Colm Brennan receives special award as over 160 Defence Forces members graduate

More than 160 military officers and enlisted personnel graduated from IT Carlow on Thursday.

They received Masters of Science in Communications Technology Management and Bachelor of Arts Degrees, Certificates and Higher Certificates in Leadership, Management and Defence Studies at the conferring of academic awards.

Special awards were presented for IT Carlow - Defence Forces Student of the Year at Levels 6, 7 and 9.

The recipients were: Gerard Rodgers (Antrim); Stephen Sheridan (Laois); Mark Robinson (Offaly) and Colm Brennan (Carlow).

The occasion marks the seventh such annual ceremony for Defence Forces personnel in what is the largest annual military graduation in the State from a higher education institution.

Almost 1,350 officers and enlisted personnel have been awarded Institute of Technology Carlow qualifications since 2013 and the growing number of postgraduate higher degree awards highlights the ongoing evolution of the partnership into new areas, such as research and development.

Additionally, 13 Defence Forces personnel from the Communications and Information Services Corps received the Bachelor of Engineering in Electronic Engineering (Military Communication Systems) in a separate ceremony hosted by Institute of Technology Carlow’s Faculty of Engineering.

At this conferring, Private Mark Gaughran from Dublin was awarded the Engineers Ireland South East Region Student of the Year Award at Level 7 having already won the Microelectronics Industry Design Association Ireland (MIDAS) 3rd level Electronic Project of the Year 2019 (sponsored by Analog Devices) earlier this month. 

Due to the nature of their military service, a number of the graduates were conferred in absentia as they are currently serving overseas in Lebanon, Mali, the Golan Heights and on other duties overseas.  

President of Institute of Technology Carlow, Dr Patricia Mulcahy, speaking at the ceremony, said: "The Defence Forces vision and leadership has ensured that our partnership continues to flourish, reinforcing our shared commitment to lifelong learning and to the pursuit of excellence in the formal accreditation of education and training at all stages of the Military Career.

"My warmest congratulations to all our new graduates from the Defence Forces."

Minister with Responsibility for Defence, Paul Kehoe, said: "Education and Training are very important in all walks of life and vital in the Defence Forces. 

"The challenges faced today by military forces in peace support, crisis management and security operations require extremely capable personnel and the standard of work completed by Irish Defence Force graduates is exceptionally high. 

"This is, in no small measure, attributable to the shared learning and professional environment created by the staff and management at Institute of Technology Carlow."

Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces Vice Admiral Mark Mellett DSM, said: "The strong collaboration between Óglaigh na hÉireann and IT Carlow allows our soldiers, sailors and air crew to attain the academic recognition they deserve for their commitment and professionalism in service to the State.

"Even today, of the 160 personnel being conferred, some are serving abroad in various missions across the globe. 

"Partnerships, such as this with IT Carlow, help strengthen our capacity to facilitate safe and secure environments wherever we serve."