Patrick’s doodle clocks up €10k grant

Wishing for better times may have become a national past time but one schoolboy has turned the dreary national attitude to his advantage — catching the eye of a world-leading firm in the process.

Patrick Horan, a sixth-year student from Clonlara in Co Clare, was last night named the winner of this year’s Doodle 4 Google national competition.

The annual event, which began in 2009, encourages young people’s artistic interests by showcasing their best work on the Google Ireland search engine during the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

This year’s contest took the theme “I wish...”.

And after fighting off competition from more than 2,300 entrants across the country, Patrick — from St Munchin’s College in Limerick— was named as the main prize winner.

The Clare native, who follows in the footpath of former St Munchin’s pupil and 2009 winner Evan O’Sullivan Glynn, has won a €10,000 technology grant for his school and laptops for himself and his teacher.

When asked about the logic behind his Doodle 4 Google piece, he explained: “Many of us look towards the stars to make a wish. I wish I could turn back time to see our world in past times.

“My doodle shows the mechanisms inside a clock slowly turning back the hands of time, making my wish come true.”

Google judges picked 75 finalists and 125,000 online voters chose from the short-listed works.

The winners of four other categories and their teachers also received a laptop from Google.

They include:

* Darragh Brady from Edmondstown National School in Dublin 16 (junior /senior infants category);

* Abby Ware from Johnswell National School in Co Kilkenny (first and second class category);

* Ryan Taylor from Scoil Eoin Baiste in Co Donegal (third to sixth class category);

* Carolyn O Sullivan from Coláiste Phobail Bheanntraí in Co Cork (first to third year in secondary school category).