Eason Spelling Bee Update – Armagh, Derry and Donegal
Last week saw us begin the first of the County stages in Ulster with visits to Armagh, Derry and Donegal. You will find updates on these Spelling Bees below. We are now only a few short weeks away from the Provincial and All-Ireland stages of the Eason Spelling Bee.
Armagh Spelling Bee:
Eight spellers took park on Monday in the Armagh Spelling Bee, which took place in Portadown. Ryce McClatchey from Millington Primary School was the winner on the day and will now go on to represent Armagh in the Ulster Final in June.
Derry Spelling Bee:
Five schools took part in the Derry Spelling Bee which was held in the Central Primary School in Limavady. After a closely fought tie-break, Tara O’Boyle from St. Brigid’s Primary School in Mayogall was declared the winner and now goes forward to the Ulster final.
Donegal Spelling Bee:
Our third spelling bee of the week saw us visit Gaelscoil Adhamhnin in Letterkenny for the Donegal Spelling Bee. 31 spellers took part on the day with Jamie Griffin from St. Bridget’s N.S. in Convoy becoming the Donegal Spelling Bee Champion.
Final County Spelling Bee Dates:
- Cavan – Mon 20th May – 11am – Knocktemple N.S., Virginia, Co. Cavan
- Tyrone – Wed 22nd May – 11am – St. Patrick’s Primary School, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone
- Fermanagh – Thu 23rd May – 11am – St. Ninnidh’s PS, Derrylin, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh
- Monaghan – Mon 27th May – 11am – Gaelscoil Ultain, An Cnoc, Muineachan, Co. Mhuineachain
- Antrim – Wed 29th May – 11am – St. Patrick’s & St. Brigid’s Primary School, Ballycastle, Co. Antrim
- Down – Thu 30th May – 11am – Castlewellan Primary School, Castlewellan, Co. Down
Spelling Bee Update – Wexford, Wicklow, Westmeath, Meath and Louth
Over the last 2 weeks we visited Wexford, Wicklow, Westmeath, Meath and Louth for their respective County Spelling Bees. This now completes the Leinster county stages of the Spelling Bee. Next up is the County Spelling Bee stage in Ulster and dates can be found below. Updates from the last 2 weeks can also be found here.
Wexford County Spelling Bee:
27 spellers took part in the Wexford County Spelling Bee on Wed 24th April which was held in Boolavogue N.S. Evan Kiely from Gusserane N.S. in New Ross was declared the winner and will now go on to represent Wexford in the Leinster Final in June.
Wicklow County Spelling Bee:
St. Joseph’s N.S. in Glenealy played host to the Wicklow Spelling Bee. 11 spellers took part in the Spelling Bee on the day. The contest came down to a tie-break with Laura Creighton from St. Brigid’s N.S. in Manor Kilbride crowned the winner.
Westmeath County Spelling Bee:
11 spellers took part in the Westmeath County Spelling Bee on Tue 30th April which was held in St. Manchan’s N.S. in Tubber. The winner on the day was Aisling Kelly from St. Etchen’s National School in Kinnegad.
Meath County Spelling Bee:
26 spellers took part in the Meath County Spelling Bee on Wed 1st May which was held in St. Columbanus N.S. in Ballivor. A large crowd was in attendance on the day with Rian Mary Kearns from St. Mary’s Primary School in Trim declared the winner after a tie-break round. Mary will now go on to represent Meath in the Leinster Final in June.
Louth County Spelling Bee:
18 spellers took part in the Louth County Spelling Bee on Thu 2nd May which was held in Scoil Mhuire na nGael in Dundalk. This was our last county spelling bee in Leinster. We got a great reception from the host school and coincidentally the winner on the day, was David Alajiki from the host school. David will now go on to represent Louth in the Leinster Final.
