Archives: Awardees

Evelyn Cusack is the recipient of the Science award in recognition of her leadership in meteorology in Ireland. Evelyn has a Bachelor of Science from UCD in Physics and Maths and a Masters in Physics. She graduated from UCD in 1979 and joined Met Éireann in 1981 to work as a forecaster. She is now Deputy Head of Forecasting at Met Éireann.

Evelyn has also been working as a weather forecaster with RTÉ since 1988. She regularly presents the weather forecast on RTÉ after the news broadcast. Her main role is in communicating the expected weather with the Irish public which includes providing timely warnings of severe weather in order to help save lives and property both on land and at sea. Evelyn is an avid member of the Irish Meteorological Society.

Sr Stanislaus Kennedy is receiving the Social Science award in recognition of her longstanding commitment and dedication to improving the lives and living conditions for the under privileged in Irish society. Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, or Sr. Stan as she is affectionately known, graduated with a BSocSc and a MSocSc from UCD in 1969 and 1980 respectively. For almost fifty years now she has pioneered a range of inspiring social innovations to benefit thousands of people who have experienced exclusion in many forms.

Sr Stan was appointed as the first chair of The National Committee on Pilot Schemes to Combat Poverty in Ireland and Transnational co-ordinator in the European rural anti-poverty programme. In 1985 Sr Stan established Focus Point which is now Focus Ireland, the biggest national, voluntary organisation helping people to find, create and maintain a home.

In 1998 Sr Stan founded The Sanctuary, a meditation/spirituality centre in the heart of Dublin city, a place where people can find a quiet space and time for themselves to explore and develop their inner world and wisdom and find stillness.

Integrity: It’s in our DNA
The courage, perseverance and compassion of our graduates make us what we are. Their relentless pursuit of justice brightens our future.

Maeve O’Rourke was the recipient of the UCD Alumni Award in Law in 2014, in recognition of her outstanding humanitarian work securing justice for the victims of the Magdalene Laundries.

Maeve graduated from the UCD Sutherland School of Law in 2009 and then went on to Harvard University where she gained a Masters degree. While in America, she studied children’s law, reproductive health and women’s rights. Maeve decided to write her Masters thesis at Harvard about the Magdalene Laundries. In the course of her research, she discovered the Justice for Magdalenes campaign and has been working for them pro bono ever since.

Maeve works closely with Dr Katherine O’Donnell and Claire McGettrick of UCD on the Justice for Magdalenes campaign.

Following her year at Harvard, Maeve worked in London for a year on a fellowship, spending time with the women’s rights organisation Equality Now whilst still working on the Magdalene’s campaign. Maeve brought a case before the Irish Human Rights Commission in 2010 and UN Committee against Torture and UN Human Rights Council in 2011 on behalf of the Justice for Magdalenes survivors’ advocacy group. In 2013, Maeve was awarded Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year at the Family Law awards for her work with the Justice for Magdalene’s survivor’s advocacy group.

Maeve is currently researching for a PhD at Birmingham Law School on the human rights of older persons to freedom from torture and ill-treatment.

Mairead McGuiness is receiving the Agriculture and Food Science award in recognition of her dedication and commitment to European agricultural development. Mairead was the first female graduate of UCD’s Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics in 1980. She has been Vice-President of the European Parliament since July 2014.

Mairead’s role as Vice-President includes overseeing the Parliament’s Information Policy, Press and Citizens Relations including the organisation of the Parliament’s information offices across all 28 Member States. As Vice-President, Mairead has responsibility for the Parliament’s scientific research body – STOA, which aims to bridge the gap between the scientific community and policy-makers. She also plays a leading role in the area of Children’s Rights as a Mediator in certain cases on behalf of the European Parliament.

Prior to becoming an MEP, Mairead was a well known journalist, broadcaster and commentator. Mairead is married to Tom Duff and the couple have four children, twins Orlaith and James, Áine and Cathal.

Rosaleen is the recipient of the Arts award in recognition of her outstanding success acting on stage and screen for over 50 years. Rosaleen graduated with a BA in Economics and Politics from UCD in1957. She joined UCD Dramsoc on her first day in UCD and started acting professionally within two years of leaving college. She met her husband, Fergus Linehan while acting in Dramsoc and they went on to have four children and they now have eight grandchildren. Her long-term comedy partnership with Des Keogh in revues written by Fergus made her a household name in the 1970s.

Rosaleen’s work moves freely between stage and screen. She is most well known for her role in the film, The Butcher Boy. Her theatre work was also recognised when she was nominated for a Best Actress Tony award for her part in Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa on Broadway.

Dr Patricia Scanlan is the recipient of the Medicine and Medical Science award in recognition of her work within the paediatric cancer treatment revolution in Tanzania. Dr Patricia Scanlan graduated from UCD Medicine in 1997 and first went to Tanzania in 2007 as part of her Masters programme. In the space of 18 months, Patricia Scanlan has revolutionised survival rates for paediatric cancers from 12% to 60% in Tanzania, a country of 47m people. She established the Children’s Cancer Unit at Muhimbili National Hospital, refurbished a new paediatric oncology ward and maintained survival rates at 60% despite admissions to the unit increasing from approximately 300 to over 500 patients per annum. Dr Scanlan produced and implemented a manual and tool kit for education and play therapy for child cancer patients.

She uses her experience to attract funding for her own patients to ensure they have a sustainable service.

Donal O’Riain is the recipient of the Engineering award in recognition of his outstanding entrepreneurial achievements in carbon-neutral construction. Donal O’Riain graduated from Engineering in UCD in 1969. He is the founder and managing director of Ecocem, an independent specialist producer of ‘green’ cement.

Ecocem has reduced CO2 emissions in Ireland by over 1.5Mt since production began in 2003. Ecocem’s cement has been used in a series of high profile developments including the Convention Centre Dublin, the 3Arena and the Aviva Stadium. Ecocem has a European-wide, technology innovation programme to expand the range of applications and to continue the development of low-carbon cements. This programme will provide opportunities for ambitious technical development in Ireland in cooperation with Irish universities, building on research carried out at UCD.

Noel Fitzpatrick is the recipient of the Veterinary Medicine award in recognition of his revolutionary work in the treatment of small animals including his cutting-edge surgery techniques. Noel Fitzpatrick studied Veterinary Science in UCD and graduated in 1990. Following scholarships at the University of Pennsylvania and Ghent University, he went on to complete the RCVS certificates in small animal orthopaedics and radiology prior to founding Fitzpatrick Referrals in 1997. Here, he pushes the boundaries of veterinary medicine, creating bionic limbs and performing procedures never tried before on animals or humans. Noel is the clinical chair and chief surgeon at Fitzpatrick Referrals operating on a daily basis. Noel is particularly experienced in minimally invasive arthroscopic (keyhole) surgery, spinal disc disease, limb deformities, joint replacement and limb salvage for severe trauma or cancer.

Noel’s popular television series with Channel 4 “The Supervet” examines the emotional journey of animals and their guardians through severely debilitating conditions. Noel has also had multiple peer reviewed papers published in the last few years and has delivered over 500 lectures in the UK, Europe and further afield.

In recognition of his great leadership and success in the business world, Gary McGann is the recipient of the Business award. Gary McGann graduated with a BA from UCD in 1973, and went on to excel in industry.

He was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer of the Smurfit Kappa Group in November 2002. He was previously President and Chief Operations Officer of the company since January 2000. He joined the organisation in 1998 as Chief Financial Officer. He has held a number of senior positions in both the private and public sectors over the previous 20 years, including Chief Executive of Gilbeys of Ireland Group and Aer Lingus Group plc. He is a Director of Aon MacDonagh Boland Group Limited and United Drug plc.

Earlier this year Gary was appointed as the Chairman of the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI).

Dr Siobhan O’Halloran is the recipient of the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems award in recognition of her longstanding commitment to nursing and the Health Service in Ireland. Siobhan did her general nurse training in Galway before graduating with a Bachelor of Nursing Studies from UCD.

Since 1999 Siobhan has held several key positions in the Irish health service with the Department of Health, the HSE and in the nursing education sector. Siobhan was Head of the School of Nursing, Midwifery, Health Studies and Applied Sciences at Dundalk IT. She has also spent a number of years working with the Department of Health where she was the Executive Director of the National Implementation Committee for Undergraduate Nursing.

Siobhan is well published in education, nursing and disability. She serves on numerous national committees and is a former board member of Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and the National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery.