Clonmel Credit Union awards €12,000 to six local students for third-level education

Clonmel Credit Union has announced the winners of its annual €12,000 Student Bursary Awards Scheme, with six local students each receiving financial support as they begin their third-level studies.

The winners received the bursaries at a ceremony in the Credit Union’s Parnell Street branch on Friday, September 4th.

More than 2,500 students sat the Leaving Certificate in County Tipperary in 2026, many of whom have now secured places in college, despite more than half (54%) of college courses across Ireland recording an increase in points this year.

With an average cost of €7,000 annually for a live-at-home student in 2026, third-level education is a significant investment for students and parents.

Six local students will now take up their respective third-level courses, each receiving an endowment of €2,000 from Clonmel Credit Union to help offset the escalating costs of third-level education, including rent, transport, fees, technology, and the wider cost of living.

The winning applications came from Mia Goldbach of Presentation Secondary School Clonmel, who is going on to study Primary Teaching at Marino College; Mikey McGuire from CBS High School Clonmel, who will take up Engineering, Technology and Graphic Teaching at University Limerick; and Niamh Cotter, a Gaelcholáiste Chéitinn CTI graduate, who is planning to study General Nursing at University of Limerick.

Tadhg Browne, a Coláiste Dún Iascaigh student, has accepted a place at Munster Technical University to study Instrumental Engineering.

Fethard’s Sarah Moore, of Patrician Presentation Secondary School, will study an Art Degree with a special interest in psychology at Mary Immaculate College, while the final bursary was awarded to Loreto Secondary School’s Niamh Guiry Smith, who will pursue Primary Teaching at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick.

The Student Bursary Awards Scheme was launched in June, and following an extraordinary response to the call for applications, the number of submissions increased by 25% on last year.

The successful candidates demonstrated the qualities of well-rounded young people with bright futures ahead of them, illustrating academic achievements, volunteerism and community involvement.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Clonmel Credit Union Chairperson, Eamonn O’Mara, said the standard of applications was exceptionally high this year. “Once again, we were blown away by the standard of applications this year. There are so many ambitious, civic-minded young people in our community taking those first steps towards independence. It is a real privilege for us at Clonmel Credit Union to support them at such an important milestone in their lives.

“Starting college can be an exciting time, but it can also bring significant financial pressure for students and their families. That is why it is important to us to be there for young people in our community at these key moments in their lives.”

A fully independent adjudication panel of prominent local figures, including Renny Abraham, a physiotherapist and long-standing member of United Cricket Clonmel; Michelle Aylward, Chief Executive Officer of County Tipperary Chamber; and Aoife O’Keeffe, a Clonmel native, professional dancer, choreographer and founder of AOK-DANCE, undertook the task of reviewing the bursary submissions and selecting this year’s winners.

The application forms were anonymised throughout the judging process to ensure fairness and impartiality.

The bursary, which has been running for three years, is one of a number of the initiatives Clonmel Credit Union has in place to support the local community.

The Credit Union sponsors youth-focused activities in the area, such as school visits, the United Cricket Club, the Battle of the Bands, On Your Toes and AOK Dance Club, as well as local sports clubs.

This year, Clonmel Credit Union also launched a low-cost Student Loan at just 6.5% (APR 6.71%) to provide further financial support to young people as they navigate the costly transition to third-level education and take an important step towards independence.

“A huge thank you to every student who took the time to apply” said Eamon.

“With so many fantastic entries, this was an incredibly difficult decision for our adjudicators, and I want to thank each of them for the time and care they put into the process. Congratulations to our six winners. We wish you every success in the years ahead”.