We are planning to hold free online AILO workshops for schools from mid-November 2020 to mid-January 2021.
If you would like to host a workshop this year, please email ailo@adaptcentre.ie
The workshops will be a live zoom link between the AILO tutor and one school classroom.
If you / your students would like to take part in a workshop, please register for AILO 2021 HERE.
The ADAPT All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) has been awarded the prestigious 2020 European Language Label (ELL) for the “AILO at Home” project. The ELL award was presented by Léargas at an online awards ceremony today.
AILO at Home, which is led by Dr Cara Greene of the ADAPT EPE team, provides bite-size information on a little-known language on social media and links to a related linguistic problem-solving puzzle. The initiative was devised just after secondary schools closed in March in order to continue to communicate with AILO students, their parents and engage with the public. The initiative scored highly, with 14 points out of 15. The jury considered the project “in a class of its own” and commended AILO at Home for its “quantum leap” over the last few months. Referring to AILO’s “very successful transition to online AILO”, the award highlights how AILO successfully ran the Preliminary round online and pivoted to running remotely just ahead the Covid-19 lockdown with students doing the National Final from their schools for the first time.
Building on Online AILO in the new school year, ADAPT Centre researchers will run free online problem-solving workshops from November to January to help students and teachers with problem-solving strategy and help prepare them for AILO 2021. The season will be able to run fully online if necessary, with students able to take part in all parts of the competition from their own school.
Here you can find all AILO 2020 related materials
| Year | Prize | Name | School | Notes |
| 2020 | AILO Champion | Zara Watson |
Methodist College Belfast |
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| 2nd Place | Oisín Dilger |
Coláiste an Eachréidh, Athenry, Galway |
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| 3rd Place |
Dmitri Salyshka |
Coláiste Chiaráin, Croom, Limerick |
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| 4th Place |
Justin Cunningham |
Patrician Secondary School, Newbridge, Kildare |
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| 2020 | Team Winners | Team Round Did Not Take Place | ||
| IOL Ventspils 2020 | IOL 2020 Did Not Take Place |
IOL 2020, due to be held in Latvia, was postponed due the pandemic.
The 4 members of the team who had qualified but did not get to attend an IOL were:
In view of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the possible progression of the Coronavirus risk in Ireland, we have decided to run the National Final of All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad remotely in schools this year. The on-site event would have brought students from 60 schools together and it is considered a precautionary response. All teacher contacts have already been emailed with these details.
How it will work on Wed 11th March for Students who have Qualified
Like the Preliminary Round, teachers of qualified students will receive a PDF paper and answer booklet on Wednesday 11th March by 8am.
The 2.5 hour printed paper can be taken in school by qualified students on the 11th March under exam conditions with a teacher present.
Teachers are asked to scan / photograph answer booklets and email them to us on Wednesday please. With the event in DCU cancelled, we will not run the team round.
We understand that qualifiers may be disappointed to be missing out on the on-site event and regret the need for this decision.
| Year | Prize | Name | School | Notes |
| 2019 | AILO Champion | Laura Cosgrave | Midleton College | |
| 2nd Place | Keenan Dáye | Sandford Park | ||
| 3rd Place | Flynn Ryan | Rathmore GS, Dunmurry | ||
| 4th Place | Páidí Walsh | Ballybay Community College | ||
| 2019 | Junior Champion | Justin Cunningham | Patrician, Newbridge | 6th Overall |
| 2nd Place | Eoin Bushel | Belvedere College, Dublin | 7th Overall | |
| 3rd Place | Ruairí Flynn-Connolly | Home Educated, Ballyjamesduff | ||
| 4th Place | Dmitri Salyshka | Coláiste Chiaráin, Croom | ||
| 2019 | Team Winners | Biliana Todorova | Methodist College Belfast | |
| Julai Fitzpatrick | ||||
| Zara Watson | ||||
| Alma McDowell |
News Release
Ireland’s Top Young Problem-Solvers to Take on World’s Best Decoders at International Linguistics Olympiad
Ireland’s top four secondary school decoders earn the chance to represent their country at the International Linguistics Olympiad in South Korea
25 March 2019, Ireland: Four secondary school students from across the island of Ireland have been selected to test their language decoding skills against the world’s best at the International Linguistics Olympiad in Yongin, South Korea 29th July – 2nd August. The students, from Cork, Belfast, Dublin and Monaghan, came from an initial line up of 4000 students. The four students were selected from the National Final of the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) which was recently held at Dublin City University. Run by ADAPT, a SFI research centre, the contest challenges secondary school students to apply logic and reasoning skills to solve complex puzzles in unfamiliar languages.
The All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) challenges students to use their lateral thinking skills to solve puzzles in languages from all over the globe. Students must analyse the data they are given to work out the ‘rules’ of this new language. These transferable skills are very important in other subjects such as Maths, Coding and learning new languages.
AILO helps students to develop a powerful blend of problem-solving expertise and language competency, which are vital skills in today’s global economy.
Laura Cosgrave from Midleton College Cork, who is the AILO National Champion, is looking forward to pitting her wits against winners of other National Linguistics Olympiads from around the world in Yongin. She said: “My experience in AILO has allowed me to stretch my mind by solving fascinating, challenging problems and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. I am really excited to represent Ireland in South Korea.” Laura was also on the Irish Maths Olympiad team this year and earned an honourable mention.
Joining Laura on the team are Keelan James Daye of Sandford Park School, Ranelagh, Dublin, Flynn Ryan from Rathmore Grammar School, Belfast and Páidí Walsh from Ballybay Community College, Monaghan. The week in Korea includes a tough six-hour individual round, a three-hour team round and a fun schedule of cultural activities.
The team will be accompanied by team leaders Prof Harold Somers and Dr Cara Greene of ADAPT who have been helping the team train for the step up to international level. Dr Greene said, “The students who have qualified to represent Ireland are talented problem-solvers who will hold their own in South Korea. We are looking forward to competing against over 50 teams from 37 countries from all over the World.” The team has been doing regular online training and are at a training camp in ADAPT at Dublin City University currently prior to travelling to Korea.
AILO is run by the ADAPT Centre, a research centre that is revolutionising how digital content is adapted, personalised and delivered for the needs of global users. ADAPT brings together more than 200 researchers at Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, University College Dublin, and Technological University Dublin as well as industry leaders in global digital content. ADAPT if funded by Science Foundation Ireland and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
The results of the International Linguistics Olympiad will be announced on Friday 2nd August. Sample puzzles from Irish Olympiad can be downloaded at http://tempailo.adaptcentre.ie/puzzles/.