Grace Quirke of Coláiste Íde agus Iosef in Abbeyfeale was among five local students awarded All-Ireland Scholarships at University Hall Limerick. The other Limerick recipients were Holly Harte and Kelly Yang, both of Castletroy College; Boushra Adam and Conor Quinlivan, both Mungret College.
In attendance at the ceremony was sponsor JP McManus, Guest of Honour and CEO of Northwell Health Michael J. Dowling, Minister of State for Further and Higher Education Niall Collins, and Director of Skills, Strategy and Policy, Department for the Economy Northern Ireland, Graeme Wilkinson, as well as the family, friends and school representatives of the scholarship recipients.
Commenting at the awards ceremony, Mr McManus said: “I am delighted to be here to celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of these 125 students. To date, 1,800 students have received an All Ireland Scholarship and 1,348 of those students have since graduated from university. This is a very special occasion for the students, their families and principals. They should all be very proud of themselves, and we are looking forward to seeing what they do in years to come.”
The All Ireland Scholarships were established in 2008 by JP McManus and this year marks its 16th anniversary.
The third level educational scholarship is awarded to 125 of the highest-achieving students per year, with a minimum of two students from each of the 32 counties. The recipients must meet a further set of criteria, including attending a non-fee-paying school and be in receipt of a third level education maintenance grant from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) or be in receipt of an Education Maintenance Allowance in Northern Ireland.
The scholarship is worth €6,750 to each student per year, and since its inception over €40 million has been disbursed to recipients.