Fermoy student crowned Cork Spelling Bee champion

A Fermoy student showed his spelling skills last week to be crowned Cork Spelling Bee champion for 2023.

Bishop Murphy Memorial School student, Dylan Murphy, fended off competition from as many as 40 schools to pick up the accolade at the event at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Little Island.

Dylan found himself in the final round with five other competitors, and opened the round by spelling the word ‘wampum’, which means ‘small cylindrical beads traditionally made by some North American Indian people with shells, also used as decoration as well as a form of currency.’ Dylan asked for the meaning before spelling the word.

The other five competitors failed to spell their word and Dylan was crowned champion.

Dylan admitted that he did not know the spelling, and had never heard of the word, but an educated guess got him over the line.

Dylan’s teacher, Kate Ryan, told The Echo that there was an “eruption” inside the classroom when the news came through.

“[Dylan’s classmates] were absolutely thrilled when they found out,” she said.

“There was just an eruption inside of the classroom when they found out, because he went from the final 12, the last nine, then into the final round.

“We were just waiting so anxiously, and they were delighted when they found out,” added Ms Ryan.

Principal Joe Aherne highlighted the impact Dylan’s close friends had on his performance.

“Normally, the school would attend, but given the staffing shortages we couldn’t release a teacher, so Dylan’s mom attended, and we organised that three of his friends went with him,” he explained.

“Dylan was quite nervous and he was very happy that three of his friends could come with him, because they gave him the boost to go on and be able to perform on stage.

“He would have been quite a nervous character and that kind of peer support was something he really valued.

“He said that his peers really helped him perform and that’s nice, too,” Mr Aherne added.