Young readers and writers from across County Carlow were celebrated at a special awards ceremony for the Right to Read competition, held in the Woodford Dolmen Hotel on the evening of Tuesday 9th December.
The Right to Read programme is run in partnership with Carlow County Council, Carlow County Council Local Enterprise Office, Carlow Libraries, Carlow College and Carlow County Development Partnership. The competition invited pupils from 4th, 5th and 6th classes in participating Carlow primary schools to put pen to paper and celebrate their county. It aims to promote reading and literacy as essential life skills and to support children and young people in developing a lasting love of books and storytelling.
Pupils were asked to write about their favourite Carlow business, what they would like to be when they grow up, their favourite author, and their favourite place or thing in Carlow.
The evening brought together families, teachers, local representatives and business leaders to recognise the creativity, imagination and hard work of the young finalists.
Tinryland National School was announced as the overall winner of the competition, receiving a €1,000 voucher for Jones Business Systems. The prize will support the school in further developing its learning resources and encouraging a love of reading among pupils.
Dignitaries in attendance included Mayor of Carlow Town Cllr Paul Doogue, Leas Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council Cllr Daniel Pender, Cllr Jim Deane, and President of County Carlow Chamber of Commerce, Norah Ryan, who joined in congratulating the pupils and schools involved.
Speaking about the event , Leas Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council Cllr Daniel Pender said ‘Tonight has shown us just how talented, imaginative and articulate our young people in Carlow really are. The standard of writing on display was outstanding, and the way the pupils brought their favourite local businesses, places and stories to life was truly impressive. Their creativity gives us great confidence in the future of our town and county, and I want to congratulate every pupil, teacher and school that took part’.
Carlow Libraries’ Author in Residence, Caroline Busher, delivered an inspiring talk on the importance of telling your own story and the power of your imagination. She encouraged pupils to see themselves as authors in their own right, reminding them that every idea and every voice matters.
The event was hosted by Kieran Comerford, Head of Economic Development and Enterprise, who acted as MC for the evening and County Librarian John Shortall. Reflecting on the event, John Shortall, County Librarian, noted ‘The Right to Read programme is an important part of what we do in Carlow Libraries. It not only supports children to develop strong reading and writing skills, it also gives them a platform to use their imagination, to tell their own stories and to explore the world around them. Through this competition, pupils have discovered more about their local area and the businesses within it, while finding their own voice as young writers. That combination of literacy, creativity and community pride is exactly what we want to foster’.
Finalists from 4th, 5th and 6th classes were: Ballinbranna NS: 5th Class: Stephen Dunne, 6th Class: Emily McNally. Leighlinbridge NS: 4th Class: Aoibhinn Bryksa. St Patrick's, Rathvilly: 4th Class: Rory Cassells, 6th Class: Yasmin Brown. Carlow NS: 5th Class: Victoria Bayley, 6th Class: Liam Whelan. Scoil Mhuire Lourdes: 6th Class: Hannah Baird. Ballyconnell NS: 5th Class: Oskaras Stonkus. Scoil Molaise: 5th Class: Mia Drea, 6th Class: Eddie Quirke. St Mary's, Bagenalstown: 5th Class: Sive Foley-Fisher, 6th Class: Zoe Jenkinson. Grange NS: 4th Class: Lucas Jennings. Ballinkillen NS: 4th Class: Meabh Doyle, 5th Class: TJ Doyle, 6th Class: Ciara Hawkins. Holy Family, Askea: 4th Class: Joy Emebla, 5th Class: Faith Walker. 6th Class: Wendy Ogene. Bishop Foley: 4th Class: Tomasz Werpachowski. 5th Class: Igor Kukielka. 6th Class: Dario Vieru. St Fiacc's: 4th Class: Caoimhe O’Shea, 5th Class: Ellie Dargan, 6th Class: Meja Jankauskaite. St Patrick's, Ballymurphy: 4th Class: Bella Hickey, 5th Class: Ted Burke, 6th Class: Ryan Joyce. Hacketstown NS: 4th Class: John Murphy, 5th Class: Ava Cahill. 6th Class: Cara Lawlor. St Brigid's, Bagnelstown: 4th Class: Jack Coogan, 5th Class: Kang O’Gorman. Rathmore NS: 4th Class: Cruz Bukke, 5th Class: Aoibheann Dunne, 6th Class: Carly Kelly. Bennekerry NS: 4th Class: Martha Homan, 5th Class: Michael Li, Brid Naofa NS: 4th Class: Jack Coogan, 5th Class: Kang O’Gorman. Clonegal NS: 4th Class: Tomás Osborne, 5th Class: Kate Walsh. Ballon NS: 4th Class: Cathy Kildea, 5th Class: Ciara Coyle. Tinryland NS: 4th Class: Craig Griffin, 5th Class: Emily Rowe, 6th Class: Conor Griffin.
All finalists received Love Carlow certificates recognising their achievement, with warm applause from the audience for every pupil who reached the final stage of the competition.
Overall second-place winners: Meabh Doyle (Ballinkillen NS, 4th Class), Tomás Osborne (Clonegal NS, 5th Class), and Conor Griffin (Tinryland NS, 6th Class). Each second-place winner won €150 Love Carlow voucher. Overall first-place winners:Martha Homan (Bennekerry NS, 4th Class), Mia Drea (Scoil Molaise, 5th Class), Zoe Jenkinson (St Mary's, Bagenalstown, 6th Class). Each first-place winner won €200 Love Carlow voucher.
As the evening drew to a close, organisers thanked teachers, parents, guardians and schools for encouraging pupils to take part, and congratulated all the young writers who shared their stories about Carlow.