Autism campaigner Cara Darmody becomes youngest person to pass Leaving Cert maths
Kelly Her Displays Leaving Cert John Maths Picture: D Darmody Proudly Cara Result
A 12-year-old schoolgirl has become the youngest person in Ireland to pass Leaving Cert maths.
Cara Darmody took both ordinary level papers at her national school in Ardfinnan, Co Tipperary, in June.
On Friday, about an hour after she began first year at Loreto Secondary School in Clonmel, she was told she had passed.
Some six years ahead of her time, Cara — who is given extra maths lessons every week at home by her father Mark — got 97%.
It is the same mark she got when she sat Junior Cert maths in 2022. Photos Chaney/collins Mark Her Darmody Father Picture: Gareth With Cara
She decided to sit both exams as part of her campaign to not only raise funds for autism services but also awareness about the lack of timely resources for children with autism.
Cara, who turns 13 next month, said she was "in total shock" with the result.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I'd get 97%. I thought that it would be brilliant if I even got 60%.
“"I think that 97 is now my favourite number — it's definitely my new lucky number.
“Paper one was just so hard, but I really fought so hard for every mark. It's such a relief to actually get my result.
“I tried to distract myself over the summer so that I wouldn't think about it too much, but it was really hard not to.”
The schoolgirl, whose two brothers Neil and John are severely autistic, is fast becoming to autism what Greta Thunberg is to the environment.
She set up a GoFundMe page in April 2022 to raise funds for autism services in her local Ardfinnan National School and Scoil Chormaic Special School in Cashel, where Neil and John attend.
This followed her decision during lockdown in 2021 to study the whole three-year secondary school Junior Cycle ordinary level curriculum in maths and ended up — with the help of her father — doing it in just eight months.
Throughout her campaigning, she has met senior politicians including Micheál Martin in his office when he was Taoiseach and the current Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to demand they do more to improve autism services.
She also spent time in the Oireachtas, speaking to TDs and senators about her campaign, which led to a Labour Party parliamentary motion on better autism resourcing earlier this year.
“I want to say the biggest thank you to everyone who supported me on this amazing journey as it certainly wasn't easy,” Cara said.
“Thanks a million, to anyone who donated to my fundraiser and for helping all of those children on HSE waiting lists.
Proud dad Mark said: "I can't tell you enough how proud her mother Noelle and I are of her. She invented this journey herself and to get 97% in a Leaving Certificate exam at just 12-years-old, all to help others, is just an amazing achievement.
"Cara lives in a world where she has two severely autistic brothers. She could play the victim if she wanted to, but instead has chosen to be the most inspirational person I have ever met.
"Doing the Junior Cycle exam last year was really hard, but this year really was like climbing Mount Everest. But she somehow managed to get to the summit with 97%."