The students with a solution to clean up Lough Neagh

Two students from a school in County Tyrone may have the answer to cleaning up Lough Neagh.

The UK's largest lake has seen its waters turn green in recent years due to high levels of algae.

But 16-year-old students Bróghán and Padraic, who are in Year 12 at St Ciaran's College in Ballygawley, have come up with a new solution.

In the project, which is entitled 'Can bacteria beat the bloom?', they explored whether bacteria, made in fermented rice, can defeat blue-green algae.

The two boys are showcasing their science project at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition at the RDS in Dublin until Saturday.

The students used rice and water to make rice starch and this was fermented. They then added it to dairy products such as milk, Greek yogurt and buttermilk.

The mixtures were then left in heat to separate and were strained. They were then mixed with stagnant water with floating algae blooms.

"We noticed that the pH levels dropped, reducing the amount of algae. We also noticed the transmission of light getting far clearer, which meant the water was getting clearer," explained Bróghán.

The two boys now hope to develop the project further.

"We see a lot of coverage in the north about the widespread issues at Lough Neagh," Padraic told BBC News NI.

"We decided we needed to find ways to resolve it."

Robbie and Brian from Abbey Christian Brothers' School in Newry, County Down, analysed how well the GAA supports health and wellbeing in each county in Ireland.

The two boys produced a comprehensive analysis of all 32 county final programme books from 2024 and created a criteria to mark them.

They then sent off their results to each county board and some of those took on the feedback and made changes.

The boys also created an interactive display with a map of Ireland and the results of each county.

Their project has already caught the attention of GAA president Jarlath Burns.

"He visited our school on 12 December and he listened to our project and what it was about," said Robbie.

"He was very impressed with it and we have now been invited to visit the health and wellbeing committee for the GAA by Jarlath himself. So hopefully, we will bring another step to mental health and wellbeing being further supported by the GAA."

Brian said mental wellbeing is important for GAA players.

"If you are a player at inter-county level, you need to be physically strong and mentally to put up with all the hard training and matches, and any injuries you sustain, you need to be able to have the mindset to deal with that."

Daniel and Luke from Cookstown High School in County Tyrone developed a tourism app.

The app is powered by AI and users can find hidden stories, share experiences and get personalised results through GPS.

"The app removes the clutter and helps travellers find experiences that genuinely match what they care about," said Luke.

Daniel said the project took two years to finalise but the final version of the app took about two months.

He said the boys are hopeful to win a prize at the exhibition.

The top prize is €7,500 (£6,500) and the winning project will represent Ireland in the EU Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS).

Nearly a quarter of projects (24%) at the exhibition feature AI and environment and climate-related projects make up 22% of those on display.

Some 550 projects are displayed at the RDS until Saturday, with over 1,000 students presenting their work.

A total of eight projects from five different schools in Northern Ireland are part of the showcase.

Lough Neagh has been beset with pollution and environmental issues in recent years.

High levels of blue-green algae appeared on the lough in 2023 and has become a recurring problem.

It can cause minor health affects in people but poses a bigger risk to pets, livestock and wildlife.

Long-term pollution - largely from agriculture - is a key part of the problem.

Those who live by the lough and who use it for work and for pleasure have told BBC News NI they are in despair.