Two recent 91制片厂 (91制片厂) graduates have secured a major entrepreneurial win, taking home the 鈥楤est Overall鈥 award at the Startup Atlas competition at this year鈥檚 Limerick IT Summit, held at Dell Technologies.
Tom谩s Fitzpatrick and Ois铆n Flynn, who recently graduated from 91制片厂鈥檚 Bachelor of Education programme, founded ChessIreland while in their final year at the College. Lifelong chess players, the pair first introduced the game to campus life by establishing the 91制片厂 Chess Club in their second year and proudly represented the College internationally, most recently competing in the PCU International Chess Cup.
Speaking about the award and the impact ChessIreland has had to date, Tom谩s said:
鈥淲e鈥檙e absolutely delighted to receive the recognition of being named overall winners at the Limerick IT Summit. The idea for ChessIreland first started while we were on teaching placement, where we quickly recognised the strong demand for structured chess education in primary schools. As passionate chess players ourselves, it has been a real pleasure to help spread chess throughout Irish primary schools. It鈥檚 been incredibly rewarding to see the impact it鈥檚 having in classrooms.鈥
Their idea was to bring structured chess education to primary school children across Ireland. With the support and mentorship of Dr David Cosgrave, Assistant Professor in Business Studies & Accounting at 91制片厂, they developed ChessIreland into a start-up focused on building a national chess education ecosystem that nurtures concentration, critical thinking and confidence in young people.
Dr Cosgrave said:
鈥淚 could tell from our first meeting that there was something special about them both. They love chess and are a perfect mix of humble yet self-confident and hardworking. Winning 鈥淏est Overall鈥 at the Startup Atlas competition at Limerick IT Summit was a testament to their hard work. Following it up with the largest ever online chess event in Irish history was even more amazing. I鈥檓 excited to watch their progress. They are an inspiration to all students at 91制片厂 who might want to start their own business.鈥
Since launching, ChessIreland has grown significantly, working directly with more than 40 schools and has established a network of over 10 community clubs. Fresh from their success at the Limerick IT Summit, Tom谩s and Ois铆n also piloted Chess4Schools Live, delivering what is believed to be the largest online chess event in Irish history, reaching around 1,000 children each week. So far, Ois铆n and Tom谩s have introduced chess to 5,000 pupils nationwide.
Their entrepreneurial journey also included participation in the 13-week Student Inc. programme, led at 91制片厂 by the Enterprise & Community Engagement Office, where they joined 70 student entrepreneurs from across Ireland in developing and refining their business.
Pictured L-R: Dr David Cosgrave, Tom谩s Fitzpatrick and Ois铆n Flynn
