University of Galway has 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:
Alumni Award for Arts, Literature and Celtic Studies — Professor Fran O’Rourke, Emeritus Professor, University College Dublin
Alumni Award for Business and Commerce – Sponsored by Bank of Ireland — Michael Lohan, Chief Executive Officer, IDA Ireland
Gradam Alumni don Ghaeilge — Deirdre Ní Choistín, Director General of TG4
Alumni Award for Law, Public Policy and Society – Sponsored by RDJ — Katie Mannion, Managing Solicitor, Irish Refugee Council Law Centre
Alumni Award for Engineering, Science and Technology – Sponsored by Analog Devices — Professor Patrick Farrell, Professor of Numerical Analysis, University of Oxford
Alumni Award for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences – Sponsored by Medtronic — Professor James Meaney, Professor of Radiology and Director, Thomas Mitchell Centre for Advanced Medical Imaging (CAMI ), St James’s Hospital and Trinity College Dublin
Alumni Award for Contribution to Sport — Fiona Murtagh, World Champion Rower
Alumni Award for Emerging Leader – Sponsored by BioInnovate — Ruth Mackey and David Mackey, founders of Mbryonics
Professor David Burn, University of Galway President, said “the Alumni Awards are one of the most important occasions in our 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.
“Their success reflects not only their individual excellence, but also the strength of our global alumni community and its continued connection to the University.”
