TWO well-known Limerick people have been honoured at Mary Immaculate College’s Alumni of the Year Awards.
Limerick hurling star Declan Hannon and broadcaster Petula Martyn were honoured at the annual awards earlier this month.
Kerry football legend Tomás Ó Sé and sustainable fashion designer and educator Miriam Keegan were also honoured on the night.
Petula graduated from MIC in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Communications, and English. It was while studying in MIC that her love for broadcasting began, the veteran business journalist cut her teeth working as a contributor for Wired FM, Limerick’s student community radio station.
Following MIC, she gained a master’s degree in Journalism from DCU before returning to her native Limerick where she worked as a news reporter with Limerick’s Live 95FM for three years, followed by the Limerick Leader for four years. In 2011, Petula joined RTÉ, Ireland’s national television and radio broadcaster, as a multimedia journalist working across radio, television, and online.
Speaking on the honour, Ms Martyn said: “The first time I pushed up a fader and spoke into a mic in a radio studio was on Wired FM at Mary Immaculate College. I learned the craft of film and television here at Mary I, thanks to Nicky Fennell – scripting, filming, presenting, and editing a documentary. I loved the creative process.
“Limerick has always been good to me. I enjoyed an excellent education from play school to college.
“And to get this acknowledgement from your own, it’s really
lovely and I really appreciate it. Thank you, Mary Immaculate College. And to those of you lucky enough to be students at Mary I, I hope you enjoy every opportunity,” she said.
All-Ireland hero and Limerick hurling captain Declan Hannon was crucial to MIC’s historic first ever win in the Fitzgibbon Cup in 2016 as the top scorer while studying for his arts degree.
Aside from his sporting prowess with four-in-a-row All-Ireland hurling winners Limerick, Declan graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English, and opted for a career in recruitment and now works as the national recruitment manager at Unijobs.
“It is a great honour and I am delighted to accept the award beside all of my fellow recipients, really I am accepting this on behalf of my Limerick teammates, many of whom are past students of Mary I, without them I most certainly would not be here,” he said.
The Limerick captain recalled his sporting highlight at MIC as being the Fitzgibbon Cup Final in 2016, stating that it was “without a doubt one of the best games I have ever been involved in”.
