Bantry Credit Union schools' competition

TO tie in with its 50th anniversary celebrations, Bantry Credit Union ran a bumper competition in October in conjunction with the primary schools in its common bond area. 

The theme of the competition was ‘My Home Place 50 Years Ago’ and the total prize fund amounted to nearly €3,000.

Bantry Credit Union’s Common Bond covers Bantry, Sheep’s Head Peninsula, Dromore, Mealagh Valley, Kealkil, Coomhola, Glengarriff and Beara Peninsula. 

The Credit Union had a fantastic response to the competition, with nearly 350 pupils from 13 schools entering. The project generated a great amount of interest among young and old alike, with pupils interviewing their parents and grandparents, trawling through attics and visiting libraries in search of interesting facts and stories. 

A panel of independent adjudicators had the very difficult job of choosing the winners – and it took a lot of time and consideration, because of the tremendous effort and quality of work done by the pupils.

Results

Category 1: up to 4th class:

•First: Charlie McCarthy, St Finbarr’s Boys NS – €200

•Second: Daniel Mason, Trafrask NS – €150

•Third: Brian Nash, Kilcrohane NS – €100

Category 2: 5th and 6th class

•First: Caoimhe O’Sullivan, Trafrask NS – €200

•Second: Rory Fitzgerald, St Finbarr’s Boys NS – €150

•Third: Eibhlín Ní Choileáin, Gaelscoil Bheanntraí – €100

Schools of the winners of each category – €500 each:

•St Finbarr’s Boys National School (Principal Teresa Pigott)

•Trafrask National School (Principal Louise O’Donoghue)

Overall winning school – judged to have the highest standard of entries overall – €1,000:

•Kealkil National School (Principal Darragh Carey)

Speaking at the presentation of awards at Bantry Credit Union’s AGM in the Westlodge Hotel before Christmas, chairperson Anna Fitzgerald thanked the pupils and schools for the tremendous effort they put into the projects. She also thanked the independent adjudicators and paid particular tribute to the contribution of Ella Andrews, a member of the board of directors of the credit union and whose brainchild the project was.