St Joseph's Primary School in Ballinrobe given council Civic Reception

The Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr John O’Hara, hosted a Civic Reception on, Monday, January 13, to honour the St Joseph’s Primary School, Ballinrobe Robotics Team to mark their achievement in the ‘Innovate Award’ at the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas, Texas last May. The St Joseph's team overcame competition from over 400 teams from all over the world to win this prestigious accolade. 

A Civic Reception is the highest honour that can be given by Mayo County Council and the students from St Joseph’s Primary School joined an esteemed list of individuals and groups to receive such an honour.

The students and teachers from St Joseph’s won regional and All-Ireland titles to earn their place at the World Championships for their design and construction of a robot called Generation 6, which was tasked with picking up and dispatching as many square cubes as possible within a given period of time.

The students and teachers who were honoured were (students) Aiza Hamid, Alannah Broderick Kinnane, Amy Louise Sweeney, Caitlin Donnelly, Catherine Ryan, Ciara Webb, Enya McGarry, Kaylee Varley, Lily Kane, Siobhan Heaps, Vanessa D’Souza, Alan Nowacki, Cathal Horan, Dara Yates, Demians Kvitkovs, Dominykas Filipovas, Donnacha De Burda, Erik Grisko, Felim O’Connor, James Macken, Jamie O’Toole, Lee Coyne, Anas Shakeel, Azaan Khan Asghar, Sameer Shakeel, Shay Tierney, and Will Gavin. (Teachers) Edel Roche, Sean Flannelly, Triona Canny (Deputy Principal) and Dymphna Culhane (Principal).

Speaking at the Civic Reception, Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr John O’Hara said: “The scale of your achievements to go from your classroom in Ballinrobe to the World Stage in Dallas, and not only showcase your talents but to be honoured at the Global VEX Robotics World Championship is something that you will never forget. You have brought great pride to your school, your local community, and the entire county of Mayo.”

Dymphna Culhane (Principal, St Joseph’s Primary School, Ballinrobe) accepts the proclamation of a Civic Reception from Mayo County Council honouring the St Joseph’s Primary School, Ballinrobe Robotics Team to mark their achievement in the ‘Innovate Award’ at the VEX Robotics World Championships from Cathaoirleach, Cllr John O’Hara and Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive, Mayo County Council.

Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, Kevin Kelly added: “You've shown not just skill and creativity, but also teamwork, perseverance, and a brilliant mind for problem-solving and to see that recognised on the world stage at the VEX Robotics World Championships is a thrill you will remember forever.

“The skills you've learned with the support of your parents and teachers – in areas like coding, problem-solving, critical thinking – are skills that will serve you well into the future. You are the innovators of tomorrow, the engineers who will build a better future for all of us.”

Pictured above at the Civic Reception for the St Joseph’s Primary School Ballinrobe Robotics Team for winning the 'Innovate Award’ at the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas, Texas, hosted by Cathaoirleach Cllr John O’Hara were the winning team with their teachers Edel Roche, Sean Flannelly, Triona Canny (Deputy Principal) and Dymphna Culhane (Principal). Back row: Cllr Chris Maxwell, Cllr Richard Finn, Cllr Sean Carey, Cllr Paul McNamara, Cllr Patsy O’Brien, Cllr Al McDonnell, Cllr Annie May Reape, Cllr Michael Kilcoyne, Cllr Adrian Forkan, Cllr Damien Ryan, Cllr Blackie Gavin, Cllr Gerry Coyle, Cllr Michael Burke, Cllr Ger Deere, Minister of State Alan Dillon, TD. Seated: Lynda Hopkins (Mayo County Council) Joanne Grehan (Director of Services, Mayo County Council), Peter Duggan (Head of Finance, Mayo County Council), John Condon (Director of Services, Mayo County Council), Martina Hughes (Senior Executive Officer, Mayo County Council), Cllr John O’Hara (Cathaoirleach, Mayo County Council), Kevin Kelly (Chief Executive, Mayo County Council), Catherine McConnell (Director of Services, Mayo County Council), Cllr Alma Gallagher and Tom Gilligan (Director of Services, Mayo County Council).