Offaly students name prize winning animal donated to hospice fundraiser

DURROW National School pupils joined to name prize winning animal donated to Hooves for Hospice by former students, Sinead and Trása Bracken, Mary Ellen Colton and Chloe McDermott.

The students currently of Mercy Secondary School, Kilbeggan, were finalists in this year’s Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition, generously donated one of their prize winning animals to Hooves 4 Hospice.

The students, twins Sinead and Trása Bracken, Mary Ellen Colton and Chloe McDermot reached a top five place out of 140 schools entering the exclusive competition earlier this year.

Their prize was five Irish Angus cross calves one of which the girls donated to Hooves 4 Hospice.

Involving their alma mater, Durrow National School, the girls organised for the senior classes to choose a name for the Hooves 4 Hospice calf. The winning name was Bruno chosen by fourth class pupil Kaleb Mills.

At a special event at this year’s National Ploughing Championships, TikTok influencer and RTÉ Broadcaster Mary-Claire Fitzpatrick revealed the five secondary schools that had been selected as finalists in this year’s Certified Irish Angus schools’ competition. Sinéad Bracken, Mary Ellen Colton, Chloe McDermott and Trása Bracken from Mercy Secondary School, Kilbeggan were among the students from schools in Meath, Dublin, Cork, Tipperary and Westmeath, who met the Irish Angus-Cross calves they will rear for the first time at the event.  

“We were delighted to be selected as one of the five finalists and we are grateful to our school and everybody who helped and supported us. We think that Hooves 4 Hooves is a great local Project and we are delighted to be able to help with their fund raising efforts.”

“We will now be rearing our five prize winning calves on the farm for the next 18 months as part of the competition and one will be sold and the money donated to Hooves 4 Hospice ,

explained Trása.

“He is a kind of special animal for a very worthwhile cause, so we thought it would be nice if he had a name and so we gave the pupils in Durrow school the opportunity to do the honours,” said Trása.

The Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition, run by Certified Irish Angus and its processor partners, ABP and Kepak, aims to encourage second level students to gain an understanding about the considerable care and attention that is required to produce and market the highest quality beef for consumers.

The five schools were narrowed down from 140 entries after a competitive, multi-stage interview process earlier this year. In addition to rearing the calves, the schools will complete a project focusing on a different aspect of farming, the food chain and sustainability.  

Sinéad and Trása, Mary Ellen and Chloe have chosen the theme of ‘Exploring the Opportunities of Low Carbon Beef’.

“We will demonstrate how Irish farmers can produce the most sustainable beef by following their Sustainable 5-point plan while also educating consumers and farmers about carbon sequestration on farms,” explained Trása

 The Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition aims to allow students to apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to a real-life setting. Each of the finalists will receive the financial benefit involved in the selling of the animals to the processors on completion of the project. The winning students also receive an additional grant of €2,000 for their further education.

Mr Pat Lalor, Chairman of the Hooves 4 Hospice project paid tribute to Sinead, Trása, Mary Ellen and Chloe on their initiative and congratulated them on their success to date in the Angus Schools Competition and wished them well in the next stage.

“When the Hooves 4 Hospice project was launched in early 2020, it was mainly aimed at farmers, asking them to rear an animal for the project. It was never expected that communities and local organisations would step up to the plate and become actively involved in raising funds in their own way. 

"It is the enthusiasm of communities and people like Sinead, Trása, Chloe and Mary Ellen that drives the Hooves 4 Hospice committee to continue this massive fundraising effort. 

 “The Hooves4Hospice fundraising project has warmly welcomed the announcement that government funding of €20 million is to be provided to enable the long awaited and much needed Midland Regional Hospice to proceed.

 “We are delighted that after two and a half years of fundraising and promoting, with others, the case for a Regional Hospice in the Midlands, our goal is being achieved”, said Mr Lalor.

 “There is much that remains to be done to complete the work of Hooves 4 Hospice. In that regard we still need some more farmers willing to donate and/or rear an animal. As a result of the announcement of government funding, we approach that task with renewed confidence and enthusiasm,” he added.