Mayo Gaeltacht school at Clár na gComhlachtaí finals

FOUR Gaeltacht schools are taking part in the national final of Clár na gComhlachtaí, the competition for young entrepreneurs, which is being held at the Connemara Coast Hotel today.

Teams of young people, including one from Mayo, will be competing for the opportunity to participate in the Junior Achievement Europe Final which will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, in July.

Clár na gComhlachtaí is a joint venture between Údarás na Gaeltachta and Junior Achievement Ireland, which aims to give Gaeltacht second-level students some experience of the life of an entrepreneur.

On behalf of the Mayo Gaeltacht, Nails by Ciara is the project of the team from Coláiste Pobail Acla.

There was fierce competition in the local rounds of the competition and the Gaeltacht transition year students running the seven mini-companies from the four schools are now vying for a place in the European championship.

The competition takes place today (Thursday), but an exciting programme laid out for the participants over the two days saw them visit the University of Galway yesterday, where they met the President of the University, Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh. They had the opportunity to display their own projects and meet students involved in innovation at the university. The Gaeltacht teenagers also received information and guidance on the range of courses at the University of Galway which are related to the Irish language or conducted through Irish.

Before the competition, the young entrepreneurs had a training session with marketing company Lorg Media, who gave them guidance as to the best way to present their ideas and business proposals.

Said Údarás na Gaeltachta's director of enterprise and employment, Dearbháil Ní Chualáin: “This is a great opportunity for the young people to come together and present their business ideas to each other and to the wider community. We at Údarás na Gaeltachta are delighted to be able to assist them.”

However, she said they saw the competition in a wider educational context, and consider the time spent in the University of Galway as very important in this regard.

“I am sure that the lessons the young people learn during these two days will remain with them throughout their education and later on, when they themselves will be joining the world of work.”