Two National Titles for Pres Entrepreneurs for a Third Consecutive Year

The Pres Girls Cast Aways team who took third place in the the national finals junior category with their waterproof cast covers.  From left: Emily Walsh, Colene O’Callaghan, Áine Broderick, Ella Fitzgerald and Charlie O’Keeffe.
Second place in the national finals in the intermediate category went to Kateyln Curtin with her innovative ‘Sála Síos’ – a 3D printed horse stirrup attachment.
Teacher and mentor, Pierce Dargan has been to the fore in the remarkable run of success of his Presentation Castleisland students in the national enterprise finals in recent years. Photograph:  John Reidy

Presentation Castleisland has scooped third place in the Junior Category and second place in the Intermediate Category in the Student Enterprise National Finals.

The school has an outstanding record of achievement in all strands of the competition over the past few years.

The various entries and entrants have been shown the way and guided by teacher Pierce Dargan.

The unusual 2020 event was held on May 27th and was streamed live via the Student Enterprise Programmes Facebook and Youtube pages.

Áine Broderick, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie O’Keeffe, Emily Walsh and Colene O’Callaghan took third place in the junior category with their enterprise, Cast Aways – a range of waterproof cast covers for your arms, legs and feet, made from recycled car covers and tents.

3D Printed Horse Stirrup

Also, on the day, Presentation Castleisland’s second entry at the national final, Sála Síos by Katelyn Curtin, a 3D printed horse stirrup attachment angled at thirty degrees, took home second place in the intermediate category.

For the third consecutive year, Pres Castleisland has won two national titles.

Two of the Three Kerry Representatives

To even have two groups, of the three that went forward to the finals from Kerry, from the one school, is a massive achievement, as reaching the national final meant the girls were in the top 1% of student entrepreneurs in Ireland this year.

Over 26,000 second level students entered the competition. A phenomenal achievement for a school to win double All-Ireland titles each year, for the past three years.