A new sanitary system which aims to improve the odour of the male toilet has won first prize in this year's Coca Cola National Enterprise Awards.
The system was designed by Mr Bernard Conlon, a graduate of Queens University, who was presented with a prize of £10,000 and a trophy by the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, in Dublin yesterday.
Mr Conlon explained that the system works by collecting any misdirected "spillages" into a trough and then flushing them away at intervals leaving the toilet "dry and fresh". Mr Conlon now plans a sales and marketing drive with the new product and has set up his own company, Gents Ltd.
He says the stainless steel product is ideal for hotels and pubs and eliminates a problem which is familiar to every man. "We didn't have to do any research into the product, all the research was at our feet, literally," he said.
The second prize went to Ms Margaret Byrne, a graduate of Limerick College of Art and Design, for her range of speciality occasion knitwear.
The range consists of 21 styles including tunics, cardigans and long skirts, which are aimed at the 35 to 45 age group. The range is sold through the company Margaret Byrne Knitwear and currently Ms Byrne is test marketing in two outlets in Dublin and five outlets elsewhere.
The third prize went to Mr Barry Finnegan, a graduate of Waterford Institute of Technology and Queens University, for a device which uses a GSM control unit to operate electric appliances by telephone. For example, the device allows the user to switch on-and-off electrical fencing with a mobile or land line.
The awards are for graduates of third-level institutions only and aim to "encourage and develop entrepreneurial talent through training".
The panel of judges were: Dr Chris Horn, chief executive of IONA Technologies (chair), Mr Mike Feeney and Mr Tony McInerney of Enterprise Ireland, Professor Patricia Fleming of the University of Limerick and Mr Stephen Kingon and Mr David Clements of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Belfast.
