Coláiste Chraobh Abhann students help launch new Bus Eireann TY competition

A GROUP of teenagers from North Wicklow has helped Bus Eireann to launch a new competition urging Transition Year students to get creative in making memories about their journey to school.

Bus Eireann has launched its ‘Go Places’ competition to mark its 50th year operating the school transport scheme on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills and Coláiste Chraobh Abhann TY students Maggie May Ryan, Brianna Morris, Kian Marah and Ciaran Crimes travelled to Dublin to lend a hand with the launch alongside Bray native Blathnaid Treacy and her fellow TV and radio star Stephen Byrne.

Recollecting her journey to school, Blathnaid said: ‘Some of my fondest memories of school are from those journeys to and from school, in the wind, rain and sunshine. Those early winter mornings were so cold, until I got to hop on my bus.

‘I used to spend my 45-minute journey catching up on homework, chatting about who we fancied with friends, listening to music and even get another few minutes sleep if I could! If you’re in Transition Year, you should try and capture some of those memories and you might even win an iPad while you’re at it!’ she said.

Every day, approximately 115,000 stu- dents from 3,000 schools around the country travel to and from school on the transport scheme, on 4,500 vehicles across 6,500 routes.

Bus Éireann is inviting TY students to capture highlights of their journey in a creative and innovative way. Where do they go? How do they spend that time? Who do they travel with? Who are the people and what are the places in their community that they pass by every day, and what are their stories?

Entries can be submitted in video, photo or written format before the deadline of March 16, 2018. For more information, visit www.goplaceswithbe.ie.