Mayo athlete among students awarded UCC sports scholarships
Triathlete Maeve Gallagher from Swinford, Co. Mayo, is among the dozens of students to be named beneficiaries of the University College Cork Sport Scholarship Programme for 2024/25.
Maeve, who is a pharmacy postgrad student, is one of the 86 athletes awarded representing 15 sports from across 10 counties.
Athletics, basketball, golf, rugby, hockey, rowing, soccer, GAA and kickboxing are among the sports represented in the programme this year by talented students from Mayo, Cork, Dublin, Kilkenny, Kerry, Laois, Waterford, Tipperary, Limerick and Offaly.
Designed to help students achieve their full potential, the programme is divided into two key strands, with scholarships for athletes in both team and individual sports.
The scholarship programme is supported by Bank of Ireland, Gym+Coffee, MJ Dowling, the Moss Keane family, and the Jason Foley family.
These scholarships are integrated with UCC Sport’s Performance Programme, which provides tailored support to help students balance their academic and athletic pursuits. The programme’s ultimate goal is to empower UCC athletes and teams to compete at their best, from third-level competitions to international arenas.
UCC partners with clubs, coaches, and experts in sports science, conditioning, nutrition, sports medicine, and analysis to enhance athlete development. Collaborations with national governing bodies, provincial organizations, and Sport Ireland further bolster UCC’s high-performance strategy.
This initiative reflects UCC’s commitment to nurturing Ireland’s next generation of sports stars, supporting them in achieving excellence both on and off the field.
Announcing this year’s recipients, UCC President John O’Halloran said: “At UCC, we deeply value and celebrate our exceptional student-athletes for the immense contributions they make to their sports, communities, families and schools, as well as their personal development.
“We extend heartfelt thanks to our dedicated Clubs' Executive, coaches, volunteers, and staff who work tirelessly to support these athletes. A special acknowledgment goes to our generous sponsors – Bank of Ireland, Gym+Coffee, MJ Dowling, the Moss Keane family, and the Jason Foley family – whose support of our scholarship programme plays a vital role in the growth and success of our student-athletes.”
Morgan Buckley, Head of UCC Sport, added: “Congratulations to all our teams and athletes. We are incredibly proud of their achievements as well as the dedication of their coaches, volunteers and clubs, supported by our outstanding staff and services at UCC.
“The UCC Sport Scholarship Programme significantly enhances the services we offer to our performance teams and athletes, ensuring they can successfully balance their academic and sporting pursuits.
“We are also proud to continue holding the Accreditation for Student-Athlete Support (UCC Sport ASAS) standard, recently developed by Sport Ireland, which ensures equal opportunities for high-performing student-athletes to excel both in sport and education.”
Donnchadh Mac Aodha, UCC Clubs' Executive President, commented: “UCC’s commitment to supporting our students truly makes it a fantastic place to both study and excel in sport. We are incredibly proud of the outstanding levels of participation and achievement in sport across the university.”