Young Mayo pupil meets European Parliament president

A pupil from St. Peter's National School in Snugboro, Castlebar, has received an award in Brussels this week from European Parliament President Roberta Metsola after being named a winner of MEP Nina Carberry’s annual essay competition.

The MEP's competition invited fifth and sixth class pupils from across the Midlands North-West constituency to answer the question: 'If you were an MEP, what would you do to make your community a better place to live?'

With hundreds of entries submitted, the essay by Ciara Bourke stood out for its creativity and thoughtful approach.

Ciara's entry impressed MEP Carberry with her practical ideas, focusing on protecting the environment, promoting recycling and sustainability in schools, and supporting sports facilities, local shops and farmers' markets.

As part of her prize, Ciara and her parents travelled to Brussels this week, where they visited the European Parliament and met MEP Carberry, who praised Ciara’s creativity and strong interest in community issues.

The visit offered a valuable behind-the-scenes look at the work of MEPs and highlighted the important role young people play in shaping their communities.

Speaking about the competition, MEP Carberry said: “The ideas and imagination shown by students like Ciara is really inspiring. It’s so important that young people have their voices heard and take an interest in what is happening in their communities. You never know, we might see Ciara as an MEP in Brussels in the not-too-distant future!”

The competition is part of MEP Carberry’s ongoing efforts to promote the work of the EU across Irish schools.