St Jarlath’s College is delighted to announce that Joe Ryder, a dedicated and high-achieving student from Kilbannon, Tuam, has been awarded the prestigious Pat McDonagh Business Award for 2024. Sponsored by the N17 Plaza, this esteemed accolade comes with a €500 cash prize and recognises excellence in Business Studies at both second and third-level education.
Joe, who achieved a fantastic H1 in Business and a H2 in Accounting in last year’s Leaving Certificate, is now pursuing a Bachelor of Business with Honours in Accounting at Atlantic Technological University (ATU) in Galway. He hopes to qualify as an accountant, having developed a strong interest in business and accounting during his time at St Jarlath’s College.
Looking back on his school days, Joe expressed his gratitude to his teachers, President, school staff, and classmates who supported him throughout. “St Jarlath’s College has helped me grow as both a student and a person. Early on, I developed a love for business and accounting thanks to my teachers, who made the subjects interesting and engaging. Today, I’m studying Accounting at ATU with the aim of becoming an accountant. I also have great memories of my time playing hurling with St Jarlath’s College, especially captaining my team to victory in the Ger McHugh Memorial Cup last year.”
The award was presented on Thursday morning in the grounds of St Jarlath’s College by Supermac’s Managing Director, Mr. Pat McDonagh, who praised Joe for his exceptional academic performance and highlighted the tradition of both academic and sporting excellence at St Jarlath’s College. “It’s fantastic to be back at St Jarlath’s College to present this award for the third year running. Joe has shown an outstanding talent in business studies. Our young people are the future business leaders of Ireland. They are the ones who will bring fresh ideas, innovation, and change. It’s so important that students continue to study business at second and third level to reach their full potential. I’d also like to acknowledge the incredible work of the staff at St Jarlath’s, under the leadership of President John Kelly, in promoting business studies in the school.”
This marks the third year of the Pat McDonagh Business Award. Last year’s winner, Derec Reynolds, is now in his second year of Global Commerce at the University of Galway, while the inaugural winner, Eimhin Mulligan, also studying Commerce, sets a high standard for future recipients. The award continues to grow and inspire students to pursue their ambitions in business education. This marks a great year for Joe Ryder as he was also awarded ATU's Entrance Scholarship Award in recognition of achieving over 550 CAO points in his Leaving Certificate.
St Jarlath’s College extends its heartfelt congratulations to Joe Ryder and all previous winners for their hard work and achievements.
