Mary Immaculate College graduation ceremony sees 1,800 people receive degrees

MOMENTOUS celebrations were enjoyed at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) as over 1,800 graduates were conferred and some were honoured with academic awards.

Marking the institution’s 125th anniversary year, graduates across the college’s 50+ undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Education and the Liberal Arts marked the completion of their academic achievements.

Three days of on-campus conferring ceremonies saw graduates from across Ireland and five continents being honoured for a variety of achievements “filled with challenges, triumphs, and countless memories,” as Professor Niamh Hourigan, acting president of MIC, put it.

Among the graduation stories this year were several inspiring educational journeys. Mikey O’Doherty, originally from Montpelier, Co Limerick but living in the city, started at MIC in 2011 with a Certificate in General Learning and Personal Development.

Progressing onto the Foundation Programme and then Bachelor of Arts programme, Mikey, who has cerebral palsy, graduated with subjects English and History.  

On the occasion, he said: “It feels wonderful to be graduating. It’s going to be the best day of my life. 

“I put in a lot of work just to be here, just to be a part of Mary I. It is a wonderful campus. I had brilliant people in my class; we were all close friends and it was like one big family. I look forward to continuing my studies from here on.”

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Limerick women also shined at the ceremony, with multiple individuals being honoured on all fronts. Two such graduates were Lauren McMahon and Pamela Downes, who entered the Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching) programme from the MIC Teacher Education Access Programme, an access route for mature students. 

Pamela, from Ballinacurra, started studying to be a teacher at the age of 52. Pamela is now pursuing Master’s in Education at MIC. 

“It means the world to me as a mature student to finally realise my dream of becoming a primary school teacher," she said.

Another Limerick woman, Lauren McMahon joins her mother, Dr Jennifer McMahon, currently Head of the Department of Educational Psychology, Inclusive and Special Education at MIC, and her grandmother, Eileen, as MIC Alumni.

As well as this, the BA in Early Childhood Care and Education College Gold Medal went to Megan O’Sullivan from Caherdavin, to add to an award for Excellence in Professional Placement on her programme.

Sports stars also shined in their successes at MIC, with Oola native and county footballer Fiona Bradshaw graduating with a BA in Education, Mathematics and Gaeilge from MIC Thurles, having also togged out for MIC Thurles during her time there.

Additionally, two-time MIC GPA Scholar and Limerick senior camogie player, Caoimhe Costelloe, was awarded a Master’s in Education for her research entitled A Self-Study of a Novice Coach Navigating the Coaching Journey. 

From Adare, Caoimhe is a teacher at Our Lady’s Abbey NS, Adare where she coaches pupils in sports and she also coaches teams at MIC.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Skills, Patrick O’Donovan TD, who is also an alumnus of MIC, added his congratulations to the Class of 2024: “In becoming a teacher, you get the greatest gift of all that can be given to anybody, which is the gift of being an educator. It’s more than just a job. It’s more than just a vocation.”

Others who were honoured inclduded Clare senior hurler and All Ireland 2024 champion, Diarmuid Ryan, who received the Outstanding Achievement of the Year Award for his sporting endeavours. 

The Professional Master of Education (Primary Teaching) graduate duly brought Liam McCarthy as one of his guests to MIC, in a year that also saw him play a part in securing a third Fitzgibbon Cup for the college senior hurling team.

The sporting flavour didn’t end there. Waterford Senior Hurler, Dessie Hutchinson, an MIC Elite Sports Scholar in 2021/22, graduated from the BA in Education, Business Studies and Religious Studies, one of seven post-primary teaching programmes at MIC Thurles. 

Three graduates from Malawi in east Africa were also ecstatic to be present for their conferring this week.

Martha Msowoya, Charles Ofesi and Rabecca Banda joined the Graduate Certificate in 2022 in Middle Leadership and Mentoring and then progressed to Master’s in Education level in that programme

Reaching the highest academic level possible were 24 Doctoral candidates in numerous educational degrees such as History, English, Philosophy, Geography and Drama and Theatre Studies. 

On Saturday, October 19, there were 537 Inclusion Coordinators conferred at MIC as part of the Leadership for Inclusion in the Early Years (LINC) Programme.