Members of the student council at Lissivigeen NS, together with, from left, teacher Brid Ryan, SNA Cathy Hogan, principal Ellen Cagney and teacher Sarah Cahill, displaying a huge thank you to the competition organisers.
Photo: Marie Carroll-O’Sulivan
There were scenes of delight in Lissivigeen National School when it was named the overall winner of the €3,000 top prize in the MD O’Shea’s Community Builders Competition.
The Killarney school will receive a MD O’Shea’s voucher to help bring its much-anticipated sensory garden project into full bloom – a development that promises to benefit not just current pupils but generations of students to come.
The seed for this success was first planted by teacher Elaine Ní Shé who entered the competition and highlighted Lissivigeen NS as a vibrant, mixed, national school of 270 pupils that has recently expanded, both outwards and upwards, to meet the needs of its growing community.
Since September 2025, the school has opened a new special class, further enriching the inclusive fabric of the school.
Lissivigeen National School has expanded both expanded, both outwards and upwards
With this expansion, Elaine explained, the need for a dedicated sensory garden became even more important to provide a calm, therapeutic space for children with additional needs, offering opportunities for sensory regulation, emotional wellbeing and gentle exploration in a safe outdoor environment.
At the same time, such a space enhances the wellbeing of all children, creating a tranquil area for relaxation, imaginative play, outdoor learning and connection with nature.
While the school building has flourished, green space had become limited and rising project costs threatened to stall the garden’s progress. Winning the €3,000 voucher, she said, would help ensure that every child in Lissivigeen NS has room to grow.
Acting Principal Ellen Cagney represented the school in the final stages of the competition after parents, grandparents, cousins, neighbours and distant relatives were all called into action to vote – and they certainly delivered.
The two other finalists were Firies Tidy Towns and the Kerry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre.
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