Scoil Mhuire named School of The Year at the Our World Awards 2025

Fifteen schools across Ireland have been awarded prestigious Our World Awards by Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD.

Scoil Mhuire in Glenties, Co. Donegal, won ‘School of the Year’ at the Our World Awards 2025 at Dublin Castle for a project created by 5th class pupils which captured the spirit of global citizenship by combining local tradition, environmental awareness and global education.

Schools from 10 other counties - Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Mayo, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford - were honoured at the Irish Aid awards which encourage young people to engage with global issues such as poverty and climate change.

Inspired by the Yao people of Mozambique, who created a large elephant sculpture using old materials, 5th class pupils at Scoil Mhuire set out to make their own sculpture - with a Donegal twist. Instead of an elephant, they designed a hare, a creature native to Ireland, and constructed it using chicken wire, kitchen roll, and PVA glue. They then covered the sculpture in traditional Donegal tweed, donated by Magee of Donegal Town. One of the winning pupils explained:

We used this tweed because we are trying to reduce, reuse and recycle at school and it is made here in Donegal. Making tweed is a tradition we are proud of and want to see lasting into the future.

The judges were impressed by how the pupils cleverly connected global issues with their own local environment and heritage.

This theme of sustainability and heritage continued with a second creation: a model of an Atlantic Salmon, made from old newspaper and masking tape, then wrapped in wool. There is a long-standing knitting and woolcraft tradition in Glenties, where generations of women produced handmade items to support their families.

In addition to their hands-on creativity, the pupils carried out detailed research on life in Mozambique and Laos, deepening their understanding of how people across the globe face challenges and work toward solutions, often with limited resources but have rich cultural knowledge.

Their project culminated in the writing of a song entitled ‘Who We Are’ describing the role of Irish Aid which pupils performed live at the awards ceremony.

Congratulating Scoil Mhuire on their success, Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora Neale Richmond TD said:

I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the 5th class pupils at Scoil Mhuire and their teacher Eleanor McGill on being named School of the Year at this year’s Our World Awards. Their project is an outstanding example of ‘think global, act local’.

What was particularly impressive was the way in which the school and its pupils engaged with the wider community, putting a local twist on global issues that affect the most vulnerable people in the world.

All the schools honoured at the Our World Awards have used creativity to encourage young people to engage with big global issues. The quality of entries was incredibly high, which reflects the deep interest young people in Ireland have on issues that affect people all over the world.

Other schools named as category winners in the Our World Awards 2025 are as follows:

• Global Goals Award: Balbriggan Educate Together National School, Co. Dublin and St. Joseph’s National School, Leitrim Village.
• Rising Star Award: Holy Trinity Primary School, Westport, Co. Mayo and St John’s National School, Longford.
• STEM Award: Limerick City East Educate Together National School, Limerick.
• An Iontráil Ghaeilge is Fearr: Gaelscoil Mhichíl Uí Choileáin, Clonakilty, Co. Cork.
• School and Community Impact Award: St Mary’s Primary School, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary.
• Outstanding School Engagement Award: Our Lady Queen of the Apostles, Clonburris, Dublin.
• Irish Aid Programme Award: Daingean National School, Co. Offaly and Scoil Bhríde, Clane, Co. Kildare.
• Creative Star Award: St Fergal’s BNS, Finglas, Dublin; Lissenhall National School, Co. Tipperary; St. Raphael's Special School, Kildare; St. James National School, Stradbally, Co. Waterford.