Prime opportunity or waste of time? Transition year can be both. Gráinne Fallerprofiles some students who made the most of the chances that came their way

The film-makers

Sitting in an Italian theatre was a nervous experience for Michael Daly, a student from Co Cork. When The Godfather, the film he made, was called out, he could barely believe it.

"Going up to get the award was fantastic," says Daly (above right, with the rest of the team). "A clip from the film was shown, and we had to say a few words about why we made it. It was a fantastic feeling."

The Ciak Junior film festival, held last May in the Italian town of Treviso, was the final stop on a long journey for Michael and his class at Coláiste Treasa, in Kanturk. It started at the beginning of 2007, when the transition-year Irish class decided to enter Comórtas Scannán, the student film competition run by TG4.

"Car accidents are a big problem for young people," Michael explains, "so we came up with an idea for a story about that." Writing the script was a collaborative process. "Every day people would come in with ideas for scenes, and we'd pick the best ones. It was real teamwork."

The resulting film is about two lifelong friends. A slagging match gets out of hand, and they compete in a car race, with tragic consequences. "We wanted to show how something really simple can end up like that."

TG4 sifted through the scripts it received and chose three to be made into films. A professional crew and director travelled from TG4 to Kanturk for two full days of filming.

"We had to choose all the locations, we acted in it, we did pretty much everything except holding the cameras," says Michael, who also played one of the protagonists. "I didn't have a clue about what to expect. Being in front of a camera was a bit unnerving at the start, but I got into it after a while."

All three films were broadcast on TG4 and the winner was chosen. "Our teacher got a phone call one day. We were all brought into a room and told that we had won. That was a very good feeling."

The film was then entered into the Unesco-funded film festival in Treviso. A week in Italy "was a fantastic experience", says Michael. "The city, the culture, everything was amazing. We met people from all sorts of countries."

Now in fifth year, Michael has some advice for budding film-makers. "We decided to make a film about something that needs highlighting. It's a good idea to make something that you believe in yourself."

The entrepreneurs

When Rachel Clooney and Emma Cooney (right) chose an enterprise class instead of music in transition year last year, they had no idea that they would soon be running an award-winning business.

Their school, Caritas College in Ballyfermot, Dublin, is a participant in the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). The enterprise class was dedicated to enabling students to set up businesses within the programme. Rachel and Emma knew from the outset that the key would be to choose a business they were interested in.

"We're both very into fashion," says Rachel. "We thought that beaded jewellery was something that would appeal to all ages and was something that we could match to the fashion at the time."

Market research confirmed their hunch that jewellery might be the way to go, and their company, Beadz, was born. Having surveyed potential customers about the colours and trends they wanted, the partners made their first line of jewellery.

"We brought the first batch into school, to see what people thought," says Rachel. "People immediately started asking how much they could buy them for, so we just started selling."

Despite making a careful business plan, Emma and Rachel vastly underestimated how much they would sell. "We tripled our estimated profit in the first month," says Rachel. But it wasn't easy money. "You can tell there's a lot of work going into the products," says Emma. "We had a lot more time in TY to do it, but we're still putting in the effort."

They expanded the business by introducing new lines, including a successful range of beads for men, and a pre-ordering service. They also sold their wares in markets as far afield as Fairyhouse, in Co Meath, and Greystones, in Co Wicklow.

They have more plans for the future. "Ideally, we'd like to own our own shop or boutique," says Emma, "but in the meantime we're planning to sell over the internet, and we're introducing new lines all the time."

As well as teaching entrepreneurship, the NFTE programme has a competitive element. Rachel and Emma were required to make presentations about their business in front of judges from Caritas College and DCU. "That was nerve-racking," says Emma. "We were the shyest people in the class - ask anyone. We never would have volunteered to make a presentation if we didn't have to." But they impressed the judges and made it to the national final, at the RDS. "We were maybe hoping for third place," says Emma. "We never thought we'd win it."

As it turned out, they did, and they now hope to enter their business in an international NFTE competition. "I think it's important to pick something you're interested in," says Emma. Rachel adds: "I'd really recommend giving it a go. It's a brilliant experience."

The athlete

When Irish student athletes travelled to Britain last July they didn't expect to have to deal with floods. After flying to Birmingham, a bus journey to Cardiff became a 13-hour odyssey; they didn't reach their destination - the SIAB International Track & Field competition - until 3am. But for Shawna Furman (right), a hurdler, it was the pinnacle of a year of training and competition, and she wasn't going to let a late night dampen her mood.

Transition year gave Shawna, a student at Maryfield College in Drumcondra, Co Dublin, a chance to focus on her preparation. "You just don't have as much schoolwork and homework, so I had more time to train."

The training was intense: five or six times a week, every weekend. "We train really hard," says Shawna, "but we take it one step at a time." Speed training, core training and gym sessions, as well as coaching in technique, is tough. "You actually don't know the pain!" says Shawna, laughing.

She became involved in athletics seven years ago, initially as a long-distance runner, then found her niche in hurdling. "My mam was working in Santry Stadium. I'd be doing my homework there, and I remember going in and seeing John Shields coaching people. I started from there."

The training in TY paid off. Shawna won her races in Leinster and came second in the All-Ireland championships. It was in an inter-provincial event, the Tailteann Games, that she qualified for the Irish schools team. "I came third in my race, so I didn't actually get through. But the girl who came first broke her leg and couldn't travel, so I qualified for the 300m hurdles."

Despite the lack of sleep the night before racing in Cardiff, the Irish team did well, and Shawna came fifth in her event. The extra time to concentrate on training also helped her club performances, and she is now the Irish champion at 80m hurdles in her age category.

As Shawna has moved into fifth year it will be tougher for her to maintain the same level. But she is determined. "I've started studying already. I need to keep ahead if I'm going to do both."

She has her eye on a sports scholarship in the US. "They spend millions on sports every year. I've put in for a scholarship in Stanford over there. It's going to be hard, but I'm putting the work in."

The orator

Hugh Burns only began debating because the team at his school, Pobailscoil Neasáin in Baldoyle, Co Dublin, was short of members. He was in third year and "didn't really have any knowledge of debating beyond what I had seen on courtroom dramas".

The senior team entered a few competitions, but it wasn't until Hugh's transition year that debating became a large part of his life. "I was at a debating competition in UCD when they announced that try-outs for the national team were taking place the following week."

Hugh decided to go along, although the last thing he expected was to get through. One round followed another, and eventually he found himself on the national team, the only TY student to be selected.

The 2007 world debating championships were to be held in Seoul, in South Korea, in July. Every weekend was given over to practice. "Being in transition year definitely helped," says Hugh. "If I had a debate in Galway one weekend I could leave on the Friday rather than getting up early on the Saturday. That won't be so easy if I get on the team this year."

Thirty-five countries participated in the world championships. "It was my first time in Asia," Hugh says. "It was completely different to any of the places I had been before."

It was meeting people from other countries that Hugh enjoyed most. "I made lots of friends, and we still keep in touch on Facebook. I'll try out for the team again this year. It was worth every bit of effort we put in."