A bright future in Mullahoran

The future is bright in Mullahoran.

So bright in fact that Cathaoirleach Philip Brady asked the sixth class pupils to present their project before the next council meeting on July 15.

The Cathaoirleach invited the students and their teachers after being awe-struck by their project ‘Mullahoran GAA Park 2024: Embracing Tomorrow, Today’, which won the Rural Innovation Award 2024.

On Friday afternoon, the students presented their project, a model of what their local Mullahoran GAA pitch could look like in the future, to the Mullahoran Executive GAA committee, some parents and The Anglo-Celt. The awe factor echoed around the classroom throughout.

“When they won the award the other day, they were told to bring it back to their councils and their county board to show them,” the Cathaoirleach said, explaining that he wanted to give them the opportunity to do this.

“They [the judges] were that impressed,” said Cllr Brady, himself a former pupil at the school.

The project investigated energy efficient ways to make local Mullahoran GAA park more sustainable.

Last Monday, the class and their teachers travelled to the Microsoft headquarters to present their project and receive their award. The students delved into presenting their project, which would see zero energy costs for Mullahoran GAA pitch. The goal boxes, 3D printed by a parent of one of the students, have infrared beams and sensors that can detect when a ball passes through and subsequently update the scoreboard.

The clubhouse, created by 100% recycled materials, consisted of a gym, a wheelchair accessible elevator and bathrooms, a kitchen and changing rooms.

Situated on the roof were eight solar panels, which operate the NeoPixel pitch lights, the scoreboard and a grass cutter - the latter of which is operated by a phone app created and coded by student Michael Mulfaul, who has been interested in coding from a young age.

Attached to the back of the clubhouse was a water harvesting system used for toilet water and plant water for the adjoining sensory garden and playground. In the next phase of the project, the children hope to install a filter, which would allow them to use this water for showering and drinking.

A viewcam broadcasts the game to those in the sensory room, created for people who do not like the hustle and bustle of the grounds on matchday. They can watch the game using headphones, or ignore the game in a soundproof space where they can sit down and relax or play with toys.

Finally, the pupils created a video game where people can virtually play football with one or two players, which they hope to make public in the future. The game was created for members of the community who are not able to play football.

“It’s just fantastic what they are able to do now at national school and to see the technology they are using,” Cllr Brady said.

“It’s stuff that we can now use in real life on our local GAA pitch, it’s absolutely fascinating.

“To see people in national school doing it, it’s just extraordinary,” he said, adding that the initiative from his own parish made him “even more proud”.

Sixth class teacher Mairead McKeogh, who co-ordinated the project, said she was “very proud” of how both the project and the students developed.

As each student will be starting secondary school in September, Ms McKeogh said they learned “great skills” for their future.

“They all came up with different ideas and they were very inspired with the theme of their own GAA park.

“Every talent in the class was utilised, with students leading and teaching and learning from one another in areas such as mathematics, coding, art, woodwork, engineering, creativity, leadership, business and marketing,” she said.

As the teachers looked upon her sixth class students for the last time before they embark on their second level journey, she said the project “wasn’t just about creating or inventing something new”.

“It was about the journey the class embarked on together and the diverse learning experiences as 12 year olds they gained along the way,” she concluded.