County Final dates for the Ulster Spelling Bees as follows:
| County | Date | Time | Location |
| Armagh | Mon 13th May | 11:00 | Presentation Primary School, Thomas St., Portadown |
| Derry | Wed 15th May | 11:00 | Limavady Central School, Limavady |
| Donegal | Thu 16th May | 11:00 | Gaelscoil Adhamhnin, Glenn Cearra, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal |
| Cavan | Mon 20th May | 11:00 | Knocktemple N.S., Virginia, Co. Cavan |
| Tyrone | Wed 22nd May | 11:00 | St. Patrick’s Primary School, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone |
| Fermanagh | Thu 23rd May | 11:00 | St. Ninnidh’s PS, Derrylin, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh |
| Monaghan | Mon 27th May | 11:00 | Gaelscoil Ultain, An Cnoc, Muineachan, Co. Mhuineachain |
| Antrim | Wed 29th May | 11:00 | St. Patrick’s & St. Brigid’s Primary School, Ballycastle, Co. Antrim |
| Down | Thu 30th May | 11:00 | Castlewellan Primary School, Castlewellan, Co. Down |
Eason Spelling Bee Update – Kilkenny and Carlow
Last week we visited both Kilkenny and Carlow for their respective Spelling Bees. Updates for both events can be viewed below.
Kilkenny Spelling Bee:
19 spellers took part in the Kilkenny County Spelling Bee on Tue 16th April, held in Presentation N.S. in Parnell Street, Kilkenny. Kevin Murphy Kennedy from C.B.S. Primary in Kilkenny was declared the winner and will now go on to represent Kilkenny in the Leinster Final in June.
Carlow Spelling Bee:
Ballon N.S. played host to the Carlow Spelling Bee on Wednesday. Eight spellers took part in the Spelling Bee on the day. The contest came down to a tie-break with Jordan Hennessy from Scoil Chomhghain Naofa in Killeshin crowned the winner.
Spelling Bee Update – Kildare and Dublin
Last week we visited both Kildare and Dublin and got a great reception at both events. Updates for both can be viewed below. We are now at the half way stage in the County Final rounds of the Spelling Bee.
Kildare Spelling Bee:
23 spellers took part in the Kildare County Spelling Bee on Tuesday, April 9th in Scoil Mhicil Naofa in Athy. In a very exciting contest, Oisín Heffernan from Scoil Bride, Milltown in Newbridge was declared the winner and will now go on to represent Kildare in the Leinster Final in June.
Dublin Spelling Bee:
St. John Bosco Senior Boys School played host to our largest Spelling Bee to date. 61 spellers took part in the Dublin Spelling Bee. A large crowd was in attendance to show support. The contest came down to a tie-break with Niall Meaghar from St. Laurence’s in Stillorgan crowned the winner.
Spelling Bee Update – April 4th
Last week we visited Longford and Offaly. The winners from these counties will now go onto the Leinster Spelling Bee in June. Over the coming weeks we will be visiting every county in Ireland to hold the County Spelling Bees and dates can be found below.
Longford Spelling Bee:
Nine spellers took part in the Longford County Spelling Bee on Wed 20th March, held in Stonepark N.S. All spellers got a great welcome in the school on the day. The winner on the day was Oran Kenny from Fermoyle N.S. who will now go on to represent Longford in the Leinster Final in June.
Offaly Spelling Bee:
Lumcloon N.S. again hosted the Offaly Spelling Bee in which nine spellers took part. James Walsh from St. Colman’s N.S. in Mucklagh was crowned the Offaly Spelling Bee Champion on the day.
