Three Leitrim finalists in the .ie Digital Town Awards 2024

.ie, the national registry for .ie domain names, is delighted to announce that three entries from Leitrim have been shortlisted as finalists in the .ie Digital Town Awards 2024. 

Now in their fourth year, the .ie Digital Town Awards spotlight local projects with a digital element. 

The organisation provides the pathway for people, communities and businesses to access and unlock a digital world of potential and opportunity by managing the infrastructure that allows this to happen. 

This year, 41 finalists were selected out of 150 applicants. There are 9 different categories, with a total prize fund of €60,000. 

Winners will be announced at a Gala awards ceremony on Friday, May 24, at the Sheraton Hotel in Athlone, Co. Westmeath. 

Carrick-on-Shannon – The Hive – The original rural digital hub is a finalist in the Digital Business category. As the country's first rural digital enterprise hub, The Hive has paved the way for the explosion of spaces now available all over the country. 

Recognising the need for such a facility more than ten years ago, The Hive was developed to provide high-speed internet connectivity, state-of-the-art office spaces, coworking spaces, and meeting rooms. 

The goal was to attract and support SMEs and remote workers in the local area. Ten years later, The Hive is thriving while several other spaces have followed in its footsteps, transforming the landscape for rural digital enterprise.

Carrigallen – Inclusion for all through STEM is a finalist in two categories – Digital Changemaker and Digital Local Hero. Scoil Mhuire Naofa aspires to provide additional opportunities for inclusion for pupils with Additional Educational Needs and Special Educational Needs via Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education activities. 

As a school with multiple special classes for autistic pupils, we continually strive to provide an overall school experience that meets the needs of ALL pupils. We also want to foster STEM amongst our female pupils. 

Having liaised with our Student Council and Parents' Association, we have identified digital education as an area where we can provide a greater opportunity for all pupils. School principal Alan Kelly is a finalist in the Digital Local Hero category.

Drumshanbo – Sustainability of suckler herd through digital innovation is a finalist in the Digital Sustainability and Digital Rising Star categories. The project aims to promote a sustainable farming model for future generations while also adopting more environmentally ambitious agri-environment climate measures. 

Congratulating the finalists, National Director of .ie Digital Town Programme Oonagh McCutcheon, said: "At .ie, our purpose is to enable and empower people, communities and businesses across Ireland to thrive online, and we are advocates for all things digital at all levels. 

"The awards also afford the opportunity to recognise and show appreciation to the volunteers across the country who devote their spare time working tirelessly to enhance their local area, towns and villages and we look forward to celebrating all of our finalists at our Gala Awards ceremony in May," he concluded.