Tip O Neill Inishowen Primary Schools Competition 2016

Donegal County Council and The Tip O’Neill Diaspora Award Committee are delighted to announce the launch of the 2016 Tip O’Neill Inishowen Primary Schools Competition.

All primary school students in Inishowen are eligible to enter the competition. Students may submit an entry in the format of either art or a poem on either the subject of Donegal Diaspora or Tip O’Neill. The closing date is Friday 24th June 2016 and students may drop their completed entries into Buncrana Community Library, Carndonagh Community Library or Moville Branch Library.

All entrants to the competition will have an opportunity to win prizes for themselves and their schools as follows:

1st Prize – Book Token €100 (School Book Token €150)

2nd Prize – Book Token €75 (School Book Token €125)

3rd Prize – Book Token €50 (School Book Token €100)

Highly commended entrants will also receive book tokens worth €25.

Participants enjoying last years Tip O'Neill Schools Competition at the Sliabh Sneacht Centre in Drumfries.

Cultural Services staff of Donegal County Council will adjudicate the entries. Members of Tip O’Neill’s family will present the prizes as part of The Tip O’Neill Diaspora Award event on Friday 23rd of September 2016.

Buncrana Town Council and Donegal County Council launched this competition in 2012 as part of the first annual centennial memorial in honour of Tip O’Neill. Since then, 325 primary school students have entered the competition winning €2, 400 worth of prize money for themselves and their schools.

The aim of the competition is to give young people an opportunity to express themselves through either art or poetry and to create awareness of Diaspora issues and of the life and work of Tip O’Neill.

Tip O’Neill was speaker of the American House of Representatives for 10 years. He played a leading role in the Irish peace process and has strong connections to the Inishowen peninsula. His grandmother, Eunice Fullerton left Sleadrin, Buncrana in the wake of the Great Famine in search of a better life in America.

For more information, please contact Geraldine McHugh, Lifford Library 074 9172726 or [email protected]