LIMERICK students grabbed people’s attention at this year’s Shannon Port Company schools competition final with their presentation ‘Sorry to Interrupt‘.
Pupils from Coláiste Chiaráin in Croom were the outright winners with their project based on the challenges that happen when transport and energy are interrupted.
Their video and presentation focused on how realising the Shannon Estuary opportunity can secure and transform the region into a global renewable energy and logistics hub.
Students from the Shannon Estuary counties showcased their short films and presentations around transforming the estuary.
Held at the Flying Boat and Maritime Museum in Foynes, the gala final of the fifth biannual COMPASS competition, the winning Limerick students walked away with a cheque of €5,000 for the school, iPads for each team member, and a gold commemorative ,edal.
Other finalists across Limerick included Coláiste Íde agus Iosef, Abbeyfeale, Salesian Secondary College, Pallaskenry and Laurel Hill Secondary School, along with a number of Clare schools.
Winning captain Cormac Clancy said that he and his team had learned so much through the competition about the opportunity from the Estuary.
“We now know that it’s one of the largest ports in Ireland already and also what it can do by way of connecting the region and the country through road, rail and sea. But there’s also a huge opportunity coming from offshore wind energy,” he said.
“I feel that with the knowledge we now have here regarding the green energy opportunity, as a generation, we can really change and make a big turnaround on our environment. And it also means we can just stay in the region and work in the region and, overall, be more sustainable”.