Laois school bubbling over with pride after winning regional title

SCOIL Mhuire in Abbeyleix was named as the regional Water School of the Year at the recent An Taisce Green-Schools awards ceremony.

The school emerged the regional winners in the primary school-level category on the back of their inspirational efforts in water conservation and environmental action.

The annual event marked the 12th year of Uisce Éireann’s sponsorship of An Taisce’s Green-Schools programme, which supports schools working to gain a Green Flag under the water theme.  

 Pupils from the school embraced the ‘Shower Time Challenge’, which encouraged their families to shorten shower durations and opt for showers over baths to conserve water.

Scoil Mhuire upholds a strong environmental ethos with their thriving school garden, Ár Spás Glas. 

 Parents and students work side by side to sow and harvest seasonal produce, with summer and autumn yields shared and celebrated at local events such as the hugely popular Apple Fest. Their garden has even gained national recognition, having been featured on Nationwide.

As part of their Water Flag journey, the school pupils turned their attention to making Ár Spás Glas even more sustainable. Determined to reduce their reliance on mains water, they set out to develop a self-sufficient irrigation system. With support from their local community, the school received a donated container from a haulage company and three IBC tanks to help bring the project to life.

The innovative plan involves mounting the tanks on the container roof near their new storm-proof polytunnel, using gravity to generate water flow for irrigation. The pupil-involved project will allow the school to harvest rainwater and use it to nurture their crops.

An Taisce Director of Education Cathy Baxter said: “The Green-Schools Water Awards are one of the highlights of our year. They celebrate the creativity, commitment and teamwork of students and teachers working together to protect one of our most precious resources: water. These young people are leading by example and showing that real environmental change begins in our schools and communities. We’re so proud of their efforts and inspired by their impact.”  

 Uisce Éireann’s Head of Customer Operations Geoffrey Bourke said:  “The vital work being done by Green-Schools in schools across Ireland is clearly bearing fruit in terms of how our young people think about water and the need to conserve and respect it. We in Uisce Éireann are proud of our long-standing sponsorship of the programme.”