McCarthy and O'Callaghan were second-year students at Kinsale Community School in County Cork at the time of their competition win.
[3] Their project at the exhibition was titled "'The Development of a Convenient Test Method for Somatic Cell Count and Its Importance in Milk Production".
[3] They went on to represent Ireland at the 21st European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Paris, France in September 2009.
[4][5] They returned to the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2010 to accept applause and cheers from the audience.
[3] They said their inspiration was 2006 winner and fellow student at Kinsale Community School, Aisling Judge.