Minister Naughton Calls for National Expansion of PorterShed-Led Leaving Cert Computer Science Hackathon
Galway, Ireland 17 January 2026
Galway, Ireland 17 January 2026
Leaving Certificate Computer Science students took over PorterShed this week for the third annual PorterShed Hackathon, with students from eight secondary schools across Galway and Mayo coming together for a full day of hands-on, curriculum-aligned learning.
Designed and delivered by the PorterShed programmes team in collaboration with Ross Conboy, Computer Science Teacher at The Bish Secondary School, the hackathon is aligned directly with the Leaving Certificate Computer Science curriculum. Students worked with real-world environmental datasets to develop solutions to climate-related challenges, while building skills essential to their State Examination coursework.
“This hackathon consistently shows how engaged and capable students are when given the opportunity to work with real data and real problems,” said Ross Conboy, Computer Science Teacher at The Bish Secondary School and Junior Cycle Coding lead. “Events like this bring the Leaving Certificate Computer Science curriculum to life and give students confidence in their own abilities.”
A key moment of the day was an address from Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, who spoke to students about the importance of digital skills, innovation, and practical learning environments.
“It’s great to see Leaving Certificate Computer Science students coming together from different schools to apply their learning in a practical setting,” said Minister Naughton. “This hackathon is a strong example of how coursework can develop creativity, critical thinking, teamwork and analytical skills, all of which are essential for future careers in STEM. As Minister for Education and Youth, I would welcome seeing this type of initiative rolled out more widely, so that students across the country can benefit from learning environments that go beyond exam preparation and focus on real-world problem solving.”
Designed to complement classroom teaching, the hackathon provided students with exposure to environmental sensors, datasets, and climate-focused challenges including forest protection, risk prediction, and climate-smart solutions.
Congratulations to the winning team, TreeRoute, made up of students from Presentation College Headford, St Joseph’s “The Bish”, Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, St Brigid’s College, and Rice College Westport, on taking first place at this year’s hackathon.
The event was supported by the Western Development Commission and Local Enterprise Office Galway, whose continued involvement has strengthened opportunities for student engagement, skills development, and innovation-led learning across the region.
