First psychology students among Carlow College graduates
Graduands on their way to Carlow cathedral for the college graduation ceremony
CARLOW College held its annual conferring ceremony on Friday 21 November at the historic Carlow cathedral, in which 139 undergraduate students received their degrees in programmes such as Arts and Humanities, English and History, Psychology, Political and Community Studies, and Social Care.
The event was presided over by college president Fr Conn Ó Maoldhomhnaigh, with chair of the governing body Bishop Denis Nulty also in attendance.
There were 36 Carlow residents among the graduates, with several of them receiving special awards in recognition of their academic excellence.
Aoife Lanigan from Pollerton received the Carlow County Council Bursary Award for achieving the highest grade on the BA (Hons) in Psychology course. Similarly, Shannon Whittle from Graiguecullen was recognised for academic excellence on the BA in Applied Social Studies (Professional Social Care).
This year’s ceremony was especially significant as Aoife and 22 of her peers became the first class to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, which was first launched in 2022.
There were more Carlow students honoured with specialist awards for contributions and excellence in their field of study.
Kayla White from Bagenalstown received the Fr Thomas McDonnell Delany Archive Research in History Prize, and Lorcan Canavan from Tullow received the Robert Frederick Holmes (1803) Award in recognition of his contribution to student life in Carlow College.
Furthermore, Casey Brennan from Carlow town was awarded the Gerry Morgan Award in Applied Social Studies for excellence in practice placement.
Dr Margaret Murphy, vice-president for academic affairs and registrar, congratulated the graduates on their achievement: “The class of 2025 represents the heart of Carlow College’s mission – to foster critical thinking, compassion and a commitment to social justice. We are especially proud to celebrate the first graduates from our psychology programme, who have set a strong foundation for future cohorts.”
As well as students from 14 different counties across Ireland receiving their parchments, there were also international undergraduates from Greece and the Czech Republic who picked up their degrees.
