Maynooth president ‘excited’ by quality of new scholarships

St Patrick’s College in Maynooth is offering a suite of new scholarships to people interested in undertaking further studies in theology in a bid to attract more “quality” students to the college.

The college’s president, Msgr Hugh Connolly, told The Irish Catholic he was “excited” by the new bursaries “because they will bring in some quality candidates”.

“We have been delighted to provide scholarships in the past but what we are embarking on now is of a different order. The quality of these scholarships is much higher,” Msgr Connolly said.

Award

Of the new studentships set to come on stream in the next academic year, Msgr Connolly explained that the President’s Scholarship Fund was open to priests in active ministry, lay people in parish leadership roles, students in difficulty and overseas students from developing countries. The scholarship also serves to award those with academic excellence, he added.

St Patrick’s College is also launching two major PhD scholarships, known as the Scotus Eriugena Scholarships, which will entirely fund two doctoral students in theology at the college.

This is in addition to two separate scholarships, one for sub-Saharan Africa and one for Asia.

Msgr Connolly said he was “confident” that these scholarships would be in place in the coming months. “In those instances, if priests are coming from the developing world, more often than not, they do need some help,” he said.