Irish Award Ceremony 2019
22 May 2019 was the day of the finals for the Irish History Competition. The occasion was incorporated in the 20 Year Celebration of the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)’s Access Centre. The Centre aims at providing support to students coming from non-tradition routes to access third level education. »Breaking The SEAL« (BTS) is one such programme that supports students from disadvantaged backgrounds and it is this programme that hosts the Irish History Competition.
The day was characterised by presentations from third level cluster members for the west of Ireland. These include NUI Galway, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Sligo Institute of Technology (SligoIT) and Letterkenny Institute of Technology (lyit). Also present were the Higher Education Authority (HEA), community groups and regional secondary schools.
While presentations were on going, students from nine secondary schools were ready to listen to the eleven finalists who presented their projects to the judges in an adjacent lecture theatre. Shamir Yeger, who is a member of the EUSTORY Steering Committee, gave his services as a judge for the competition. This gesture provided the competition with an international touch that NUIG appreciated very much. Initially the project engaged 122 students of whom 49 managed to submit their abstracts for assessment. The calibre of the presentations was so high that the judges had a hard task to select the best three students.
After a prolonged deliberation, three students were selected:
- Sean Walsh (Archbishop McHale College)
- Callum Clogher (Colaiste Mhuire Ballygar)
- Diana Atmad (Glenamaddy Community School)
The Registrar/Vice Chancellor Pól Ó Dochartaigh presented prizes to the three winners and certificates. All students who took part were also issued with certificates of participation while the schools were also given medals of participation.