The Mary Angela Murphy Memorial Prize in French

28 Mar 2026

The Department of French at UCC is delighted to be able to award a new Undergraduate student prize for academic achievement for the first time in 2026.

The Mary Angela Murphy Memorial Prize in French is made possible thanks to the generosity of alumna Geraldine (Gerry) Lynch Couchman, BA 1977. This prize is named in memory of Ms Couchman’s mother, who graduated from UCC in 1941 but, due to World War II, never had the opportunity to visit and study in France during her time at university. To give one exceptional current UCC student a helping hand in getting abroad, the prize is awarded to a second year undergraduate student enrolled in a dedicated or joint degree programme with the Department of French at UCC, who is planning to study abroad in France or another French-speaking country during the third year of their programme of study. The student enrolled with the Department of French with the highest marks in their first semester first-year French results is selected for this award.

We are honoured that Gerry Couchman and her sister have been able to join us for the ceremony today, and also that Matt Hamilton from UCC Advancement, who helped to set up this prize, could also be with us.

I am delighted to announce that the first recipient of this prize, which is worth €500, is Sinéad de Búrca, a student on our BA in World Languages Programme.

Professor Oliver Davis | Head of the Department of French