The Roche triplets (left): Joey, Sarah and Ellen with the Gannons, Ruairi, Aoibhe and Niamh at Ratoath Community College last Friday

Teachers at Ratoath College have been doing a double take or three since the school's new first years started last Friday.

Among the new batch of new entrants were two sets of triplets - an unusual enough occurence in any school - but they were also joined by a whopping five sets of twins!

Among the 216 first years were triplets, Ruairi, Aoibhe and Niamh Gannon and Joey, Sarah and Ellen Roche.

Principal Maire Ní Bhroite said it was an amazing coincidence - something they were unlikely to come across again.

She said the teachers hadn't been having too much difficulty telling the students apart, although two girls in one of the sets of triplets were very alike.

She said the families were given a choice and most opted for the siblings to go to separate classes, except in one instance.

Both sets of triplets already have brothers attending Ratoath College.

The Gannon siblings' older brother, Daire, is just starting fifth year, as is Kevin, the older brother of the Roche triplets.

All of the triplets and twins have gone through primary school together and started school in Ratoath Primary School in 2004.

There are currently 933 students enrolled at Ratoath College and the school had some fantastic results in the Leaving Certificate - in just the third year that students sat the exam in the relatively young school.

There are currently 125 sixth years preparing to sit the Leaving Certificate next year and 10 pupils will sit the Leaving Certificate Applied.

It has also been a very exciting year for the college with two current pupils and a former pupil on the Meath minor team which has won its way through the All Ireland Final.

Brian Power and David Tone are both pupils at Ratoath and Harry Rooney is a former pupil.

Anoher former pupil, James Scully, is doing his school and country proud as part of the Irish Paralympic Squad and will be competing in four swimming events at the Paralympic Games in London.

Another student, Eamonn Wallace, won the national championships in the 100m and 200m sprints this summer.

Ratoath College's Mark Caffrey has been appointed equality officer with the Irish Second-Level Students' Union and has been invited onto an anti-bullying forum and will represent all students in Ireland on that group.

The first year students started back last Friday, but the main student body returned on Monday and classes were running as normal by yesterday (Tuesday) morning.