PICTURES: Leitrim students all set for national entrepreneurship final

The Local Enterprise Office The Local Enterprise Office Leitrim has announced that teenage entrepreneurs from Carrigallen Vocational School and Drumshanbo Vocational School will represent Leitrim at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Final on Thursday 7th May. 

Use the Arrows < > above to go through the gallery

The students all took part in the Leitrim Student Enterprise County Final on Tuesday 3rd of March 2026, which was held in the Bush Hotel, Carrick-On-Shannon, Co. Leitrim. An estimated 250 students from 7 schools took part in the annual programme locally.

The enterprise education initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw over 30,000 students from just under 500 secondary schools across the country take part in this year’s Programme.  The programme supports students to create, design and market their own business, all with the hope of reaching the National Final.

In the Junior Category, Kevin English from Space Case at Drumshanbo Vocational School will be representing County Leitrim at the National Final.

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In the Intermediate Category, Caleb Shanley and Emres Tas from Carving Crafts at Drumshanbo Vocational School will be representing the county at the Final.

In the Senior Category of the competition, Leitrim will be represented on May 7th by Donal Shanley and Cian Reilly from DC Bale Master at Carrigallen Vocational School. 

Speaking at the county final, Joe Lowe of Local Enterprise Office Leitrim congratulated the students saying  “We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Co. Leitrim, with over 250 students from 7 local schools taking part this year. Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck on the 7th May. What our students are learning from the programme 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 team-work, will help them become more entrepreneurial throughout their future careers”.

The local students will be competing against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland at the Student Enterprise Programme National Final, taking place in the Mullingar Park Hotel on the 7th May.  

Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 380,000 students have taken part, learning key skills on how to create a business idea, start a business and grow a business.  The Student Enterprise Programme also has new range of online resources for 2025 / 2026 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie, which will feature regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.    

Further information around the Student Enterprise Programme is available from www.studententerprise.ie and by searching #studententerprise on social media.

The schools who participated were:  Lough Allen College, Drumkeerin; Carrick on Shannon Community School; Drumshanbo Vocational School; St. Clare's Comprehensive School, Manorhamilton; Mohill Community College; Carrigallen Vocational School and Ballinamore Community School

Winning enterprises 

Junior Category Results - Kevin English from Space Case at Drumshanbo Vocational School.

Intermediate Category Results - Caleb Shanley and Emres Tas from Carving Crafts at Drumshanbo Vocational School.

Senior Category Results - Donal Shanley and Cian Reilly from DC Bale Master at Carrigallen Vocational School.