Welcome

02 July 2007 The UniversiTy of Limerick mAGAZine

Welcome

I consider myself especially fortunate to have been appointed to lead the institution that, since its inception, has boldly set the agenda for third level education in Ireland. This magazine shows just how UL is continuing its pioneering ways, and during my presidency over the next decade I hope to build on the traditions of innovation, excellence and achievement for which UL is rightly renowned.

As you would expect, much of the material in this first edition is retrospective in nature, reviewing a wide range of campus developments from the past year. In this context I want to pay special tribute to John O’Connor who took on the role of Acting President last year. During John’s long and remarkable career at UL astonishing progress has taken place and I know you will join with me in saluting the extraordinary role he has played in the UL story.

The year under review has seen significant achievements for UL in the HEA’s Strategic Innovation Fund, the progression of major building projects including “The Living Bridge” across the River Shannon and, most notably, the Government decision to support UL’s Graduate Medical Programme. You will find details of these and many other UL stories in the pages of UL Links.

I hope you find this publication informative and enjoyable. We are anxious to let people know of the many innovative, exciting and progressive initiatives being spearheaded by UL. UL Links will help us to reach out to the broad UL family and we hope that this and future editions will keep the community we serve linked in to UL.

The University of Limerick is fortunate to have the collective engagement, commitment and dedicated endeavour of so many students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends, all united in pursuit of our common mission. I look forward to the ongoing advancement of UL with your continued support.

Professor Don BarryPresident

PresidenT’s WeLcome

It is a great pleasure to introduce you to the inaugural edition of UL Links – a magazine designed to inform and engage the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the University of Limerick.

The UniversiTy of Limerick mAGAZine July 2007 03

02 May 2007 The UniversiTy of Limerick mAGAZine

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Robinson, Keher and Hume Receive University of Limerick DoctoratesIn two separate ceremonies, Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, legendary Kilkenny hurler Eddie Keher and John Hume, former leader and co-founder of the SDLP, were conferred with honorary doctorates at the University of Limerick.

Pictured top right are Mary Robinson, Professor Roger Downer, President Emeritus UL, and John Hume.Pictured bottom right are UL President John O’Connor and Eddie Keher.

UL Medical School Established

After three years of development, March 2007 saw the official establishment of the UL Medical School with the Government announcement that the University of Limerick was successful in its tender bid to establish a Graduate Medical School.

The decision to establish a Graduate Entry Medical School at Limerick was widely welcomed by prospective medical students throughout the country and, for the first time, facilitates access to world-class medical education through a process other than the points system. Speaking

at the time of the announcement, UL President John O’Connor said that in formulating its proposal for a graduate entry programme, UL had studied closely the best practices in medical schools throughout the world in order to assemble international best practice in providing a world-leading programme at Limerick.

He said the Limerick partnership with St Georges University of London and the capacity, vision and record of UL will deliver excellence and innovation to the Irish healthcare system.

The University of Limerick Medical School will place particular emphasis on the role of medical graduates in the provision of excellent primary care, and this is being facilitated through the establishment of primary care teaching networks in the Mid West, the Midlands and the South East. The University of Limerick will admit the first 30 students to the new four-year programme in September 2007 and build up to an intake of 108 annually over the next four years.

Professor Paul Finucane has been appointed Founding Head of the UL Medical School. Professor Finucane, a doctor (geriatrician) by profession, has been working on the development of the graduate-entry medical programme at UL for over three years.

Professor Paul Finucane has been appointed Founding Head of the UL Medical School.

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UL Receives Largest Grant of €9.6 million from Government Strategic Innovation Fund

The University of Limerick was awarded the largest single SIF grant of €9.6 million in 2006 for a range of educational innovations including access programmes, distance learning projects and regional educational partnerships.

€6.6million of this Strategic Innovation Funding was allocated to the Shannon Consortium, a pioneering education partnership that will strengthen regional capacity for higher education to assist students and researchers. The Shannon Consortium, which involves the University of Limerick, Limerick Institute of Technology, Mary Immaculate College and Institute of Technology Tralee, aims to implement specific educational innovations in the region, leading to a wider impact than would have been possible for any individual institution acting alone.

Over the next three years, €2.95 million will be spent on the Shannon Regional Learning Gateway in order to support access to third and fourth level and Lifelong Learning. A downtown centre, also called the Shannon Regional Learning Gateway, will provide a nexus for the range of activities underpinning the Gateway and be a single integrated point of contact for all potential learners. €2.7 million will be spent on innovations in pedagogy through the Regional Approach to Outstanding Teaching, Learning and Learner Support, and €950,000 will be spent on enabling measures for 4th Level through the establishment of a Regional Graduate Development Training Network.

Pictured are Director of Institute of Technology, Tralee, Mr Michael Carmody; Director of LIT, Dr Maria Hinfelaar; MIC President, Dr Peadar Cremin and UL Vice President Academic & Registrar, Professor Don Barry.


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Pictured during the recent UL Open Days are Aine O’ Connor, Laura Keane, Brenda Riordan, Caroline Horgan and Louise Kelly from Presentation College Listowel, Co Kerry, who tried out a pose as UL Vikings American Football team on the campus.

Professor John Burland recently described in detail to an enthralled audience at the University of Limerick the challenging task of “Rescuing the Tower of Pisa”. Professor Burland visited UL as a guest speaker of the College of Engineering.

Pictured are Robin Howard-Hildige and his sister Aoise, from Milford National School, inspecting some of the insects at the Life Sciences Lab in UL during UL Science Week 2006.

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UL Wins European Language AwardThe University of Limerick’s innovative Graduate Diploma in Education course (Languages) has won a European Award for Languages. The Graduate Diploma course at UL is unique in Ireland in that it enables students to improve their language ability in small groups while also developing their teaching skills. It draws on the expertise of two departments in the University of Limerick: the Department of Education and Professional Studies and the Department of Languages and Cultural Studies. The programme, which was inaugurated in 2004, qualifies graduates to teach two of the following languages at post-primary level: English as a second language, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.

Pictured above receiving the award is Janet Moody, Department of Education and Professional Studies, UL, Rónán Mac Con Iomaire of TG4 and Dr Jean Conacher, Head of Department, Department of Languages and Cultural Studies, UL.

Pictured are President Emeritus, Professor Roger Downer, Professor Austin Darragh and Mr Matthew Simmons, Chairman of Simmons and Co. International and world expert on petroleum reserves. Mr Simmons addressed a large audience at UL where he delivered a lecture as part of the UL College of Science Invited Lecture Series.


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Pictured being welcomed to the 2005 UL Science Fair by Professor David O’Beirne, Dean College of Science, is Nasa Astronaut Dr Steve Robinson. Dr Robinson, who visited UL after his space mission with the Discovery Space Shuttle, wowed audiences with his personal home video taken during the mission.

The Ulster Bank Enablement Fund

The Ulster Bank Enablement Fund was established as part of the concession agreement arising from the tender of the University of Limerick banking contract with Ulster Bank for the 10-year period from August 2005. The fund is managed by a joint University of Limerick and Ulster Bank Committee, which agrees the allocation of €106,000 per annum towards UL activities relating to the student body, to UL graduates or to other activities as agreed by the Committee.

Some of the key events that have received sponsorship through the Enablement Fund include the Hockey Intervarsity Championships, a new 8-person rowing boat for the UL Rowing Club, the UL Film Festival, a Health Promotion Campaign, a second-hand book shop, and the Alumni Internet service ‘UniversaL’, as well as class rep training and an upgrade of their offices.

Paul Lee from the Students’ Union Clubs and Societies said that the enablement fund has had a massive impact on the operation and development of clubs and societies in the University of Limerick. “The allocation of funding to clubs and societies is covering a large amount of high expenditure capital items and high expenditure

intervarsities which previously would have taken up to one academic year for a club or society to raise even half the funds through local sponsorship activities,” he said.

Diane Colfer, Senior Branch Manager at Ulster Bank University of Limerick, said, “Ulster Bank is delighted with the impact and success this fund has had to date in the University of Limerick. Details on how to submit an application can be found on the UL website or by contacting any of the committee members.”

Pictured at the Launch of the University of Limerick Official Languages Scheme 2006-2009 are, from left, Seán Donlon, Chancellor, University of Limerick and Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív, TD.

Monica McLoughney, Ulster Bank Branch Manager, and Elaine Kiely, UL Student Affairs Officer, pictured at the launch of the Healthy Eating Week at the University of Limerick. The Ulster Bank Enablement Fund supported UL’s Healthy Eating Week.


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Graduate School at UL

In 2006 the University of Limerick announced the establishment of a new institution-wide Graduate School to support the development of research degree programmes and taught postgraduate programmes across the six colleges of the University and provide a “one-stop shop” for all postgraduate students. The University is committed to pioneering the development of new models and approaches to graduate education and training that will underpin the advancement of knowledge through original thinking and contribute to Ireland’s knowledge economy and society.

In supporting the link between teaching and research and between third and fourth level, the University is seeking to develop new research degree doctoral programmes, which will include taught elements, such as course work, as well as in-depth research training in the student’s field of research and related disciplines. In recognising that many doctoral graduates will be working outside of academia in varying roles, the University will also be providing additional generic and transferable skills training for research students in, amongst other things, management, information technology, communication, teamwork and professional development.

The main areas of research at the University of Limerick include software research, bioengineering, materials science, work quality and productivity, social science, environmental science and biosciences. UL boasts three research institutes and over 30 research centres. Overall, UL has 800 postgraduate students and 120 post-doctoral fellows. In the last four years the number of post-docs has increased by 100% while research funding increased from €8 million to €18 million, with €20.3 million for 2006.

Pictured with Professor Vincent Cunnane, Vice President Research, and Professor Nick Rees, Dean of the UL Graduate School, are the 2006 Advanced Scholars, 21 high-achieving UL students being supported by the University to continue their studies at post graduate level. The Advanced Scholars Programme identifies and supports outstanding first class honours students in the final year of their undergraduate degrees and encourages these high achievers to pursue a further postgraduate degree by research.

Dr Tiede Herrema, the Dutch industrialist who was kidnapped by the IRA in 1975, is pictured with Seán Donlon, Chancellor of University of Limerick. Dr Herrema donated his private archive of documentation relating to his kidnapping to the University of Limerick Library Special Collection.

Further information on the Graduate School and its programmes are available on www.graduatestudies.ul.ie.


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UL Scores High as Summer Conference Location

Members of the Augustinian Order pictured during the Augustinian Chapter meetings at UL.

The University of Limerick is one of Ireland’s most attractive conference venues, and last year over 5,000 delegates attended a wide range of academic conferences, summer schools and sports events.

Key academic conferences held last summer were the International Sociolinguistics Symposium, the University Association for Contemporary European Studies, the World Gold Council and the European Network on Industrial Policy. Several religious orders have also held their Chapter meetings on campus. The Reflexology Association, local industry giant Analog and Cadbury Ireland all held events on campus during 2006.

Revenue and UL Sign Degree Programme in Applied Taxation

Mr Frank Daly, Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners, and Mr John O’ Connor, President of the University of Limerick, have signed a Service Level Agreement between the two organisations for the delivery of the 4th and final year of a BA (Hons.) programme in Applied Taxation.

The University of Limerick has already accredited Revenue’s current in-house technical tax training programme, which is delivered by Revenue’s Training Branch, with a Diploma in Applied Taxation. Over 100 Revenue students graduated last December with the Diploma in Applied Taxation and a similar number are expected to graduate later this year. A further year of study, which will lead to a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Taxation, has now been developed by UL and Revenue. These service level agreements provide third level accreditation of the programmes in education training and research in the taxation area and are a first in the Irish civil service.

Frank Daly said the agreement marks a unique and innovative partnership: “UL’s commitment to the relevance of the programme to Revenue, and Revenue’s commitment to the quality that UL’s involvement brings to all our accredited training, are consolidated through the spirit of partnership which has evolved over the last two years and through the joint management structures in place.”

Further Details of Revenue/UL €5 million partnership announced

Pictured in Dublin Castle at the signing of the Service Level Agreement between the two organisations for the delivery of the Final Year of the BA (Hons.) in Applied Taxation are Mr John O’Connor, President of the University of Limerick, Mr Frank Daly, Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners, and Ms. Margery Stapleton, Director of the Centre for Taxation Studies, University of Limerick.

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Announcing the appointment, Mr Donlon said, “The Governing Authority of the University of Limerick unanimously adopted the recommendation of the Presidential Selection Board and we are delighted to have appointed a person with the eminent reputation of Professor Don Barry as a scholar, a senior university executive and an academic leader. I am sure that during Professor Barry’s presidency, UL will further develop as a pioneering and progressive force in Irish education for the betterment of society”.

