1997 was a memorable year for Ruby Walsh - he became Irish amateur champion for the first time. It was also the year he sat the Leaving Cert - but he did not let that minor distraction get in the way of his sporting ambitions.
Speaking on Eamon Dunphy's podcast 'The Stand', Walsh told of how he rode three winners during the exams. He also took the step down from honours accountancy to pass accountancy to facilitate a trip to Leopardstown.
I did my Leaving Cert, with plenty of persuasion from my mother.
Having said that, I rode three winners during my leaving cert.
I took the pass accountancy paper instead of the honours one because I wanted to go to Leopardstown. I wanted to get out a bit quicker.
Walsh said he 'learned to cope' academically - he passed all of the subjects studied for the Leaving Cert.
He was also on every sports team possible at the Holy Family Community School in Rathcoole. Football, soccer, rugby, athletics - 'Anything to get out of school. Any bus that was leaving, I was on it.'
I was ok at figures. I got by at English. Languages went straight over my head. I couldn't understand the past, the present and the future in French. It never made sense to me. I could just about understand it in English.
Picture credit: Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE
