41st Annual Bank of Ireland Student Awards

The Bank of Ireland Prize Giving was first initiated by the late Dr Mary Redmond in 1976 and originally was awarded for the best Human Rights Essay. Over the years, the awards have extended to include prizes for top students in every year.

Many of our other prizewinners have gone on to pursue distinguished academic careers both overseas and at home, for example, Professor Walter Walsh of the University of Washington and Professor Gráinne de Búrca of New York University. The first prize winner Professor Brian Havel is currently Director of the Institute of Air & Space Law at McGill University and the first female prizewinner Professor Deirdre Curtin is Professor of European law at the European University Institute of Florence. Furthermore, no less than eight of our current staff are also previous prizewinners including our Dean, Professor Imelda Maher. Beyond academia, our former prizewinners include many members of the judiciary such as Síofra O’Leary, judge at the European Court of Human Rights. Judge O’Leary herself recently returned to the School to deliver this year’s Walsh Lecture.  Closer to home, former winners include Paul Coffey, Brian Cregan, Richard Humphreys and Aileen Donnelly, all judges of the High Court. The judicial involvement has made the Prize Giving the success that it is today.

We would like to pay tribute to the contribution and support of the members of the judiciary who have given of their time to adjudicate the essay prize over the past decades. Since the judicial involvement with the Prize Giving in 1981, almost every Chief Justice and President of the High Court has acted as the essay adjudicator.  This year we were joined by The Hon. Mr Justice Alan Mahon of the Court of Appeal of Ireland who adjudicated the essay competition and presented the medals.

This success, however, could not have been achieved without Bank of Ireland’s generous support. In particular, it is the strong and close working relationship between the Sutherland School of Law staff and the managers of the local Montrose and Student Store branches that results in the ever-successful hosting of this special annual event. We are very grateful to Bank of Ireland for the consistent and generous support of this event.

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Pictured above L-R This years winners Rory Quinless, Conor White, Michelle Blake, James Bernasconi, Daniel Forde, Conor Gallagher, Eileen Collins, Sarah Lydon, Eamonn Butler, Mateusz Zubrzycki. Other winners Cian Monague, Aidan Murray and Eamonn Butler.  

Above L-R Daniel Forde, Judge Alan Mahon, James Bernasconi, Paul Ward (Prize Academic Co-Ordinator) and Mateusz Zubrzycki.

Third Year winners Michelle Blake & COnor Gallagher talk with Academic Co-Ordinator Paul Ward.

The Hon. Mr Justice Alan Mahon with Final Year Gold Medal Winner Eamonn Butler.

Depurty Registrar Professor Barbara Dooley and Gavin Leech, Bank of Ireland.