Thirty children from the most deprived areas of Belfast took centre-stage at the opening of the Limerick Science Fair yesterday.
They were flown by Aer Lingus on Saturday to Shannon Airport, where they were met by children from the mid-west region and taken to Bunratty Folk Park.
Their expedition was organised by the Belfast-based Project Children, and they met Dr Stephen Robinson, a NASA astronaut who first went into space in 1997. He was lecturing about his experiences at the fair, which is based at the University of Limerick.
The children were welcomed by the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, who opened the event, and by the president of the university, Dr Roger G.H. Downer.