Kanturk welcomes back its Young Scientist winners

A reception honouring the country’s top young scientists took place at their school in north Cork last night.

Eimear Murphy and Ian O’Sullivan were crowned on Friday night at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition for their study about the links between the drinking habits of parents and their teenage children.

The celebrations continued over the weekend in Dublin but they were cheered back home last night at Coláiste Treasa in Kanturk, where another event with the full body of over 500 students takes place this morning.

Deputy principal Veronica Walsh said the town was buzzing with the great news for the school, and for Ian from Ballyhass and Eimear from Newmarket.

“It’s just been such a whirlwind for them and for everyone else involved. They were really stunned when their names were announced on Friday night,” said Ms Walsh.

She and principal John Murphy, their science teacher Derry O’Donovan, and the families of the two 16-year-olds gathered with other staff and students last night.

Ms Walsh said Mr O’Donovan is a fantastic science teacher, and she also singled out Martin Davoren, a PhD candidate at University College Cork, for his assistance with aspects of the project.

As well as the top prize, which includes a cheque for €5,000, she said their work also earned Ian and Eimear the Health Research Board special award.

“I think one of the main reasons it was so successful is that their work has got such a public health message about it,” Ms Walsh said.

The project was the school’s only entry in this year’s event and has been by far the biggest accolade earned to date by any students of Coláiste Treasa, which has seen some category prizes and commendations brought home over the years before now.

The transition-year students managed to survey more than 900 students from eight schools in the Kanturk and Mallow area on their use of drink and attitudes towards it. They also received the views and details from the parents of 360 of the students about their own drinking and that of their children, a unique outcome which impressed the judges.

Their statistical analysis shows that teenagers whose parents believe it is acceptable for their children to drink alcohol on special occasions are up to four times more likely to engage in hazardous drinking than other adolescents. The influence of the drinking of fathers, and the attitudes of fathers to alcohol, were found to be much stronger than that of mothers.