Picture: Michelle Cooper Galvin
A former St Brendan’s College student who is now senior vice president – of major science and technology company Regenron was the special guest at this year’s student awards ceremony at his alma mater.
After completing his leaving cert in the Sem, Niall O’Leary achieved a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Dublin City University before earning an executive MBA from Xavier University Ohio.
He worked for a number of life sciences companies in the United States for 20 years where he gained extensive experience in biopharma operations, product development and project management
In 2014, Niall moved back to Ireland to lead the development of the largest-scale, bulk bio-logics production facility in Limerick which now has well over 1,000 employees.
He currently oversees the largest and fastest-growing biotechnology operation in Ireland.
Niall’s personal mantra is from a piece of prose written by Irish writer Samuel Beckett: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
A total of 90 current fifth and sixth year students gathered in the school chapel with 24 students from the Leaving Certificate class of 2022.
Guest speaker on the night, former St Brendan’s student, Niall O’Leary presented Kacper Bogalecki – now studying medicine in UCC – with the gold medal for outstanding academic achievement.
UCC engineering student Colm Looney was the recipient of the Dr Tadhg MacCurtain memorial award for outstanding achievements in maths and physics.
Other winners on the night were:
Outstanding performance in arts and humanities: Gearóid Mulvihill
Bishop Diarmaid Ó Súilleabháin medal for outstanding achievement the Irish language: Eoghan Ó Dubháin
Outstanding results in business: Peter Walsh and Cian Foley
Outstanding results in design technology: Jack Lynch
Board of Management awards for academic excellence: Cian Doyle, Ethan O’Neill, Ethan Slattery, Fionn McCloskey, Sam Benson, Harry Byrne, Myles O’Leary, Mikey Moriarty, Donncha Grealy, Mohammad Uddin, Mark Clifford, Rian Gill and Jack Muldarry.
Parents’ Council medal for the highest achieving Leaving Certificate Applied student: Michael O’Donoghue.
Certificates to recognise distinctions in the Leaving Cert Applied: Cerysan Danter, Aaron Nealon, Liam O’Brien and Anthony O’Carroll.
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