Leinster Spelling Bee Dates:
| County | Date | Time | Location |
| Kildare | Tue 9th Apr | 11:00 | Scoil Mhicil Naofa, Athy, Co. Kildare |
| Dublin | Wed 10th Apr | 11:00 | St. John of Bosco, Navan Rd, Dublin 7 |
| Kilkenny | Tue 16th Apr | 11:00 | Presentation NS, Parnell St, Kilkenny |
| Carlow | Wed 17th Apr | 11:00 | Ballon N.S., Ballon, Co. Carlow |
| Wexford | Wed 24th Apr | 11:00 | Boolavogue N.S., Ferns, Co. Wexford |
| Wicklow | Thu 25th Apr | 11:00 | St. Joseph’s N.S., Glenealy, Co. Wicklow |
| Westmeath | Tue 30th Apr | 11:00 | St. Manchan’s N.S., Tubber, Moate, Co. Westmeath |
| Meath | Wed 1st May | 11:00 | St. Columbanus N.S., Ballivor, Co. Meath |
| Louth | Thu 2nd May | 11:00 | Scoil Mhuire na Gael, Bay Estate, Dundalk, Co. Louth |
Ulster Spelling Bee Dates:
| County | Date | Time | Location |
| Armagh | Mon 13th May | 11:00 | Presentation Primary School, Thomas St., Portadown |
| Derry | Wed 15th May | 11:00 | Limavady Central School, Limavady |
| Donegal | Thu 16th May | 11:00 | Gaelscoil Adhamhnin, Glenn Cearra, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal |
| Cavan | Mon 20th May | 11:00 | Knocktemple N.S., Virginia, Co. Cavan |
| Tyrone | Wed 22nd May | 11:00 | St. Patrick’s Primary School, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone |
| Fermanagh | Thu 23rd May | 11:00 | St. Ninnidh’s PS, Derrylin, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh |
| Monaghan | Mon 27th May | 11:00 | Gaelscoil Ultain, An Cnoc, Muineachan, Co. Mhuineachain |
| Antrim | Wed 29th May | 11:00 | St. Patrick’s & St. Brigid’s Primary School, Ballycastle, Co. Antrim |
| Down | Thu 30th May | 11:00 | Castlewellan Primary School, Castlewellan, Co. Down |
Spelling Bee 2013 Updates
This week we visited Kerry and Cork. This now completes our Munster counties stage of the Eason Spelling Bee. These winners will now go on to represent their respective counties in the Munster Spelling Bee in June. Over the coming weeks we will be visiting every county in Ireland to hold the County Spelling Bees and dates can be found below.
Kerry Spelling Bee:
12 spellers took part in the Kerry County Spelling Bee on Wed 13th March which was held in Scoil Iosagain in Ballybunion. There was great excitement in the host school and surrounding community for this event with a warm welcome extended to all participating schools.After a number of tie-break words between the last 2, Eamonn Rohan from Kilflynn N.S. was crowned the champion.









Cork County Spelling Bee:
In what was our biggest spelling bee to date, 50 spellers took part in the Cork County Spelling Bee which took place in Scoil Nioclais in Frankfield in Cork City on Thursday the 14th March. There was a really electric atmosphere amongst the audience and the spellers and once again it came right down to a tie-break.In the end Mary Brooks from Bunscoil na Toirbhirte in Mitchelstown was crowned the Cork County Spelling Bee Champion and will now go on to represent Cork in the Munster Final in June.
Upcoming County Spelling Bee Dates
Any schools that have not received their in-school spelling bee pack at this stage should contact easonspellingbee@gmail.com.Registered schools are asked to be in attendance at least 15 minutes prior to the start time.
Leinster:
| County | Date | Time | Location |
| Longford | Wed 20th Mar | 11:00 | Stonepark National School, Stonepark, Longford |
| Offaly | Thu 21st Mar | 11:00 | Lumcloon National School, Cloghan, Birr, Co. Offaly |
| Kildare | Tue 9th Apr | 11:00 | Scoil Mhicil Naofa, Athy, Co. Kildare |
| Dublin | Wed 10th Apr | 11:00 | St. John of Bosco, Navan Rd, Dublin 7 |
