October 2001 Autumn Conferring Ceremonies at NUI Galway

Three days of Conferring ceremonies will take place in NUI Galway today (Wednesday), Thursday and Friday, the 24, 25, and 26 October. Almost 2,000 students from seven Faculties will be conferred with degrees and diplomas.

The first students of NUI, Galway s Access Course will graduate this week. Students from two new undergraduate programmes, B.A. in Economics and Social Studies and B.A. in Public and Social Policy will also graduate at this week s conferring ceremonies.

In addition, Honorary M.A. degrees will be conferred today on two people who have been associated with the University and have made an extraordinary contribution to the communities in which they live and work.

Brother Colm O Connell, who has been working in Kenya for almost 30 years, has been responsible for coaching Kenyan athletes who have won World Championships and Olympic medals. For many years he was Principal of St. Patrick s School, a boarding school for boys in Kenya s Rift Valley, where he coached pupils to excel on the running track. His protegés have included world-class athletes, Peter Rono, Wilson Kipketer, Sally Barsosio and David Kiptoo.

An honorary MA will also be conferred on Mr. Joe O Halloran, who for many years worked in NUI, Galway s James Hardiman Library. He edited The Galway Historical and Archaeological Journal for almost fifteen years. He also discovered (and arranged provision of copies for the James Hardiman Library), of a very large collection of manuscripts relating to Galway in the papers of Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson in St Andrew's University Library.

Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091-750418