The School of History Annual Prize-giving Ceremony 2026
The School of History Annual Prize-giving Ceremony 2026 took place in the Aula Maxima on Wednesday, 18 February. The ceremony is an annual event celebrating the excellent achievements of students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Prizes were awarded based on academic performance in the last academic year, 2024-2025. We are extremely proud of the outstanding achievements of our students.
The event provides an opportunity for the staff of the School of History to acknowledge publicly and pay appropriate tribute to the inspiring work of History students. Prizes were awarded to the History Student of the Year in I, II and III Year. Prizes were similarly awarded to European Studies students for achievement at undergraduate level.
The event also provides an opportunity to acknowledge the generosity of the donors and representatives of the families of donors of various other prizes which were also awarded – the John A. Murphy Prize in Irish History, the John B. O’Brien Annual Prize in History, the Leonora Hanrahan Prize in History, the James and Mary Hogan Prize in History, the Jennifer O’Reilly Prize in Medieval History, the J.J Lee History Prize, the Dermot Keogh Prize, the Gabriel Doherty Prize, the Chris Williams Prize, the Alan McCarthy Prize, and the Polish Ambassador Prize in Polish History. All of these prizes carry considerable prestige. We are extremely grateful to all the donors for their continued, deeply valued connection with the School of History. [See gallery of pictures: https://www.ucc.ie/en/scholarships/pg/history-prize-giving-ceremony-2026/
We were very privileged to have the Polish Ambassador to Ireland, Artur Michalski, present the Polish History Prize. Two special memorial awards in honour of two former members of the History Department staff, Professor Tom Dunne and Ken Nicholls, both of whom passed away within the last year, were also included in the ceremony. We were exceptionally fortunate to have several family members of those being remembered at the ceremony, agreeing to present the prizes. Many thanks to Professor Catherine O’Brien, Aimée Doherty, Sara Williams, Sarah McCarthy, Dr Clare O’Halloran, Ann Keogh, Michael O’Reilly and Fr Edmund Hogan for this greatly appreciated honour.
For details on History prizes and other related scholarships see the UCC Scholarships and Prizes database: https://www.ucc.ie/en/scholarships/
SCHOOL OF HISTORY
ANNUAL PRIZE-GIVING CEREMONY & RECEPTION 2026
2 PM, WEDNESDAY, 18 FEBRUARY, AULA MAXIMA, UCC
PRESENTATION OF PRIZES
History Student of the Year Awards
Year I: Denise Scanlon
Year II: David Cronin
Year III: Freyja Hellebust
European Studies Student of the Year Awards
Year I: Emilia Piotrowska
Year II: Hannah Forde
Year III (Year Abroad): Valerie Heilig
Year IV: Lena Power
European Studies Dissertation of the Year
Lena Power
Special European Studies Award
Kieran Hand
The Leanora Hanrahan Prize in History
Margaret Austin
Gabriel Doherty Prize in Irish History
Áine Casey Vallely
The James and Mary Hogan Prize in History
Adrian Quinn & Jack Kelly (jointly awarded)
The Dermot Keogh Prize in Irish History
Lena Power
The J.J. Lee History Prize
Claire Reilly
The John A. Murphy Prize in Irish History
Martin Byrne
The John B. O’Brien Annual Prize in History
Kirsten Szmidt
Chris Williams Prize in History
Jamie Keegan
The Jennifer O’Reilly Prize in Medieval History
Freyja Hellebust
The Polish Ambassador Prize in History
Aidan Gildroy
The Ken Nicholls Prize in History
Conor Martin & Charlotte Galvin (jointly awarded)
The Tom Dunne Prize in History
Tigerlily Keoghan
Alan McCarthy Prize in Irish History
Ferdia Foley
Presentation by Freyja Hellebust
Reception to follow