Local Enterprise Office Donegal has announced that students from Errigal College, Letterkenny and Carndonagh Community College will represent Donegal at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Finals on Friday 5th May.
The finals make a return to Croke Park for the first time since 2019.
Students from schools across Donegal took part in the County Final which was held during Local Enterprise Week at the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny. A total of 897 students from 15 schools took part in the annual programme locally.
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 2021 / 2022. The programme supports students to create, design and market their own business, all with the hope of reaching the National Finals.
The winner of the Senior Category of the competition was Matthias Uhlich of Errigal College, Letterkenny with his business, Local Lino Art. Matthias will now go on to represent Donegal in the National Finals in Croke Park on Friday 5th May.
In the Junior Category, the winning students were Jessica McLaughlin, Aoife McDermott and Emily O’Boyle from Carndonagh Community School with their business Aoife’s Rings and Things.
The winners of the Intermediate Category were St. Columba’s College students Indira Tinney and Ryan McDermott with their business Resin & Co.
In the “My Entrepreneurial Journey” category – which is open to junior and intermediate students – the winner was Aiden Carragher of Rosses Community School with his business Green Airways.
Special guests at the Donegal County Final included Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and judges Nicola McLaughlin of Sequin Cinderella, Shannon Porter of The Milk Bar and Martin O’Reilly of O’Reilly Sports.
Donegal has had a successful track record in the Student Enterprise Competition. Recent awards won by local secondary schools have included Cathal Cannon, St. Columba’s College Stranorlar, who was one of the five finalists at last year’s final of the Student Enterprise Programme in the Helix. Cathal pitched his enterprise ‘Sports Injury Response’, an app that guides coaches and managers on how to treat an injury on the side-line while waiting on professional medical assistance.
Speaking at the county final, Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Donegal congratulated the students, saying: “We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Donegal, with close to 900 students from 15 local schools taking part this year. Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck for the 5th May. In what has been a particularly challenging couple of years for students, the programme has offered them an outlet outside of the usual school demands. What our students are learning from the programme is that with the right supports and encouragement, they can take an idea from the classroom and develop it into a real-life business. The skills they learn along the way, 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 at Croke Park in Dublin on the 5th May.
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 2022 / 2023 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.
The winning enterprises:
Senior Category Results
1st Senior – Local Lino Art, Errigal College
2nd Senior – Croí Clothing, St. Columba’s College
3rd Senior – Wade’s Wood Designs, Errigal College
4th Senior – Connie Lasrach, Garimscoil Mhic Diarmada
Green Award – InsideOut, Errigal College
My Entrepreneurial Journey Award – T and E Productions, Deele College
Best Business Plan – Cookie Jarz, Royal and Prior Comprehensive
Best Team – Royal Jewelz, Royal and Prior Comprehensive
Digital Award – Mind Over Matter, St Columba’s College
Best Innovation – Football Bucket Hats, St. Columba’s College
Best Commercial Potential – Peoples Timber Crafts, Mulroy College
Best Display – Luka’s Lens, Mulroy College
Junior Category Results – Aoife’s Rings and Things, Carndonagh Community School
Intermediate Category Results – Resin & Co, St. Columba’s College
My Entrepreneurial Journey Category Winner – Green Airways, Rosses Community School
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 2022/2023 National Final takes place online on the 5th May.
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present the Digital Award in the Senior Category to students Síne Ryan and Katie Dowds from St. Columba’s College with their business Mind Over Matter at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present Best Commercial Potential award in the Senior Category to Calvin Peoples from Mulroy College with his business Peoples Timber Crafts at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, with the winner of the Senior Category of the Student Enterprise Programme County Final, Matthias Uhlich of Errigal College, Letterkenny with his business, Local Lino Art, in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present 4rd prize in the Senior Category to Aoife O’Donnell from Gairmscoil Mhic Diarmada with her business Coinnle Lasrach at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present the 2nd prize in the Senior Category to Caoilfhinn McCabe from St. Columba’s College with her business Croí Clothing at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present the winners of the Junior Category, students (from left) Aoife McDermott, Emily O’Boyle and Jessica McLaughlin from Carndonagh Community School with their business Aoife’s Rings and Things. at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present 3rd prize in the Senior Category to Joshua Wade from Errigal College with his business Wade’s Wooden Designs at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present Travis Gibson and Eunan O’Hagan with the Entrepreneurial Journey Award at the Student Enterprise Programme County Final in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present winners of the Intermediate Category, students Indira Tinney and Ryan McDermott from St. Columba’s College with their business Resin & Co at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present Best Business Plan in the Senior Category to students Anna Boal, Rebecca Foy and Sarah Wauchope, from Royal and Prior Comprehensive with their business Cookie Jarz at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present the winner of “My Entrepreneurial Journey” category to Aiden Carragher from Rosses Community College with his business Green Airways at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
St Columba’s College Students Darragh Murray and Ciaran Crawford, Football Bucket Hats display
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present the winner of the Best Display in the Senior Category to Luka Doherty from Mulroy College with his business Luka’s Len’s at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present Best Team in the Senior Category to students Alyssa Kelly, Jodie Lockhart, Yana Stewart and Rachel Wilson, from Royal and Prior Comprehensive with their business Royal Jewels at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Recipient of 3rd prize in the Senior Category is Joshua Wade from Errigal College with his business Wade’s Wooden Designs at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Recipient of the Best Display in the Senior Category is Luka Doherty from Mulroy College with his business Luka’s Len’s at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Travis Gibson and Eunan O’Hagan received the Entrepreneurial Journey Award at the Student Enterprise Programme County Final in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present Best Innovation in the Senior Category to Students Darragh Murray and Ciaran Crawford, from St. Columba’s College with their business Football Bucket Hats at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
Cathaoirleach of Letterkenny/Milford MD, Cllr. Donal Mandy Kelly and Brenda Hegarty, Head of Enterprise, present the Green Award in the Senior Category to students Antonia Unosche, Luise Mehle, Viutovia Löwey and Hanna Springer, from Errigal Collegewith their business Inside Out at the Student Enterprise Programme and the Donegal County final event in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo by Joe Dunne 08/03/2023
