Clonakilty overall winner at Colleges Challenges Day
Clonakilty Agricultural College came out on top at the recent Macra and Teagasc Colleges Challenges Day.
Clonakilty Ag College was the host for the competition that featured eight teams from agricultural, equine, and horticultural colleges across the country.
The schools gathered to compete in a range of events designed to test their skills, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities.
It features competitions in traditional stock judging, tractor driving, welding, fencing, and low-cloche construction, as well as a mix of sporting challenges and practical challenges using online tools to innovatively address challenges faced by modern land use.
This is the 15th year the event has been running in its current format and it has evolved to to reflect modern as well as traditional practices.
Pat O’Sullivan from FRS Fencing, which sponsored two of the day's challenges, praised the standard of competition: "The quality of work, depth of knowledge, and effort put in by students were truly impressive.
"It’s fantastic to see learners from such a diverse range of backgrounds competing at such a high level."
National Broadband Ireland (NBI), sponsored the Farm Business and Technology Award, which this year challenged students to use online technologies to analyse a given area, and to propose practical solutions to protect the quality of water in that area.
Niall Beirne, Head of Corporate Communications at NBI stated that: "In successive years of this competition, the standard of knowledge and use of technology to support land-based sectors of agriculture, horticulture and equine continues to rise."
| Team Challenge | Winner |
|---|---|
| Final Team Challenge | Gurteen Agricultural College |
| Indoor Soccer | Clonakilty Agricultural College |
| Tractor Driving Simulator Challenge | Kildalton Agricultural College |
| NBI Farm Business and Technology Award | Ballyhaise Agricultural College |
| FRS Presentation | Clonakilty Agricultural College |
| Specialist Skills | College of Amenity Horticulture, Botanic Gardens |
| Team Tractor Driving | Clonakilty Agricultural College |
| FRS Fencing | Clonakilty Agricultural College |
| Team Problem Solving | Joint winners – Kildalton Agricultural College & Mountbellew Agricultural College |
| Welding | Gurteen Agricultural College |
| Overall winner | Clonakilty Agricultural College |
Macra president Elaine Houlihan said: "Macra is delighted to work with Teagasc, Farm Services and National Broadband Ireland (NBI) to run this fantastic event.
"The commitment and enthusiasm of the students were evident in every competition, and it was great to see such a high level of participation.
"These young farmers and rural professionals are the future of the industry, and events like this help develop their skills and confidence. Huge congratulations to Clonakilty Agricultural College on their well-deserved win," she added.
