Launch of Paula McGurk Scholarship Prize at St Columb's College in Derry

The Paula McGurk Scholarship Award establishes a prize fund of £5,000 open to Sixth Formers at the school.

The prize fund will invite students to apply for awards to enable them to pursue education and career enhancing opportunities to which they might not otherwise have access.

The Prize will be awarded annually in memory of the late Paul McGurk, formerly of Bayswater on the Waterside, who died in May 2021 following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2018.

Many in the town who knew Paula will remember a determined and hard-working woman who successfully raised four children on her own and who passionately believed in the transformative power of education and opportunity.

Paula was born and raised in Dublin, working for Tara Mines and the Royal Insurance company after finishing College. In 1972, and following Ireland’s accession to the European Economic Community (as the EU then was), Paula undertook exams to become an Irish Civil Servant in the European Parliament which, in those days, moved between Luxembourg and Strasbourg. She lived in the Kirchberg district of Luxemburg when she worked in the Parliament, and strongly believed in the wider EU project and the benefits it afforded Ireland through membership.

Paula moved to Derry in 1987. Before retiring, she worked for social services helping children living in care on both Chapel Road and in the Nazareth House.The Scholarship Fund has been established by Brendan, Maeve and John McGurk, Brendan and John having attended St Columb’s from 1988 to 1995, and 1996 to 2003 respectively.

The Paula McGurk Scholarship Award will be open to all students and its aim is to promote academic and career-enhancing opportunities to deserving students seeking to reach beyond their current circumstances by accessing opportunities that will help to achieve target A-levels, attend external courses that will enhance subject-learning, apply and have access to University or to enhance CVs, including through facilitating work placements or internships with companies or NGOs.The Prize is a school prize and winners will be announced at the annual prize giving event.

Paula McGurk’s family said she was very grateful to St Columb’s College for all the help and support it gave to her sons, and added that she would have been delighted to know that her name will continue to be associated with the promotion of educational opportunity for boys in the City, particular those in greater need of financial assistance.

The Prize will not be the first that St Columb’s will award in the name of a woman, the Patricia Hughes prize being awarded in memory of the late and much-loved teacher at the Buncrana Road school.

The prize founders said: “The prize serves to recognise the sacrifice that many women still disproportionately make to facilitate the opportunity and success of others. It will be a fitting and continuing tribute to a woman much loved and admired by those who knew her best.”