The process of finding a new President involved a national and international search as well as the normal media advertising. Uniquely, it also involved the short-listed candidates meeting representative groups of the campus community, including academics, administrators and students. A native of Mallow, Co Cork, Professor Don Barry attended the Patrician Academy there and was awarded a BSc (Mathematical Science) and MSc (Mathematics & Statistics) from University College, Cork. He subsequently received a PhD in Statistics in Yale University. He was appointed Assistant and Associate Professor in Yale Statistics Department before taking up faculty positions in the Statistics Department of UCC, including the Head of Department role. He has extensive teaching and research experience at third level, teaching students in areas such as Informatics & Electronics, Science, Business, Engineering, Arts and Medicine, as well as being Director of the Statistical Consulting Unit since 2000. Professor Barry was appointed Vice President Academic & Registrar at UL in 2004 with responsibility for academic developments

across the University. In that capacity he has chaired Academic Council and Deans’ Council and is a member of the Governing Authority. His research in the field of statistics has involved extensive publications in international journals and a range of externally funded research projects, with a focus on Bayesian statistics, epidemiology, semiparametric estimation, growth curves and applied statistics in medicine. Professor Barry has been an external examiner for doctoral research at UCC, UCD and Yale University and has been Associate Editor of the journal Biometrics since 1998. President Barry succeeds Mr John O’Connor, who took on the Presidential role after resignation of Professor Roger Downer.

Professor Don Barry Appointed UL President

The Chancellor of the University of Limerick and Chairman of its Governing Authority, Mr Seán Donlon, recently announced the appointment of Professor Don Barry as President of UL.

Professor Don Barry

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Pictured are Eileen Russell, Mitchelstown and Johnathen Van De Belt, Dublin who took part in the UL Summer Science Camp 2006. The Programme is open to 3rd, 4th and 5th year secondary students and is designed to help them gain some first hand experience of studying science at third level.

Pictured at the UL digital arts exhibition 2006 are students Shen Quig and Wang Jian both from China checking out the 'Living Globe' project.

Bugs Up and Over - 2nd Year Mechanical Engineering and Computer Aided Design Students at the University of Limerick got a chance to get their creative juices flowing with a project to design a mechanical robotic toy in the form of an insect that is capable of jumping one meter in height or three meters in length. Pictured are: John Murphy, Portmagee, Co Kerry; Paul Norris, Dungarven, Co Waterford and Eamonn McNicholas, Straide, Co Mayo.


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Like many urban communities, parts of Limerick City have been left behind by the Celtic Tiger. Young people in such environments and in areas of rural disadvantage all too often suffer from deprivation, high unemployment and poor infrastructure and support facilities. “I realised that if we were going to achieve our goal, we would need to put in place a programme to encourage and support access, and that a designated office be established to support it”, Roger commented. “Also we had to move back a step and start working with younger children, out of which came a number of initiatives: homework clubs, the ‘fun to learn’ initiative, gymnastic classes and all the sporting activities that

children love. The carrot for the children was that they had to complete their daily homework before they could use these facilities. This connected UL with fun and enjoyment in their minds. This really set us on the road and has been a cornerstone of many of our initiatives.”

Making UL accessible to students from disadvantaged backgrounds and to those who had not received a traditional secondary education was another priority of Roger’s. “We established an Access Office, provided additional funding and put in place special access and foundation courses to support these students. The

Access for ALLPresident Emeritus Professor Roger Downer speaks about the development of access programmes at UL.

When Roger GH Downer retired as President of UL last year, he left behind a legacy that included significant developments in the field of Access. Reflecting upon his eight years in office in a recent interview, Roger spoke about this central theme of his Presidency:

“Involving UL in the wider community could, I felt, be best achieved by pursuing a number of complementary goals: by promoting the University as an engine of economic growth in the region, it would provide the necessary skills to increase employment opportunities and economic activity. We needed to open up many of our facilities to the wider community to demonstrate our commitment to good neighbourliness and, more fundamentally, to put in place an access programme to enable young people from different backgrounds to receive a university education.”

Professor Roger Downer with Kevin Mathiasz and Rachel Brown, both Access Scholarship recipients who spoke at the President’s Dinner 2006.

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results have been most encouraging and have allowed many young people to develop their potential.”

The Access Programme at UL has steadily developed, with the total number of UL’s undergraduate Access students currently standing at almost 300. The intake has increased from 52 in 2002/03 to 98 in 2005/06 and, increasingly, Access students are progressing onto postgraduate programmes. As part of this commitment, the University of Limerick has invested over €1 million in support of initiatives aimed at students who experience educational disadvantage.

Roger was also involved in the establishment of an Access Campus in Southill. “Another practical example of community initiative is the computing skills programme set up in conjunction with Dell Computers. This enables young people to familiarise themselves with computers and the wonders of the worldwide web and gain useful insights into the workings of a large and successful organisation.”

At the President’s Gala Dinner held on 28th June 2006, John O’Connor, who succeeded Roger as President, praised “the interest that he has taken in the development of Limerick and its environs.” Proceeds from the event were used to fund five Access Programme Scholarships, and a particular highlight of the evening came in the form of speeches by two Access students who spoke of their experiences at UL and the challenges and satisfaction that receiving a university education presented.

Speaking eloquently to the 270 attendees at the black-tie dinner in Dromoland Castle, Access student Kevin Mathiasz told his story like this: “I live in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Limerick City with my mother and younger brother. Not many people in my area get the opportunity to go to university but solely with the help of the Access Programme I have. I love languages and when I finish my degree, I want to travel and learn as many languages as I can. I also want to experience as many different cultures and societies as possible. Some day, I hope to get my ideal job as a translator in the Department of Foreign Affairs. A university education will give me the confidence I need to succeed but the Access Programme has helped me to realise and live out my dream. It has changed my life.” His co-student Rachel Brown said: “I’m sure that I speak on behalf of all former and current Access students in paying a special word of thanks to Professor Downer, who established the Access Office during his time as President.”

There can be no finer tribute.

Former President of the European Parliament Pat Cox is pictured with two young students at the Access Campus opening in Southhill.

“...results have been most encouraging and have allowed many young people to develop their potential”



Building contracts worth over €4.3 million have been signed and construction is nearly completed on a state-of-the-art rowing boathouse on the shore of the River Shannon at the spectacular University of Limerick campus.

Another First for UL as Building Gets Underway on State-of-the-Art Boathouse

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In a project funded largely by University of Limerick students, co-ordinated by the Students’ Union, driven by the student clubs and societies and supported by the University, the Boathouse will house Ireland’s only indoor rowing tank. This unique facility within Ireland will simulate various weather and water conditions and accommodate up to 16 rowers at a time in

training. It will bring training opportunities for rowers to an international standard. The total area of the UL Boathouse is 1900m2. As well as housing the UL Rowing Club, Kayak Club, Mountain Bike Club and Sub Aqua Club, the building will include a launch jetty, pontoon and café area on the river bank, which will be open to the public.

Pictured are St.John O’Donnabháin, President UL Student’s Union; Colin Byrne, UL Rowing Club; Paul Lee, Development Officer ULSU; Sinead O’Keeffe and Bob Strunz, UL Sub Aqua Club; Cormac Eason, UL Mountain Bike Club and Tony Canning, UL Kayak Club.

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By the beginning of 2007, the financial contribution to the infrastructure of the University Sports Arena, the Student Centre and the Boathouse was in excess of €12m, a tremendous credit to students past and present. This latest addition enhances the University’s reputation as a leader in sporting excellence and reaffirms Limerick’s reputation as the City of Sport.

Ireland’s First University Financial Markets Trading Floor

Above is a virtual image of the UL Boathouse.

The new building, which is 5,000m2 in size, has been designed with the particular needs of the senior undergraduate and postgraduate business students in mind. The building will incorporate Ireland’s first University Financial Markets Trading Floor as well as a 350-capacity lecture theatre, interactive lecture theatres to facilitate dialogue between lecturers and

students, a dedicated computer lab exclusively for use by KBS students, restaurant facilities, executive teaching suites and a Student Enterprise Centre.

Dean of the Kemmy Business School Professor Donal Dineen said, “The plans for the KBS building include the construction of a ‘real-time’ fully functional Financial Markets Trading Floor that will emphasise and build upon the strong industry orientation of the financial services programmes offered in the School. Exclusive to the Irish university sector, the Trading Floor will be managed by a select group of Finance Faculty in the Kemmy Business School who combine senior-level practical experience of the international financial markets with doctoral-level qualifications from the leading international business schools in the quantitative finance discipline.” The new building is due for completion at the end of 2007.

Building has commenced on the latest edition to the University of Limerick campus in the form of the new Kemmy Business School (KBS) building.

Pictured at the contract signing ceremony are Professor Donal Dineen, Dean of the Kemmy Business School; Mr John O’Connor, President, University of Limerick; Mr PJ Moroney, Tom Hayes Builders Ltd and Mr Denis Brereten, RKD Architects.


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The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance covers disciplines ranging from music, dance and voice through to research and performance. In each of these diverse and exciting areas, students have the opportunity to experience a tremendous array of music and dance genres. Since its establishment ten years ago, the Irish World Academy has developed its own Irish talent, as well as hosting more than 200 musicians and dancers from over 25 countries throughout the world. The architectural design of the new building is an inspired response to the beautiful ecological surroundings at the University of Limerick. This includes the many monastic influences along the River Shannon, such as Glenstal Abbey and Quin Abbey.

World-renowned musician Professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, explains that the new building will provide a riverside space where musicians, dancers, composers, singers, conductors and choreographers will explore together. “Musicologists and choreologists will research alongside live performance. The history and anthropology of music and dance will provide the research surround for the rediscovery of older sounds and gestures, as well as for the discovery of new voices, and the reinvention of received traditions,” he says.

A Place for Exploration

A neW home for mUsic And dAnceAs home to the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, the University of Limerick is the undisputed centre for academic and performance excellence in music and dance in Ireland. Following the results of an international competition, construction is scheduled to commence on a new home for the Academy north of the River Shannon in County Clare. Lying at the foot of the new Pedestrian ‘Living Bridge’, which links the north and south banks of the campus, this 4,800m2 building will become the new creative hub of Ireland’s finest university campus.

Pictured left Professor Bruno Giuranna viola tutor on the Irish World Academy’s MA in Classical String Performance, with student Heloise Geoghan

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The new building will house three separate theatres. One of the building’s most magnificent features will be the Tower Theatre, situated at the very heart of the structure and resembling the monastic towers of Clonmacnoise. Scaling from the bottom floor to the top and finishing with a circular window to the sky, this atrium-style facility can hold 80 people and will be a space out of which a powerful sound will resonate. “The Tower will contain an awe-inspiring Pipe Organ, making it an ideal venue for chant and voice

performances. The music and song which will emanate from the Tower will recreate the ancient sounds which filled the air along the River Shannon’s banks 1000 years ago,” according to Professor Ó Súilleabháin.

A second ‘Sionna Theatre’ will accommodate 240 people and has been described as a musical laboratory. The highly versatile seating arrangements will allow for maximum flexibility and versatility for teaching, learning and performance. The theatre floors will contain sprung timber parquet dance floors to optimise dance performance. This facility will be topped with the Rooftop ‘Cloister’ Theatre. The Rooftop Theatre can hold

200 people and will be used for outdoor performances. It will have a retractable cover that can be used to protect the rooftop area should the Irish weather prove unfavourable.

The design of the new Irish World Academy building also includes a “performance entrance forecourt” on the open area immediately adjacent to the Academy’s front entrance. This Plaza will embrace the Living Bridge’s arrival into County Clare and will include a 100-seat café. The space may also serve as an informal

performance location, an exhibition or display space and a gathering space for people attending Academy performances.

Other facilities will include specially designed large dance studios for the teaching of music and dance, a music and dance research area, a green room, Zen garden, tutorial rooms and academic offices.

“The new building will be spectacular for performance as it will fill the riverside with music and song and draw students, faculty and visitors to the heart of the campus,” says Professor Ó Súilleabháin.

Filling the riverside with music and song

“The new building will be spectacular for performance as it will fill the riverside with music and song and draw students, faculty and visitors to the heart of the campus,”

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In addition to students at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels, the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance will continue to have the Irish Chamber Orchestra and Daghdha Dance Company as permanent Artists-in-Residence. The Chieftains will also continue their association with the Academy. Only recently the group invited a traditional music ensemble made up of UL students and recent graduates – Líadan – to accompany them as their main guest on a North American seven-week tour in 2007. Riverdance’s Jean Butler and Colin Dunne continue their association

with the Academy and are regular visiting tutors on Contemporary and Traditional Dance Performance programmes.

The Grammy Award Winning composer of Riverdance, Bill Whelan, maintains there is no doubt that the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance has already begun to fulfil its vision. “It is a unique institution for training young Irish and international performers and an important nexus for the interpretation of our own traditional culture, and its relationship to the wider world,” he says.

World-class students and residents

The bulk of the funding for this spectacular new home for the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance is currently being sought from donors. The Academy is a flagship fundraising project being undertaken by the University of Limerick Foundation. According to Liza O’Connor, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, “The University of Limerick has over the years benefited immensely from the invaluable support of benefactors from Ireland and across the world to make its ambitious plans come to fruition. The results of such philanthropy are evident throughout the University campus, which is, in the opinion of many, the finest and most picturesque in Ireland.”

