UL Alumni Awards honour writer, diplomat, business leader and journalist

University of Limerick President Professor Shane Kilcommins praised four alumni for their contributions to literature, diplomacy, technology and journalism at the 2026 UL Alumni Awards.

The ceremony recognised author Donal Ryan, celebrated for his distinctive voice and exploration of contemporary Irish life. Ryan, winner of the Guardian First Book Award and the EU Prize for Literature and twice long‑listed for the Booker Prize, was honoured after his latest novel Where Are The Kings topped the Irish bestseller charts in August 2026.

Diplomat Frances Collins, former Irish ambassador to the Holy See, received an award for strengthening Ireland‑Vatican relations and helping launch the Women Faith and Climate Network with Project Dandelion and the Laudato Si’ Movement. Collins, the second woman to hold the ambassadorial post, also contributed to nuclear disarmament policy during Ireland’s UN Security Council term.

Martin Cotter, Analog Devices Ireland’s chief business units officer and EMEA president, was celebrated for his four‑decade career in engineering and business, and for receiving the 2025 American Chamber of Commerce Ireland Global Leadership Award for his role in the US‑Ireland relationship.

Investigative journalist Derek Bowler was honoured for his work in verifying social‑media content and eyewitness evidence with Storyful, the European Broadcasting Union and for founding the Eurovision Social Newswire and Eurovision News Spotlight, networks that unite journalists and forensic investigators across public service media.

Alumni honoured for societal impact

The awards highlighted the alumni’s commitment to using their talents for the wider community, reflecting UL’s global network of more than 140,000 graduates since the programme began in 2006.

Source: Limerick Post. Photo: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels.