Offaly horticulture student receives Una McDermott Travel Bursary

AN Offaly student is one of three horticulture students from South East Technological University (SETU) to receive the 2026 Una McDermott Travel Bursary, a prestigious award that supports students in gaining international horticultural experience.

Chelirs Brecq from Birr, who also won the Una McDermott Travel Bursary last year, will take part in the Munn Volunteer Programme at Claude Monet’s House and Gardens in Giverny, Normandy, France, this August, contributing to the care and maintenance of the historic gardens that inspired Monet’s famous paintings.

Chelirs says, “I feel very privileged to be able to avail of this fantastic travel bursary for a second time. It has proved invaluable for my horticultural career, and I'm really looking forward to using the bursary to go work in one of the most beautiful gardens in France.”

The bursary honours the legacy of Una McDermott, a passionate horticulturist and former lecturer on the BSc in Horticulture at SETU, and enables students to travel abroad and develop their horticultural knowledge through placements, internships, and volunteering opportunities.

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This year, 11 students from across SETU’s horticulture programmes at the National Botanic Gardens and Teagasc Kildalton College applied for the bursary. Following a competitive selection process, six students were shortlisted and invited to interview.

After a strong round of interviews, the three SETU students studying at the National Botanic Gardens were awarded the 2026 Una McDermott Travel Bursaries.

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