Teenage entrepreneurs going to Croke Park National Final announced
Teenage entrepreneurs from two local secondary schools are on their way to Croke Park in Dublin next month, to represent the county and their Local Enterprise Office at the National Finals of the Student Enterprise Awards.
Under the Student Enterprise Awards, which starts every September, budding secondary school entrepreneurs set-up and run their own enterprises, learning about the world of business with help from their teachers and Local Enterprise Office Offaly.
The students were all competing at the Offaly Final on Thursday 10th March, which was held at the Tullamore Court Hotel. 579 students participated in the programme during the school year with 100 competing at the county final.
In the Junior Category, the students representing Offaly at the National Finals are: Katie Moran, Nicole Buckley and Jennifer Arnold from “Gallen Games” at Gallen Community School, Ferbane.
In the Intermediate Category, Adam Henry, Josh Dunican and Oisin McGuire of “Farm Friendly Feeder” from Gallen Community School in Ferbane will be representing the county in Croke Park.
In the Senior Category of the competition, Offaly will be represented on April 20th by Daniel Carroll from Caballis Equine Ltd at Colaiste Choilm, Tullamore.
Co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Offices in every Local Authority area, the competition is the most successful student enterprise programme of its kind in the country. The County has a very strong record in the student enterprise competition. Recent awards won by local secondary schools have included last year’s Senior Category winner, Shiofra Ryan from St Brendan’s Community School in Birr with “An Tionchar”.
Speaking at the final, Mr Eamonn Dooley, Cathaorleach Offaly County Council, commended the students for their efforts. He also thanked their teachers and parents for their support. “It’s a great opportunity for you (the students) to develop your business skills; something that I would have loved to have done when I was in school!” he commented.
Praising local schools for helping to foster student enterprise in the classroom, Orla Martin, Head of Enterprise of the Local Enterprise Office Offaly, said: “Our local schools are very committed to supporting youth entrepreneurship. Principals, teachers, boards of management and importantly, the student entrepreneurs themselves deserve huge credit for their dedication and hard work. Over the years, our team of Student Enterprise Co-Ordinators from Local Enterprise Offices have formed a very effective partnership with local schools, to help nurture our next generation of entrepreneurs and job creators.”
The National Finalists will be competing with up to 300 other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland on April 20th. Further information around the Student Enterprise Awards, which is run by the Local Enterprise Offices, is available from www.studententerprise.ie and by searching #studententerprise on social media.
As part of the ‘first stop shop’ business support model, the Local Enterprise Offices deliver services and support to the micro and small business sectors with the guidance of the Centre of Excellence at Enterprise Ireland under the policy direction of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
Full set of photographs from the day are available on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/LEOOffaly
Offaly Student Enterprise Awards 2016
Winners Listing
Senior Category
Placing | School | Teacher | Business Name | Description | Students |
1st | Colaiste Choilm | Eamonn Fallon | Caballis Equine Ltd | Caballis develops equine products which optimise horse health and wellbeing. | Daniel Carroll |
2nd | Banagher College | Katie Murray | iHold Your Phone | Phone Holder | Hannah Larkin Helen Healy Carlota Olmos Corie Killen |
3rd | St Brendan’s Community School, Birr | John Kennedy/ Amy Kidney | Outdoor Retro-reflective Christmas Decorations | Cheaper and environmentally friendly way of decorating the outside of your house at Christmas time. | Laoise Murray Annie Nichol Jessica Fitzgerald |
Educational Award & Student Prize | Banagher College | Katie Murray | Play, Fun, Learn | Educational and creative workbooks for children | Aoife Kinsella Sasha Connolly Louise Killeen |
