Twins win county title at Laois Student Enterprise awards
Overall winners Conor and Ross Dunne from St Mary's CBS with Evelyn Reddin, LEO Laois; Cathaoirleach Cllr Pádraig Fleming, teachers Deirdre Moore and Emma Lynch and Linda Meredith, LEO Laois. Photo: Alf Harvey
TWIN brothers won the overall title at the Laois Student Enterprise awards, with an “udderly fantastic” website for people who are moving house.
The ‘Mooving.ie’ online services directory was judged cream of the crop at the county finals, scooping the senior award for Conor and Ross Dunne of St Mary’s CBS, Portlaoise.
The twin entrepreneurs will represent Laois in the Student Enterprise national finals in the Mullingar Park Hotel on 8 May. They will be joined by Lorraine Conroy from Scoil Chriost Rí, Portlaoise, whose business ‘ReHeart’ won the intermediate title, and by Julia Koper and Kate Sareen of Portlaoise College, who took the junior title with their ‘Key and Clay Co’ business.
Sons of Hume Auctioneers owner John Dunne, the twins came up with their idea while on work experience in the family business. They spotted a need for a centralised directory giving details of all the services that could be needed when moving home, from plumbers to painters, interior designers, solicitors and more.
The winning website Mooving.ie was born, with an eye-catching logo and the tagline ‘An udderly fantastic services directory for moving home’.
Many imaginative enterprises received high praise at the county final, which was held on 11 March at the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise. About 700 students from seven local schools took part in the annual programme, representing Mountrath CS, Scoil Chríost Rí, St Mary’s CBS, Portlaoise College, Dunamase College, Heywood CS and Mountmellick CS.
Delivered by Laois Local Enterprise Office (LEO), the programme supports students in creating, designing and marketing their own businesses.
Notable runners-up in the senior category were Orla Carroll, Niamh Gorman, Aoibhéann O’Rourke and Annie Fitzpatrick with ‘Retro Jerseys’ in Mountrath CS, while third place went to David Wajrak and Seán Ryan of St Mary’s CBS, Portlaoise with ‘ButterYouBooks’.
Special Merit Award winners were: Taidhg Phelan Dalton and Eoin Delaney, ET Sports, Mountrath CS; Katie Meredith and Cara Culleton, CharmPops, Mountmellick CS; Emma Sheeran and Myah Walker, Cuimhní Cnaipe, Scoil Chriost Rí; Angela Babikanga, Issey Sharp and Amelia Kalich, CuddleCraft Co, Dunamase College; Méibh Peters and Aoife Mortimer, Cookie Boutique, Mountrath CS, and Dan Bergin and Cara Mezzapelle, Recip-Easy, Heywood CS.
A Special Merit Award for Innovation went to Adam Bell, Killian Walsh, Adam Riley and Scott Byrne from St Mary’s CBS with Letsbudget.it This mini company will be nominated by Laois LEO to a national judging panel and will be in with a chance of being one of five mini-companies nationwide selected to attend a three-day innovation bootcamp, where students will interact with mentors to help them progress their business ideas.
Special guests at the Laois final included Sadhbh Wood of Bean Around, Cathaoirleach Cllr Pádraig Fleming and Laois County Council chief executive Michael Rainey.
