Mayo teams star at national finals

Twelve teams of budding engineers, representing a variety of Foróige projects from across Ireland, gathered in Athlone on Friday, April 5, for an exhilarating FIRST® LEGO® League Masterpiece Challenge Blitz. The tournament saw teams showcase their creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills as they navigated the thrilling world of robotics and STEAM learning.

The Ballinrobots from Foróige Connect Ballinrobe, claimed the title of champions, impressing judges with their innovative approach and technical skill. Meanwhile, the Ballina Nuggets from Ballina NYP secured the Innovation Project Winners accolade, showcasing their unique solution to a real-world problem. 

Additionally, the LEGO Legends from Portlaoise UBU earned recognition as the Robot Design Winners, and the Le'Rossies from The Quad Youth Centre in Roscommon excelled in demonstrating their team’s core values, earning them the Core Value Winners title. The Foróige Rockers from the SAFE Project wowed with their robot performance, securing the Robot Game Winners spot, while the Rising All Stars recognition went to the Boyle Crescent from Roscommon Youth Service UBU Boyle, highlighting their future potential.

This science and technology challenge, which is aimed at 11 to 16-year-olds, tasks teams to build a robot to tackle a series of missions, and create an innovative solution to a real-world problem. This year’s challenge asked teams to imagine innovative new ways to create and communicate art across the globe using technology while demonstrating their skills in robotics, computer programming, teamwork, research, problem solving and communication.

Supported by the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Discover Programme, the initiative is organised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in partnership with Irish delivery partner, CreativeHUT.

FIRST is an acronym for ‘For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,’ and FIRST® LEGO® League encourages young people to think like scientists and engineers, developing practical solutions to real-world issues.

FIRST® LEGO® League inspires young people from the ages of four to 16 to understand and shape the world they live in, in a more sustainable and inclusive way. Importantly, it ignites interest in STEAM learning, challenging the idea that science is dull, too technical, or only for boys!

Dublin-based, CreativeHUT, is the regional organiser of FIRST® LEGO® League in Ireland, and founder Ross Maguire says the fun team-challenge inspires the new generation of budding scientists and engineers.

“We are delighted to partner with Foróige to grow their engagement with FIRST® LEGO® League as this is a platform for young people to discover the world of STEM and collaborate on real-world problems. These fantastic young people are taking the first steps to become tomorrow’s innovators, creators and problem solvers. The concepts of cooperation and competition combine. It’s the idea that, by working together, we all win. It is not about building robots, it’s about robots building people.” Foróige’s Digital Youth Officer , Megan Depinna, shared how delighted she was with the success of this inaugural tournament.

"Foróige is delighted to be part of the FIRST® LEGO® League MASTERPIECE℠ Challenge Blitz. The tournament provides an incredible platform through which young people can showcase their talent, skill and creativity. The dedication, innovation and teamwork displayed by the participants was really inspiring. Each team brought their unique perspective and enthusiasm, making the event a true celebration of STEAM learning and youth empowerment. Foróige is immensely proud of all of the young people involved and we are excited to continue supporting their journey in robotics and beyond."

The annual robotics and creative thinking challenge is organised in the UK and Ireland by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Hannah Rees, Senior Education Manager, explains how FIRST® LEGO® League allows young people to really experience engineering in action.

“It encourages children to think like scientists and engineers, and to embrace learning. We are incredibly pleased to see that participation by youth group teams in the annual challenge has grown steadily in the past three years and is now a national programme in Ireland.” Over 11,000 young people have participated in FIRST® LEGO® League in Ireland in the past three years of the global programme.

Dr Ruth Freeman, Director, Science for Society at SFI, says the inclusive appeal of FIRST LEGO League makes science accessible to everyone.

“We are delighted to be supporting FIRST LEGO League in helping young people to build essential skills in STEM, such as creativity and problem solving, and giving them a chance to apply these skills to real-world problems. This programme supports the SFI Discover programme’s central aims to increase public engagement and broaden participation and access to STEM across Ireland.”