All-Ireland winning footballer David Clifford all smiles at UL graduation

ALL-IRELAND winning Gaelic Football star David Clifford has graduated from University of Limerick.

The Kerry GAA star forward was conferred with a Masters in PE Teaching at UL this Tuesday, August 23, among thousands of students receiving their parchments this week.

The 23-year-old played a starring role in UL GAA’s Sigerson Cup Final run, claimed the Higher Education Rising Star Footballer of the Year Award, and was Man of the Match in the All-Ireland Football Final this year.

A Silver Scholarship recipient at UL, David has been in the UL Sports Scholarships Academy for the past two years, allowing him access to the high-performance gym to keep up his demanding sporting regime while taking the course.

The Kerry star is among almost 3,300 new graduates being conferred at UL over five days of the 2022 Autumn Conferring Ceremonies this week.

Speaking ahead of his graduation, David Clifford said: “I couldn’t recommend it (the course) enough in terms of the time we were in college and the work placements that we had. The lecturers and the sports department were very accommodating and friendly, especially in helping me to balance my studies and our Sigerson Cup Final run. Coming up to Limerick was a bit daunting at first, but the sports facilities (at UL) alone are unbelievable.”

On Monday, the first batch of students in Ireland to graduate with Masters level apprenticeships were conferred, with Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins TD present to meet and congratulate them.

In her conferring address, Professor Mey told the new UL graduates that the ceremonies are “a hugely important part of your learning journey”.

In Pictures: Autumn conferrings underway at University of Limerick

“Your journey through education has been exciting, challenging and indeed not without a great deal of effort and commitment, but today you are celebrating the fact that you have excelled academically and all while we faced some of the darkest and most challenging days in recent history.

“This is an occasion that brings with it many reasons to celebrate and indeed to look to the future.

“As you leave here today with your academic award, you too will become the leaders, pioneers and entrepreneurs that will drive societal change for the better.

“Some of you will be the disruptors in asking how we do things differently, but all of you will be capable of meeting the challenges ahead.

“Today closes one chapter of your life, while also opening the pages for new beginnings," she concluded.