North West Credit Union’s Educational Bursary Awards Winners

Meet the 2025 Winners!

North West Credit Union awards seven third-level students with €2,000 each after redesigning our current bursary format. Established over 17 years ago, the scheme has provided over €165,000 to third-level students.

The successful applicants are:

• Clara McGovern: Clara (Collooney) is a Nursing student at Dublin City University.
• Sarah Brady: Sarah (Drumkeerin) is studying Physical Education & Biology at Dublin City University.
• Diarmuid Lavin: Diarmuid (Keadue) is a Science student at University College Dublin.
• Mark Halligan: Mark (Boyle) is studying a BEd in Education and Psychology at Mary Immaculate College.
• Molly McLoughlin: Molly (Sligo Town) is a Law and Criminology student at the University of Galway.
• Tatiana Leahy: Tatiana (Sligo Town) is studying Accountancy at ATU Sligo.
• Amy McMorrow: Amy (Sligo Town) is a Medicine student at the University of Limerick.

Applications for the new bursary scheme opened in early 2025, and applicants were awarded their cheques at a small awards ceremony in September at the Wine Street branch of North West Credit Union.

Chairperson of North West Credit Union, Catherine O’Reilly, spoke about the importance of education, and the winners, who had to write about how the bursary would support their third-level journey, were grateful.

Sarah Brady, representing Drumkeerin, highlighted, “Receiving this financial bursary would support my third-level education in many ways. Firstly, I live in Dublin, where rent is already high and is set to increase from €765 to €900 per month next year. The overall cost of living in Dublin- including rent, food, and transport is significant, and any financial assistance would be a huge relief. This support would ease my financial worries, especially as I prepare to start my placement next year, which is already a stressful time for students. Currently, I am balancing my studies with part-time work to support myself financially. Managing work alongside my academic responsibilities can be challenging, particularly during exam periods. Despite this, I remain committed to my studies and was ranked 4th in my course last year. I truly believe that this support from North West Credit Union would help me improve my academic performance.”

Chairperson O’Reilly added,

“At North West Credit Union, we are proud to continue supporting students in our community as they pursue their educational goals. This bursary reflects our ongoing commitment to empowering the next generation through financial support, encouragement, and community spirit.”

Our Educational Bursary Programme is bigger, better, and more accessible than ever.

✔️ €14,000 Total Bursary Fund
✔️ Seven Individual Awards of €2,000 Each
✔️ Expanded Eligibility

Applications will reopen in late 2025 for the 2026 bursary awards.