Young innovators from Clare schools to to compete in final of robotics competition

Six primary schools from across Clare have qualified as finalists for the upcoming Analog Devices Primary Schools Robotics competition.

The grand finale, featuring 32 schools from across Munster, will see young innovators will put their robotics skills to the test.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the competition, which has grown significantly since its inception.

For the first time, the programme expanded beyond Limerick, welcoming schools from across Munster to engage in the popular hands-on STEM learning and friendly competition.

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This year's competition kicked off in January, with participating schools receiving complimentary robotics workshops where creativity, teamwork, and a passion for STEM were encouraged, reaching 2,240 students from the province.

“The excitement and energy at the semi-finals were incredible, with 280 students from 80 schools showcasing their creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills,” said Fiona Treacy, Managing Director of Industrial Automation at Analog Devices which is based in Limerick city.

“Expanding this programme across Munster has allowed even more young learners to explore engineering in a fun and engaging way, and we can’t wait to see what they bring to the grand finale," she added.

In the final competition, which takes place on Saturday, the finalist teams will participate in an advanced robotics workshop, building on the learnings from the initial classroom sessions.

They will then be set a new challenge: to design and program robots. In the afternoon, teams will compete in pool stages, with the top performers advancing to thrilling playoffs where points for teamwork, design, innovation and their placement in the challenge determine the overall winners.

As Analog Devices continues to champion STEM education at the primary school level, this initiative reinforces the company’s commitment to inspiring the next generation of engineers and problem-solvers.

The six Clare schools which will compete on Saturday are: