Q&Alumni

Born in Wales to Irish parents, Captain Twomey spent two years in the Royal Air Force before studying Economics at UCD. In this interview, he discusses setting up a small airline in Berlin during the Cold War, challenges facing the aviation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic and why more secondary school students should study STEM subjects.

Bringing together an entrepreneurial spirit, family background in retail and property, and corporate experience in mobile, Lucinda Kelly set up Popertee, an Airbnb-style service that matches vacant commercial spaces with businesses looking for a quick and low cost pop-up retail presence.

Dr Chris Murray teaches literature at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He is also the author of Crippled Immortals, a book about his experiences studying a Zen martial-arts Masters in Asia. In previous years, Murray was in a rock band that recorded professionally and performed around the world. He has lived in Australia since 2017, having spent a couple of years in Singapore and a decade in the UK.

Dr Julie Morrissy is the first person to hold the Newman Fellowship in Creativity at UCD. Julie is based in the UCD School of English, Drama and Film, and originally studied Law as an undergraduate.

Dr Gráinne Healy is a successful chairperson, facilitator, trainer and social inclusion project manager. A leader in the social justice sector, her expertise was proven in 2015 as co-director of the Yes Equality campaign. Healy is the editor of Crossing the Threshold – The Story of the Marriage Equality Movement. In 2018, she received the UCD Alumni Award for Social Sciences.

Colin Keogh is an award-winning engineer who specialises in 3D printing and innovation. Colin is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Rapid Foundation – a charity project with the goal of “Putting technology in the hands of the people who need it”. He has been listed in Forbes 30 under 30. This year, Colin will complete his Engineering PhD in Creative Technology Innovation at UCD.

Acting State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan was inspired to study medicine, and forensic pathology in particular, due to her fascination with detective TV shows and novels. In this Alumni Q&A, Linda discusses how she likes to unwind, a typical day as a pathologist and reminisces about her time as a medical student in UCD.

Daragh Fleming is a 25-year-old UCD alumnus from County Cork. While studying for his Masters in Linguistics, he played basketball for UCD. Daragh has recently released a book of short stories called The Book of Revelations. He currently works for WeLocalize, a global transformations partner as a music curator.

Shaunagh Connaire is an award-winning Irish filmmaker and journalist. After graduating with a Commerce degree in UCD and working as an accountant at KPMG, Shaunagh completed a Masters in journalism in London. Since then, she has worked for the BBC, Channel 4 and is currently the US Editor of Alpha Grid, a media company owned by the Financial Times. She lives in Manhattan, New York City.

Gerald Fleming is an experienced broadcaster and meteorologist.
Gerald was Head of Forecast with Met Eireann for almost ten years and is a familiar face as leader of the RTÉ Weather Team for many years before that. He has been Chair of the Public Weather Service Delivery Programme since 2005 and is currently enjoying retired life.