Angus Youth Challenge returns

Kelsey Hourigan, Leah Buckley, Emily O’Donovan, Rachel O'Gorman and Helen Savage from St Aloysius College, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork were crowned overall winners of the 2021 Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition. File Picture.

Some of the best hurlers in Ireland have had their skills tested in games played at Croke Park over the years.

But on Friday, April 1, the focus will switch from the clash of the ash to raising cattle that will produce quality beef to tickle the taste buds of consumers at home and abroad.

Five groups of second-level students will seek to win the Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools competition run by the Irish Angus Producer Group, along with its processor partners, ABP and Kepak.

The competition challenges students to rear five Irish Angus calves over 18 months while completing a research project. Project themes cover animal genetics, sustainable agriculture, farm health and safety and increasing consumer awareness of the quality of Irish food, particularly beef.

Each group also benefits from the proceeds raised through the sale of the animals at the end of the competition.

The overall winners also receive a bursary towards further education. Competing for the honours will be students from Boherbue Comprehensive School in North Cork, Mercy Secondary School, Ballymahon, Co. Longford, Carrick-On-Shannon Community School, Leitrim, the Abbey School in Tipperary Town and Gorey Community School in Wexford.

The winner will be announced at the ceremony, which will be compered by RTÉ broadcaster Damien O’Reilly, with history-making jockey Rachael Blackmore as a guest of honour.

Following the awards ceremony, 35 schools chosen for the next phase of the competition will exhibit their project ideas for guests and a panel of industry judges.

Last year’s winners, Emily O’Donovan, Kelsey Hourigan, Helen Savage, Leah Buckley and Rachel O’Gorman from St. Aloysius College, in Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork, studied the theme of communicating with the consumer and producer.

They created an app called ‘Angus Adventures.’ A fun game allowed users to ‘rear’ an Angus animal that needed to be fed, dosed, watered and washed. 

Facts and information about the breed and the school’s competition were also provided.