Kane Collins, past pupil of Scoil Mhuire, Kanturk, was the recipient of two awards in November. On November 17th, Kane was awarded a UCD Entrance Scholars Award. This award is given to those first year students in UCD to recognise their academic achievement of 560 or more points in the Leaving Certificate. These awards are part of a range of UCD initiatives put in place to recognise exceptional students when they join the university. Kane is studying Science in UCD and will decide towards the end of the academic year the areas in which he will specialise. He was accompanied at the awards by his parents, Eoin and Mary, as well as Mr Denis Keating, Deputy Principal, Scoil Mhuire, who was presented with a commemorative plaque for the school to mark this achievement.
On November 19th, Kane was awarded an All Ireland Scholarship Award, sponsored by JP McManus. This scholarship programme was established in 2008 and to date in excess of 21 million euro has been paid to scholarship recipients. The awards ceremony was held in University of Limerick and Kane was once more accompanied by his parents, as well as Scoil Mhuire Principal, Ms Miriam Downey. A presentation was made to Kane by Mr McManus. Mr Patrick O’Donovan, TD Minister of State for Tourism and Sport also attended to congratulate award recipients. A total of 14 students from Cork City and County were among the 125 recipients on the day.
Paul O’Connell, Ireland’s third most capped rugby player and the joint thirteenth most capped international player in rugby union history, was guest speaker at the awards. Paul acknowledged the outstanding achievements of all award recipients and also noted that such high achievements do not come without hard work, drive and determination. Kane acknowledged the ‘very productive learning atmosphere in Scoil Mhuire, which he found to be an excellent school, as well as the wonderfully enthusiastic teachers’. All in the Scoil Mhuire Community are very proud of Kane’s achievements and look forward to having him visit the school in the future to speak to students about life at third level education and in particular the study of Science.