Campus is Testament to Benefactors


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This past year we have concentrated on several projects aimed at further improving what is generally considered to be one of Ireland’s most physically attractive university campuses. In particular we have concentrated our efforts on:

• The Pedestrian Living Bridge “An Droichead Beo”• The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance• The Kemmy Business School

All the while we continue our efforts in the area of Access, facilitating capable students from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain entrance to UL and to succeed in their studies while here.

We are both appreciative of and encouraged by the number of very generous charitable gifts ULF has received for these undertakings.

At ULF we strive to have fun while raising funds. Friend-raising and fundraising are integrally linked at ULF. The 4th Annual President’s Dinner took place on Friday, 11th May in the dramatically attractive environs of Dromoland Castle in Co. Clare. It was a most enjoyable night, building upon the sell-out success

of last year’s event, with funds raised to benefit the Academy, under the inspired leadership of Professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. In late September a celebrity golf tournament is planned for Doonbeg, Co. Clare, led by ULF Board member Sir Terry Wogan and Dr Keith Wood – details to be confirmed and shared shortly.

Information on these events as well as current University priorities and details of our development programmes can be found on our website www.ulf.ie. Alternatively, our staff is available at 061-337087 for further information at any time.

LIZA O’CONNOR Chief Executive

Note from the Chief Executive Liza O’ Connor

neWs from The foUndATion

Since its founding in 1989, the University of Limerick Foundation (ULF) has been at the forefront of university fundraising in Ireland. ULF is engaged in generating financial support for programmes and activities for the University of Limerick from private individuals and institutions, thereby playing a vital role in ensuring that the University has the resources to remain a leading, internationally recognised educational institution.


Pictured left is the recently refurbished Millrace Bridge on the UL Campus.

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Pictured at the New York Board Meeting Dinner at the River Café (clockwise from bottom left): Cathy Greene, Buzzy O’Keeffe (ULF Board Member), Vincent Cunnane Vice President Research UL; Kerry Chaffers, Ken Gorman (ULF Board Member), Loretta Brennan Glucksman (ULF Life Trustee), Buzzy O’Keeffe (ULF Board Member) and Eamonn Cregan Director of Corporate Affairs UL; Donal Forde (ULF Board Member), Don Barry Vice President Academic & Registrar UL, Niamh Forde and Maeve Tiernan.

A beautiful mild May in New York City was the setting for the first ULF Board meeting of the year. The event involved two days of substantial work and included presentations from Roger Downer, John O’Connor, Vincent Cunnane, Don Barry and Liza O’Connor.

On the first night, an exceptional dinner was hosted by Buzzy O’Keeffe at his River Café with the breathtaking New York skyline as a backdrop. On the second night Jim and Maureen McCarron generously hosted a very memorable dinner at the Union Club, highlights of which included recitations by Frank McCourt, Malachy McCourt, Roger Downer and Bill Whelan.

ULF News and Events

University of Limerick Foundation Board Meeting May 2006, New York City

The Glucksman Library and Information Services Building at the University of Limerick was the venue for the October Board meeting with many Board Members making the long journey from the US. The proceedings concluded with a dinner in Adare Manor attended by Board members and partners, friends of UL and the proprietors of Adare Manor, Tom and Judy Kane. Talented students of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance treated all guests to a tremendous performance.

October 2006 Board Meeting at the University of Limerick

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On 5th and 6th October 2006, Jim Keyes, former President and CEO of 7-Eleven, and his wife Margo were joined at the University of Limerick by a group of Texan business and community leaders who came to the campus for a two-day seminar on philanthropy. Seminars and sessions were held in the elegant setting of the Board Room at Plassey House, case studies were explored and presentations were made examining philanthropy in the US and Ireland. The University of Limerick was delighted to welcome so many contributors, which included UL’s Founding President and ULF Board Member Dr Edward Walsh, ULF Life Trustee Gerry Boland, Publisher of ‘Philanthropy World’ magazine Bob Hopkins and Texan philanthropist Dolores Barzune.

Texan Philanthropy Group

(Clockwise from top left) (Bottom Row) Ted and Garry Murphy, John O’Connor UL President, Margo (ULF Life Trustee) and Jim Keyes (ULF Board member), Don Barry Vice President Academic & Registrar UL, Dolores and Dr Larry Barzune Texan Philanthropist; (Middle Row) Bob Hopkins Publisher of ‘Philanthropy World’ Magazine, Joan Houlihan, Gerry Boland (ULF Life Trustee), Liza O’Connor (ULF CEO), Eamonn Cregan Director of Corporate Affairs UL; (Top Row) Michael Houlihan (Chairperson ULF Board) ; Jim Keyes (ULF Board member) speaking at the event.; Michael Houlihan and Dr Larry Barzune.; Ted Murphy, Garry Murphy & Bob Hopkins


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On June 28th 2006 the University of Limerick President’s Dinner clearly established itself as a tremendous highlight on the region’s social calendar. Key business leaders and members of the community came out for a celebratory night in support of the University of Limerick. Proceeds from the event fully funded five scholarships for the University’s Access Programme, which assists students from disadvantaged backgrounds to study at UL. Rachel Brown and Kevin Mathiasz, two recipients of the University’s Access Programme Scholarships, spoke at the event, and all in attendance felt the powerful and positive effect of their words.

Speaking after the dinner, Liza O’Connor, CEO of the University of Limerick Foundation, said: “This was the most financially successful President’s Dinner to date with more than €80,000 raised on the night. Dinner proceeds allowed us to fully fund five Access Programme Scholarships. We are very pleased with the overwhelming and generous support provided by the business community in Limerick, Clare and the Shannon Region.”

This Dinner also celebrated the successful tenure of Professor Roger Downer as President of UL. Guests were treated to a video montage of scenes from Professor Downer’s time in office. A beautifully bound edition of these photos was presented to Roger Downer during the evening.

President’s Dinner 2006

Our thanks to the sponsors of the President’s Gala Dinner 2007

Main Sponsor:

In association with: Elegant Wines sponsored by Castle Oaks Catering and

1. Kevin Mathiasz, Liza O’ Connor and Rachel Brown 2. Donal Forde and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin 3. Noel Mulcahy, Dan Tierney, Veronica Harris, The Honourable Mr Joseph Finnegan 4. Roger Downer, Jean Downer, Seosaimhin O’Connor, John O’Connor. 5. The ballroom at Dromoland Castle 6. Delia Ganley, Declan Ganley, Gerard McInerney, Mike Feerick 7. Mary, Michael, Ralph and Maureen Parkes.

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28 July 2007 The UniversiTy of Limerick mAGAZine The UniversiTy of Limerick mAGAZine July 2007 29

Roadbridge Ltd has generously pledged a gift to fund two research postgraduate scholarships in the area of medical research. The first recipient of the Scholarship is Ms Deirdre Harrington, who is currently undertaking a Research Masters Degree. Her proposed project will examine the

effectiveness of a practical response to the increasing levels of obesity in adolescents. Roadbridge Ltd is one of Ireland’s largest civil engineering contractors. The company’s head office is based in Ballysheedy, Co Limerick, and there are also regional offices in Naas and Galway.

Scholarships

First Roadbridge Scholarship awarded

Paddy Dooley Rowing Scholarships

On 12th April 2006, an award presentation was held in Plassey House for the Paddy Dooley Rowing Scholarship. This undergraduate scholarship in rowing was endowed through the generosity of the Dooley family from Limerick, in honour of their father, Paddy Dooley.

Paddy Dooley captained the “Irish Olympic Eight” in the 1948 Olympic Games in London and has stayed involved in the sport over the years, coaching at St Michael’s and ultimately starting the Limerick Masters Rowing Association in 1993. He worked hard to raise the profile of the sport in Limerick and to extend its reach, and was a finalist for “Limerick Person of the Year” in 2004 for his efforts on behalf of rowing in the city. The first ever recipient of the Scholarship is mature student Caroline MacManus (pictured) from Rhebogue, Limerick, who is a student of Physiotherapy at UL.

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The Plassey Society is composed of individuals and organisations wishing to support and become involved in the University’s evolution.

A gathering of the UL Plassey Society members took place on Thursday, 10th November in Plassey House on the UL campus. UL President John O’Connor hosted this intimate event exclusively for Plassey Society members.

During the evening, President O’Connor gave a special briefing to members about current developments on campus including the Pedestrian Living Bridge, as well as future plans for the University such as the Graduate Medical School. CEO of the UL Foundation Liza O’Connor updated members on some of the activities

of the Foundation and the progress that has been made in recent times. She also thanked them for their continued support, emphasising how important this has been to both the Foundation and the University.

The evening concluded with a rousing performance by graduates of the Master’s programme at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, including Brian Morrissey, Eoin Coughlan, Elaine Cormican and Valerie Casey. Both Elaine and Valerie play with the group Líadan and are playing support to the Chieftains in their current tour.

For details on joining the Society, please contact Sarah Hartnett at the UL Foundation on 061 234240 or email [email protected].

UL Plassey Society

(Clockwise from top left) Michael Byrne, Patricia Byrne, and Joe Ryan; Trevor Morrow, Daniel Gallery, John O’Connor (UL President).; Seosaimhín O’Connor, Pat O’Hanlon, Ann O’Hanlon; Gerry Reeves, Gerry Boland (Life Trustee ULF)


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With the largest intake of undergraduate business students in the country and with interest in UL’s business courses increasing annually, the Kemmy Business School is in need of a purpose-built new

building. This new building will contain first- class teaching facilities, a variety of dedicated laboratories, executive teaching suites, breakout rooms and interactive lecture rooms.

The learning experience will be greatly enhanced by the provision of a ‘Live’ Trading Floor facility that will offer a highly interactive learning dynamic for students. The Kemmy Business School Trading Floor will facilitate students in learning to manage “hypothetical” investment portfolios as if they were actually trading financial instruments on a Wall Street or City of London-type trading floor. This very impressive facility will be the first one of its type in Ireland.

Kemmy Business School

The University of Limerick Foundation, in partnership with its Board and a wide range of friends and benefactors, works diligently each year to raise funds to assist with the University’s advancement. ULF is currently fundraising for three major projects: the Kemmy Business School, the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and the Pedestrian Living Bridge. Here is some information on each of these projects.

Flagship Fundraising Projects

The Pedestrian Living Bridge is currently under construction by Eiffel Construction, Paris, and will take its place as one of the most impressive pieces of architecture on campus. It will be the longest pedestrian bridge in Ireland, fording the longest river in Ireland, the River Shannon. Its strategic location at the heart of the expanding campus, combined with its innovative and iconic design, will make the Pedestrian Living Bridge a landmark, a crossing, and an active part of the learning and social life of UL. Recently the Pedestrian Living Bridge project received a very generous gift of €150,000 from local builders Brian McCarthy Contractors Ltd. These successful builders have a very long-standing relationship with UL and have built some of our most impressive facilities, including Dromroe Village Student Accommodation, Cappavilla Student Accommodation and the new UL Boathouse. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Brian McCarthy Contractors Ltd for their most generous gift.

Pedestrian Living Bridge “An Droichead Beo”

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The result of an international competition, the new Irish World Academy of Music and Dance building will take its place in County Clare along the banks of the River Shannon. Lying at the foot of the new Pedestrian Living Bridge, which will link both sides of the campus, the 4,800m2 building will be at the new heart of this young and vibrant University. Its architectural design is an inspired response to the ecological surroundings at the University of Limerick; this includes the many monastic influences along the River Shannon exemplified by Clonmacnoise, as well as those located in Limerick and Clare such as Glenstal Abbey and Quin Abbey.

The new building will provide a fully professional platform for learning and expression, containing state-of-the-art performance and teaching facilities which will inspire world-class performances through the encouragement and cultivation of individual artistic potential.

If you would like any further information on the above projects, please contact Liza O’ Connor, University of Limerick Foundation, [email protected] or phone 061 202209.

The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance

Artist’s impression of Irish World Academy of Music and Dance

Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Jean Butler and award-winning Architect Daniel Cordier looking at the 3D model of the New Irish World Academy of Music and Dance.


The UL Foundation Board has experienced significant growth in the last 12 months with many influential leaders from industry, business and entertainment offering their valued time and experience to help advance UL. Some of our newest Board members are profiled here.

New Board Members at the University of Limerick Foundation 2006

KEN GORMAN

Ken Gorman is the Principal and co-owner of Apollo Partners, a venture company operating in the media, communications, entertainment and broadcasting fields. He was previously Executive VP and Chairman of Viacom Networks Broadcast Group, whose parent company, Viacom International, is a major global media company with brands including CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures. Ken is a board member of The American Ireland Fund and is also a Co-Chair of the Ireland Funds’ Wine Geese Society.

JOHN HARTNETT

A Limerick native, John Hartnett currently works in Silicon Valley, California with Palm, Inc as Senior Vice President Global Markets. For the last three years John has been selected as one of Irish America Magazine’s Top 100 Business People (along with fellow California-based ULF Board Member John Ryan). John is involved with the San Francisco American Ireland Fund, the US Ireland Alliance and Enterprise Ireland. He is also a board member for several Irish-based technology companies, and is an avid supporter of Munster Rugby.

