UCD Alumni Award in Law 2025 honours Sarah Keane
(L to R) Law with Politics student, Máirín Harding, Sarah Keane, UCD President, Prof Orla Feely
The annual UCD Alumni Awards, held in October 2025, honoured Sarah Keane (BCL 1995, LLM 1996) with the UCD Alumni Award in Law. Sarah, the first female President of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, was the worthy recipient of this annual award bestowed by UCD and the Sutherland School of Law.
The annual UCD Alumni Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of our graduates and their far-reaching contributions. The Alumni Award in Law recognises Sarah Keane for her exceptional accomplishments in both sports and law. As the first Chief Executive Officer of Swim Ireland, she was instrumental in modernising the organisation and advancing swimming, water polo, diving, and other aquatic disciplines. In 2017, she became the first female President of the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI), a role she was reappointed to in 2020. She stepped down in December 2024 after leading the OFI to Ireland's most successful Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
Sarah is an influential figure in global and national sports governance, serving on the government appointed Leadership Group for the implementation of the National Sports Policy. A committed advocate for gender equality, diversity, and inclusion, she chairs the European Aquatics DEI Committee. A qualified solicitor with a degree in law, a masters in commercial law and diplomas in corporate and financial management, she also serves on the Central Bank of Ireland Commission and previously worked as an Associate Partner at Matheson law firm. In October Sarah Keane’s appointment as CEO of Cricket Ireland was announced.
She recalls her time studying law at UCD as a time for growth in her life, building up confidence from an education perspective that later shaped her leadership in the professionalisation of Irish sport.
The other recipient of UCD Alumni Awards in 2025 were Dr Shourjya Sanyal, Louise Quinn, Aimee Connolly, Dr Peter J. Timoney, Dr Úna McCarthy-Fakhry, Niall McLaughlin, Paul O’Brien, Dr Emily O’Reilly (more information (opens in a new window)here).
Sarah Keane is the twelfth recipient of the UCD Alumni Award for Law. The distinguished alumni who have received this award over the past eleven years are:
UCD Alumni Award for Law
2014 (opens in a new window)Maeve O’Rourke
2015 (opens in a new window)Miriam O’Callaghan
2016 (opens in a new window)Benjamin Cleary
2017 (opens in a new window)Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC
2018 (opens in a new window)Vincent Keaveny CBE
2019 (opens in a new window)Colin Ryan
2020 (opens in a new window)Sally Hayden
2021 (opens in a new window)Fiona McEntee
2022 (opens in a new window)Bill Shipsey SC
2023 (opens in a new window)Aedamar Comiskey