| Kilkenny | Tue 16th Apr | 11:00 | Presentation NS, Parnell St, Kilkenny |
| Carlow | Wed 17th Apr | 11:00 | Ballon N.S., Ballon, Co. Carlow |
| Wexford | Wed 24th Apr | 11:00 | Boolavogue N.S., Ferns, Co. Wexford |
| Wicklow | Thu 25th Apr | 11:00 | St. Joseph’s N.S., Glenealy, Co. Wicklow |
| Westmeath | Tue 30th Apr | 11:00 | St. Manchan’s N.S., Tubber, Moate, Co. Westmeath |
| Meath | Wed 1st May | 11:00 | St. Columbanus N.S., Ballivor, Co. Meath |
| Louth | Thu 2nd May | 11:00 | Scoil Mhuire na Gael, Bay Estate, Dundalk, Co. Louth |
Ulster:
| County | Date | Time | Location |
| Armagh | Mon 13th May | 11:00 | Presentation Primary School, Thomas St., Portadown |
| Derry | Wed 15th May | 11:00 | Limavady Central School, Limavady |
| Donegal | Thu 16th May | 11:00 | Gaelscoil Adhamhnin, Glenn Cearra, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal |
| Cavan | Mon 20th May | 11:00 | Knocktemple N.S., Virginia, Co. Cavan |
| Tyrone | Wed 22nd May | 11:00 | St. Patrick’s Primary School, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone |
| Fermanagh | Thu 23rd May | 11:00 | St. Ninnidh’s PS, Derrylin, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh |
| Monaghan | Mon 27th May | 11:00 | Gaelscoil Ultain, An Cnoc, Muineachan, Co. Mhuineachain |
| Antrim | Wed 29th May | 11:00 | St. Patrick’s & St. Brigid’s Primary School, Ballycastle, Co. Antrim |
| Down | Thu 30th May | 11:00 | Castlewellan Primary School, Castlewellan, Co. Down |
Eason Spelling Bee 2013 Updates
Over the last two weeks we visited Clare, Tipperary, Waterford, Laois and Limerick (yes we have been busy bees!). All of these county bees had a great turnout and the five county winners will now go on to represent their respective counties in the Provincial Finals in June. Over the coming weeks we will be visiting every county in Ireland to hold the County Spelling Bees and dates once confirmed can be found below. We will also update you on the County Winners on a weekly basis.
Clare County Spelling Bee:
16 enthusiastic spellers took part in the Clare County Spelling Bee on Wednesday 27th February, held in Scoil na Maighdhine Mhuire in Newmarket-on-Fergus. This was a very nail-biting affair, which came down to a tie-break between spellers that took 16 rounds to separate. In the end, Quinn Painter from Clondrinagh N.S. was crowned the county champion on the day.
Tipperary County Spelling Bee:
31 spellers took part in the Tipperary County Spelling Bee, which took place in Nenagh on the 28th February. In a very exciting contest, Tom Anderson from Ballinahinch N.S. was crowned the County Champion.
Waterford County Spelling Bee:
12 spellers took part in the Waterford County Spelling Bee in Fenor National School on the 1st March. Roísín Daly from Liosmor Mochuda National School was crowned the County Champion.
Laois County Spelling Bee:
10 spellers took part in the Laois County Spelling Bee on Wed 6th March, held in Scoil Mhuire in Abbeyleix. After a number of tie-break words between the last two, Ruth Bergin from the host school was crowned the champion.
Limerick County Spelling Bee:
18 spellers took part in the Limerick County Spelling Bee, which took place in Askeaton on the 7th March – coincidentally, this was World Book Day! Killian Ryan from Cloverfield N.S. was declared the champion speller on the day and will now go on to represent Limerick in the Munster Final in June
Upcoming County Spelling Bee Dates
Any schools that have not received their in-school spelling bee pack at this stage should contact easonspellingbee@gmail.com.Registered schools are asked to be in attendance at least 15 minutes prior to the start time.
