April NUI Galway Announce Gráinne Seoige as Host for 2019 Gala Ball and Alumni Awards

Seven Alumni Award winners will be honoured at a gala night of food and entertainment

NUI Galway has announced that broadcaster and Grace Diamonds Founder, Gráinne Seoige will host this year’s Gala Ball and Alumni Awards. A graduate of NUI Galway, Gráinne was presented with the Duais don Gaeilge in 2007 in recognition of her work in the Irish language. The seven Alumni Award winners will be presented with their awards at the Gala Ball on Saturday, 13 April, in the Bailey Allen Hall.

The NUI Galway Alumni Awards recognise individual excellence and achievements among the University’s more than 100,000 graduates worldwide. Now in its twentieth year, the Awards programme boasts an impressive roll call of more than 100 outstanding NUI Galway alumni, including Gráinne Seoige, who have gone on to make an impact in their chosen field, and in so doing honour their alma mater. Among the distinguished honorees are President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, broadcaster, Seán O’Rourke, business leaders, Tara McCarthy (Bord Bia), Adrian Jones (Goldman Sachs) and Aedhmar Hynes (Text 100), figures from public life such as Pat Rabbitte, Eamon Gilmore (former Tánaiste) and Máire Whelan (Attorney General), and sports figures such as rugby international, Ciarán FitzGerald and Olive Loughnane (Olympic medallist).

The winners of the seven alumni awards to be presented at Gala 2019:

• Alumni Award for Arts, Literature and Celtic Studies – Sponsored by Deloitte

Journalist & RTÉ London correspondent, Fiona Mitchell – BA 1993

• Alumni Award for Business and Commerce - Sponsored by Bank of Ireland

Aviation entrepreneur, Dómhnal Slattery - BComm 1988

• Alumni Award for Law, Public Policy and Government - Sponsored by Ronan Daly Jermyn

Senior counsel and jurist, Grainne McMorrow - BA 1980, LLB 1983 

• Alumni Award for Engineering, Science and Technology - Sponsored by Merc Partners

Cancer scientist, Dr John Lyons - BSc 1979

• Alumni Award for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences - Sponsored by Medtronic

Surgeon and clinical educator, Dr Ronan Waldron - MB BCh BAO 1976, MMedSc 1984

• Gradam Alumni don Gaeilge - Urraithe ag OÉ Gaillimh

Journalist and broadcaster, Póilín Ní Chiaráin - BA 1965

• Alumni Award for Contribution to Sport - Sponsored by Bank of Ireland

Sports medicine pioneer, Dr Mick Molloy - MB BCh BAO 1968

For ticket and booking information contact Alumni Relations on 091 494310 or email alumni@nuigalway.ie. Online bookings at www.guf.ie.