Achievements of 94 students celebrated at the 2025 MIC Annual College Awards

Achievements of 94 students celebrated at the 2025 MIC Annual College Awards. Pictured at the recent Mary Immaculate College Awards Ceremony was Cathal Guilfoyle, Newport Co Mayo and Darragh Treacy, Castletroy Limerick. Pic: Arthur Ellis

Mary Immaculate College celebrates the achievements of 94 students at the 2025 MIC Annual College Awards Ceremony

The achievements of 94 students were celebrated by Mary Immaculate College (MIC) at the seventh annual College Awards Ceremony.

The awards were held with a special ceremony at the Lime Tree Theatre on the Limerick campus. The event brought together awardees from across MIC’s Limerick and Thurles campuses, recognising an impressive range of academic, sporting, research and cultural accomplishments.

A diverse array of scholarships, bursaries, and prizes were awarded during the evening, amounting to just over €320,000. The celebration honoured both first-time recipients and those who continue to excel in their academic achievements and extracurricular pursuits.

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Professor Dermot Nestor, President of MIC, paid tribute to this year’s awardees and scholarship recipients, noting that their achievements reflect both personal commitment and the character of the College community.

He said, “Tonight is about more than awards. It’s about the passion that brings our students and graduates into their chosen fields, the persistence that carries them through the difficult moments and the belief that learning can change lives, including their own. Each name called tonight represent a story of effort, talent and support, and we are deeply proud of what they have contributed to MIC. Their futures are already taking shape, and it’s a privilege for all of us to be part of that journey.”

Among the scholarships presented on the night was the Ashling Murphy Memorial Entrance Scholarship, awarded this year to the talented uilleann piper Muireann Meade from Co Tipperary. Now in its third year, the scholarship is jointly presented by MIC and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) and recognises first-year Bachelor of Education (B Ed) students who have shown exceptional talents as traditional Irish musicians—the very talents the late Ashling Murphy so beautifully embodied.

MIC’s five Elite Sports Scholars were also celebrated on the night: Kerry Ladies Footballer, Aoife Dillane, receiving the honour for the second year running; Clare Senior Hurler, Adam Hogan; Wexford FC player, Michael McCarthy; Tipperary Camogie player, Lucy Purcell; and Munster Academy rugby player, Fionn Carney. In addition, Waterford Ladies Footballer; Aoife Brazil and Galway Senior Hurler, Eoin Lawless; were presented with MIC Gaelic Players Association (GPA) Scholarships, valued at €5000 each. These are awarded annually to two GPA members undertaking postgraduate study at MIC. A further nine students who have shown exceptional commitment and success within the arena of intervarsity, club, county and regional Gaelic Games received Munster GAA bursaries worth €750 each. They included Maeve Millea and Abbie Mullane (Camogie), Leah McMahon and Cara Gannon (Ladies Gaelic Football); William Dore and Eoin Craddock (Hurling); Patrick O’Grady and Darren Keane (Men’s Gaelic Football); an Evan Cahill (Hurling & Football).

Béibhinn Nic a’tSíthigh, from Kerry, was named this year’s recipient of the Rachel Kenneally Memorial Award. The bursary is funded annually by the Munster Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) in memory of Rachel Kenneally, a Bachelor of Education graduate and member of the College team that won the Giles Cup in 2012 and also played inter-county football with Tipperary. Rachel Kenneally’s family were in attendance on the night.

€104,000 in funding was awarded to 52 incoming first-year students through the MIC Entrance Scholarship scheme, valued at €2,000 each and awarded based on Leaving Certificate results. The scholarships are available across all undergraduate programmes currently on offer at the College.

The West Chester Scholarship was presented to Aaron Cooney (Bachelor of Education) and Clodagh Moran (B Ed in Education and Psychology), following a highly competitive selection process that identified the top-performing graduates from both programmes.Presented by the Faculty of Education in partnership with West Chester University, Pennsylvania, the scholarship recognises and celebrates outstanding academic achievement and provides valuable support as recipients advance their professional and educational journeys.

Seven current students of the College were awarded the Saint Bonaventure Trust Prize, presented to the students on the Bachelor of Arts (MIC Limerick) and Bachelor of Arts in Education programmes (MIC Thurles) who were awarded first place in Theology and Religious Studies.

MIC also proudly recognised several outstanding postgraduate scholars who will continue their research and studies at the College. Zahid Jahangir was honoured with both a Doctoral Studentship and the Geography Postgraduate Award in recognition of his progress through his PhD programme. Peter Linkens received the MIC Doctoral Award, while Oladimeji Sofoluwe was awarded a Postgraduate Studentship to support the advancement of his academic work.

Several MIC researchers and postgraduate students were also recognised through nationally competitive funding schemes. Four scholars—Desmond Lartey, Michelle Lehane, Augustus Sobeng and Katie Hallinan—were awarded prestigious Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarships in support of their advanced research across a range of disciplines. Dr Sujaya Dhanvantari was honoured with a Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship from Research Ireland, acknowledging the depth and promise of her ongoing work. In addition, Aislinn Kelly was awarded the EPA Lighthouse PhD Scholarship, supporting innovative research tackling environmental and sustainability challenges. Eleanor Corry received the MIC Thurles Postgraduate Scholarship.

Dr Rebecca Breen, Acting Director of the Research and Graduate School (RGSO) at MIC, reflected on the significance of this year’s postgraduate and postdoctoral awards:

“Each of our postdoctoral awardees has taken on work that asks real questions of the world around us, and that’s something worth recognising. These scholarships don’t just support individual researchers; they give space for ideas to grow—ideas that have the potential to shape policy, deepen understanding, and in many cases, change lives. I’m constantly struck by the dedication our researchers bring to their fields and by the quiet persistence that sits behind every milestone they reach. Tonight’s recipients represent the very best of what postgraduate research can be, and we’re incredibly proud to support them as they push their work and themselves further.”