Exciting programme launched to inspire future Laois filmmakers and content creators

Clonaslee College in Laois hosted the launch of the exciting new TY Digital Arts Programme for Laois-Offaly ETB schools on Wednesday, 10 December.

This brand new initiative was developed for Transition Year students by LOETB in collaboration with Laois and Offaly County Councils as well as with close support from Film Offaly and Laois Arts Office.

The LOETB S.T.E.A.M programme sees TY students receive specialised equipment and training in the areas of filmmaking, podcasting and virtual reality content creation.

As part of the programme, students will work on a competition brief to put their new skills to use as well as tell stories of their own schools and communities with a generous prize fund of €5,000 on offer from Laois and Offaly County Councils.

Four secondary schools in Laois and five in Offaly will exhibit their work at the LOETB S.T.E.A.M Showcase Event & Awards Ceremony which will take place in Esker Arts Theatre in Tullamore on 6 May, 2026.

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This Oscars-style event will present the work of the students on the big screen, with the winning teams announced on the night.

At the launch in Clonaslee College, students and guests got the chance to hear about this exciting new partnership programme.

Clonaslee College was chosen for the launch because of the school’s growing reputation for digital innovation, particularly with their ground-breaking Transition Year Filmmaking course, developed in conjunction with LOETB.

Following Clonaslee College Principal, Sean Cotter’s warm welcome, Laois-Offaly Director of Schools, Linda Tynan spoke about how happy LOETB are to provide such creative opportunities to their students, thanking both Local Authorities for their wonderful support both with this new programme and its Junior Cycle partner, the LOETB S.T.E.A.M. Programme.

Ray Bell, Broadband Officer with Offaly County Council thanked Film Offaly for their knowledge and support, while Antoinette Brennan, Laois Broadband Officer with Laois County Council, spoke of how enthusiastic both councils are about helping develop and support a programme that will greatly enhance the digital creativity and innovation in the two counties.

Muireann Ní Chonaill of Laois Arts Office encouraged the students to seize the great opportunities available to them through the programme, while also detailing recent successful film industry projects in the area.

The launch concluded by hearing from Clonaslee College teacher, Carina Dunne who, along with fellow film studies teacher Pamela Wilson, has been pioneering a new filmmaking course in the school.

Both Carina and her students spoke with great positivity about their experiences of the course and the skills that the students have learned.

For further information about the LOETB and their TY Creativity programmes, you can visit www.loetb.ie/schools. 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme