National Winners of "Surf the Net for Free" sponsored by Tayto Irl. 
                                     (The inside story)

Click on photo for enlargement.

On a wet October morning in 1996, Stephen Carroll, a pupil of Mr. O'Neachtain's, third class asked, "Can we enter the "Tayto " Internet competition, Sir?" "What do we have to do?" asked their teacher, puzzled. "We have to design a web site for Tayto, Sir," says David. "Do you know how to go about designing a web site?" asked Mr.O'Neachtain. "No, Sir" says David "do you?" "No, I don't " says their teacher "but I will find out." So for the next few days Mr. O'Neachtain was asking questions to many people about such things as "Web Sites". He didn't have far to go as he found the answers near at hand in the Secondary school. So now that he knew what a web site was, now to come up with an idea for the web page. A class discussion ensued and the boys were asked to go home, and put on their thinking caps (if they could find them) and start thinking. As the days rolled on an outline emerged about the site. It was decided to use a theme of the "Tayto Family" and give each member of the family a page each. Names were given to each family member and a different activity.

So the class set busily to work, writing, thinking, more writing, drawing, colouring.

It as the original intention to put the entry in scrap book form but could we present it on a disc as a "Web Site". Help was needed, and fast. And help arrived in the guise of David Dineen and Steven Daly, who offered their computer experience to the project.

Work was now put on computer, pictures scanned and after many days the entry was sent to Dublin. Little did we think at the time that our entry would be declared "National Winners", but we were. It was "the sites simplicity, which was our strongest point" declared the judges.It was quite simply a class above the rest.

And so on January 15^th. 1997, Mr. Tayto came to the school and presented each boy in the class with their own Sony Playstation and a Mitsubishi Apricot Multimedia Computer to the school. Indigo Internet Providers also provided one year free access to the school also. Mr Ray Scott interviewed some of the pupils and teachers in a link up with Waterford Local Radio on the Billy McCarthy "Deise AM" morning programme. The school was packed that morning as parents, grannies, sisters and brothers and well wishers came up to celebrate the good news.

Now view our winning entry.

Enjoy your visit!