Memorial scholarships are an important part of how the DCU community remembers our past students, staff and friends who played an important role in the life of the university.
Each year, DCU Educational Trust honours those remembered through memorial scholarships by celebrating their life and legacy at DCU Educational Trust’s annual Service of Remembrance and Memorial Scholarships Presentation Ceremony. This year’s event, which took place on 7th March on DCU’s All Hallows Campus, was a welcome return to an in-person event following a virtual ceremony in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the event, 23 students received a Memorial scholarship created in memory of some of the University’s most cherished past students, staff and friends. This year, two new memorial scholarships were created in memory of Maureen O’Farrell and Joseph Anthony Lynch:
The 23 students receiving this year’s scholarships were selected based on different criteria, depending on the wishes of those who created the scholarship and include undergraduate students supported by DCU’s Access Programme, postgraduate students in the fields of Biotechnology, Marketing and Journalism, and students who have achieved outstanding results in DCU’s BA in Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance.
One scholarship, the Paddy Wright Memorial Scholarship, also supports a Senior Dublin Gaelic Footballer. This year’s recipient, Jennifer Dunne, has been a member of Dublin’s Senior Women’s Football team since 2018, and has won a Lidl National League Division One title, two Leinster and three All-Ireland medals with the Senior Dublin Ladies Football team. This is Jennifer’s second year of receiving the Paddy Wright Memorial Scholarship.
Speaking at this year’s Memorial Scholarship Presentation Ceremony, Joe Quinsey, CEO of DCU Educational Trust, commented:
“It is a pleasure to be able to gather in-person once again, and to enable our scholarship supporters to meet with the talented students who will carry on their loved one’s legacy as memorial scholarship recipients. This is always a special event in the university calendar, which combines remembrance of our past students, staff and friends with a celebration of life and the promise of our students. We are sincerely grateful to the families and donors who support these life-changing scholarships that enable DCU students to fulfil their potential and go forward to make their own mark on society in the future.”
The full list of Memorial Scholarship recipients for 2021/22 includes: