A group of talented young minds from the Donegal Town area have won the prestigious Ireland Lego League!
The “Cully coders” were crowned Champions at the national Final in Dublin, and are now preparing to represent Ireland at the prestigious FLL International Open in Greece this May.
The Cully Coders – Zoe, Rebecca and Abby McElhinney, Georgia Green, Jonathan and Andrew Morrow, and Sienna Deane – impressed judges and audiences alike with their innovation, teamwork and technical skill.
The team is coached by Adele, Stephen, Scott and Brendon, and this marks their second year competing in the global life-skills and robotics competition.
The team qualified for the Ireland Final after taking top prize at the Galway Regional, competing with their Lego SPIKE Prime robot named “Olly”, and their inspiring innovation project, which focused on bringing light to the darkest ocean zones using glow-in-the-dark bottles.
Their creative prototype uses Epsom salts mixed with glow-in-the-dark paint, funneled into repurposed plastic bottles. The design was inspired by the female anglerfish, which uses bioluminescence to attract prey. Their unique idea was praised for its blend of sustainability, science, and creativity.
The Cully Coders also scored the highest points in the Robot Game during this season’s competitions, taking home both the Robot Game Award with a remarkable high score of 540 points, and the Knockout Round title at the National Final.
Now, the team is preparing for an international journey to the First Lego League International Open in Greece from the 2nd to the 4th of May.
The small group is asking for the public’s help to fund their trip of a lifetime to Greece, and cover the cost of flights, accommodation, and entry fees.
The link to their fundraiser is here: https://gofund.me/8d1baf1e
