UNIVERSITY of Limerick (UL) celebrated 30 high-performance student athletes who received scholarships this year across 23 sporting disciplines, and from 23 counties across Ireland, a record-breaking milestone for the university.
Acting President Professor Shane Kilcommins said the university is “immensely proud,” as UL hosted its largest ever Sports Scholarship Academy Awards.
This year’s scholarship recipients represented a diverse range of sports, including rugby, judo, athletics, hockey, GAA, equestrian, basketball, and swimming.
Launched in 2016, the UL Sports Scholarship programme has provided financial support, access to world-class training facilities, professional coaching and mentorship, tailored academic assistance and internationally recognised sports research, helping athletes to achieve their ambitious academic and sporting goals.
The sports programme includes scholarships for women’s coaching initiatives, to develop and reach their coaching potential and promote gender equality in sports leadership.
Professor Kilcommins commended the recipients and their commitment to excellence.
“At University of Limerick, we are immensely proud of our high-performance student athletes who continue to excel on both national and international stages,” he said.
“Their dedication, resilience, and achievements are a testament to the comprehensive support system we have in place, from world-class training facilities to tailored academic assistance.”
UL’s impact on the international sporting arena is seen in its extensive alumni roll call – part of a global UL alumni of over 130,000 graduates.
UL graduate and former Limerick hurler David Breen was recently appointed lead physiotherapist to Liverpool FC’s first team; Cork All Star footballer Erika O’Shea, currently a UL high-performance student-athlete, extended her contract with the North Melbourne
Tasmanian Kangaroos to 2026, becoming the youngest Irish athlete to play Australian rules football; seven of this year’s GAA All Star hurlers are UL graduates, while Paul Conroy, another alumnus, was named GAA All Star Footballer of the Year.
Neasa O’Donnell, UL’s senior executive sports manager, highlighted the impact of the scholarship awards.
“It’s a privilege to lead the UL Sports Scholarship Academy, the aim of which is to support dual-career student athletes to meet the requirements of their degree programme, while also honouring their sporting commitments. Since its inception, in 2016, UL has invested over €1.5m in our programme which has seen over 300 high-performance athletes graduate,” she said.
