Photo: Rory O’Donnell and Paidi A’Coistealbh, winners of the EirGrid Cleaner Climate Award with Aoife McGeough, EirGrid Graduate at SciFest Regional Competition, Dundalk IT
Two students from St Mary’s Diocesan School in Drogheda have been recognised at this year’s SciFest@College regional competition in Dundalk.
Rory O’Donnell and Paidi A’Coistealbh were awarded the EirGrid Cleaner Climate Award after presenting their project at the event, which brought together students from across Louth and neighbouring counties.
The annual STEM fair saw more than 140 projects from 22 schools, covering areas such as health, physics, renewable energy and artificial intelligence.
The Drogheda students impressed judges with their project focused on developing a portable marine power system. Their design featured a buoy with solar panels and turbines to test the potential for harvesting ocean energy. They also created a catamaran model with turbines mounted on the outside and solar panels on top, used to power batteries and drive the system.
SciFest@College is a nationwide programme for second level students, held across 16 regional colleges. Now in its 20th year, it continues to give students an opportunity to showcase their work in science, technology, engineering and maths.
EirGrid, which operates and develops Ireland’s electricity system, presents the Cleaner Climate Award to highlight projects that contribute to sustainability and energy innovation.
Congratulating the winners, Orlaith Diamond, Head of Sustainability at EirGrid, said: “For twenty years SciFest has been a driving force in sparking curiosity and innovation among second level students, and we are incredibly proud to continue supporting this important initiative.
“As we continue to work towards the Government target of ensuring eighty percent of Ireland’s electricity comes from renewable sources, we recognise that nurturing the next generation of problem solvers and innovators is essential to building a clean, resilient energy system.
“EirGrid is at the forefront of delivering Ireland’s climate ambitions, and the enthusiasm shown by the students at SETU Carlow today reflects a growing passion for environmental and renewable energy solutions. Congratulations to Rory and Paidi on their award.”
The students will now go on to represent their school at the SciFest National Final in November, where they will compete for a place at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in 2027.