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JIM KEYES

Jim Keyes is originally from Massachusetts and is former President and CEO of 7-Eleven, which operates a worldwide chain of convenience stores. He is the Founder of Education is Freedom – a public charity that provides financial assistance to academically talented students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Jim serves on the boards of a number of different organisations, including the National Association of Convenience Stores, The Dallas Symphony Board of Governors, Dallas Citizens Council and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He attended the University of London and has an MBA from Columbia University.


CHARLIE MILLIGAN

Charlie Milligan is currently a senior financial consultant with UBS Wealth Management Group. Prior to joining the UBS organisation he held a number of senior positions in the financial services area, most notably as President of the Fidelity Brokerage Group and Senior Vice President and executive committee member of the PaineWebber Group. He has served as a board member for the New York and Pacific stock exchanges and the Fidelity Trust Company. Charlie is a graduate of Marist College with a degree in mathematics and served on the board of the college. He also served in the United States Marine Corps and spent one year in Vietnam. He is a member of the New York and Royal Irish Yacht Clubs.

ED WALSH

Dr Edward M Walsh is the Founding President of the University of Limerick. He is now chairman of various public and private organisations. Ed is a Freeman of the City of Limerick, a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and the Royal Irish Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, and an honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts.

Ed is a graduate of the National University of Ireland and holds Masters and Doctorate qualifications in nuclear and electrical engineering from Iowa State University, where he was an Associate of the US Atomic Energy Commission Laboratory. He also holds honorary doctorates from four universities.

The University of Limerick Foundation Board includes: Mr James Collins • Mr Seán Donlon • Mr Charles F Feeney • Mr Donal Forde • Mr Kenneth F Gorman • Mr Dermot Hanrahan • Mr John Hartnett • Mr Gordon A Holmes • Mr Michael P Houlihan • Mr James Keyes • Mr Paul Kimball • Dr James McCarron • Dr Frank McCourt • Mr Harry McKillop • Mr Charles Milligan • Dr John F Mitchell • Mr John O’Connor • Mr Michael “Buzzy” O’Keeffe • Dr John Ryan • Mr Michael Tiernan • Mr Dan P N Tierney • Dr Edward M Walsh • Dr Bill Whelan • Sir Terry Wogan

The University of Limerick Foundation Life Trustees include: • Mr P Gerard Boland • Dr Loretta Brennan Glucksman • Mrs Margo Keyes • Dr Tim Mahony • Mrs Pauline Ryan • Ms Elizabeth Shannon.

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TERRY WOGAN

Born in Limerick, Terry Wogan worked in banking for five years before joining RTÉ as a newsreader and interviewer. After two years, he moved to the BBC as a presenter and, in 1969, he relocated to London. Terry has presented numerous BBC TV programmes, including Wogan, the Eurovision Song Contest, Celebrity Squares, Blankety Blank, Children in Need, Auntie’s Bloomers and Wogan’s Web. He currently presents the BBC 2 Breakfast show, Wake up to Wogan, and is just starting his third TV chat show called Wogan Now and Then on UKTV Gold.

Terry received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Limerick in 2004. In June 2005, he was made an Honorary Knight and Knight Ordinary of the Order of the British Knighthood.

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Lew joined the UL family at a dinner in the home of our Chancellor, Seán Donlon, when Founding President Ed Walsh invited him to address some of the Business students on campus the following day. Lew’s discourse, now part of UL folklore, was peppered with thought-provoking and sometimes controversial statements – presented as obviously axiomatic – about global commerce. Students listened spellbound as he proffered advice about conducting business in countries like Canada (don’t – it’s over-regulated and market forces cannot hold sway) to Russia (don’t even think about it – it’s too much like the Wild West and lacking in a protective regulatory structure). He challenged, engaged, shocked and intrigued a class whose members got very much more than their regularly scheduled lecture had promised. In return, UL got a lifelong friend.

Lew’s formidable reputation as a Titan of Wall Street preceded him but did not do justice to the manner of his involvement in the life of UL. He had a profound respect for the work of those who are talented, creative and committed to their field. He had a deep insight into the alchemy that a university context can provide to beget inspiration and innovation. He sincerely believed in the power of education to stimulate, to nurture and to liberate. And he had a belief, at a very fundamental level, that the private resources he had at his disposal, allied to the support of others he could encourage to follow his lead, should be applied to the common good. At the end of many a long day of UL meetings and briefings, on campus or in his offices overlooking the lower reaches of the Hudson in Manhattan, Lew would often say “We did some good things”. This was the signal that honourable work had been undertaken,

vital decisions made, progress achieved and the noble endeavour of education advanced. In essence, Lew’s philanthropic instincts were scrupulously focused on doing “some good things”.

As Lew and his wife, Loretta Brennan Glucksman, became integrated into the fabric of UL, it became increasingly apparent that nothing about Lew could be taken for granted. Our expectation that he might be interested in business education, given his background in the cauldrons of international finance where his career had been forged, proved well wide of the mark. One of the first initiatives Lew supported was a Chair in Contemporary Writing in English.

he did some Good ThinGsA Personal Remembrance of Lewis L Glucksman By Éamonn Cregan

Lewis L Glucksman


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And so it came to pass that stars from the literary firmament – among them Mary Gordon, EL Doctorow, Seamus Heaney and our own Frank McCourt – came to the banks of the Shannon as visiting Glucksman Professors to leaven existing resources and sow the seeds for many future programmes in the world of letters. It was also telling that each of these literary icons counted Lew and Loretta as friends, and it was the couple’s personal invitation that secured their induction into the UL family. No doubt Lew, with his catholic interest in all forms of learning, would take particular pleasure in the fact that the first permanent occupant of the Glucksman Chair, Professor Tom Moylan, is specialising in utopianism and man’s attempts to achieve a perfect society based on equality and communal effort – a far cry from the fiercely competitive and individualistic business worlds where Lew himself was a leader.

When Lew was briefed on the need for high-quality accommodation for visiting scholars on temporary assignment at UL, he provided the funding for Brennan Court, a complex of faculty apartments on one of the choice sites by the Shannon, which he dedicated to the memory of Loretta’s father, William Brennan. As he reviewed plans for the development Lew interrogated UL’s John O’Connor on the fine details of the design. With his genuine understanding of the concept of “aoibhinn beatha an scoláire” (the joy of the scholar’s life), Lew spotted a lacuna that spoke of his understanding of scholarship and his lifelong passion for books - there was no specific provision for bookshelves and a space for each visiting scholar’s private library. He was adamant that any serious scholars would want their own books around them. This had significant cost implications and the bad news had to be broken to Lew when the Foundation board took a break for lunch one day in New York.

Lew and Loretta


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He readily committed to increase his benefaction to solve the problem. “Why spoil a good lunch?” he said with a flourish, allowing every apartment in Brennan Court to be equipped with a special nook or cranny in which visiting faculty such as Fulbright Professors could immerse themselves in their special collection of the printed word. With Lew - one way or another - it always came back to books.

If any additional proof were needed, a personal encounter with Lew confirmed his love of books. I once drove him to catch a train after we had spent a morning doing “some good things” on campus. On the journey to the station I mentioned my recent purchase in a ‘fire sale’ of half a dozen books from an eccentric book collector whose vast, compulsively-acquired hoard of rare and not-so-rare books had completely out-grown his suburban bungalow and led to his

neighbours obtaining court injunctions compelling him to sell off his treasures. When I showed one of the books to Lew, he perused its fine leather and gold-leaf cover with respect and flicked through the dog-eared pages with interest. He expressed sympathy for the plight of the heart-broken collector who had tenderly kissed each volume I purchased before handing over custody of them to me with a plea to “love them”. And then Lew nonchalantly placed

Pictured at the opening of the Glucksman Library & Information Services Building are from left: Lewis L Glucksman, Loretta Brennan Glucksman, Dr Edward M Walsh, Founding President of UL,Dr Miriam Hederman O’Brien, former Chancellor of the University of Limerick and An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

...he was convinced that books lay at the heart of the student’s world and was committed to ensuring that they remained so.


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the book in his briefcase and headed merrily for the train. I was left sitting outside Colbert Station in a speechless and bemused state. However, the irony of just having irretrievably lost one-sixth of my nascent but puny collection into a bibliophilic vortex was tempered by the knowledge that the book had now been adopted by someone who truly loved and cared for books and that it was now in the best of company.

And this special dedication to books found its highwater mark in the Glucksman Library that Lew and Loretta helped construct on the UL campus. When this temple of learning was opened by An Taoiseach in May 1998, the visitors were impressed by its advanced infrastructure, which allowed electronic access to repositories of knowledge all over the world. However, Lew made sure that the building had capacity for some 360,000 volumes; in truth, though he used the modern media and could see their potential, he was convinced that books lay at the heart of the student’s world and was committed to ensuring that they remained so. As the crowds attending the official opening milled around the shiny new reading rooms and computer labs, Lew was to be found in his glory amidst the gems of the Special Collections area.

The University of Limerick can count itself incredibly fortunate to have had Lew as a friend, especially so early on in its life as a university. He and Loretta are rightly credited as leading lights in the development of a new and increasingly powerful and important philanthropic tradition in Ireland. After their engagement with UL, Lew and Loretta befriended other Irish universities. It was fitting that a memorial service for Lew held at UCC near his beloved East Grove home – his Irish sanctuary from life’s troubled waters – included testimonials from UL and the many Irish

third-level institutions that had been supported by Lew and Loretta, as well as words of appreciation from the Irish government in recognition of the Glucksmans’ role as pioneers of a new kind of patriotism and public service.

It would be impossibly optimistic to try to encapsulate Lew’s legacy to UL in one statement. Generations of

learners – past, present and future – will feast on the fruits of his benevolence. Students will learn from faculty supported by his endowments. Faculty will thrive in the cradles of learning and scholarship he helped construct as a home for them on campus. Scholars will draw on the font of learning, reference and wisdom he has created to illuminate and inspire the research and teaching of the University of Limerick for many years to come. And future philanthropists will follow his tradition of private action and support for public causes. All one could reasonably attempt to convey is some element of the essence of Lew.

So, in short and with a level of understatement I like to think Lew would approve of, I feel it appropriate to say… he “did some good things”.

Lewis L Glucksman (1925-2006) was a member of the Board of the University of Limerick Foundation during the years 1992-2000 and its Chair during the years 1993-1999.

Loretta Brennan Glucksman is a Life Trustee of the UL Foundation and a member of the Board of the University Concert Hall.

Éamonn Cregan (Director, Corporate Affairs, UL) was CEO of the UL Foundation from 1994 to 2000 and remains involved in ULF activities.


The University of Limerick can count itself incredibly fortunate to have had Lew as a friend, especially so early on in its life as a university.

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A mathematics research programme headed by Professor Stephen O’Brien at the University of Limerick has secured substantial Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) funding of €4.34 million for research to be conducted over five years. The Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry (MACSI) initiative, has been established to facilitate a closer working relationship between mathematicians and researchers from industry, finance, economics, engineering and other academic disciplines.

MACSI will establish an interdisciplinary collaboration between Irish mathematicians and enterprise partners with a view to forming an expert group in mathematical modelling and simulation of real processes in industry,

science and engineering. MACSI will also develop a graduate programme to produce mathematicians with expertise in the area of applied mathematical modelling.

Professor O’Brien said that MACSI will develop a coherent strategy for the solution of problems which arise in science, engineering and industry in Ireland and will involve collaboration with industries such as Analog Devices Limerick, Dell Computers, Diageo, Waterford Crystal, Boston Scientific, Kostal and Transitions Optical.

“This is the largest single award ever made to mathematics in this country and signifies a recognition of the academic and strategic importance of applied mathematics in a growing economy”, he continued.

UL Secures Largest Ever Single Funding Award for Maths


On the second day of the European Network on Industrial Policy (EUNIP) Conference at the University of Limerick, which brought together over 200 international economists and policy-makers to Limerick, Dr Helena Lenihan, Conference Chairperson, announced details of the inaugural EUNIP/UL PhD Scholarship.

Funded by the University of Limerick, this scholarship will facilitate a full-time PhD scholar (over three years) to study for a PhD in an aspect of industrial policy. The PhD will be supervised at the Kemmy Business School, UL.

EUNIP/UL PhD Scholarship Announced at International Economics Conference

Pictured at the EUNIP Conference Dinner in Adare Manor are (r-l) Professor Don Barry, Vice President Academic and Registrar, UL; Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, TD; Dr Helena Lenihan, Conference Chairperson; and Professor Donal Dineen, Dean, Kemmy Business School, UL.

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The University of Limerick (UL) is the only Irish third-level institution to become part of the National Physiotherapy Research Network (NPRN) developed by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in the UK. Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children Tim O’Malley, TD, launched the first Irish Physiotherapy Research Hub at UL, the aim of which is to encourage and facilitate the engagement of physiotherapists nationally in research activity, both at a professional and inter-professional level.

