Pupils from three Northside schools set for Croke Park Entrepreneurship final

Holy Faith Secondary School Clontarf, Our Lady of Mercy College Beaumont and Belvedere College are set to represent Dublin City at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Finals, having being named Junior, Intermediate, and Senior Category winners at the regional finals held recently at the Mansion House.

The schools competed against 15 other schools in the Dublin City area for a coveted place at the national final which will make a return to Croke Park for the first time since 2019.

More than 1,500 students from 34 schools took part in the programme this academic year, creating a wide range of innovative enterprises while learning what it’s really like to be an entrepreneur and developing key skills in innovation, marketing and financial literacy.

In the Junior Category, the students representing Dublin City at the National Finals are: Hollie Nolan, Grace Brady, Lilly Kenny Scott, Mollie O’Neill and Kate O’Callaghan from Holy Faith Secondary School Clontarf (pictured above).

Their winning enterprise is called Helmet Hair and offers a bike helmet that keeps your hair looking good.

In the Intermediate Category, the students representing Dublin City at the National Finals are: Emily Bennett and Venessa Survila from Our Lady of Mercy College Beaumont (pictured above.)

Their winning enterprise is Faire Jewellery which is a collection of wire-work rings and bracelets.

In the Senior Category, the students representing Dublin City at the National Finals are: Cian O’Mahoney, Ruari Bates, Fionn Teeling and James Geoghegan from Belvedere College (pictured above).

Their winning enterprise is Dexterity which is an app that allows users to always stay in control of their finances by organising, monitoring, and summarising a person’s subscriptions.

The annual programme is run by Ireland’s comprehensive network of Local Enterprise Offices, supported by Enterprise Ireland and the local authorities.

It is the country’s largest enterprise programme for secondary school students, with over 300,000 students taking part since it first began.

Recent ambassadors for the programme have included Derval O’Rourke, Josh Van Der Flier and Limerick All-Ireland winner Sean Finn.

Throughout the programme, students learn how to create and run their own business.  In doing so, they learn what it’s really like to be an entrepreneur and develop key skills along the way in innovation, marketing, and financial literacy.

Other recipients of awards at the recent Dublin City Regional Final are as follows:

• Endeavor Award: Francis Josep from Stratford College with his hybrid Japanese typewriter which makes it much easier and usable than previous typewriters.
• Margaret Farrell Award: Kate Webster, Laila Murray Walsh, Callie Burnett, Demi Walsh, Lucy Teeling and Lorna Dolan from Mercy College Coolock and their enterprise Enchanted Eco Crystals which comprises a collection of affordable, eco-friendly, crystal jewellery which can benefit the mind.
• Smart Dublin Innovation Award: Gleb Sojov from St Aidan’s C.B.S. with his enterprise Bag Buckle Ltd which comprises small straps made out of nylon webbing and side release clips that are used to carry several bags at a time and make the life of students easier.
• Junior Runner Up: Laura Tumer, Caitlin Gore, Rosie Doyle, Ruby Quinn and Erin Harnman from Our Lady of Mercy College Beaumont. Their enterprise All4Petz offers bandanas for pets.
• Intermediate Runner Up: Max Redmond and Kealin ward Walsh from St. Vincent’s Secondary School. Their enterprise Connection Less produces sustainable wooden amplifiers for smartphones.
• Senior Runner Up: Ellen Walsh, Emma Johannson and Rebekah Friel from Alexandra College. Their enterprise Vibey Vinyls produces room décor for music lovers including decorative, upcycled wall vinyls and customisable mini music posters.
• Senior Runner Up: Evie Martin, Leyla Gumus and Nia Kennedy from Sandymount Park ETSS. Their enterprise Eclipse Lips offers an affordable alternative to luxury brand lip oils and glosses in many different scents and colours.

Speaking at the regional final, Greg Swift, Head of Enterprise at the Local Enterprise Office Dublin City said: “We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Dublin city, with more than 1,500 students from 34 schools taking part this year.

“Our three national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck on Friday 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.”

Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, more than 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 a new range of online resources for 2022/2023 at www.studententerprise.ie, which features regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and their teachers.

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