29 Kildare students receive Trinity College Dublin entrance awards

29 students from Kildare have received prestigious Entrance Exhibition awards from Trinity College Dublin in recognition of outstanding performances in their final school examinations. 

A total of 602 first-year students from all 32 counties of Ireland and overseas have received Entrance Awards from Trinity this year, the awardees receive a certificate and a €150 book token. 

The Kildare students are: Zoe Hughes (Leinster Senior College), Eoin Dowling (Salesian Secondary School), Euan Brendan Handley (Salesian Secondary School), Samuel Collins (Dominican College), Sean Keogh (Patrician Day College), Kate Marie Long (Meán Scoil an Teaghlaigh Naofa), Ishita Gautam (Scoil Dara), James Cornally (St. Paul's Secondary School), Shane Whelan (Meán Scoil Iognáid Rís), Fionn Lardner (Meán Scoil Iognáid Rís), Hugh O'Sullivan Sexton (Clongowes Wood College), Oluwatobi Baruwa (Clongowes Wood College), Emily Drennan (Coláiste Naomh Mhuire), Niamh O’Carroll (Coláiste Naomh Mhuire), Sean Kiely (Gaelcholáiste Chill Dara), Mariam Al-Azraa Shami (Athy Community College), Mahzala Shah (Confey Community College), Timothy Murphy (Maynooth Post Primary School), Rynz Melle Bazar (Piper's Hill College), Libby Fallon (Vocational School Kildare), Michelle Finnegan (Vocational School), Neala Kelly (Naas Community College), (Kurians Biju (Coláiste Chiaráin), Erin Lenihan (Community School), Hannah Foley Wollmer (Community School), Lucy Anna Keville (Community School), (Heather Robyn Hanlon (Kildare Town Community School), James Carolan (Kildare Town Community School), Caoimhe Doyle (Celbridge Community School).

The students and their former school principals were invited to receive and celebrate their awards at ceremonies in Trinity’s Examination Hall from January 20-22, 2026. 

There are 59 students receiving awards from 39 countries outside Ireland. Of the Irish awardees, 393 are from schools in Leinster, 67 are from Munster, 42 from Connacht and 41 from Ulster.  

Trinity Provost Dr Linda Doyle congratulated all the awardees: “It is our great privilege to welcome these wonderful students to Trinity College Dublin. They deserve enormous credit for the hard work and commitment that have brought them to this point. I have every confidence that they will thrive in Trinity’s incredible academic environment and enjoy the creativity and fun of our 150 sports clubs and societies. 

“I also want to congratulate all those who have supported these students on their journeys. In addition to their parents and guardians, I want to acknowledge the dedication of school principals, teachers and wider school staff - both primary and secondary - who play such a vital role in bringing out the best in students during their formative years.” 

The awards go to students accepted into the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree who achieve the highest points among Trinity entrants from their secondary school, above a minimum of 500 CAO points (or equivalent).  When more than one student from a school gets the same high points, all receive an award. Many former awardees have gone on to make a significant contribution to the economic, cultural, and political life of Ireland and beyond. Past Exhibitioners include former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.   

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