According to Professor Ann Moore, Chair of NPRN, the research hub at UL will be an invaluable asset to the 650 practising physiotherapists along Ireland’s

western seaboard alone. “Initial activities at the centre will include courses on research methodology, focused symposia on clinical specialities and regular research development meetings. Further activities at the hub will be driven by the individual needs of clinical researchers,” said Professor Moore.

Research already underway at the Irish Physiotherapy Research Hub at UL includes investigations into stroke rehabilitation, arthritis, foot orthotics, whiplash, muscle imbalance and developmental co-ordination disorder in children.

Ireland’s first Physiotherapy Research Hub Launched at UL

Pictured L-R are: Vincent Cunnane, Vice President Research, and Tim O’Malley TD, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children.

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The Interactive Design Centre at UL is continuing its research into the study of the use of interactive information technology in public places with two different interactive installations in two very differing public spaces.

Holiday-makers and tourists coming through Shannon Airport last summer were greeted with a taste of the Burren with the installation of the ‘Shannon Portal’ in the duty-free area of the airport. The Shannon Portal, which was designed in the image of a Dolmen, was an interactive digital installation that allowed passengers to create e-cards by uploading their holiday photographs and attaching a message, which then could be emailed for free to anywhere in the world. Passengers who did not own a digital camera could also interact with the portal thanks to a bank of photos of Ireland available to everyone.

A dedicated team led by Dr Luigina Ciolfi observed how passengers interacted with the portal and the level of usage of the free emailing service. This observation will now be incorporated into a study of how interactive technology can enhance public places.

The second interactive installation was designed in the form of a Recipe Pyramid and placed in one of Limerick’s oldest markets, the Milk Market, in January 2007. The

Recipe Pyramid is an interactive digital installation that allows shoppers to search for and print out recipes using the ingredients available at the market.

Coded ingredient cards representing a particular food item were made available to shoppers by participating vendors of that food in the Milk Market. The ingredient cards were also available at the Recipe Pyramid. Using these cards, visitors to the market could search the recipe database for a dish that contained their chosen foods and print out a copy to take home free of charge. Recipes included in the database could be collected over a number of weeks from regular weekly visitors to the Milk Market.

The Recipe Pyramid was designed and developed by the Interactive Design Centre, University of Limerick, and is part of the Shared Worlds research project. The project, supported by Science Foundation Ireland, will also feed into the study of how interactive technology can enhance public places.

Dedicated team members Parag Deshpande, Marc McLoughlin, Igancio Carril and Colm McGettrick are currently analysing their observations of how visitors interacted with the Recipe Pyramid and how they perceived its presence and function within the market.

Interactive Social Projects Continue at UL’s Interactive Design Centre

Morgan McDonagh and Andrew McDonagh trying out the Interactive Design Centre’s Recipe Pyramid in the Milk Market, Limerick.

Abigail and Sean Gardiner from London enjoying the e-portal at Shannon Airport during the summer.


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The Centre for Applied Biomedical Engineering Research (CABER) at the University of Limerick has been awarded a grant by the National Institutes of Health, a United States government body and one of the world’s foremost medical research centres, as part of a €2.5m programme of research on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) behaviour.

Headed by Dr Tim McGloughlin, CABER was awarded the grant as part of a consortium led by Professor David Vorp, Associate Professor of Surgery and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Professor Vorp and Dr McGloughlin are collaborating on the five-year project, which focuses on developing new ways of predicting the rupture behaviour of aneurysms.

“An aneurysm is an abnormal localised bulge or swelling in an artery to a size greater than 50% of its normal

diameter caused by a degeneration of the strength of the arterial wall. A burst or rupture of an aneurysm is a life-threatening event and such a burst can occur without warning. The incidence of aneurysm is steadily rising and aneurysm rupture is now the 13th leading cause of death in the USA,” said Dr McGloughlin.

According to Dr McGloughlin, the University of Limerick team has developed new methods of producing realistic silicone models of aneurysms from patient data and these models are being used to conduct stress and strain analysis with a view to developing a method of predicting burst behaviour in clinical aneurysms. “The NIH is the federal focal point for medical research in the United States and competition for its grants is fierce. It is therefore a great acknowledgement of our research to receive this grant. We are also very proud of the fact it is one of very few awarded to Irish researchers.”

Pictured are Dr Tim McLoughlin (right) and Barry Doyle, PhD Student at the Centre for Applied Biomedical Engineering Research at UL.

UL Vascular Researchers Participate in €2.5 million American Grant Programme


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Significant New Developments Announced for GAA at UL

Significant sponsorship and investment in both the individual players and the GAA clubs in the University of Limerick have been announced as 27 UL GAA students received bursaries and scholarships from three separate sponsors.

O2 Customer Care, AIB and Bank of Ireland have committed to supporting the four UL GAA Clubs (Mens’ and Ladies’ Football, Hurling and Camogie Clubs) for the next three years, while Cadbury’s Ireland, the Munster Council and the Marketing Centre have established 27 scholarships and bursaries to aid UL GAA athletes in undertaking their studies while remaining committed to their sport.

The Marketing Centre is awarding 16 scholarships worth €500 per year to UL GAA students, while the Munster Council has awarded scholarships worth €500 per year to nine students. In addition to these, the Irish National U21 Football Sponsor Cadbury Ireland has introduced two scholarships amounting to €1000 per year per student. Applicants for the awards were individually interviewed by a judging panel consisting of Mr Jimmy O’Gorman, Vice Chairman, Munster Council; Dr Pat Cashell, President, UL GAA and Assistant Registrar, UL; Ms Neasa Fahy O’Donnell, Sports Administrator, UL ; and Mr Ger Cunningham, UL Sports Department. Criteria included membership of a UL GAA club, active participation in training and matches and a willingness to contribute to the overall upkeep of the club.

Pictured at the bursary awards ceremony at the University of Limerick are Sean Reidy, Director of the Marketing Centre; Peter Tiernan; Pat Cashell, President UL GAA and Assistant Registrar UL; Sean Fogarty; and Patsy Morrisey, UL Gaelic Games Development Officer.

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UL Proud to Host World Down Syndrome Swimming Championships

More than three-hundred athletes from places as far flung as Taiwan, India and Turkmenistan came to Ireland in September 2006 to take part in the International Down Syndrome Swimming Championships at the University of Limerick. Down Syndrome Ireland (DSI) and the University of Limerick hosted the event, which catered for more than twenty international delegations of competitors, trainers and families.

Limerick to Welcome More Rugby!Limerick Conference and Sports Park at the University of Limerick has firmly established its reputation as a world-class rugby training venue with the launch of its rugby brochure. A comprehensive marketing campaign aims to promote the unique sports and accommodation facilities at the University of Limerick to leading international and national rugby teams as the ideal residential location for pre-season training.

Regular visiting teams include the Irish Rugby Squad, the Munster Team, London Irish, Newcastle Falcons, London Wasps, Sale Sharks and the Italian Rugby Squad.

Visiting teams can benefit from a multitude of facilities available at the University Arena, the largest indoor sports facility in Ireland. Facilities include Ireland’s first Olympic-size 50m pool; the National Strength and Conditioning Centre; a suspended jogging track and sprint track; 40 acres of outdoor pitches together with an international athletics arena and all-weather pitch; and the National Coaching and Training Centre. Teams can be accommodated in modern apartments in a purpose-built residential village within the Sports Park at UL. Specific food requirements can also be met with expert dieticians and catering facilities to provide teams with performance-enhancing meals.

Pictured are Garret Fitzgerald, CEO Munster Rugby and Sarah-Jane Belton, Captain of the Irish Women’s Rugby Team.


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The UniversiTy of Limerick ArenAStroll through the University of Limerick’s sports complex and you may just bump into Munster’s champion rugby team or even training Olympians. For university students, the thought of exercise has suddenly never been so appealing.

Keith Wood and his rugby colleagues have chosen the university as their training venue of choice, and 14 medal winners from the Athens Olympics may well have the facilities partly to thank for their success. With the 2012 London Olympics looming, international teams are already eyeing up UL. With worldwide recognition after just four years in existence, Ireland’s most renowned sports complex isn’t just for top athletes – its strong community ties ensure it’s a welcome home for sports lovers of all levels.

As the largest indoor sports complex in Ireland, the Arena is well recognised as the country’s leading sports facility. It comprises Ireland’s National 50m Swimming Pool, the National Strength and Conditioning Centre, an international 400-metre athletics track, a four-court sports hall and over 70 acres of outdoor sports pitches with developments at different stages of construction and planning. The Arena has played host to an array of national, European and world events, most recently serving as the sporting backdrop to the 3rd International Down Syndrome Swimming Championship in September.

“What makes this the best sports centre in Ireland is that all our state-of-the-art facilities are concentrated within an 800-metre radius. Not only have you the pool, the stadium, the gym and all the outdoor facilities, but also the accommodation, shops and restaurants

right here on the campus. This is immensely important to the people who train here as it prevents them from having to bus between training venues, such as the weight room and the pitch,” says Dave Mahedy, Arena Director.

Mahedy maintains that equivalent facilities are nowhere to be found in Ireland and claims that UL also compares extremely well with the best facilities available in the UK and throughout Europe. “Major international names from across the sporting world are coming to UL to train. Fourteen medal winners from the Athens Olympics trained here at UL, including Britain’s Kelly Holmes, who went on to win two gold medals. Unfortunately, none of these medal winners were Irish but if Ireland continues to build facilities like the ones here in Limerick, our fortunes will change.”

Dave Mahedy, Arena Director

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“We’ve seen the direct benefit of training at this facility. Every essential element of training and rehabilitation

of players has been met with professionalism and expertise.” Garret Fitzgerald, CEO of Munster Rugby


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The UL Arena has also become a key part of the Limerick community and a great asset to the city and wider region. The excellent sports facilities have played a vital role in achieving this, and Dave Mahedy is very proud of that.

As well as travelling internationally, people regularly travel from around the country from places such as Nenagh, Roscrea and Thurles to avail of UL’s premier facilities. “People do not consider 45 minutes or an hour a long drive for what is on offer here, which proves that if you put a facility in place that is good enough, people will travel to it,” explains Mahedy. “Our services not only benefit the people of Limerick but the whole region. The pool here is so big that it is the equivalent of five

normal local authority swimming pools. This means we can have five or six different activities taking place at any one time – recreational swimming, lane swimming, swimming lessons or sub aqua. That’s the draw.”

Many groups visit UL on a regular basis and trips to the Arena have become an integral part of their work. Enable Ireland, whose mission is to enable disabled people to achieve maximum independence, choice and inclusion in their communities, visit the Arena every Friday for a sports day.

“The Arena is also a key component to some of the University’s many Access programmes. The ‘Fun to

Benefiting the Wider Community

Limerick is a sports city so it’s fitting that the University facilitates European Rugby Cup champions Munster. They’ve chosen the Arena as their main training centre, so the University can be proud that it’s played a key role in the development of the championship team. “Munster are our star tenants and we are delighted with how successful they have been. The Munster team also fully acknowledge how important our facilities and support have been in their work, which makes it all the more enjoyable,” says Mahedy. “Munster use the pitches here, the activity centre and the weight room, and their video analysis unit is based here along with a staffed office. They, like other elite athletes, also benefit from other types of support which we provide here, such as access to renowned physical therapists. This is a major draw for them. Of course the students and public like having these guys around but that works both ways. Elite athletes tend to like training here because they’re close to normal people, which for them can be pretty unusual.”

“We’ve seen the direct benefit of training at this facility. Every essential element of training and rehabilitation

of players has been met with professionalism and expertise,” says Garret Fitzgerald, CEO of Munster Rugby. “The relationship is expected to continue well into the future”, says Fitzgerald, “as the standard of expertise of highly qualified sports and sports science staff ensures that the teams gain maximum benefit at every training session.”

Home of Munster Rugby

“Our services not only benefit the people of Limerick but the whole region.”

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The 2012 Olympics may seem far in the distant future, but athletes can never be over-prepared. Already, Mahedy has heard from numerous international teams looking for the opportunity to avail of UL’s sports Arena. Apart from the top ranking compact facilities where everything is within easy walking distance, the quick and easy access to London via Shannon airport is a major attraction for these teams.

“We had considerable interest before the Athens Olympics in 2004, and a number of medal winners did actually train here. However, our proximity to London has really put us on the map. In this respect it is also a great strength for us that, come 2012, our facilities will be even better as we have some very ambitious plans and work is underway on some very exciting upgrades,” Mahedy explains.

It may be the best – but the Arena can always get better and plans to maintain its top position are well underway. Construction is ongoing on a boathouse with an indoor water rowing tank, a first in Ireland. Other immediate plans include an extension to the existing Arena and a new 25-metre swimming pool. On top of this, four new floodlit pitches catering for Gaelic games, soccer, hockey and rugby will be created on the north side of the river Shannon in the next 18 months.

