Students Triumph at Kerry Student Enterprise Awards

Students from St Brendan’s College and Killarney Community College took home major honours at the Kerry County Council Student Enterprise Awards held on Friday, 13 March, at MTU Tralee. The competition saw over 20 mini-businesses from across the county compete in categories testing business development, finance, marketing, and formal planning.

The top prize in the Senior Category was won by St Brendan’s College for their business, Duckers Designs. The company, founded by Finn O’Neill, Colm O’Connor, and Diarmuid O’Sullivan, specialises in handmade wooden products. As county champions, the team will now represent Kerry at the National Finals in Mullingar on 7 May.

Killarney Community College also secured a significant win, with student Laura Zahorcova receiving the Innovation Plan award for her business, ‘Yera & Nori Storybooks’.

Tomás Hayes, Head of the Local Enterprise Office, praised the resourcefulness of this year’s participants. “This is a real-life exercise involving actual trading and profit generation,” he said. “It gives students a taste of everything involved in business, from finding an idea to funding and team building.”

Kerry Programme Coordinator Margaret Murphy noted the high standard of the 2026 entries and expressed hope for further success at the upcoming National Final.

Kerry Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) hosted the Mountain Rescue Ireland (MRI) Annual Meet at the Castlerosse Hotel over the weekend.

The three-day event brought together rescue personnel from across the country for a programme of technical talks, search demonstrations, and team-building exercises.

The weekend featured a range of specialist speakers, including renowned adventurer Karen Weekes and mountain running legend John Lenihan, who spoke about his career on the hills. Technical and safety insights were provided by Dr Jason Van Der Velde, specialising in emergency medicine, and Barry Dalby, who discussed advancements in mapping for search and rescue operations.

Local rescue history and recent operations were also highlighted during the conference. KMRT member Mike Sandover recounted the epic all-night rescue of Bill Collins from July 1967, while CEO John Hussey provided details on the team’s recent call-outs in treacherous weather conditions.

The event included practical sessions such as search demonstrations by SARDA (Search and Rescue Dog Association) and team-building activities led by Richard Morrison.