Mayo students to represent county at National Student Enterprise finals

Three groups of students from Mayo will represent the county at the national final of the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals this May following strong performances at the county competition.

The teams, from St Muredach’s College in Ballina and Sancta Maria College in Louisburgh, secured their places after taking part in the Mayo county final, which was held at the Great National Hotel Ballina on March 5.

The initiative, organised by Local Enterprise Office Mayo and funded through Enterprise Ireland, is the country’s largest student start-up programme, with more than 30,000 students from almost 500 secondary schools taking part during the 2025/2026 school year.

In the Junior Category, Mayo will be represented by Nel Lau Designs from Sancta Maria College. The Intermediate Category will see Clew Bay Crafts, also from the Louisburgh school, compete for national honours. In the Senior Category, Grade Mate from St Muredach’s College will represent the county.

The Mayo teams will compete against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from across Ireland at the national finals, which will take place at the Mullingar Park Hotel on Thursday, May 7.

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Speaking at the county final, John Magee, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Mayo, praised the students and the level of participation from schools across the county.

“We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Mayo, with students from 26 local schools taking part this year. Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck at the national final,” he said.

He added that the programme provides valuable real-world skills for students. “What our students are learning is that with the right supports and encouragement, they can take an idea from the classroom and develop it into a real-life business. The skills they learn along the way, such as business planning, market research, selling and teamwork, will help them develop an entrepreneurial mindset throughout their future careers.”

Since the programme began in 2003, more than 500,000 students nationwide have taken part, learning how to develop business ideas and bring them to market.

The programme continues to grow each year, helping inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs across Mayo and beyond.

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