“This will take some of the pressure off our existing pitches and give us even better quality pitches. We are very much hoping to construct a state-of-the-art indoor pitch but at the moment that is still in the planning stages,” says Mahedy.

UL and the 2012 Olympics

Learn’ programme, for example, is aimed at young children from disadvantaged areas where the carrot for the children is that they have to complete their daily homework before they can use our facilities. This not only helps them study, it connects UL with fun and enjoyment in their minds.” In addition to the elite athletes, the UL Arena has three other significant user groups who come to the university to train. It’s a key training and research centre for students on UL’s

leading physical education and sport science courses. It’s also extensively used by the campus community – be they students or staff – who account for over 2,500 members. The last group, and a very important one, is the general public. “This is what is unique about the UL Arena. It caters for everybody across the board. When working out here you will come across students, disabled people, children, Munster rugby players and even Olympic champions,” says Mahedy.


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Great Racers raise €7,000 Deirdre O’ Shaughnessy

The twelve teams which competed in a ‘Great Race’ around Ireland have raised €7000 in aid of ULSU’s four Raising And Giving week charities: Milford Hospice, the Red Ribbon Project, Midwest Spina Bifida and Southill Domestic Abuse. The winning team, made up of Diarmuid Reid, John Kearns, James English and Charlie Nolan, managed to visit every county in Ireland as well as every inter-county GAA field. They also visited Wales in their attempt to win prizes including VIP tickets to all RAG week events, a VIP night in the Trinity Rooms and the prized Great Race cup.

Each team was required to raise €500 in sponsorship in order to enter the competition, and one team, made up of Helen McGuire, Edel Carberry, Siobhán Horgan and Suzanne Horgan, made a special effort for the charities and raised a further €1,200 on their trip around the country. The girls received sponsorship from JP McManus, who also lent them his private plane to complete another task.

Other teams managed to meet Minister for Transport Martin Cullen, comedian Tommy Tiernan, The Blizzards and Killian O' Sullivan who plays Lorcan in the soap Fair City.

Pictured with JP McManus during the Rag Week ‘Great Race’ are, left to right, Siobhán Horgan, Edel Carberry, Helen McGuire and Suzanne Horgan.

Pictured with Linda Martin during the ‘Great Race’ are, from left to right, Liam Collins, Michael Purcell, Mark Carrigg and Damien O’ Mahoney.

sTUdenT neWs

UL Palestine Society Seán O’Carroll

In week 2 of the current semester we were honoured by the visit of Al-Quds Troupe for Palestinian Popular Arts. This Palestinian music and dance group from Jerusalem (Al-Quds in Arabic) came as part of a cultural exchange project organised by the UL Palestine Society with significant funding from Trócaire as well as sponsorship by the UL Arts Office. During their time here, Al-Quds delivered Palestinian music and dance workshops to UL students, who in turn taught them Irish step and set dance. The power of Palestinian music and dance to engage the public became very obvious at their last performance on campus at the Stables Courtyard (after an evening of Palestinian Food sponsored by The Stables). Palestinians and UL students squeezed together into a big circle to dance to Palestinian celebration music, surrounded by great cheering and clapping.

The Palestinian Dance Group pictured before their performance at UL.

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Today FM’s Ray D’Arcy Show was broadcast live from An Phluais (beside the old Scholars’ Club) on Wednesday of Week 3. The show was hosted by the Students’ Union, which had been in secret talks with Today FM for a number of weeks on the special broadcast. The broadcast was specially aimed at students and included the final of the Soundest Student in Ireland competition, for which four UL students had been nominated.

One UL student, Eoin Kelly (4th year Business) of Laughing Soc fame, made the final, which was judged by comedians Neil Delamere and Hector Ó hEochagáin as well as Today FM producer Jenny Kelly. Eoin was knocked out in the second round when a ‘party piece’ contest proved fatal to the UL comic. Eoin’s party piece, a demonstration of his now famous hugging skill, was not as well received as the other two finalists’ displays of various accents and a poem. The eventual winner of the €20,000 prize was Paulette O’ Flynn from NUIG, who is originally from Castleconnell in Limerick.

Speaking to An Focal, Mr D’Arcy remarked at the ‘lovely warm reception’ the show got from UL students, and added that UL students appear to have a special affinity with the show, with the majority of all texts they receive from students coming from those in UL.

Ray D’Arcy quizzes UL finalist Eoin Kelly

D’Arcy does ULDeirdre O’ Shaughnessy

From The Den to An Phluais

This year sees the UL Windsurfing Club celebrate its twenty-first year in existence.

Surfing to Success!

From its inception in 1986, the Windsurfing Club has been a place for people in UL to enjoy this thrilling and attractive sport. This year saw exciting developments within the Club; we doubled our capacity in terms of equipment and went on our second foreign training camp to El Médano, Tenerife.

All this effort in training and equipment paid off for us in March with our second Windsurfing Intervarsities win in three years. This follows a UL win in the 2005 Intervarsities, silver medals in Bronze and Silver Fleets in 2006 and silver and bronze medals in Bronze and Silver Fleets this year. That’s two intervarsity cups and six medals in the last three years. If you care to take a stroll down to the cabinet in the reception area of the UL Arena, you can have a look at the intervarsities cup!

This year, I had the satisfaction of bringing the cup around to some of the former members of the UL Windsurfing Club who are still in UL. The UL Windsurfing Club has been on the trail of this trophy for years, I was told, as I heard about UCC’s domination of the event for years.

Hopefully, these are all good omens for the next twenty-one years of the UL Windsurfing Club.

Fergal Hourigan, Captain, ULWC

Karen Concannon-Leclerc, third year Sports Science, in El Medano. Karen went on to win Bronze in the Gold Fleet, 2007 Windsurfing Intervarsities. Picture Credit: Mark Campbell.

UL Alumni Annual FundStudents like Brian Foley (pictured), 4th year Business Studies, worked very hard last year to raise much-needed funds for the UL Alumni Annual Fund. Monies raised went to the Alumni Circle Scholarships Fund, the Clubs and Societies Fund, The Student Financial Aid Fund and the President’s Fund. Every year current students like Brian make fundraising phone calls to UL Alumni encouraging them to give something back to their University.


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Three Groundbreaking UL Projects That Took Off in 2006

focUs on reseArch

Ever wondered how astronauts get a good night’s sleep without gravity or when medical developments in osteoporosis, which affects over 75 million people, will enjoy a significant breakthrough? Don’t worry if you haven’t – University of Limerick researchers have it covered. And that’s just for starters. Cancer research is also firmly at the top of the University’s agenda with the development of groundbreaking diagnostic equipment. In only a few years, UL’s capacity for research has become synonymous with innovation and has attracted international recognition.

A unique experiment into the sleep patterns of astronauts, devised by two young UL researchers, was launched into space onboard the space shuttle Discovery on July 1st, 2006. The experiment, which consisted of an astronaut wearing a special vest designed to monitor his sleep patterns over 150 days, travelled with Discovery to the International Space Station (ISS). In October, Phase 2 of the experiment was launched onboard the Russian Progress Spacecraft ‘23P’, which successfully docked with the ISS.

“The quality of sleep, or more particularly the poor quality of it, is a major issue for NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) and is one of the big stumbling blocks of long-distance space travel,” explains biomedical engineer Dr Derek O’Keeffe, a UL lecturer in the Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering. “An astronaut in orbit finds it very difficult to get a good night’s sleep as there is no gravity to keep you in the bed and, even worse, your system has to cope with 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets in a 24-hour day. Disturbed sleep isn’t refreshing and leaves flight crews feeling sleep-deprived and less able to concentrate,” says Dr O’Keeffe.

Shuttle and space station crews are traditionally given sleeping pills but little data is available on how this enforced sleep compares to natural sleep, according to Dr Marc O’Griofa, a medical doctor and UL researcher. “The traditional method for gauging quality of sleep involves taking an electroencephalogram (EEG), a device which measures electrical activity in the brain, but the astronauts find the tight cap that

CASPER

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must be worn to capture an EEG while in space very uncomfortable.” Hopes are high of greatly improving the current sleeping situation for astronauts with their experiment - ‘Cardiac Adapted Sleep Parameter Electrocardiogram Recorder’ - also known as CASPER.

“We sent a proposal to the European Space Agency (ESA) where we suggested substituting the traditional method of monitoring sleep, which measures activity in the brain, with an electrocardiogram (ECG), which measures electrical activity in the heart, using a special

shirt or vest. An ESA representative spotted our entry, taking us where we are today,” says Dr O’Keeffe.

The ECG signal is used as a surrogate marker for sleep and is picked up by a special vest or shirt, the LifeShirt, which the astronaut can wear comfortably. “Anyone who has suffered jet-lag after a long-distance flight and relocation in

a different time zone will be familiar with the sleep disturbance experienced by astronauts. The body clock sets itself to the rise and fall of the sun. Research has shown that our circadian rhythm can deal with the kind of disturbance experienced by astronauts for as much as 100 days. After this the body can’t cope any more and the rhythm goes seriously out of sync. This spells trouble for long-distance space travel,” explains Dr O’Griofa.

The space shuttle returned to earth in December and the success of CASPER is currently being evaluated with preliminary results already showing promise.

“Hopes are high of greatly improving the current sleeping situation for astronauts”

Pictured with their experiment project Casper are, from left, Dr Marc O’Griofa and Dr Derek O’Keeffe.


Russian Progress Spacecraft ‘23P’

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The recent development of a method to detect the onset of osteoporosis is garnering particular attention and raising eyebrows worldwide for its pioneering methods. UL scientists, led by Dr Mark Towler, have founded Crescent Diagnostics, which has developed the Bone Quality Test (BQT). The method analyses the contents of a fingernail clipping using Raman spectroscopy. As well as being a low-cost alternative, it could prove to be more accurate than all forms of non-invasive osteoporosis detection available today.

The BQT has captured the interest of individuals, medical professionals and interest groups working in the area of osteoporosis across the globe and has been widely covered by the international media. “Osteoporosis affects an estimated 75 million people in Europe, USA and Japan alone. One in three women and one in five men over 50 will experience osteoporosis fractures. It is therefore a major health issue internationally,” explains Dr Towler.

Osteoporosis is a problem that will continue to worsen, and by 2050 the worldwide incidence of hip fractures

is projected to increase by 310% in men and 240% in women. “In Ireland, bone fractures cost the exchequer around €12 million a year, excluding costs relating to physiotherapy, drugs and social welfare. In the USA it is estimated that osteoporosis care costs US$3 billion every year. Our new test can significantly help in reducing these costs, facilitate early intervention and offer better quality of life to the ageing population.”

The current method of determining whether someone is suffering from osteoporosis is to expose his or her body to low-level x-ray scans that measure bone mineral density. This procedure, which takes place in hospitals, is expensive and time consuming and requires trained staff. The BQT, on the other hand, goes further by detecting osteoporosis in its early stages. Dr Towler explains: “We hope that in the very near future your GP will be able to use the BQT to detect early the onset of osteoporosis in a cheaper non-invasive way than is currently available; this will be of huge benefit to both patients and medical practitioners.”

Pictured from left: Mr Anthony Wren, Dr Mark Towler and Dr Niamh Rushe, Novell Osteoporosis Screening

The Bone Quality Test


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Developments in biotechnology at UL have attracted significant international attention. Stokes Bio Ltd, a new research spin-off company from UL’s Stokes Research Institute, has particularly stood out for its focus in the field of childhood leukaemia. The company recently secured €1m in venture capital funding to pioneer the development of new cancer diagnostic equipment based on the analysis of the human genome. The commercial spin-off is a landmark event and has raised the bar of venture-backed spin-offs at Irish universities.

According to Professor Mark Davies, one of Stokes Bio’s two principal directors, the first medical application of the new diagnostic system is likely to be in the area of childhood leukaemia, which constitutes one-third of all children’s cancers. Prof Davies and his colleague Dr Tara Dalton have researched and developed a prototype for cancer diagnosis, which will be a small-scale intelligent computer and mechanical system intended to bring all stages of cancer analysis into a single process. “It will perform gene analysis of microscopic quantities of fluids, including blood samples, taken from the patient. In the long-term, we envisage that the micro-fluidic system may rule out the necessity for bone marrow analysis through the use of far less intrusive blood sampling”, says Prof Davies.

Before venture capital funding was secured some €3 million non-commercial funding for the research was raised by Prof Davies and Dr Dalton. “The additional venture capital funding will enable us to hire an initial team of six post-doctoral engineers

and biotechnologists to assist in the development of the technology. We have also linked up with cancer specialists Professor Vaskar Saha, at Bart’s Hospital in London, and Professor Rajnish Gupta, at the oncology department at Limerick Regional Hospital, to advance the research,” Prof Davies explains.

“Possibly the biggest impact on cancer survivability over the next five years will come through early and more accurate diagnosis. This is what we are targeting,” says Prof Davies. Dr Dalton echoes this view: “We believe that the medical and scientific advances we are involved in are bound to have an enormous impact over the next twenty years. The investment we have secured for Stokes Bio Ltd will offer us the opportunity to be one of the leading companies in this field. It is particularly significant for Ireland that important work of this nature is being pioneered by scientists and engineers at UL.”

