Recognition for two outstanding Mayo youth achievements
Two Mayo initiatives are to receive Outstanding Young People Recognition Awards at the Mayo People of the Year ceremony at Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar, tonight (Friday).
They are the Glór na dTonn Céilí Band and the VEX Rebotics team of St. Joseph's Primary School, Ballinrobe.
Glór na dTonn Céilí Band are the current All-Ireland Senior Céilí Band champions. The band won the coveted title at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2025.
The band were delighted to bring the most coveted All-Ireland title in traditional Irish music back to Achill, Mayo and Connacht.
The band are the reigning Mayo and Connacht Champions since 2022 and have had enormous success as both individual musicians and as a band since their formation in 2019.
This group of young musicians and singers under the stewardship of Séamus Tiernan of Achill have made an exceptional contribution to Mayo’s cultural landscape.
The band members are Séamus Tiernan, Marianna Tiernan, Kathryn Tiernan, Chloe McGrath, Alan Judge, Jason McGuinness, Thomas Ahern, Conal McCormack, Tom Gavin and Kate Gavin.
The children of St. Joseph’s Primary School represented their school, their town and their country so excellently last May in Dallas at the VEX Robotics world championships.
When they got to the arena in Dallas the reality of just how huge this all was hit home and yet the kids remained cool, calm and collected.
The children set up their pit and welcomed all the various groups of competitors from all over the world.
They treated everyone to their rendition of The Red and Green of Mayo, accompanied by their ukuleles, and drew big crowds.
The pupils under the guidance of teachers and mentors, Edel Roache and Sean Flannelly, built a new robot - as the design of the game changes yearly - and programmed it to compete various tasks.
On securing, for a second year €20,000 corporate sponsorship, nine children, nine parents and two teachers headed for the USA, and succeeded in collecting the Sportsmanship Award.