Spelling champion Darragh is made of the ‘write’ stuff

HOW many of us could spell obsidian if asked?

Well one young man who can is Caherconlish National School pupil Darragh Ryan who is this year’s winner of the County Limerick Eason Spelling Bee Final.

Following a tense competition in which he faced 14 fellow students, Darragh triumphed in the Limerick final by correctly spelling obsidian, which is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth

He will now represent Limerick in the Provincial Spelling Bee in May. Darragh is an avid reader and loves anything related to sport.

Celebrating its 11th year, the Eason Spelling Bee is part of an overall literacy and reading drive to encourage and inspire children to develop their spelling and pronunciation skills.

Over the years the competition has helped school children gain a greater appreciation of words and fosters vocabulary growth and self-confidence for children.

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Group head of marketing at Eason, Brendan Corbett, said; “We are thrilled to be kicking off the 2024 Eason Spelling Bee with such accomplished children taking part in County Limerick – they are a great testament to the talent of the children of Ireland.

“I am certain that this year we will be successful in building on 2023’s triumph and inspire everyone to support their local schools, and especially, their bees!”

The All-Ireland winning bee will get a selection of books for their school library valued at €7,500, in addition to the coveted title of Eason Spelling Bee 2024 Champion.

The winner themselves will also receive a goodie bag packed full of books worth €500.