Mayo priest has 'made it' after featuring in State exam paper

A Mayo priest has expressed his delight at being featured in a State exam question.

A series of questions in relation to the work of Fr. Charlie McDonnell, Administrator, St. Mary's Church, Westport, appeared on the Junior Cert. geography paper.

Relating to the topic, 'Plan to protect busy Croagh Patrick', the introduction outlined: "The administrator of St. Mary's Parish, Westport, has said that some weathering and erosion on the mountain is due to climatic factors.

"However, most of it is human-related and linked to the mountain's increased popularity as a climbing destination, attracting an estimated 100,000 climbers each year."

A number of questions on the topic was then posed to the students.

When the matter was brought to the attention of the Castlebar native today, Fr. Charlie said: "You know you've made it when you make an appearance on a State exam paper. . .despite probably coming near the bottom of my geography class!"

Fr. Charlie told the story on his Facebook page and many of his followers commented.