PICTURES: Kildare groups from schools to women's shed get big Intel funding boost

The Kildare winners of the 2026 Intel Pride of Place competition have been revealed at an awards ceremony which took place at the Intel campus in Leixlip.

The Pride of Place competition invites community organisations located in Leixlip, Celbridge and Maynooth, to share their project ideas to help improve their organisations whilst also benefiting the local community.

The project ideas are then reviewed by a panel of judges, made up of business professionals and community representatives, who selected a number of the submissions to receive grants.

This is the 13th year of the Pride of Place competition, and once again, there was a fantastic response from community groups in the local area, with a large number of diverse project ideas being submitted.

This year, 14 different local projects were selected from 45 applications to receive funding as part of the competition.

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An awards evening took place at the Intel Ireland campus to reveal the winners of the awards.

Guests were treated to some light refreshments as well as a performance from Our Lady's Gospel Choir, Leixlip.

“North Kildare is rich in community spirit, and that’s because of the many people who devote so much time, energy and passion. Much of this work happens quietly and often without recognition, but its impact is deeply felt. The Intel Pride of Place competition is an opportunity to celebrate that contribution and reflect on the enormous difference it makes in our communities,” Joe English, Intel Ireland Vice President and Factory Manager said.

The winners of the 2026 competition are as follows:

Route 66 Ladies Group

Funding from Pride of Place will fund technology equipment, including a projector, screen, laptop and speaker, to help facilitate information presentations for members, to display images and show videos. Route 66 provides an outlet for older women in Leixlip to meet for the purpose of social interaction and activities and to share skills.

Dara Community Living

The Pride of Place grant will fund Dara's Creative Self-Guarding Workshops for People with Intellectual Disabilities. The project will develop and deliver a series of creative self-guarding and safeguarding workshops for people with intellectual disabilities. The aim is to support participants to better understand personal safety, boundaries, rights, and decision-making in a way that is engaging, accessible, and empowering.

Scoil Mochua Parents Association

Funding from Pride of Place will be used to create Helena’s Garden: A Ciorcal Chora for Learning, Language and Wellbeing. The project aims to transform an underused outdoor area in the school by turning it into an inclusive, accessible learning and wellbeing space that will benefit both the school and the wider community. The space is being developed in memory of Helena Burke, a highly valued teacher who made a lasting contribution to school life.

Maynooth Access Group

Funding will be used to development and deliver an Inclusive Santa Experience designed specifically for children with additional needs in North Kildare. The event aims to reimagine the traditional Santa visit by embedding accessibility, inclusivity, and sensory awareness at its core.

Gaelscoil Uí Fhiaich

The Pride of Place award will be used for the design and creation of a sensory garden for the school, providing a calm, inclusive outdoor space that supports wellbeing, biodiversity, and experiential learning through the Irish language. The garden will be a multi-sensory environment where pupils can explore nature through sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.

Maynooth Autism Friendly Town

The funds awarded through the Pride of Place grant will be used to develop a community-led podcast series focused on neurodiversity, inclusion, and accessible supports within Maynooth and beyond. This podcast will create a platform to share real-life experiences, practical information, and positive stories that reflect the diverse needs of the community.

Gaelscoil Ruairí

The Pride of Place award will be used to support the development of a geodesic dome at the school as a permanent outdoor learning and wellbeing hub. The geodesic dome will provide a sheltered, all-weather space that supports learning, wellbeing, and inclusion which will include two dedicated, purpose-built zones within the dome: a Neurodiversity Support Zone and a Biodiversity Learning Zone.

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Leixlip Village Renewal Group

The Pride of Place award will be used to help support the weekly Leixlip Farmers Market, by funding the purchase of a generator that will enable food trucks to operate at the market on a regular basis by having access to a suitable power supply. The grant will also support promotional materials and seasonal enhancements for the market.

Leixlip Women’s Shed

The Pride of Place grant will be used to fund a women’s shed choir project that will run for 6 weeks as a series of 90-minute workshops that will be directed by accomplished singer/songwriter Eimear Crehan. The workshops will encourage members to learn to sing or carry on singing.

Riverforest Resident’s Association

Riverforest is one of Leixlip's larger residential estates, with over 16 acres of communal green space. The funds from Pride of Place will be used to support “River Forest in Bloom”, a community-led biodiversity initiative that would transform selected areas of the estate into more sustainable, wildlife-friendly spaces, while also creating accessible gathering areas that encourage neighbours to connect.

Leixlip Youth Project – Insync Youth and Family Services

The Pride of Place award will be used to refurbish and modernise a community space that is well used by Leixlip Youth Project. While the space is heavily utilised and highly valued, it has become outdated and no longer fully meets the evolving needs of those who depend on it. The goal of the project is to transform the environment into a more welcoming, functional, and inclusive space that better supports the diverse needs of its users.

Our Lady’s Gospel Choir Leixlip

Our Lady’s Gospel Choir’ Leixlip has been in existence in the community of Leixlip for over 20 years. The Pride of Place award will be used to help fund the running expenses of the choir and to support the purchase of music equipment such as keyboards, music stands and tablets. The funding will also allow the members of the choir to attend music workshops.

Confey College

The Pride of Place award will be used to support funding of The Cubbie – a school-based sensory hub designed to support students’ emotional regulation, wellbeing, and readiness to learn. The Cubbie will be a calming, structured environment with soft seating, low lighting, sensory wall panels, tactile resources, noise-reducing elements, and regulation tools such as weighted items and fidgets.

1st / 10th Kildare Leixlip / Confey Scout Group

Pride of Place funding will be used to support the continued regeneration of the scout den. The specific focus of this project will be on the three large exterior blocked up window panels of the den, with a plan to have them painted similarly to various buildings, electricity boxes etc. in the Leixlip area which have been completed by the local artist, Brian Walsh.

Since the Pride of Place competition began in 2014, some 115 community projects have been supported with over €420,000 of funding. The 2026 winning projects will now be completed over the coming months by the recipient organisations.