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Limerick duo announced as recipients of MIC Alumni of the Year awards

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Pictured at the recent Mary Immaculate College Awards Ceremony were 2023 MIC Alumni of the Year Award winners Miriam Keegan, Kerry football legend, Tomás Ó Sé, Limerick Senior Hurling Captain, Declan Hannon, and RTÉ journalist Petula Martyn. Pic: Don Moloney

A Limerick duo have been announced as recipients of the 2023 MIC Alumni of the Year awards

A Limerick duo have been announced as recipients of the 2023 MIC Alumni of the Year awards
Miriam Keegan, from Emo, Co. Laois, Kerry football legend, Tomás Ó Sé, Limerick Senior Hurling Captain, Declan Hannon, and RTÉ journalist Limerick’s Petula Martyn, pictured with Professor Eugene Wall, President of MIC. Pic: Don Moloney

Limerick hurling captain, Declan Hannon and RTÉ Broadcaster, Petula Martyn were among four graduates of the College to receive the prestigious honour, alongside Kerry football legend, Tomás Ó Sé and sustainable fashion designer and educator, Miriam Keegan.

Petula graduated from MIC in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communications and English. It was whilst a student in MIC that her love for broadcasting began when she cut her teeth working as a contributor for Wired FM, Limerick’s student community radio station.

Following MIC, she gained a Masters in Journalism from DCU before returning to her native Limerick where she worked as a news reporter with Limerick’s Live 95FM for three years and then with the Limerick Leader, as a member of their editorial team, for four years. In 2011, Petula joined RTÉ, Ireland’s national television and radio broadcaster, as a multi-media journalist working across radio, television and online.


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For the past five years Petula has been presenting business news on Morning Ireland, the most listened-to programme in the country, interviewing CEOs of banks and ISEQ-listed companies, economists and financial analysts. She has also presented The Business on RTÉ Radio One on Saturday mornings and presents business news on television at lunchtime on RTÉ 1, and on the Drivetime radio programme.

Pictured at the recent Mary Immaculate College Awards Ceremony was Limerick’s Petula Martyn, who was awarded a 2023 MIC Alumni of the Year Award in recognition of her notable achievements in the media, pictured here with Professor Eugene Wall, President of MIC.

Petula commented: “The first time I pushed up a fader and spoke into a mic in a radio studio was on Wired FM, at Mary Immaculate College. I learned the craft of film and television here at Mary I, thanks to Nicky Fennell – scripting, filming, presenting and editing a documentary. I loved the creative process.

“Now, I get to work with the best news broadcasters in the country…Limerick has always been good to me. I enjoyed an excellent education from play school to college. My first job as a reporter was with Limerick’s Live 95FM and then the Limerick Leader.

“And to get this acknowledgement from your own, it’s really lovely and I really appreciate it. Thank you, Mary Immaculate College. And to those of you lucky enough to be students at Mary I; I hope you enjoy every opportunity.”

Declan, from Adare, has been central to the county’s recent hurling success, tallying five All-Ireland medals, six Munster titles – five of them consecutively – two National Hurling League titles, a Division 2 League win, two Munster League triumphs, a Waterford Crystal Cup win and an U21 Hurling Championship for his county, so far.

Having served in the forward ranks in his earlier years but more recently acting as the keystone to the infamous Limerick defence, Declan earned himself three All-Star awards and was thrice named on the Sunday Game Team of the Year. While studying on the Bachelor of Arts at Mary Immaculate College, Declan was crucial to MIC’s historic first ever win in the Fitzgibbon Cup in 2016 as the top scorer (with 1-12) and Man of the Match in the legendary final against reigning champions, UL.

At club level, Declan won a Senior Hurling Championship medal with Adare in 2009 and also holds two Harty Cup medals with Ard Scoil Rís, from 2010 and 2011.On graduating from Mary Immaculate College in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English, Declan decided on a career in recruitment and works as the National Recruitment Manager at Unijobs. Earlier this year, Declan married his long-term girlfriend, Today FM radio broadcaster, Louise Cantillon.

On receiving the award Declan said: “It is a great honour and I am delighted to accept the award beside all of my fellow recipients, really I am accepting this on behalf of my Limerick teammates, many of whom are past students of Mary I, without them I most certainly would not be here”. Continuing he recalled his highlight at MIC as being the Fitzgibbon Cup Final in 2016 stating that it was ‘without a doubt one of the best games I have ever been involved in”.

Limerick Senior Hurling Captain, Declan Hannon was awarded a 2023 MIC Alumni of the Year Award in recognition of his sporting success, pictured here with Professor Eugene Wall, President of MIC.

Also presented with Alumni of the Year awards was Kerry’s Tomás Ó Sé and sustainable fashion designer, Miriam Keegan. Tomás, holds five All Star awards, five All-Ireland titles and nineteen Munster Championship medals and is widely regarded as one of the best players of the modern game. Since hanging up his boots, Tomás has gone on to manage underage teams in Cork and Kerry and is a sports pundit on The Sunday Game, alongside former Alumni of the Year awardee, Jacqui Hurley. He graduated from the Bachelor of Education in 2001 and is a Principal of Gaelscoil de hÍde in Fermoy. Miriam Keegan, from Emo, Co. Laois, is a leading sustainable fashion educator, designer, business developer and advocate. Graduating from MIC in 2016 with a Bachelor of Education and specialism in Visual Art Education, she went on to undertake study on Fashion and Apparel Studies and sustainable fashion at the University of Delaware. She has instructed hundreds of primary teachers on sustainable fashion in the classroom and is Head of Sustainability at Adare-based fashion brand, Aoife McNamara.

Previous recipients of the MIC Alumni of the Year award include Carmel Naughton, founder of the Naughton Foundation; sports journalist, Jacqui Hurley; Supermacs Founder, Pat McDonagh; and author Roisin Meaney; former Executive Director of Trócaire, Éamonn Meehan; presenter, Dáithí Ó Sé; RTÉ political correspondent, Micheál Lehane; former Irish Rugby captain, Ciara Griffin; and Google Ireland’s Director of People Operations, Helen Tynan; and BBC commissioning editor, Tommy Bulfin.

The recipients were presented with their award at the College’s annual awards night, where the achievements of almost 150 students and graduates were celebrated.

You can read more about the 2023 MIC College Awards here.
Read more MIC stories here.

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Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.