Limerick students lauded at Certified Irish Angus Schools Awards

FOUR students from Villiers School in Limerick were honoured at the annual Certified Irish Angus Schools awards.

Ben Atkinson, Seán O’Brien, Simon Austin, and Patrick Barry were celebrated at the awards, held in Croke Park, after carrying out a research project and rearing five Angus calves for 18 months.

The annual competition challenges students to rear Irish Angus Cross calves for until their slaughter, which aids their Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science curriculum.

The four Villiers students researched the topic of “Mental Health and Wellbeing among Farmers” and dug into contributing factors to mental health challenges such as “the lack of appreciation for farmers, rural isolation, and government regulations”.