FREE STUDENT NEWSPAPER
VOL 13, ISSUE 7
16 JAN 2012
NUI Galway Mourns Tragic Passing of Popular Student By Jessica Thompson The 20-year-old NUI Galway student who died following a brutal assault in
Mullingar before Christmas was laid to rest on Friday 6 January. Bio-medical student, Andrew Dolan from Co.
The NUI Galway Memorial Garden, where a stone will be laid for Andrew Dolan. Photo by Simon O’Sullivan.
Leitrim, was injured in an attack after a friend’s twenty-first birthday party in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. He died in Beaumont Hospital on Sunday 1 January. Gardaí say that Andrew was hit on the head after being attacked in the early hours of Friday 23 December. The assault was caught on CCTV outside Abrakebabra at 2.40am. Two men (20 and 21) and a woman (19) were arrested in connection with the attack, though it appears that the woman was not directly involved. CCTV footage shows that the two men were the ones to attack the victim. A source told The Herald on Tuesday 3 January, “This was a completely random incident — the victim was not looking for trouble and there is nothing in the suspects’ background that suggests any previous form for assaulting anyone. “They seemed shocked
in the aftermath of the incident and remained at the scene until Gardaí arrived shortly after the incident. “It will be up to the DPP to decide but all the indications at this stage are that this will be a manslaughter rather than a murder prosecution.” NUI Galway President, Dr. James Browne led tributes to the popular student on Wednesday 4 January. NUI Galway’s Students’ Union President, Emmet Connolly said that there had been a huge outpouring of grief following the news of Andrew’s death. Connolly also urged those struggling to deal with the tragedy to utilise the counseling services that are available in the college. “We’re obviously very saddened to hear of the untimely an unexpected death of one of our fellow students,” Connolly said. “Our hearts go out to his friends and classmates here on campus.
Glycoscience Research in NUI Galway attracting 5 major funding NUI Galway appoints Ireland’s first Professor of Midwifery
6
National Breast Cancer Research Institute
7
€90 Million UCD development scheme
10
Sin speaks to Declan Ganley
14
Meet the Mitchell Scholars
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NUIG Clubs’ 2011 in Review
28
“We would encourage anyone finding it hard to deal with Andrew’s death to call up to Brian Grant, the Welfare Officer, in the
Students’ Union offices or to contact the Counselling Service on Distillery Road.” Continued on Page 2
Three NUI Galway Academics to Sit on Council of State By Katie Finnegan Three NUI Galway academics have been chosen by President Michael D. Higgins as appointees to the Council of State. Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh, Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness and Professor Gerard Quinn were appointed by the president along with four others. Professor Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh is a retired histor y professor and a former Dean of Arts and vice-president of the college. Professor Ó Tuathaigh has held many important roles including having been a member of the Senate of the NUI and of the Irish-US Fulbright Commission and
has also been a former Cathaoirleach of Údarás na Gaeltachta. Prof Ó Tuathaigh has been widely published in both Irish and English on many different areas of modern Irish history. Judge Catherine McGuinness was called to the Bar in 1977 and to the Inner Bar in 1989. She was a member of Seanad Éireann from 1979-82 and was previously a member of the Council of State from 1988-90. She served as a judge of the Circuit Court from 1994-1996, of the High Court from 19962000 and of the Supreme Court from 2000-2006. From 2005-2011, she was President of the Law Reform Commission. She is currently the Adjunct
Professor of Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Professor Gerard Quinn is the current Director of the Centre for Disability Law and Policy at NUI Galway. The center is part of a new research institute researching policy innovation covering age, child and family as well as disability. A graduate of NUIG, he holds a master’s and doctorate in law from Harvard Law School. His specialisation is international and comparative disability law and policy. He has worked in the European Commission and is a former member of the Irish Human Rights Commission. Continued on Page 2
Professor Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh and Professor Gerard Quinn. Images courtesy of the Marketing & Communications Office, NUI Galway.