Offaly students prepare for national Student Enterprise Final
Some of Offaly’s most innovative and entrepreneurial students will be eagerly logging online on Wednesday for the National Final of the Student Enterprise Programme. For the first time since the programme began in 2003, the National Finals will take place online and the region will have five student enterprises involved on behalf of Local Enterprise Office Offaly.
In the Senior Category of the competition, Offaly will be represented by Cathal Flannery from Clononey Crafts, Banagher College. Cathal produces a range of crafted wooden items including lamps, pens and bowls.
In the Intermediate Category, Anthony’s Wooden Crafts’from Tullamore College will represent the county. The business is run by 3rd year student Anthony Gorman who makes handcrafted wooden reindeers.
In the Junior Category, the students representing Offaly at the National Finals in Croke Park are: Oisin Kennedy, Ryan Keenaghan, Iris Samonte and Rachel Doorley from Cluny Sustainable Crafts in Gallen Community School. They produce flower arrangements using upcycled jars.
In the new “My Entrepreneurial Journey” competition, Daniel Scally from Tullamore College won the Junior category while the Intermediate category, Sophie Moore of Oaklands Community College came out on top.
Having originally been scheduled to take place in Croke Park on May 1, the Local Enterprise Office run awards, will be announced virtually on Wednesday via live stream on the Student Enterprise Programmes Facebook and YouTube channels.
Offaly has a very successful track record in the Student Enterprise competition. Recent awards won at the National Final include Overall Winner in 2018 with Manus Heenan’s “Abbey Bread” from Cistercian College. Offaly also won the Junior Runner Up prize in 2018 with Joanne Cushen’s “Gnó-Jó!” from Colaiste Naomh Cormac.
Orla Martin, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Offaly said: “As a programme we are lucky in that much of the work that students were doing in relation to their Student Enterprises was done well before this pandemic broke out. So, there is no reduction in the quality of entries, if anything we have bigger final this year and some outstanding entries.