Recipients of Cloncreen wind farm educational scholarships announced
Bord na Móna has announced the recipients of its 2024 Cloncreen Wind Farm Educational Scholarship Scheme.
As part of a broader investment by BnM of over €465,000 in North Offaly communities in 2025, €37,500 has been awarded to four new scholars, as well as 21 third level students who received multi-annual funding as part of their scholarships awarded since 2023.
The four scholarship recipients are Saoirse Hoey, University College Galway; Clodagh Hoolan, NUI Maynooth; Ultan Gill, Trinity College Dublin and Klara Cichoblazinska, Technological University Dublin.
The scholarship includes a monetary grant for each student to the value of €2,500 for each year of study, up to a maximum of four years. Students must live in the vicinity of Cloncreen Wind Farm to be eligible to apply.
Since it was launched in 2023, €182,500 has been awarded through the Cloncreen Wind Farm Educational Scholarship Fund, with 25 scholarships granted to date. This scholarship initiative is a cornerstone of BnM’s community engagement strategy, providing financial support to local students pursuing further education.
Applications for the scholarship scheme were evaluated against pre-defined criteria, giving special consideration to courses related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and those contributing to sustainability, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Applications were welcomed from all third level courses and further education, from Level 6 and upwards as per the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).
The scholarship scheme is directly funded by the renewable energy generated at Cloncreen Wind Farm. This scheme forms part of the wider Cloncreen Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund package which provides annual grant funding for a variety of initiatives and schemes in local communities.
This forms part of BnM’s broader community investment strategy, which has seen over €2 million directed into local communities through the Cloncreen and Mountlucas Wind Farms Community Benefit Funds since 2014.
Speaking at the announcement of the scholarship awards, Sharon Doyle, Head of Human Resources at BnM said, “We would like to congratulate the latest recipients of the Cloncreen Wind Farm Educational Scholarships. This is an essential part of our broader investment into the communities where we operate. We are extremely proud of all of the students we have supported through the programme to date. This investment highlights our ongoing commitment to supporting local students, community groups, and near neighbours, with a focus on education and sustainability.”
In addition to the scholarship programme, BnM also supported 46 local community projects in North Offaly in 2025 through its Mountlucas and Cloncreen Wind Farm Community Benefit Funds. Recipients included educational institutions, community centres, community development groups and sports clubs.
Students living in the vicinity of Cloncreen Wind Farm who wish to find out more about the scholarship programme can do so by contacting cloncreenwindfarm@bnm.ie or by visiting https://www.cloncreenwindfarm.ie/community-benefits/