Research at UL is undeniably flourishing across the board. In the last four years alone the number of post-doctoral researchers has increased by 100%. In a parallel development, annual research funding has increased dramatically from €8 million to €18m and the total figure for 2006 is expected to be in the region of €21m. With so much accomplished, UL is poised to maintain its position as Ireland’s leading light in the world of research.

Micro-fluidic Analysis System

“Research at UL is undeniably flourishing across the board”


ULAA’s Board of Directors for 2007 was elected at the AGM in January held in Plassey House. Comprising nine graduates and two ex-officio members (one each representing the University and the UL Foundation), the Board provides guidance to ULAA and is committed to implementing the organisation’s Strategic Plan (2006-2009).

For information about ULAA’s wide range of activities and services, please visit our website at ulaa.ul.ie.

Board Members are:

• Callista Bennis BBS ’96

• Fintan Breen BSc ’04

• Dr Paul Butler BEng ’92 - Company Treasurer

• Dr Matthew Cannon PhD (Politics) ’01 - Chairperson

• Jim Collins BSc Manufacturing & Prod Eng ’81

• John Conroy BEng (Mech) ’86; M Project Mgt ’95

• Dr John O’Brien Associate Vice-President Academic,

UL (representing UL)

• Bobby O’Connor BBS ’00

• Liza O’Connor Chief Executive, UL Foundation (representing ULF)

• Gwen Ryan BA European Studies, ’99 & MA ’01 - Company Secretary

• Jim Ryan BTech ’77 - Vice-Chairperson

Planning the year ahead at ULAA’s AGM are John Conroy BEng ’86/MA ’95, Majella O’Connell BA ’91, ULAA Manager and incoming Chairperson, Dr Matthew Cannon PhD ’01.

Board 2007

Now celebrating two decades of providing opportunities for graduates to network, to benefit from their lifelong association with UL and to support the University, membership of ULAA has grown to over 40,000 graduates worldwide.

ULAA’s Manager since 1996, Majella O’Connell, BA ’91, invites graduates to keep in touch and says she is “hugely encouraged to do what we do by graduates’ enthusiasm for UL. A special word of thanks to all our graduate volunteers who have helped to develop and deliver the ULAA programme for over twenty years. I look forward to meeting more of you at upcoming ULAA events and reunions”.

UL ALUmni AssociATion


Alumni

Alumni


In direct support of our alma mater, the UL Alumni Association has launched a new advocacy programme to provide graduates with ways of giving back time and knowledge to support and promote UL.

ULAA had been looking for new ways to directly support UL, specifically one which would involve graduates in the life of the University. Alumni 360° allows us to do both.

The first initiative under this innovative programme is called ‘Alumni Ambassadors – School Visits’ and was officially launched in November 2006.

Developed in support of UL’s Marketing Dept in a climate of increasing competitiveness for students within the third level sector, the ‘Alumni Ambassadors – School Visits’ initiative involves graduates – and separately current UL students – revisiting their old schools to tell Leaving Cert students about what UL has to offer. Over 50 graduates have signed up to participate and others are welcome to join. Who better to sell the UL experience than those who have ‘been there, done that…’!

ULAA is currently working with the University to identify further alumni advocacy initiatives.

Alumni 360°

Exciting new advocacy programme enabling graduatesto come full circle to benefit UL

“If my visit helps to convince just one pupil to opt for college life in UL, then I would be very pleased. Hopefully, they all will!” Des O’Dea, BSc Electronic Systems ’83 & Alumni Ambassador

Alumni Ambassador Des O’Dea, BSc Electronic Systems ’83, speaking about UL to the final-year students at his former secondary school, St Munchin’s College in Limerick. Following the visit, Des said “I’m very proud of my first alma mater, St Munchins College, and I went from there to spend four great years at NIHE (now UL). I was therefore glad of the opportunity to give something back to both”.

Supporting the launch of Alumni 360° on campus in November 2006 are (L-R) UL graduate David Peters, BBS ’98, with UL undergraduate students David Morris, BA Applied Languages, and Helen Varden, BA Language & Cultural Studies.

ULAA Board Members (L-R) John Conroy, BEng ’86 & MA ’95; John O’Brien, UL’s Associate Vice-President Academic, who launched the Alumni 360˚ School Visits initiative; Jim Ryan, BTech ’77; and UL’s Marketing Director Seán Reidy, BCS ’77.

The black-tie evening was attended by over 130 guests representing the University, business and alumni communities together with families and friends of the Award recipients.

President of UL John O’Connor said: “The diversity and significance of the impact of this year’s award winners’ achievements reflect extremely well on UL, as well as on the individuals themselves.”Bank of Ireland will exclusively support the Alumni Awards celebration during the coming three years.

Dr Pat Cox, Keynote speaker, former President of the European Parliament and current President of the European Movement International, said in his keynote speech, “It is a pleasure and an honour for me to be associated with this unique award ceremony – the first of its kind in the life of the community that is the University of Limerick. I hope these awards will act as a source of encouragement and inspiration for those who are studying at the University today.”

Launch of Bank of Ireland UL Alumni Awards

Celebrating at the Inaugural Bank of Ireland Alumni Awards held in October 2006 are (L-R) Keynote Speaker Dr Pat Cox, ULAA Chairperson 2006, Olivia Loughnane, BCS ’77, John O’Connor President UL & Gerry Reeves BBS ’82 & Regional Manager Bank of Ireland.

Thirty years after the first University of Limerick graduates were conferred, the UL Alumni Association hosted the inaugural Alumni Awards celebration. Honoured in 2006 were three UL graduates who have made outstanding contributions since their graduation in diverse fields such as Business, Sport and Humanitarian causes.

Alumni Award 2006 recipients, Paul Gleeson, Gena Heraty and Gene Murtagh celebrating at Plassey House, UL ahead of the awards evening. Each Award recipient was presented with an exquisite bogwood sculpture in the shape of an Irish Elk antler (closely associated with the UL Crest).


Alumni

Alumni


In February 2006, Limerickman Paul Gleeson, BBS ’98, became only the 3rd Irish person in history to row across the Atlantic Ocean. In doing so at 29 years of age, Paul is also the youngest Irish person ever to achieve this phenomenal feat. Along with his Canadian girlfriend, Tori Holmes, Paul rowed 3,000 miles from the Canary Islands to Antigua, surviving some of the most violent weather ever recorded for this part of the Atlantic, including 50-feet swells, tropical storms, near capsizing, starvation and dehydration, along with severe sleep deprivation. Amazingly, both Paul and Tori only learned how to row in the year leading up to the race. Just over €30,000 was raised for Concern through this project.

Educated at Monaleen National School and Crescent College Comprehensive, where his team won the Munster Senior Schools Rugby Cup in 1994, Paul went on to pursue Business Studies at the University of Limerick, graduating with honours in 1998. While at UL, Paul represented the University on the Irish Colleges Rugby team in 1998.

Following graduation, Paul worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Cornmarket Group Financial Services in Dublin for four years as a financial adviser. In 2002, Paul left Ireland and spent two years travelling and working all over the world, from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand to Nepal, South America and Antarctica. In July 2003, Paul cycled 5,000km across Australia from Perth to Sydney and, along with Tori, raised over €250,000 for World Vision.

Paul lives in Dublin where he is Associate Director with Financial Engineering Network Ltd. He and Tori have published a book about their incredible Atlantic adventure called “Little Lady, One Man, Big Ocean” (published in October 2006). Looking back, Paul says, “Over the course of our 86 days at sea, we kept a little tile in the cabin which read - The Difficult We Do Immediately, The Impossible Takes A Little Longer. I don’t know the source but these words of wisdom kept us going … and the sentiment behind them will stay with Tori and me for many years to come”.

Paul Gleeson – 2006 Recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Sport Alumni Award

Gena Heraty, BBS ’91, has completely dedicated her life to the children of Haiti, a country known to be the poorest in the western hemisphere. Its people, especially the children, are suffering from hunger and infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, pneumonia, meningitis, tuberculosis and malaria. Power cuts are a feature of life and only a minority have access to clean drinking water. What this means for many families is that they are forced to make difficult decisions on how to spend their limited resources and often families are forced to take a decision against any child who is handicapped. For several years now, Gena has been running a home for mentally and physically handicapped children in the “Haitian-highlands”.

Born in Carrarevaugh near Westport, Co Mayo, Gena went on to pursue a degree in Business Studies at the University of Limerick, graduating with honours in 1991. She then worked as a volunteer for Dublin Simon Community and, in June 1993, went to Haiti and has remained there since.

Gena Heraty – 2006 Recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Humanity Alumni Award

Taking a moment to relax after their historic Trans-Atlantic Row and enjoy the Alumni Awards Dinner are Canadian Tori Holmes & boyfriend, Limerickman Paul Gleeson, 2006 Outstanding Contribution to Sport Alumni Award Recipient. Paul says “I really enjoyed the event and am humbled to have been honoured by the University and the Alumni Association”.

Alumni

Gene Murtagh, BBS ’93, became the youngest Chief Executive Officer of a publicly quoted company on the Irish Stock Exchange when he took over the reins at building materials giant Kingspan Group Plc in January 2005. Gene joined the Group in 1993, having just completed his Business Studies Degree at the University of Limerick, graduating with honours. He spent the first two years working with Kingspan’s business interests in Europe.

Gene was General Manager in Ireland for the Insulation division for two years, before taking up the position of Managing Director of the Environmental Containers business, which operates 14 manufacturing plants. He joined the Board of Directors in 1999. From 2000 to 2003, Gene was Managing Director of the Insulated Panels business, which represents 38% of the Group’s turnover.

Kingspan today is one of Ireland’s largest companies, with a turnover approaching €1.5bn and employing over 5,000 people. Since Gene took over the reins as CEO, Kingspan has been named Business & Finance magazine’s Company of the Year 2005. Looking ahead to future opportunities, Gene says, “We see as a company exactly where our future growth is going to come from. Seeking out the ‘not so obvious’ opportunity has always been encouraged at Kingspan. That will continue”.

Gene, 35, is originally from Kingscourt, Co Cavan, and is married to UL class-mate Orla McMahon, BBS ’93. Today they live in Dundalk, Co Louth with their three young children. Gene remains involved with UL through Kingspan’s current membership of the BSc Construction Management & Engineering degree’s Course Advisory Board, which provides invaluable input to benefit current students.

Gene Murtagh – 2006 Recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Business Alumni Award

Orla McMahon BBS ’93 congratulates her husband and fellow class-mate, Gene Murtagh, 2006 Recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Business Alumni Award. Gene says “I had a wonderful evening, and it was hugely uplifting for me to spend a few hours around the campus the following day. The progress has been immense and is an enormous credit to all who have seen it through”.

Gena works for an organisation called Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs, part of a larger organisation called Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, which has orphanages in several countries in South America. In Haiti, NPFS has a children’s hospital, an orphanage, and a home and external programme for children with special needs. Today, Gena lives in a home along with 30 special needs children and, together with a small staff, is responsible for their care. All but three of these children were abandoned and there is no way of finding their families. As part of their external programme, Gena runs a day clinic where mothers of special needs children come daily with their children and receive physical therapy and care.

Through her personal involvement, Gena, 37, gives these children “all the love a mother can give”, something they need desperately. She is now involved in the construction of a large much-needed rehabilitation centre in Haiti. For more information, please visit www.nph.org.

Gena Heraty is presented with the 2006 Outstanding Contribution to Humanity Alumni Award by Gerry Reeves, Bank of Ireland. Gena says “When Haiti hits you in the face, it would be so easy to give up. The challenge is to look beyond the pain to see what you can do to help”.


Alumni


UniversaL – Ireland’s first online community for university graduates – provides UL alumni with a unique opportunity to connect directly with fellow alumni. Launched in January 2006, its purpose is to “... foster a strong sense of community among alumni and provide a vehicle by which alumni may remain in contact with each other and establish mutually beneficial networks...”. As a result, the opportunity for a ‘UL lifetime experience’ is created through the unique services provided by UniversaL, which include:

• Email-forwarding services• Electronic newsletters• Live forums and discussions• A live network directory of alumni, searchable by different categories (e.g. business/profession, course graduated from, year of graduation, geographic location, etc) • Bulletin boards• Personal web pages with photo albums• Blogs/journals etc• Event registration/booking/payment

Over 3,200 graduates registered with UniversaL in the first twelve months alone, clearly demonstrating a desire to stay connected to UL and to each other. One member is Mike Kissane, BSc Computer Systems 2000, who says “UniversaL is a great idea. Hopefully even more graduates will join up and the site will grow over time. Delighted to see UL is actively working in the interests of all UL students – both past and present. Keep up the good work and blog on people!”

To register today, visit ulaa.ul.ie.

UniversaL – Online Community for UL Graduates

Supported by Ulster Bank

UniversaL is the first online community for graduates at an Irish university. In its first year alone, over 3,200 UL graduates registered.