Munster
| County | Date | Time | Location |
| Kerry | Wed 13th Mar | 11:00 | Scoil Iosagain, Ballybunion, Co. Kerry |
| Cork | Thu 14th Mar | 11:00 | Scoil Nioclais, Frankfield, Grange, Cork |
Leinster
| County | Date | Time | Location |
| Longford | Wed 20th Mar | 11:00 | Stonepark National School, Stonepark, Longford |
| Offaly | Thu 21st Mar | 11:00 | Lumcloon National School, Cloghan, Birr, Co. Offaly |
| Kildare | Tue 9th Apr | 11:00 | Scoil Mhicil Naofa, Athy, Co. Kildare |
| Dublin | Wed 10th Apr | 11:00 | St. John of Bosco, Navan Rd, Dublin 7 |
| Kilkenny | Tue 16th Apr | 11:00 | Presentation NS, Parnell St, Kilkenny |
| Carlow | Wed 17th Apr | 11:00 | Ballon N.S., Ballon, Co. Carlow |
| Wexford | Wed 24th Apr | 11:00 | Boolavogue N.S., Ferns, Co. Wexford |
| Wicklow | Thu 25th Apr | 11:00 | St. Joseph’s N.S., Glenealy, Co. Wicklow |
| Westmeath | Tue 30th Apr | 11:00 | St. Manchan’s N.S., Tubber, Moate, Co. Westmeath |
| Meath | Wed 1st May | 11:00 | St. Columbanus N.S., Ballivor, Co. Meath |
| Louth | Thu 2nd May | 11:00 | Scoil Mhuire na Gael, Bay Estate, Dundalk, Co. Louth |
Ulster
| County | Date | Time | Location |
| Donegal | Thu 16th May | 11:00 | Gaelscoil Adhamhnin, Glenn Cearra, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal |
| Cavan | Mon 20th May | 11:00 | Knocktemple N.S., Virginia, Co. Cavan |
| Fermanagh | Thu 23rd May | 11:00 | St. Ninnidh’s PS, Derrylin, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh |
| Monaghan | Mon 27th May | 11:00 | Gaelscoil Ultain, An Cnoc, Muineachan, Co. Mhuineachain |
Updates for the remaining dates for the County finals in Ulster will follow, so please check back regularly.
Eason Spelling Bee 2013 Update – Sligo and Mayo
This week we visited both Sligo and Mayo to host their County Spelling Bees. There was a great turnout in both counties and a great atmosphere at both bees. Over the coming weeks we will be visiting every county in Ireland to hold the County Spelling Bees and dates once confirmed can be found below. We will also update you on the County Winners on a weekly basis.
Sligo County Spelling Bee:
20 very enthusiastic spellers took part in the Sligo County Spelling Bee, held on Wed 20th February in St. Ursula’s in Sligo. There was great atmosphere in the hall on the day with a large audience in attendance. Conall O’Dwyer from St. Lassara’s National School in Ballinacarrow was crowned the county champion on the day.
Mayo County Spelling Bee:
21 spellers took part in the Mayo County Spelling Bee, which took place in St. Patrick’s Boys National School in Castlebar on the 21st Feb. In a very exciting contest, Darragh Kelly from St Joseph’s School in Ballinrobe was crowned the County Champion.
Upcoming County Spelling Bee Dates
Any schools that have not received their in-school Spelling Bee pack at this stage should contact easonspellingbee@gmail.com. Registered schools are asked to be in attendance at least 15 minutes prior to the start time.
Munster
| County | Date | Time | Location |
| Clare | Wed 27th Feb | 11:00 | Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare |
| Tipperary | Thu 28th Feb | 11:00 | Gaelscoil Aoinach, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary |
| Waterford | Fri 1st Mar | 11:00 | Fenor National School, Fenor, Tramore, Co. Waterford |
| Limerick | Thu 7th Mar | 11:00 | Askeaton Senior N.S., Askeaton, Co. Limerick |
| Kerry | Wed 13th Mar | 11:00 | Scoil Iosagain, Ballybunion, Co. Kerry |
| Cork | Thu 14th Mar | 11:00 | Scoil Nioclais, Frankfield, Grange, Cork |
Leinster
| County | Date | Time | Location |
| Laois | Wed 6th Mar | 11:00 | Scoil Mhuire, Ballyroan Rd., Abbeyleix, Co. Laois |
| Offaly | Thu 21st Mar | 11:00 | Lumcloon National School, Cloghan, Birr, Co. Offaly |
| Kildare | Tue 9th Apr | 11:00 | Scoil Mhicil Naofa, Athy, Co. Kildare |
| Dublin | Wed 10th Apr | 11:00 | St. John of Bosco, Navan Rd, Dublin 7 |
| Kilkenny | Tue 16th Apr | 11:00 | Presentation NS, Parnell St, Kilkenny |
| Carlow | Wed 17th Apr | 11:00 | Ballon N.S., Ballon, Co. Carlow |
| Wexford | Wed 24th Apr | 11:00 | Boolavogue N.S., Ferns, Co. Wexford |
| Meath | Wed 1st May | 11:00 | St. Columbanus N.S., Ballivor, Co. Meath |
| Louth | Thu 2nd May | 11:00 | Scoil Mhuire na Gael, Bay Estate, Dundalk, Co. Louth |
Updates for the remaining dates for the county finals in Leinster and Ulster will follow, so please check back regularly!
