Leaving Cert: Laois poet Boran featured on Higher Level English Paper 2 exam

It’s that time of year again as students the length and breath of the country wade their way through their Leaving Certificate exams; which this year included a special Laois involvement.

Those sitting down to the Higher Level English Paper 2 exam were met with ‘As Far as Turn Back’, a poem by Portlaoise poet, Pat Boran.

Also a renowned broadcaster and short film-maker, Laois poet Boran published ‘Hedge School’ in December 2024 – his eighth collection of poems.

English Paper 2, which is traditionally seen as the more difficult of the two English papers, tests students’ knowledge of poetry, plays, and studied texts.

Boran was one of three Irish poets included on Paper 2, with ‘As Far as Turn Back’ featuring as the Unseen Poem.

One teacher described the piece as “succinct and easy to navigate with the questions that followed testing students’ ability to interpret the poet’s message through their use of language.”

The poem and the accompanying questions are as follows:

As Far as Turn Back

After we’ve walked for long enough
the conversation peters out,
and grunts, sniffs and the occasional cough
are all that punctuate the quiet.

Now and then, there’s a heel-burst
slipstream of shingle; a see-saw
slate-flat rock taps and trembles
its morse code underfoot;

a crow caws, a sheep responds from a clump of grass a field away.
But that’s about the size of it.
No path agreed in advance,
we’re just out walking on this lockdown day,
taking the air and, taken by it,
leaving the road for animal tracks,
heading, as my father’s phrase would have it, ‘as far as turn back’.

And who knew that not knowing
where that turn would turn out to be
would turn out to be
the thing we’d miss the most.

Questions: 

1 (a) How would you describe the mood of this poem? Support your response with reference to the poem. (10 marks)

1 (b) Do you think, As Far as Turn Back, is an appropriate title for this poem? Give two reasons for your answer, supporting your response with reference to the poem. (10 marks)

– OR –

2. “The poet’s use of language in As Far as Turn Back is both clever and skilful.” To what extent do you agree with this observation? Support your response with reference to the poem. (20 marks)

SEE ALSO – Laois Abroad: Meet the Portlaoise couple who made Melbourne in Australia their home