigating College Course Selection
In this episode of the Leaving Cert Guidance podcast, Sarah Ó Tuama and Donnchadh discuss the critical process of selecting a college course. They emphasise the importance of research, aligning personal interests with potential career paths, an...
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28:43
Applying to UCAS for 2026
In this episode, Sarah asks Donnchadh about the UCAS application and how Irish applicants can tackle it.What is UCAS, how does the application work, how do I write a personal statement, what is student finance and how do repayments work?...
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28:15
Tertiary Degrees-The Irish Education Landscape is Changing!
Donnchadh and Sarah chat on the first Leaving Cert Guidance episode of the academic year, bout Tertiary Degrees.Donnchadh reckons the landscape of the Irish education system has changed with the development of Tertiary degrees.F...
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17:35
Let's Rayse Our Study Game
Ray Lanigan is a high impact study skills coach and a school motivational speaker. he joins Donnchadh to discuss his study skills strategies such as the 30 minute study sprint and the whiz grid. What advice does Ray have for student...
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21:51
Substance Misuse Expert on Staying Safe this Christmas
Substance misuse expert, Sinead Carey, joins the Leaving Cert Guidance podcast to help students stay safe this Christmas. What do students who are going out this Christmas need to know so they can keep themselves safe, the 5 As that paren...
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19:34
Important Upcoming Deadlines
Over the next few weeks there are important upcoming deadline dates. Many students will take the opportunity over the Christmas break to prepare for these deadlines.Donnchadh explains to us what deadlines are fast approaching and ...
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15:38
DARE/HEAR Applications 2025
Roisin O'Donohoe is back with Donnchadh this week, this time to discuss the HEAR and DARE application processes and what students need to know and some tips and advice for the application.Don't forget to follow @leavingcertguidance on I...
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22:50
My Erasmus Experience
Donnchadh is joined by Ava Rose Gallagher, a 4th year Commerce International student in UCC who talks about her Erasmus experience. Ava Rose talks about:The process of applying to ErasmusApplying for the Erasm...
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23:26
CAO 2025
This is one of our biggest podcast episodes of the year. Eileen Keleghan from the CAO joins Donnchadh to give advice for 2025 CAO applicants.They talk about:What applicants can expect from the CAO applicationK...
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19:58
Prepping for LC Languages exams with Katie Lenehan
Language teacher Katie Lenehan (@mslenslanguages) join Donnchadh on the pod this week to talk about preparing for languages exams for the LC.Katie and Donnchadh discuss:Key challenges for studentsimproving oral and ...
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30:45
Effective Study Methods with GC Roisin O'Donohoe
Donnchadh is joined by Guidance Counsellor Roisin O'Donohoe to talk effective study methods and how students can get the most from themselves while studying. Donnchadh and Roisin discuss:Most common study mistakesthe import...
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27:32
Applying for Exemptions
There are a number of exemptions that CAO applicants can apply for. Universities might have matriculation requirements that outline an applicant must have Irish and/or another language.In this episode, Donnchadh is joined by guida...
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14:23
HPAT: How I got 98th Percentile
Alice Byrne is in 4th year medicine in UCD. When she sat her HPAT in 2021 she scored in the 98th percentile achieving 197 points.She joins Donnchadh in this episode to give some tips to potential HPATers.Alice discusses:
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16:42
How we got 625 points!
Donnchadh is joined by two 625 points students this week. Juliet and Jessica chat about:How they structured their studyWhat study techniques worked best for them.Subjects they had to prioritise
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21:27
Irish applying to UCAS 2025
Conan Meehan joins Donnchadh to chat about Irish applicants applying to UCAS in 2025. Conan has been helping ROI students apply to UCAS since 2019. In this podcast they talk about:What is UCASHow to make an appl...
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37:36
TikToker Ella Deasy is headed to University
Ella Deasy joins the podcast this week to talk about her meteoric rise on TikTok, advice she would give to content creators starting out, how she found the LC and CAO processes, where she is going to be studying next year and advice she would g...
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10:57
LC2024 Results...What you need to know.
The LC results come out on Friday 23rd August at 10am.On this episode Donnchadh runs through what LC candidates can expect on the day and why the Candidate Self Service Portal is so important.Follow on Instagram @leavingcertguid...
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12:42
January 2024-Important dates
There are so many important dates and deadlines upcoming. So, Donnchadh and guidance counsellor Joe Farrelly, chat you through the most important ones got to do with the CAO, UCAS, HPAT, Tertiary degrees and PLC courses.Make sure ...
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14:57
Preparing for the Mock Exams
Donnchadh is flying solo this week in the podcast as he gives his top tips for preparation for the mocks. Donnchadh talks aboutStudy schedulesTopics to learnActive study vs passive studyUsing nerves ...
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15:02