2022
UCC celebrates pioneering alumni achievers
Five trailblazing alumni will be honoured with an Alumni Achievement Award from their alma mater University College Cork (UCC).
These awards are one of the highest accolades given by the university. Those being honoured include:
Her Honour Judge Helen Boyle, Cork Circuit Court judge; Professor Des Crowley, Doctor and inclusion health leader; Sean Minihane, founder of the Irish Immigration Reform Movement; Doireann 狈铆 骋丑谤铆辞蹿补, award-winning poet and author, and Professor Martin Tangney OBE, biofuel pioneer.
President of UCC, Professor John O鈥橦alloran commended those that will be awarded this evening:
鈥淚t is an honour to recognise these five who have made real impact in careers, changing lives and our society for the better,鈥 he said.
US Senate majority leader congratulates Irish immigration leader
US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer has congratulated one of the UCC alumni achievement award recipients for his role in making 鈥渁 positive change in American immigration policy.鈥
Sean Minihane, a UCC engineering graduate, co-founded the Irish Immigration Reform Movement (IIRM) in 1987 and lead the grassroots organisation whose primary purpose was to legalise the status of undocumented immigrants from Ireland and 34 other countries adversely affected by America鈥檚 1965 Immigration Act.
鈥淲hen it comes to making positive change in American immigration policy and keeping open the path to citizenship for Irish immigrants, there is no person more deserving of recognition for leadership, persistence, and impact than Sean Minihane鈥 commented US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer.
鈥淥n behalf of all of my wonderful colleagues in the Irish Immigration Reform Movement (IIRM), I am delighted to accept this Award from UCC, to acknowledge the great work undertaken by the IIRM on behalf of many tens of thousands of Irish immigrants to the USA. The IIRM was testimony not only to all that is good in Irish people working for their less fortunate brethren, but also to the power of people determined to seek justice in a worthy cause. It was my great pleasure to be part of this amazing organisation. As an alumnus of UCC, I am very proud to be able to accept this award鈥 stated Sean Minihane.
The work of the Irish Immigration Reform Movement (IIRM) impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of undocumented Irish in the United States in the late 1980鈥檚 through to 1990. The organization's early successes included the Donnelly Visa Program in 1987, which resulted in thousands of visas for previously undocumented Irish immigrants. The Immigration Act of 1990 (H.R. 4300) stands as the primary legislative legacy of the IIRM. This legislation provided a three-year transitional visa program through which 48,000 visas were granted to Ireland, as well as the annual diversity visa lottery program which has continued into the twenty-first century. This life-changing legislation that impacted hundreds of thousands of families, both currently in the USA and in Ireland planning to move to the USA.
Contributions to the cultural and commercial life of Cork City
An accomplished lawyer and Circuit Court judge, Judge Helen Boyle graduated with a BCL and LLB from UCC鈥檚 School of Law in 1992 and 1993 respectively. Judge Boyle practised as a barrister at the Cork Bar prior to her appointment as a judge. Since her appointment to the Circuit Court in 2020, she has made significant impacts in her field.
Judge Boyle served as Chairperson of the Mental Health and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunals. She acted as junior counsel to a number of inquiries and commissions of investigation, including the Commission of Investigations to the Leas Cross Nursing Home, Dean Lyons Case and the Preliminary Investigation into Certain Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Ferns.
Her contribution to the cultural and commercial life of Cork City is also noteworthy - she is former Chair of Cork International Film Festival and former Director of the Port of Cork.
Spearheading the first set of guidelines for GPs on the treatment and care of transgender people
"I am honoured to receive this Alumni award. I have always walked to the beat of my own drum and it's nice to have my achievements in and contribution to healthcare recognised. I hope that this award will highlight the ongoing need to reduce the known and existing barriers that marginalised and vulnerable populations experience in accessing equitable healthcare" stated Professor Des Crowley.
Since 1995 he has led the Thompson Centre, a large drug treatment facility in Dublin. His work includes taking care of many homeless and displaced families, and he was recently involved in the targeted Covid-19 vaccination programmes for homeless people and people who use drugs.
Professor Crowley has spearheaded the first set of guidelines for GPs on the treatment and care of transgender people. Following on from this work, he wrote and presented a lecture to medical students at UCD on Transgender health issues, believed by the writer to the first of its kind in Ireland.
Award winning poet and author
Award-winning poet and author Doireann 狈铆 骋丑谤铆辞蹿补's critically acclaimed book A Ghost in the Throat has been described by The New York Times as 'ardent', 'shape-shifting' and 'exuberant'. The bestselling book won the An Post Irish Book of the Year in 2020 and the James Tait Black Prize. It is soon to be translated into eleven languages.
狈铆 骋丑谤铆辞蹿补 has followed the success of A Ghost in the Throat with a new poetry collection, To Star the Dark. She is also author of five previous books of poetry, each a deepening exploration of birth, death, desire, and domesticity. In 2019, she was named among six new members elected to 础辞蝉诲谩苍补 at its 40th General Assembly, held in UCC. Membership of 础辞蝉诲谩苍补 is determined through a voting system whereby new members are elected by their peers and is Ireland's highest artistic honour. Doireann 狈铆 骋丑谤铆辞蹿补 graduated with a BA in Applied Psychology from UCC in 2002 and an MA sa Nua Ghaeilge in 2010.
Developing sustainable biofuel
An award-winning inventor, Professor Martin Tangney OBE is a key international figure in the low carbon sector, informing policy debate around the world. In 2007, he established the UK鈥檚 first research centre dedicated to the development of sustainable biofuel and has since made history by powering the world麓s first ever car fuelled with biobutanol, a sustainable biofuel derived from the by-products of whiskey.
His innovation has been applauded by NGOs, industry leaders and international government leaders alike and he has focused worldwide media attention on to low carbon innovation in Scotland. Amongst his other awards and recognition, he was named the Scottish Enterprise Life Sciences Entrepreneur of the Year and was recognised at the EU Parliament for founding the Most Innovative Biotech SME in Europe. In recognition of his services to engineering and energy industries, he was awarded an honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen, in the 2018 New Year鈥檚 honours list. Professor Tangney graduated from UCC with a BSc Microbiology in 1986.
The Alumni Achievement awards dinner is an annual celebration by UCC of its alumni, previous winners include RT脡 broadcaster Marty Morrissey, psychologist Maureen Gaffney and Michelin starred chef Ross Lewis.