At the launch of UniversaL – Online Community for UL Alumni Worldwide are (L-R) Olivia Loughnane, BCS ’77 & ULAA Chairperson 2006; Prof. Cyril Burkley, Dean College of Informatics & Electronics at UL, who launched UniversaL; and Pat O’Hanlon, Ulster Bank/Sponsor.

Celebrating the launch of UniversaL are former ULAA Board Members (L) Dr. Wynette Redington, BSc ’78, Limerick with Cork-based (second left) John and Trish Kerr (right), both BCS ’76, and fellow graduate Bill Golden ND ’79.

Alumni

Graduation Days!

Over 3,000 new alumni were conferred during 2006, bringing the UL alumni community to over 40,000. All graduates enjoy automatic, free membership of ULAA.


Celebrating her graduation at the Autumn Conferrings held in September 2006 is BSc Physical Education graduate Donna Fitzgerald, pictured with the cute and cuddly Class of ‘06 Teddy Bear.

Dr Gerard Lyons (left) and Professor Pierce Grace with Mary Clarke Moloney, from Feakle, Co. Clare, who was conferred with a PhD by UL’s College of Informatics & Electronics in December.

Yvonne Kiely, Castletroy, Limerick, celebrates her Certificate in Management with daughter Lauren.

Alumni

Celebrating their graduation at the Winter Conferrings held in December are (left) Dr Patrick Walsh and (right) Dr Alan Ryan, both PhD Operational Engineering, with Declan Curran, MA Biomedical Engineering.

Liz Devereux, MBS 2006, celebrates her winter conferring with husband Dr Eoin Devereux, Head, Dept. of Sociology, UL.


Kevin Meaney, Ballyclough, Limerick, and Brian Crean, Quin, Co. Clare, who were both conferred with an MA Interactive Media in December.

Gerard Ryan, Clonlara, Co. Clare, who was conferred with a BBS at the Winter Conferring.

Celebrating her graduation at the Autumn Conferrings held in September 2006 is BSc Physical Education graduate Áine Staunton, pictured with her unique, personalised Class of ‘06 Graduation T-Shirt.

Alumni

Corkman Patrick McCarthy, BA ’91 & MA ’93, grew up in the countryside close to Cloyne and met his American wife, Lisa, during an Erasmus exchange year in Germany in 1989/90 as the Berlin Wall was crumbling. They have settled in the village of Thoiry, France, with their three little ones – Liam (6), Niamh (4) and Aidan (1). Patrick travels each day across the border to his work in Geneva, Switzerland.

Here Patrick recalls his time on campus and how UL has contributed to his life today.

Why did you choose UL?

I actually chose UL twice as I graduated with a BA in European Studies in 1991 and an MA in International Studies in 1993. Going back to my Leaving Cert time in 1987, my original first choice for university was veterinary medicine but I had such an urge to travel that I changed to European Studies at UL (then NIHE).

I was attracted by the fresh approach of the course,its outward orientation, its emphasis on languages and – the clincher – the fact that you had to spend at least six months abroad (I did six months in a German Biergarten and an Erasmus year at the University of Konstanz, the beer consumption being more or less the same in both!).

Following the BA, I spent a year teaching English in a German secondary school before returning to UL as part of the first batch of students in the newly created MA in International Studies.

Who impressed you most?

A number of personalities stand out from among the faculty … John Coakley and his colleagues were not only witty and animated lecturers but also had an open-door policy with students and were supportive in a variety of other ways. For example, Bernadette Whelan gave me a lift to Dublin for my first meeting of the Royal Irish Academy, John Stapleton guided me through the process of applying for my Erasmus year abroad, and Nick Rees was very helpful with my application to the European University Institute. Among the staff, my recollections are of very helpful and friendly people at Student Services, who got the grants out on time and never tired of my asking them for transcripts and letters proving I was a student!

But of course, the most memorable individuals are my fellow students (and if I started on about them I might never stop ...!).

After graduation, what happened next for you?

I completed a PhD in International Relations at the European University Institute in Florence and started work at the International Peace Bureau in Geneva in 1997 as a Project Coordinator for conflict prevention. My wife and I spent most of 2000 working in Kosovo – Lisa with the International Organisation for Migration and I with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In Kosovo, I headed an OSCE Field Office north of Mitrovica, which was engaged in democratization, human rights monitoring

The Graduate Interview

Border Crossing:

Cork-born Patrick McCarthy and his American wife, Lisa, divide their time between France and Switzerland where, among other things, Patrick is “involved in an effort to raise Geneva’s first ever hurling team, a daunting task but we have managed a few puck-arounds at least.”

Patrick & Lisa take to the slopes with the McCarthy Clan – Liam, Niamh and Aidan.


Alumni

and elections preparation. We returned to Geneva at the end of that year, at which point I started working for the Geneva Forum, the job I still have today. Since returning, I’ve been busy. As well as the day job, I aspire sporadically to be a triathlete and enjoy any and all outdoor activities, which are in abundant supply where we live (the Jura mountains are our backyard, there is a ski-lift ten minutes down the road from our house and Lake Geneva is half-an-hour away). I enjoy music of all sorts and I’m the singer in the rock band The Explosive Remnants of War.

Tell us about your current job ...

I am the Coordinator of the Geneva Forum which works to promote human security and disarmament. We work closely with government missions to the United Nations in Geneva, as well as with international and nongovernmental organisations, in support

of the many disarmament negotiations that take place here – e.g. on curbing the black market trade in guns, implementing the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, clearing up so-called “explosive remnants of war” (now you know where the name for the band came from), strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, etc, etc.

How would you sum up your experience at UL?

Very fondly, stemming as much from the friendships that I made there as from the education I received or the professional experience I gained. As a graduate now, UL strikes me as still being a dynamic place offering an innovative approach to education. To stay connected today, I recently became a member of UniversaL, UL’s graduate online community. I would certainly recommend UL, and have done so.

How did your time at UL help you to get to where you are today?

UL actually started me off on the career path I am on now – one that will one day lead to general and complete disarmament, world peace and harmony among peoples. Following my BA, I did an internship at the Irish Peace Institute, based at UL, and got an insight into its work on peace building and peace education in both the Irish and global contexts. There is a direct connection between that experience and my subsequent work at the International Peace Bureau, with OSCE in Kosovo and now with the Geneva Forum.

If you were President of UL for a day, what would you do (if you thought you’d get away with it)?

The first thing I would do is issue a decree rendering irreversible all decisions taken by me on that day!

“I would expect any UL graduate to have travelled fairly widely and to speak at least one other language. But, most of all, I would expect them to be very good at what they do.”

Patrick relaxes with his family and says “my advice for prospective UL students is to strike the right balance between work and play (and if you manage that, let me know the secret!).”


Alumni

Graduate Lives

1. MATTHEW HAMILTON Matthew Hamilton, BBS ’97, recently co-founded a non-profit organisation called Headstrong – The National Centre for Youth Mental Health Ireland. From Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Matthew is now based in Dublin as Headstrong’s Director of Operations and Public Affairs.

2. ANNEMARIE SCARISBRICK-HAUSER Dr AnneMarie Scarisbrick-Hauser BEd 1976 has been appointed MidWest Practice Director for Silvertrain Inc, a Business Intelligence software company in Wisconsin. Kilkenny native AnneMarie is also an Adjunct Senior Professor at the University of Akron, Ohio.

3. SARAH-JANE BELTON Irish rugby captain Sarah-Jane Belton, BSc Physical Education ’01, originally from Kilbride, Co. Wicklow, has been named as the only Irish player in the Women’s World Cup All Star XV. Sarah-Jane is a previous member of the UL Ladies Rugby Team, having both donned the UL jersey as a player and coached the side.

4. ALAN ENGLISH Limerick-born journalist and author of ‘Stand Up and Fight’, a book about the famous Munster rugby win over the All-Blacks, Alan English, BA ’86, has been appointed as the Editor of the Limerick Leader newspaper (first printed in 1889 and with a current circulation of over 110,000).

5. JON SYNOTT & TARA MCCABE Jon Synott, BSc Biological Sciences ’98 & Grad Dip Software Localisation ’99, and Tara McCabe, BA ’99, former ULSU Deputy President & Welfare Officer, welcomed their first child Caoimhe in December ’06. Following a Rome wedding in October ’05, Jon & Tara have settled in Sallins, Co Kildare.

6. REBECCA BREEN Rebecca Breen, BA ’02, from Crecora, Co. Limerick, has been awarded a Gibson Spanish Scholarship for doctoral research by Cambridge University, England. Her work is a comparative study on Trauma and Testimony in Contemporary Latin American Visual Art.

7. DR GHASSAN A. AL KHAWAJA Humanities graduate Dr Ghassan A. Al Khawaja, PhD ’91, is Chairman and major shareholder of Al Sondos Holding in Dubai, U.A.E. Established in 1985, the group today comprises 15 companies across 7 business sectors, including property development, hotels and engineering.

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Alumni

Graduate Lives

8. EDDIE O’ SULLIVAN Eddie O’Sullivan, BA Physical Education ’80 is the record-breaking Head Coach of the Ireland Rugby Team. Originally from Youghal, Co. Cork, Eddie has dramatically changed the fortunes of the team since being appointed in 2001. Ireland’s most recent achievement was rugby’s Triple Crown in 2007.

9. SILVIA DAVIDOIU Silvia Davidoiu Stacu, MA European Integration ’93, is the first alumna of the programme to reach ambassadorial rank following her appointment as Ambassador to Ireland from Romania.

10. KRISTIAN O’DONAVAN & TOMÁS FINNERAN Kristian O’Donavan, BA ’03, & Tomás Finneran, BEng (Computer) ’03, have co- founded Fluirse Technologies. Based in Tralee, Co. Kerry, they are now developing American and British markets for their interactive CD-Roms which help children learn Irish through an ‘edutainment’ approach.

11. NORITA KELLEHER ULAA Administrator Norita Kelleher, BBS ’96, became a first-time mother with the birth of her beautiful daughter Maya Margaret in November ’06.

12. VINCENT MCCARTHY Vincent McCarthy, BBS ’03, is Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Global Private Client Group in San Diego, California. From Ardmore, Co. Waterford, he graduated in 2004 with an MSc Finance from Fairfield University, Connecticut. Vinny describes himself as “a huge soccer fan … I play for a team over here with some other Irish lads”.

13. MARGARET O’LEARY Margaret O’Leary, BEng ’83, from Co Kerry, is the founder of a San-Francisco based clothing label which has evolved from a speciality knits collection into a full line of knitwear and sportswear. Founded in 1988 as a one-woman operation, clients today reportedly include Madonna, Kevin Spacey and Hillary Clinton. The Margaret O’Leary Collection can be found at her nine boutiques and over 500 others (including speciality stores) across the US.

14. COLIN DUNNE Colin Dunne, MA in Contemporary Dance Performance ’02, has finished a two- week run of ‘The Bull’ with Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre at the Barbican in London. While best-known as lead dancer in Riverdance for a number of years, Colin is also a guest tutor at the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance at UL.

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Alumni

Saturday 8 September 2007: Thomond College of Education Graduate Reunion

Saturday 22 September 2007: Graduation Class of 1982 Reunion (NIHE/UL)

Saturday 22 September 2007: Graduation Class of 1987 Reunion (NIHE/UL)

Friday 28 September 2007: Graduation Class of 1977 Reunion (NIHE/UL)

Friday 28 September 2007: Graduation Class of 1997 Reunion (NIHE/UL)

Friday 19 October 2007: 2nd Annual Bank of Ireland UL Alumni Awards

Friday 25 January 2008: 20th Company AGM - ULAA

Dates for Your Diary

Celebrating their Class of 1981 Reunion in Plassey House are (L-R) BBS graduate Brian Deegan, and BSc (Manufacturing & Production Engineering) graduates Conor O’Donoghue (California) and Billy Ooi (Malaysia), who travelled from abroad for the occasion.

Celebrating their Class of 1996 Reunion are BA (European Studies) graduates (L-R) Regina Heavey, Ger Maher, Noeleen McKenna, Andrea Carew, Velma Larke (guest), Aoife Duffin and Valerie O’Neill.

Celebrating their Class of 1986 Reunion on campus are BBS graduates (L-R) Michael Keely, Patrick Clarke, Garry Quilligan and Alan Ridgeway, who travelled from Luxembourg for the occasion.

ULAA Class Reunions 2006

Celebrating their Class of 1986 Reunion in the Foundation Building on campus are BSc (Industrial Chemistry) graduates (L) Helen Whelan, Jane Ann Fitzgerald and (R) Eilis English, pictured with Dr Eoin McCann, College of Science.

Celebrating their Class of 1981 Reunion in Plassey House are GDip (Computing) graduates (L-R) Mary O’Callaghan and Gabrielle Tarpey.

Celebrating their Class of 1996 Reunion on campus are BEng (Industrial Engineering) graduates, Anthony Byrne, Robert Clarke and Padraig Kelly.


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