THE Cully Coders, an all-girl robotics team from Cully, just outside Donegal Town, have achieved outstanding success at the FIRST LEGO League 2026 Unearthed All-Ireland Final in Dublin.
They will now travel to Canada in June to represent Ireland.
The five girls, aged between 11 to 14 years old, earned the Champions Award, the top honour of the competition. They also won the Robot Performance Award and the Knockout Game, showcasing their exceptional skill, creativity and teamwork, for the second year in a row.
Throughout the whole season, more than 2,000 students have taken part in the league across Ireland.
FIRST LEGO League challenges young people to build, code, test, and improve a LEGO robot to complete themed missions. It is an international STEM programme designed to inspire students through robotics, engineering, real-world problem solving, teamwork, and innovation.
FLL is one of the world’s largest STEM competitions globally.
The Cully Coders will go on to represent the country in Canada after their big win in Dublin.
The Cully Coders Robot Game is sensational, scoring 540 points at the All-Ireland Final, out of a possible 545. They have spent a huge number of hours coding, testing and making changes to make sure their game is consistently accurate.
This year’s theme focuses on archaeology, and the Cully Coders have created QRtefact Discovery Drawers for their Innovation Project. It’s an educational tool that blends hands-on excavation with digital learning. Their goal is to help young people explore archaeology in a fun and engaging way.
The prototype has already sparked significant interest. It has been booked for an event at Bundoran Community Library on 1 April with thanks to Joe Kelly from Donegal County Library Service and it will feature at Donegal Castle during Heritage Week alongside Donegal’s Community Archaeologist, Kate Robb.
Judith McCarthy, Curator of Donegal County Museum, has also expressed interest in using it for an archaeological exhibition next year.
The team are no strangers to international achievement. Last year, they travelled to Greece for the FIRST LEGO League Open International Competition, where they represented Ireland and placed 2nd in Engineering Excellence and 5th in the Robot Game, competing against teams from 50 countries.
This year, their All-Ireland win has earned them the opportunity to travel to Canada in June, where they will be the only team representing Ireland at the FIRST LEGO League Canada Cup, competing against 95 teams.
One of their coaches, Adele McElhinney, praised the girls’ hard work and dedication: “These five girls are truly inspirational. They have worked exceptionally hard all year, never missing a practice. They are a shining example of what can be achieved through dedication, teamwork and resilience.”
Travelling to Canada to represent your country is a life-changing opportunity, but also a significant financial challenge. The team are now launching a fundraising appeal to help cover competition registration costs, travel and accommodation.