Two Westmeath students win funds for study abroad

Two Westmeath students have been awarded George Moore Scholarships to pursue postgraduate studies in London and the Netherlands.

Caitlin Kiernan, a former student of Loreto College, Mullingar, and Laura Isdell from Collinstown who went to St Oliver Post Primary School in Oldcastle, are among 66 students from across the island of Ireland selected for the 2026 George Moore Scholars programme, run by The Ireland Funds.

Ms Kiernan will study for an MSc in Genes, Drugs and Stem Cells – Novel Therapies at Imperial College London, and Ms Isdell will undertake a Master in Electrical Engineering at TU Delft in the Netherlands.

The programme, which was launched by The Ireland Funds in 2019, supports high-achieving students who have demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to making a positive impact through their chosen fields.

The scholarships provide financial support towards tuition fees, travel, accommodation and other costs associated with postgraduate study overseas. Scholars also receive mentorship and access to an international network of fellow scholars.

The programme is named after Irish-American businessman George Moore, who received a scholarship to study in the United States in 1972. The opportunity helped him become one of the most successful Irish-American businessmen of his generation.

This year’s wider cohort will study at universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, ETH Zurich and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, across disciplines addressing some of the world’s pressing challenges.