28th All Ireland Credit Union Schools Quiz Winners Announced
Posted on: 08 Apr 2019
Quay National School, Ballina, Co Mayo, and St Cronan’s Boys National School, Bray, Co Wicklow have been crowned the national winners of the 28th All Ireland Credit Union Schools Quiz. They beat off stiff competition from their rival teams in their respective age categories at the grand final in the RDS, Dublin on Sunday 7thApril.
More than 90 teams-of-four from across the island of Ireland made it through to the national final following the knockout stages at local and regional level. The participating teams were accompanied by families, relatives, teachers and friends who enthusiastically cheered them on throughout the afternoon. Quizmaster, well-known Today FM DJ Fergal D’Arcy, ensured the atmosphere remained light-hearted while the competing teams grappled with the more difficult questions.
The hotly contested quiz is run by the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) each year and attracts more than 25,000 participants. The local and regional knockout rounds were organised by credit union volunteers and took place in over 300 venues between January and March.
Following the final, fiercely competitive rounds, the victorious teams were:
Competition A Winner: Under 11 years of age: Quay National School, Ballina, Co Mayo, representing Ballina Credit Union Ltd. (Ronan Doyle, Aoife Sherry, Peter Baynes and Cian Hannon).
Competition B Winner: 11-13 years of age: St Cronan’s Boys National School, Bray Co Wicklow, representing Core Credit Union Ltd. (Luke Cullen, Josh Dunford, Adam Hagan and Ben Kelly).
The questions for the quiz are compiled each year by primary school teachers and cover topics such as geography, history, music, literature and sport. The event is a popular fixture on the annual schools’ calendar and aims to encourage and develop teamwork and collaboration between schoolchildren. It is one of the central events in the ILCU’s programme of youth initiatives.
Speaking at the event, ILCU Head of Communications, Paul Bailey said “Every child who took part in all stages of the quiz should be very proud of their achievement. The hard work and preparation they put in will stand to them in the future. Teachers and parents are also deserving of praise for the time and effort dedicated and the support they gave. The grand final here today was fiercely contested, and our two winning teams are extremely deserving of their prizes. I hope everyone taking part today enjoyed the event as much as those of us who watched on as spectators.”