The smell of varnish wafted through the corridors of Creeslough National School this week as hard-working pupils from the senior room busily prepared their homemade keyrings.
Pupils from third, fourth, fifth and sixth class have enrolled in the Junior Entrepreneur Programme, an annual competition where students showcase their entrepreneurial skills – think Dragons’ Den for national schools across Ireland.
Together, the pupils chose, invested in and produced their own product from scratch, considering both cost and market appeal.
Under the guidance of their teacher, Marianne Rodgers, they created their company: Wild Atlantic Drift Keyrings.
Each keyring is a one-of-a-kind keepsake with a connection to the Donegal coastline.
The students are making beautiful keyrings from driftwood, all collected from local beaches along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Families, friends and the pupils themselves cut the raw wood, and the final production is completed in the school with sanding and varnishing.
Driven by sustainability, what makes each keyring truly special is that no two are the same.
Pupils gathered driftwood from local beaches.
The school will be hosting a pop-up at the Creeslough Market on April 17, from 9.30 am to 1pm.
Each keyring is only €3, and the students encourage everyone to come along and support their business.
For more information, you can reach them via social media or email at [email protected].