Laois students honoured by TCD for academic excellence

FIVE fantastic Laois students have received awards from Trinity College Dublin, acknowledging their exceptional results in last year’s leaving certificate.  Schools in Portlaoise, Mountrath and Portarlington were represented, when the clever quintet received prestigious Entrance Exhibition Awards for the 2024/25 academic year Portlaoise past-pupils Bartosz Kupisiak from St Mary's CBS, Emma Fingleton from Scoil Chríost Rí and Mariya Petrushkova from Portlaoise College were joined by Sarah Cuddy from Mountrath Community School and John O’Kane Shortall from Coláiste Íosagáin, Portarlington.

They were among 593 students nationwide who were presented with the awards in January, together with a certificate and a €150 book token.

The awards go to students accepted into the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme who achieved the highest points among Trinity entrants from their secondary school, above a minimum of 500 CAO points or equivalent.   Many former awardees have gone on to make a significant mark on the economic, cultural and political life of Ireland and beyond. Past award-winners include former taoiseach Leo Varadkar.   The winners this year came from 452 different schools and from 30 counties on the island of Ireland, as well as 38 countries overseas.   The awards were delivered at three ceremonies in Trinity's Old Dining Hall, to which the students and their school principals were invited.

Congratulating all the recipients, Trinity’s Provost Dr Linda Doyle highlighted “the huge role played by school principals and the wider school community” in nurturing the students’ talent.