Munster Students Shine in STEM at FIRST® LEGO® League Regional Finals at UCC

28 Jan 2026

Teams of secondary school students from across Munster gathered at University College Cork (UCC) on 24 January, to compete in the regional finals of the FIRST® LEGO® League, a global STEM challenge celebrating innovation, creativity, and teamwork.

The event was officially opened by UCC President, Prof. John O'Halloran with a welcome from Dr. Paul Kelleher (VP of Engineering at Qualcomm), Dr. Alan Morrison (Head of School of Engineering and Architecture) and UCC’s Engineers Without Borders student society.  

Fourteen teams competed on the day and the ‘Mounthawk Masterminds’ from Mercy Mounthawk School, Tralee, were crowned overall regional champions, winning both the Robot Performance Award and the coveted Regional Final title.  

2026 marks the 10th year that UCC has hosted the Munster finals. The regional programme is led by Prof. Emanuel Popovici and supported by Qualcomm Ireland and LearnIT. The FIRST® LEGO® League introduces young people to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through fun, hands‑on learning that encourages design thinking, problem solving, and collaboration.  

Students spent weeks designing, building, and programming robots using LEGO technology. The competition challenged participants across four judging criteria, combining technical skills with teamwork, research, and presentation abilities.  

Awards on the day were presented by Dr. Paul Kelleher, Vice President of Engineering at Qualcomm, Prof. Emanuel Popovici, UCC School of Engineering and Architecture and Mervyn Horgan from LearnIT.  

The event represented the culmination of extensive work by students, teachers, parents, and volunteers. Workshops and mentoring were facilitated by staff from UCC’s School of Engineering and Architecture, along with significant support from partners including Qualcomm, CreativeHut (led by Ross Maguire), LearnIT (led by Mervyn Horgan), and UCC School of Engineering staff and students. 

This year’s competition was made possible thanks to support from Qualcomm, LearnIT, CreativeHUT, and Research Ireland; the dedication of teachers; and the efforts of an enthusiastic volunteer team including Qualcomm judges and members of UCC Engineers Without Borders Society.  

Prof. Emanuel Popovici from UCC's School of Engineering and Architecture says: “Ten years ago, a fantastic outreach event was introduced on the wonderful campus of UCC. Since then, the First Lego League Robot Competition has attracted hundreds of secondary school students from the Munster region, with resounding success on the world stage. Every participant is a winner in different ways and that makes the competition extraordinary.”