The champion speller of Laois is crowned

Eason is delighted to announce Devin McEvoy as this year’s winner of the County Laois Eason Spelling Bee Final.

Devin, who is a pupil at St Patrick's National School in Ballylinan, soared to the top following a tense competition recently in which he faced six fellow spelling enthusiasts Holy Family Senior Schoo in Portlaoise. Devin will now go on to compete in the Leinster Provincial Spelling Bee in May. Devin is an avid reader and his favourite author is David Walliams.

The other contestants were:

• Sean Hyland, St Fintans BNS, Mounrtath;
• Vanessa Mascarenhas, Scoil Mhuire, Abbeyleix;
• Kate Ryan, Clough National School;
• Amber Lily Truszkowska, Presentation Primary School, Portarlington;
• Caoimhe Brennan, Holy Family Senior School, Portlaoise;
• Jack Coughlan, Scoil an Fhraoich Mhóir, The Heath.

Celebrating its tenth year, the Eason Spelling Bee provides a fun, educational outlet for school kids, encouraging them to expand their vocabulary and develop their confidence.

Children from 25 schools tackling litter in Laois

This year, over 500 schools will compete to win the coveted prize. The Eason Spelling Bee team will be travelling around the country to host County Final Bees. The county winners go on to a Provincial Bee contest. The champions from these will then go head-to-head in the All-Ireland Final Bee, taking place in June 2023.