Offaly sportsman among five recipients of MIC's Elite Sports Scholarship Scheme

Mary Immaculate College (MIC) has named five students as recipients of its annual Elite Sports Scholarship Scheme, celebrating their outstanding sporting achievements and Fionn Carney, from Shinrone, was awarded MIC's 2025 Elite Sports Bronze Scholarship.

Clare Senior Hurler, Adam Hogan, is this year’s Gold Scholarship recipient, while Kerry Ladies Footballer, Aoife Dillane and Wexford FC Soccer Player Michael McCarthy have been awarded Silver Scholarships. They are joined by Tipperary Camogie player Lucy Purcell and Munster Rugby Academy player, Fionn Carney, who were awarded Bronze Scholarships.

Now in its sixth year, MIC’s Elite Sports Scholarship—honouring the legacy of former staff members and sporting icons Noreen Lynch and Leonard Enright—continues to champion students who have achieved excellence in their sport.

These scholarships are designed to help recipients balance the demands of their academic work with their sporting ambitions.

Offaly native, Fionn Carney, has been immersed in sport from an early age, excelling in hurling, football and most notably rugby. After winning both minor county titles with his local club in 2023 and representing Offaly in hurling and football at minor level, the BA student’s focus shifted increasingly towards rugby. Having developed through Roscrea RFC and Cistercian College - where he completed in both Junior and Senior competitions - he progressed to represent Munster at U-19 level and is now part of the Munster Sub-Academy. He also plays AIL rugby with Cashel RFC and was recently selected for the Ireland U-20 squad for their November fixtures against South Africa. At only 19, Fionn is establishing himself as a powerful emerging talent in Irish rugby, balancing his studies at MIC with elite performance commitments.

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Congratulating this year’s awardees on their achievement, Professor Niamh Hourigan, Vice-President of Academic Affairs at MIC, said: “I warmly congratulate this year’s MIC Elite Sports Scholars. As ever, the calibre of this year’s sporting ambassadors has been outstanding. Our talented awardees have proven their sporting excellence at inter-county, national and international levels, with two All-Ireland winners among them. They have also dedicated themselves wholly to achieving academic success at MIC, and balancing the two commitments is no easy task. So, we are delighted to offer our support to such worthy recipients.“

The scheme is delivered through a bursary and additional benefits and is offered at three different levels as follows:

• One Gold Scholarship at €4,000 (applications invited from current and incoming undergraduate and postgraduate students)

• Two Silver Scholarships at €2,000 each (applications invited from current and incoming undergraduate and postgraduate students)

• Two Bronze Scholarships valued at €1,000 each (applications restricted to incoming CAO applicants only)

Applications for the MIC Elite Sports Scholarship Scheme 2026-27 are now being accepted at: www.mic.ul.ie/study-at-mic/scholarships/sports-scholarships. The deadline for receipt of applications is May 1st (on year of entry).

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