Two Galway teaching graduates had double cause for celebration after achieving ‘top of their class’ status at the annual Hibernia College conferring ceremony at Dublin’s Convention Centre.
In addition to receiving his Masters qualification, Primary Education graduate, Aonghus Ó hEochaidh, from Spiddal, was honoured with the INTO Vere Foster Medal – awarded by the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) for ‘Outstanding Performance in School Placement’.
Post-Primary Education graduate, Mary Corless, a teacher at Scoil Bhride in Tuam, was awarded the Research Prize – presented by the College to the student who achieves the highest overall grade in the Research module of their cohort.
Aonghus and Mary were two of 920 graduates from all 26 counties to graduate with Primary or Post-Primary teaching qualifications from Hibernia College in what was their largest graduation cohort to date.
Congratulating them and other graduates, Dr Mary Kelly, Academic Dean at Hibernia College, described them as “being in a unique position to shape the future of every one of their students”.
She said that all those at the ceremony “will make a vital and valuable contribution to their chosen profession at a time when our country is so short of teachers.”