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Trish honoured at special USI gala
23.11.09
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INISHOWEN woman Trish
Hegarty has been honoured at a special gala dinner
marking the 50th anniversary of the Union of
Students of Ireland (USI). Trish, who runs a PR
company in Inishowen, made history in 1988 when she
was elected the first woman president of the USI.
She joined other past USI officers including RTE's
Joe Duffy and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, at a gala
dinner in Dublin on Friday where there was
a presentation of awards from President of Ireland, Mary McAleese. |
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“It was an honour to
receive a presentation from the President. It was
also great to see so many old faces from my years in
the USI." Trish, who runs Inis Communications in
Shrove, Greencastle, went to Queen's University,
Belfast. She spent a year as vice president of the
student union at Queen's before becoming deputy
president of the USI in 1987. “I would not have had
the courage to go for the role of president without
the experience of those two years, and the
confidence that gave me,” she admits. |
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After USI, Trish became
a journalist because, she says, she had learned "how
important the media is in getting your message
across to the public and ultimately in helping to
create a better society for all". She has previously
worked with 'The Irish Times' and the BBC but is now
"back on the other side of the fence" with her own |
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public relations
business.
Speaking at Friday evening's celebrations, current
USI president Peter Mannion said: “For 50 years USI
has been demanding a better future for our students
and the country. The organisation has a truly
colourful past and given that the USI is 50 years
old this year, it is important to mark the occasion.
"The organisation will continue to look forward
while paying tribute to those who have made USI the
vibrant tool of change in Irish society.”
The USI is the sole national representative body for
students in Ireland. Founded in 1959, it now
represents more than 250,000 students in more than
40 colleges across Ireland. Almost 300 officers have
served USI over the past 50 years. |
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