Three Transition Year students from Scoil Mhuire in Strokestown are on course to win five Angus Cross calves in the Irish Angus Producer Group Schools Competition.
Conor Murphy, Dylan Cronin and Ciaran McManus have made it through to the last 20 of the competition and will now attend an exhibition in Croke Park, Dublin on March 15th.
The students had submitted a three-minute video and were then interviewed by judges including representatives from main sponsors including Kepak and ABP at the Mullingar Park Hotel. From this they were invited to Croke Park in March where they will have their own stand at the exhibition, which will be attended by representatives from the agricultural industry.
As part of their Agricultural Science studies with teacher Modwena Geoghegan, the trio will be aiming to make the final five, therefore winning five calves, which they will then rear through to slaughter.
Conor, Dylan and Ciaran popped into Roscommon People offices earlier this week to explain how the competition is judged.
Conor Murphy said: “We’re through to the final stages now and it’s a first for the school. We were judged on how much we knew about the sponsors and our promotion of Angus cattle.”
If the three students are announced as one of the five winning schools at Croke Park in March, they will then be judged over two years based on how they rear the five calves. The calves will be reared on one farm with each of the students looking after them.
Ciaran McManus explained what would happen should the Strokestown students be successful in Dublin.
He said: “The students who raise the cattle the best will be the overall winners. It’s a two year competition it’ll be finished when we are in sixth year.”
The students played it cool when asked about their upcoming appearance at Croke Park: “We’re taking in our stride,” they said.
Conor, Ciaran and Dylan certainly won’t be lacking in confidence when they travel to Dublin to represent Scoil Mhuire Strokestown in March!
