Innovative Limerick students reach national entrepreneurship finals

YOUNG entrepreneurs from Limerick have been announced as finalists in this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Finals.

Students from Hazelwood College and Desmond College will represent Limerick at the national finals in Mullingar. 

The students all took part in the 2025 Limerick Student Enterprise Awards County Final which was held on March 19, at the Castletroy Park Hotel. 

Flying the flag for Limerick in this year’s national finals in the Junior Category, are the students from Desmond College in Newcastle with their product ‘Grip Genie’, a lid opener which provides a helping hand for those who may struggle with opening jars, bottles, and containers. 

In the Intermediate Category and also from Desmond College is ‘Sea Tan Gone’ who created a naturally made fake tan remover that also benefits the skin. 

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In the Senior Category of the competition, Limerick will be represented by Donal Bennis from Hazelwood College in Dromcollagher who created ‘The Pole Pucker’, an innovative product for the removal of fencing posts in the  agricultural & forestry sectors.

The Student Enterprise Programme, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices throughout the country including LEO Limerick, supports secondary school students to create, design and market their own business, all with the hope of reaching the National Finals.

Speaking ahead of the National Final, Mike O’Byrne, Business Advisor with the Local Enterprise Office Limerick added “The Student Enterprise Programme is instrumental in fostering a culture of enterprise among young people. It equips students with essential skills, encourages innovation, and nurtures entrepreneurial spirit, which are vital for their future success.”

The local students will be competing against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals, taking place at the Mullingar Park Hotel, Co. Westmeath on May 8th, 2025. Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 350,000 students have taken part, learning key skills on how to create a business idea, start a business and grow a business.