International success stories by any degree honoured in Galway
World champion, pioneers in the world of medicine and MedTech, human rights advocates and leaders of academia and industry were all honoured as University of Galway celebrated the achievements of its 2026 Alumni Award honourees at its gala award ceremony on campus.
The awards recognise outstanding graduates from across the University’s global alumni community. Since the establishment of the University in 1845 more than 145,000 people have graduated.
The awards highlight exceptional contributions from our alumni across a range of fields including the arts, business, law, public service, science, health, sport and emerging leadership, with recipients making a significant impact at local, national and international level.
The 2026 University of Galway Alumni Award recipients were World Champion Rower Fiona Murtagh, who received the Alumni Award for Contribution to Sport; IDA Ireland CEO Michael Lohan, recipient of the Alumni Award for Business and Commerce; TG4 DG Deirdre Ní Choistín (Gradam Alumni don Ghaeilge), and Katie Mannion of the Irish Refugee Council Law Centre (Alumni Award for Law, Public Policy and Society).
Professor Fran O’Rourke, Emeritus Professor, UCD, was the recipient of the Alumni Award for Arts, Literature and Celtic Studies, because alongside his academic career, he is recognised for his work on James Joyce and Irish traditional song, combining scholarship with performance. In collaboration with classical guitarist John Feeley, he has given concerts internationally, performing Joyce-related and traditional Irish material across Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.
The Alumni Award for Engineering, Science and Technology went to Professor Patrick Farrell, Professor of Numerical Analysis, University of Oxford, and the Alumni Award for Emerging Leader went to Ruth Mackey and David Mackey, founders of Mbryonics.
The Alumni Award for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences to Professor James Meaney, Professor of Radiology and Director, Thomas Mitchell Centre for Advanced Medical Imaging (CAMI), St James’s Hospital and Trinity College Dublin.
University of Galway President Professor David Burn told guests at the Gala Ball that the Alumni Awards were one of the most important occasions in the university calendar, ‘as we come together to celebrate the extraordinary impact our graduates are making across the world’.
“Each of this year’s recipients embodies the talent, ambition and values of University of Galway, and we are immensely proud of their achievements,” he said.