Retail/ Sales Awards | St Mary’s Secondary School, Edenderry | Mr Mealiffe | JLK Ltd | Selling of Power Bank Chargers and Waterproof Phone Cases for low prices. | Jessica Corcoran Kelli Farrell Lauren O’Reilly |
Entrepreneurial Spirit Award | Tullamore College | Renée Gallagher | Offaly Agri Photography Ltd | An agricultural photography company who film farmers for hire and they also do general farm photography | Conor Buckley |
Innovation Award | Killina Presentation Secondary School | | GlowTrail | Trail of glowing footprints which will lead a child to the bathroom at night. | Paul Lynam Pádhraig Cantwell Mark Malone Grace Fogarty Sean Guinan |
Merit | Colaiste Choilm | Eamonn Fallon | D & L Ltd | Key ID and Reindeer food. | Liam Murray David Donaghue |
Merit | Colaiste Choilm | Eamonn Fallon | StopDrop Ltd | Product to stop your phone from dropping. | Jamie Lumley Ronan Deegan Jordan Lynam Conor Brophil |
Merit | Gallen Community School | Karen Shine Tom Dunican | Wooden Organisers | Wooden storage box/drawer divider for easy organisation | Niamh Spain Rachael Cleary Andrea Arnold |
Merit | Gallen Community School | Karen Shine Tom Dunican | Pamper Hampers | An array of beauty products in personalised hampers | Niamh Brazil Bronagh Coughlan |
Merit | Gallen Community School | | MACA Ltd | Twig Christmas Trees | Cathal O’Shea Mark Dolan |
Merit | Tullamore College | Renée Gallagher | GCD Ltd | Manufacturing and selling an antibacterial toilet spray to be used in public toilets | Tara Daly Lauren Gorry Lydia Coyne Martin McDonagh |
Merit | Tullamore College | Renée Gallagher | Banc Og | Manufacturing and selling small wooden handmade saving boxes for children. | Caoimhe Griffin Muireann Griffin |
Merit | Killina Presentation Secondary School | | Centenary Celebrators | 1916 Easter Rising Calender | Colin Murphy Emma Flecher Mairead Walsh Orla Ryan |
Merit | Killina Presentation Secondary School | | Luaithreach | Device to help clean ashes out of a fire place/insert stove without a mess or dust | Jake Cooney Ciara Flynn-Murphy Emma Darby Thomas Daly |
Merit | Banagher College | Katie Murray | Banagher Collage Halfzips | School halfzip tops | Seán Hanamy Daire Kelly Darrel Gaughan Ciarán Flynn Eoin Hughes |
Merit | Banagher College | Katie Murray | Fruity Fridays | Assorted fresh fruit cups to promote healthy eating in school | Ailleen Devery Brenda Wynne Olwen Kenny Sarah Daly Kinga Szalasna |
Merit | St Mary’s Secondary School, Edenderry | Mrs Griffin | COBEA Ltd | Assembles and sells Guitar essential packs | Chloe Pearson Ollie Gill Ben Cully Emer Lawless Aoife Lordan |
Merit | St Mary’s Secondary School, Edenderry | Mr Mc Donnell | Rocket Pocket | A small handmade attachable pocket which you can store small valuables | Rachel Nugent Simone Carroll Majella Coyne Tara McDonnell |
Merit | St Mary’s Secondary School, Edenderry | Mrs McDonnell | Personalised Key Rings | Personalised Key Rings | Jack Brady Jamie Redmond Eoin Lenehan Mark O’Hara |
Merit | St Brendan’s Community School, Birr | John Kennedy/ Amy Kidney | Clued N’ Creations | Handmade Candles | Laoibhse McDermott Chloe-Jane Craig Emmett Fitzgerald Nigel Kelly Naomi Kelly Darrell Lally |
Intermediate Category
Placing | School | Teacher | Business Name | Description | Students |
1st | Gallen Community School | Karen Shine Tom Dunican Marilyn McDonagh | Farm Friendly Feeder | Unique Cattle Feeder | Adam Henry Josh Dunican Oisin McGuire |
2nd | St Brendan’s Community School, Birr | John Kennedy/ Amy Kidney | Masanagh Study Guides | Service that provides guidance and assistance with Study | Malalai Zafar Sally Dolan Brónagh Guinan |
3rd | Gallen Community School, Ferbane | Marilyn McDonagh/ Karen Shine | Zen’It | Tea-Lights | Orla Duffy Charlotte Healy Ciara Buckley |
Junior Category
| Placing | School | Teacher | Business Name | Description | Students |
1st | Gallen Community School | Karen Shine / Marilyn McDonagh | Gallen Games | Educational Fun Language Games | Katie Moran Nicole Buckley Jennifer Arnold |
2nd | St Brendan’s Community School, Birr | Amy Kidney | Sugar Shockers | Sugar Awareness Posters | Orla Meaney Aideen Cooper |
3rd | St Brendan’s Community School, Birr | Amy Kidney | Just Bake It | Baking Mixtures | Eve Murray Aoife Morris Grainne Nolan Grace Cashen |
Merit | Gallen Community School | Karen Shine Tom Dunican | LSS Enterprise | Light Switch Stickers | Cian Egan Holly Dunican Jennifer Egan |
