Recognising Success at the Deele College Annual Awards Ceremony 2026

May 24, 2026

Deele College celebrated its annual prize-giving ceremony in the school on Friday afternoon, with former Minister of Education, Joe McHugh and former principal, Mr PJ McGowan in attendance.

It was a day to celebrate the school’s achievements both inside and outside the classroom as the school community came together to recognise the hard work and dedication of the students who represented Deele College with distinction throughout the year.

The diversity of the award winners was clear to see as students were recognised for achievements in the world of golf, debating, fashion and design, darts, chess and the usual academic pursuits within the school.

There were a number of poignant awards, as the Eoin Brogan Award for Empathy was awarded to Ryley McNulty and the inaugural Christian McCullagh Award for ‘Beacon of Strength’ was awarded to Lisa Robb. Christian was a 5th year student in the school who passed away last year. His family were there to present the award in his honour to a special young girl, Lisa Robb, who has shown immense strength and resilience as she dealt with the death of her mother. It is awards like this that highlight the special place that the school holds within the community.

Joe McHugh addressed the students and spoke to them about facing challenges, referencing his own challenge in being appointed the Minister for the Gaelteacht, while being unable to speak Irish. He told them that what he learned was that education never stops. “At 41 I went back to learn Irish and I had a goal and my advice to you is that education never stops, show curiosity, enquire and show enthusiasm.”

He referenced the changing role of education and how AI is the new buzzword in education but he told them, “AI will never replace what you create collectively as a group of learners. It will never replace the creativity of hard working people.”

“Don’t be shy about trying new things, work hard, set a goal, put a plan together and keep on going. Set your goals, create good habits and enjoy the learning. Do those things and you will set yourself on the road to success. My opinion of success is different to what it was 10 years ago. Success is about happiness, well-being and being thankful for what you have and for those who help guide us on our journey.”

School Principal, Joe Boyle also referenced Joe’s challenge in learning Irish but he also mentioned the challenge that Covid created when he was Minister for Education when the Leaving Cert was cancelled in 2020. He spoke about how he addressed hundreds of principals and allayed their fears about the new process.

Mr Boyle also paid tribute to the prize winners, telling them that he was proud to lead a group of students who have applied themselves so diligently throughout the school year. He told them,“It is a great honour to reward the great work from our students both inside and outside the classroom. I would also like to thank the parents, who make the success of the students possible. I would also like to thank our teachers, our SNAs and our ancillary staff, who all work together to create the best learning environment that we can offer.”