County Carlow students show they’re the business
Junior winners: Joe Langrel, Matthew O'Sullivan and Lee Cullen from Coláiste Eoin, Hacketstown
MORE than 65 secondary school students from Co Carlow took centre stage at the 2026 Student Enterprise Programme county final last Wednesday in the Woodford Dolmen Hotel, wowing judges with everything from recycled timber totes to repurposed glass jars.
Students from St Leo’s College, Presentation College, Tullow Community School, Borris College, St Mary’s Knockbeg, Tyndall College and Coláiste Eoin competed across junior, intermediate and senior categories, having spent months developing their business plans, refining their products and honing their pitches ahead of the showdown.
Three winning teams will fly the Carlow flag at the national final in Mullingar on 7 May.
The junior title went to The Tree Kindleers from Coláiste Eoin, Hacketstown – Joe Langrel, Matthew O’Sullivan and Lee Cullen. Tullow Community School’s , comprised of Mia Johnson, Sophia Kelly, Ruby Lavin, Casey Smith and Muireann Tooher, claimed the intermediate crown. Rounding out the county’s national representatives, Coláiste Eoin’s Timber Tote (Peter Kavanagh, Daniel Collins and Luke McGrath) took the senior prize with their handcrafted mobile timber carrier made from recycled wood and designed to make hauling solid fuel into the home that little bit easier.
Beyond the top three, a clutch of special awards recognised outstanding work across the field. Tullow Community School’s Altimals (Hanna Dabek and Ada Jane Byrne) picked up the innovation award for their mystery toy boxes featuring uniquely designed original characters. The sustainability award went to St Leo’s College for , a venture by Alaa Elagab, Naomi Picovici, Phoebe Brennan and Nia Paviliashili that repurposes glass jars into terrariums, and the craft award was won by Polymer Pearls from Borris College, with Eimear O’Shea and Alla O’Shea drawing praise for their creative reimagining of Borris Lace to bring it to new audiences.
Seven entrepreneurial spirit awards were also presented, recognising students from across the competing schools: Resin Craft’s Marta Perez Ruiz from Borris College; Sam Cope, Seán Nolan, Niall Egan and Paidi Breen of Presentation College’s ; Jane Ashmore of St Leo’s Sew Green; Senan Kavanagh and Hugh Wall from St Mary’s Knockbeg’s Scintil Annual; Fiachra Moore and Joshua Crosby of The Boot Lab, also from Knockbeg; Conán Mulvihill of Tullow Community School’s LocalFit; and Wren Stynes, Cred Stynes and Emilia Taraszka of Tyndall College’s Crafted Christmas.
Dearbhla O’Dwyer, business advisor at Carlow County Council’s Local Enterprise Office, said the day was a celebration of homegrown talent. “The creativity and ambition displayed by these students is inspiring,” she said. “Events like this not only recognise individual talent but also encourage entrepreneurial thinking that will benefit our communities and local economy for years to come.”
Cllr Ken Murnane, cathaoirleach of Carlow Co Council, was equally enthusiastic: “It’s fantastic to see the new generation of entrepreneurs in Carlow stepping forward with energy, creativity and determination,” he said. “The ideas and businesses they are developing today show the bright future ahead for Co Carlow.”
The student enterprise programme is run nationally through the Local Enterprise Offices network, giving secondary school students a real-world introduction to business and entrepreneurship.