Spelling Bee 2013 is Now Under Way
The 2013 Eason Spelling Bee kicked off last week with our first County Bee held in St. Manchan’s National School in Mohill. Over 800 schools registered to take part this year, making it our biggest Spelling Bee to date. Over the coming weeks we will be visiting every county in Ireland to hold the County Spelling Bees and dates once confirmed can be found below. We will also update you on the County Winners on a weekly basis.
Leitrim County Spelling Bee:
Six very enthusiastic spellers took part in the Leitrim County Spelling Bee on Wed 6th February with Fiachra MacÉinrí from Gaelscoil Liatroma being crowned the county champion on the day.
Roscommon County Spelling Bee:
18 spellers took part in the Roscommon County Spelling Bee which took place in St. Mary’s National School in Knockcroghery on the 7th Feb. Conor Flynn from Granlahan National School was our champion bee on the day.
Galway County Spelling Bee:
Our final stop on week 1 of the Eason Spelling Bee was Scoil Eidne in Salthill for the Galway Spelling Bee. Emma Gilmore from Scoil Mhuire in Oranmore was crowned the Galway County Spelling Bee champion on the day.
Upcoming County Spelling Bee Dates
Connaught
| County | Date | Start Time | Location |
| Sligo | Wed 20th Feb | 12:00 | Scoil Ursula, Strandhill Rd, Sligo |
| Mayo | Thu 21st Feb | 12:00 | St Patrick’s BNS, Chapel St, Castlebar, Co. Mayo |
Munster
| County | Date | Start Time | Location |
| Clare | Wed 27th Feb | 11:00 | Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire, Ennis Rd, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare |
| Tipperary | Thu 28th Feb | 11:00 | Galescoil Aoinach, Urmhumhan Bothae Naomh Chonlain, Gort Lan Rua, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary |
| Waterford | Fri 1st Mar | 11:00 | Fenor NS, Fenor, Tramore, Co. Waterford |
| Limerick | Thu 7th Mar | 11:00 | Askeaton Senior NS, Askeaton, Co. Limerick |
| Kerry | Wed 13th Mar | 11:00 | Scoil Iosagain, Church Rd, Ballybunion, Co. Kerry |
| Cork | Thu 14th Mar | 11:00 | Scoil Nioclais, Frankfield, Grange, Cork |
Any schools that have not received their in-school spelling bee pack at this stage should contact easonspellingbee@gmail.com. Registered schools are asked to be in attendance at least 15 minutes prior to the start time.
Final Day for Spelling Bee Applications
Make sure to enter the Eason Spelling Bee by midnight tonight – Friday, 11th January!
To be in with a chance of winning a library of books for your primary school, just complete the application form here.
Every school who enters will then take part in a County Spelling Bee – the location of which will be announced in January. The County Spelling Bees will take place between February and June. The winners from each county will then go on to take part in the Provincial finals in June, which take place on air on RTÉ 2fm’s Tubridy in June. The four winners of the Provincial Finals will then go head to head in the All-Ireland Spelling Bee final in June where the winner will be crowned.
- First Prize constitutes a book library to the value of €7,500
- Second Prize constitutes a book library to the value of €3,500
- Third Prize constitutes a book library to the value of €2,500
- Fourth Prize constitutes a book library to the value of €2,500
- Overall winner constitutes books to the value of €150
- Finalists (non-winners) constitutes books to the value of €100
- County Winners constitutes books to the value of €50
- Every entrant who takes part will receive the Eason Spelling Bee dictionary
So what are you waiting for? Fill in the entry form for your school today and get your students spelling!















































