Donegal quartet recognised at DCU’s Sport Scholarship programme

Donegal was represented as more than 100 DCU students received sports scholarships.

DCU’s Sport Scholarship programme is athlete-led, where a network of support services and expertise are tailored to the individual needs of the athlete.

Finn Valley AC’s Seán McGinley from Glenswilly, who takes part in the 1500m, 3000m steeple chase and cross-country is studying PE with Biology, while Adrienne Gallen, below, a hammer thrower from Lifford Strabane AC is doing Actuarial Mathematics.

Burt native Sadhbh McGrath, who plays rugby for Cooke RFC, Ulster RFC, and the Ireland women's national rugby union team, below, is a Communication Studies student and Donegal Town’s Seanán Carr, two below, from Four Masters GAA club, is sitting a Bachelor of Education.

The programme grades support depending on the athlete's achievement, potential and needs, with the objective of remaining flexible to support the diverse needs of the athlete.

The first DCU Sport Scholarships were awarded in 1996 in the form of GAA scholarships, and have now expanded to include a wide range of sports such as Athletics, Hockey, Rugby and Soccer.

DCU has recently been fully re-accredited by Sport Ireland for their Student Athlete Support programme. This recognises best practice in the area of dual career athletes supports combining elite sport and third level education extremely manageable to dual-career athletes.

James Galvin, Director of Sport at DCU said: “Sport and physical activity is at the heart of the student experience at DCU, and we are delighted to recognise the outstanding performances of our elite athletes through our scholarship programme. Our recent re-accreditation by Sport Ireland for their Student Athlete Support programme emphasises our commitment to a holistic approach in supporting our dual career athletes. The sports scholarships for elite student athletes reinforce the University’s strong commitment to helping students thrive.”

Congratulating the scholarship recipients, Professor Dáire Keogh, President of DCU said;
“Balancing academic and sporting excellence is not an easy path to take. I applaud your determination and passion. By supporting your sporting and academic needs, we hope to deliver on the University’s promise to provide a transformative student experience that helps you achieve your goals and ambitions in both fields.”

Neil Hughes, CEO at Azets Ireland said: “At Azets, we are immensely proud of our partnership with DCU Sport during this fast growth phase for the firm. We are delighted in particular to support the DCU Sport Scholarship programme, supporting DCU's elite athletes in their sporting and academic endeavours."