County Longford students set for National Entrepreneurship Final
Local finalists praised for creativity, hard work and innovative business ideas
Press Release: Thursday, 19 March 2026
Local Enterprise Office Longford have announced that teenage entrepreneurs from Ardscoil Phadraig Granard and Moyne Community School will represent County Longford at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Final on Thursday, 7 May in The Mullingar Park Hotel.
The County Longford Final was held recently in The Longford Arms. An estimated 300 plus students from eight 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 take part in 2025 / 2026. 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, Longford will be represented at the National Final by James Denneny from ‘Boot Buddy’ at Ardscoil Phadraig, Granard.
In the Intermediate Category, Martinss Martinsons from ‘Fern & Foam’ at Moyne Community School will go forward to the National Final.
In the Senior Category, County Longford will be represented on 7 May by Sophia Dow, Mimi Keller, Paddy Croghan-Casey, Bonnie Nolan and Molly Sherwood from ‘The Twister’, also at Moyne Community School.
Along with Michael Nevin, Head of Local Enterprise & Economic Development, Longford County Council special guests at the Longford Final included Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Gary Murtagh, Deputy Micheál Carrigy, Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi and Emma Treacy STEM Programme Coordinator at Irish Manufacturing Research.
The county has a successful track record in the student enterprise competition. Recent award winners from local secondary schools have included Caitlin Morris from Moyne Community School, County Longford who created history by winning first prize in the Intermediate Category at the National Finals of the Student Enterprise Programme in 2023 and the “It’s a Dose” team also from Moyne Community School placed as Runners-Up in the 2025 National Senior category.
Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, Cllr Garry Murtagh said, “I want to congratulate all the students who took part in this year’s programme. Their projects show the strong talent and creativity that exists across our schools. Reaching a national final is a major achievement, and I know our representatives will do Longford proud. The programme gives students confidence and practical business skills that they can apply in the real world.”
Chief Executive of Longford County Council, Paddy Mahon said, “Each year our students show great imagination and skill through the Student Enterprise Programme. The young people representing Longford at the National Final have shown real commitment in developing their ideas into viable mini‑businesses. Their work reflects the support they receive from their teachers, mentors and families and we are proud to support this programme through the Local Enterprise Office Longford and Longford County Council.”
Michael Nevin, Head of Local Enterprise & Economic Development, Longford County Council said, “We have a very successful student enterprise programme in Longford, with over 300 students from eight 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 7 May. Our students can see 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 in the programme, such as business planning, market research, selling and teamwork, will help them become more entrepreneurial throughout their future careers”.
The local students will compete against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland at the Student Enterprise Programme National Final, which takes place in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Thursday, 7 May 2026.
