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KILKENNY STUDENTS IMPRESS AT THE STUDENT ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME COUNTY FINAL

KILKENNY STUDENTS IMPRESS AT THE STUDENT ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME COUNTY FINAL

 

Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny have announced that young entrepreneurs from CBC Kilkenny will represent County Kilkenny this year’s senior category at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals on Thursday 7th May 2026. 

 

The students all took part in the County Kilkenny Final on Wednesday 4th March which was held at the Lyrath Estate Hotel. The final event was the culmination of months of hard work in schools across the County where students starting and ran mini businesses.

 

In the Senior Category of the competition the winners were Mini Caddy at CBC Kilkenny - Tom Fenlon, Shane Burke, Dillon Brett, and Adam Trehy.  The winners in the junior and intermediate category went to Colaiste Abhainn Ri in Callan – Recharge’d represented by Megan Bryan, Ruth Moylan, Keira Lyons , Aimee Hickey and Katie Walsh. Imogen Lawless Greene and Caoimhe O’Shea took home the winner prize in the intermediate category for their business Helm Halo.

 

County Kilkenny has a successful track record in the student enterprise competition - Michael O’Keefe from St Kieran’s College recently won first place in the intermediate category at Student Enterprise Programme National Finals.

 

Speaking at the county final, Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh , congratulated all the students “We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Kilkenny, with students from 12 local second level schools taking part this year. Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck on Friday 7th, and we will all hope to be there to support them.  The skills students learn in this programme , such as business planning, market research, selling and team-work, will help them become more entrepreneurial throughout their future careers”.

 

The local students will be competing against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals, taking place in Mullingar on the 7th May. 

 

The enterprise education initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw over 25,000 students from just under 500 secondary schools across the country take part in 2025 / 2026.  The programme supports students to create, design and market their own business, all with the hope of reaching the National Finals.

 

 

Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 350,000 students have taken part, learning key skills on how to create a business idea, start a business and grow a business.  The Student Enterprise Programme also has new range of online resources for 2025 / 2026 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie, which will feature regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.  

 

Further information around the Student Enterprise Programme is available from www.studententerprise.ie and by searching #studententerprise on social media.

                                                                                                                                             

 

For further information, please contact Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny

info@leo.kilkennycoco.ie / (056) 7752662

 

Names of participating schools in Student Enterprise Programme

 

  • Castlecomer Community School
  • CBC Kilkenny
  • Colaiste Abhainn Ri
  • Colaiste Pobail Osraí
  • Loreto Secondary School
  • Presentation Secondary School
  • Duiske College
  • Kilkenny City Vocational School
  • St. Kieran's College
  • Scoil Aireagail
  • Colaiste Mhuire
  • Kilkenny College

Names of winning enterprises

SEP Senior Winners

Senior Winners: John Mulcahy, Aileen McGrath – LEO Kilkenny, Tom Fenlon, Shane Burke, Dillon Brett, Adam Trehy - Mini Caddy, CBC Kilkenny, Cathaoirleach Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh

SEP Intermediate Winners

Intermediate Winners: John Mulcahy – LEO Kilkenny, Imogen Lawless Greene, Caoimhe O’Shea, Helm Halo - Coláiste Abhainn Rí, Cathaoirleach Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh

SEP Junior Winners

Junior Winners: John Mulcahy – LEO Kilkenny, Megan Bryan, Ruth Moylan, Keira Lyons, Aimee Hickey, Katie Walsh, Recharge'd, Coláiste Abhainn Rí, Cathaoirleach Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh

SEP Teacher Award

Teachers Award: Rosie Dunne – SEP CoOrdinator, Claire Dunlop – CBC Kilkenny, Cathaoirleach Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh

SEP Best Commercial Potential

Best Commercial Potential: Grace Hickey, Sophie Devereux, Zoe Beck, Eimear Grant – Blasta Bites - Presentation Secondary School, Rebecca Doyle – MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre, Cathaoirleach Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh

SEP

Special Merit Award: Mayor John Coonan, Cathaoirleach Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh, Cllr Maria Dollard, Hazel Sherwood, Shona Manning – Twinkle Jars - Kilkenny City Vocational School

SEP Special Merit

Special Merit Winner: Cllr Maria Dollard, Clodagh Maye, Kayla Ruane, Unwrap Local – Loreto Secondary School, Mayor John Coonan

Special Merit Awards

  • Unwrap Local – Loreto Secondary School – (Students: Clodagh Maye, Kayla Ruane)
  • Pawsome Pouches - Presentation Secondary School – (Students: Croia Hickey, Emer Rossiter, Alana Lahart, Mia Phelan & Ena Hickey)
  • Candles By C.A.L - Castlecomer Community School – (Students: Carly Bourke, Aoibhinn Dunne, Lucy O’Gorman)
  • Hurl Stands - St. Kieran's College – (Students: Enda Cunningham, Sam Medlar, Conor Holohan)
  • Twinkle Jars - Kilkenny City Vocational School – (Students: Hazel Sherwood, Shona Manning)
  • JD Hurley - Coláiste Abhainn Rí – (Students: Jack Doheny, Jack Dunne)
  • Talesaurus - CBC Kilkenny - (Students: Leo Russeil)
  • Lotus Soaps - Kilkenny College – (Students: Conor Donovan Peces, Sachet Gunjur Sathish, Tommy O'Connell, Cole Macken)
  • Create a Keepsake - Coláiste Mhuire – (Students: Emma Stapleton, Sophie Cashin, Kyle Keogh)

 

Innovation Award

  • The Hurl Dock - CBC Kilkenny – (Students: Adam Lakes, Shane Keyes)

Green Award Sponsored by Kilkenny County Council

  • Pollin8 - Coláiste Abhainn Rí – (Students: Tom Carey, Jamie Power)

Best Commercial Potential Sponsored MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre

  • Blasta Bites - Presentation Secondary School – (Students: Grace Hickey, Sophie Devereux, Zoe Beck, Eimear Grant)

Best Endeavour

  • All Star Kit - Presentation Secondary School – (Students: Hannah Tennyson, Clodagh Galway)

Judges Choice Award    

  • Barrow Electronics - Duiske College – (Students: Megan Kinsella, Jessica Reddy, Meagan O'Grady, Tara Fenlon, Una O'Neill)

Teachers Recognition Award

  • Claire Dunlop – CBC Kilkenny

Junior Category Results

  • Recharge'd – Colaiste Abhainn Ri – (Students: Megan Bryan, Ruth Moylan, Keira Lyons, Aimee Hickey, Katie Walsh)

Intermediate Category Results

  • Helm Halo - Coláiste Abhainn Rí – (Students: Imogen Lawless Greene, Caoimhe O’Shea)

Senior Category Results

  • Mini Caddy - CBC Kilkenny – (Students: Tom Fenlon, Shane Burke, Dillon Brett, Adam Trehy)

 

About the Student Enterprise Programme (studententerprise.ie)

The Student Enterprise Programme is co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Offices and involves approximately 25,000 students from 500 secondary schools every year. It runs from September to May and the 2025/2026 National Final takes place online on the 7th May.                                                                               

 

Website: www.studententerprise.ie / #studententerprise / Twitter: @StudentEntProg / Facebook: /studententerpriseprogramme / Instagram: /studententerpriseprogramme

 

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