Student Bursary

Student Bursary

This aim of the bursary programme is to give financial assistance to students who are members of Inishowen Credit Union and who are in full time further and higher education and training.

Student Bursary

The aim of the bursary programme is to give financial assistance to students who are;

  • Members of Inishowen Credit Union and
  • Who are continuing or entering  full time further and higher education and training.

You are eligible to become a member of Inishowen Credit Union if you work or live within our common bond. Our common bond includes the whole of the Inishowen Peninsula.

  • Applicant must be a member of Inishowen Credit Union.
  • Applicant must complete an application form in branch or online before the deadline.
  • Acceptance that the judges’ decision will be final. No correspondence will be entered into following the final decision.
  • There are ten awards of €500 for up to three years available under this scheme each year.

Student Bursary applications for 2024 are now closed

Student Bursary Winners

Past Winners

Student Bursary 2024 winners
🎓Aoife McLafferty, Buncrana
🎓Leah Gillespie, Buncrana
🎓Manus Doherty, Culdaff
🎓Eoghan Strain, Burnfoot
🎓Mary T McLaughlin, Buncrana
🎓Christine Doherty, Culdaff
🎓Ann Marie Loughrey, Buncrana
🎓Amy Doherty, Clonmany
🎓Ciara O Donnell, Carndonagh
🎓Cian Bambrick, Malin
Student Bursary 2023 Winners
  • Tara Donaghy
  • Holly McGonigle
  • Dylan McDaid
  • Niamh Diver-Hall
  • Abaigeal McConnell-Hewitt
  • Gemma Loughrey
  • Carol Mhlanga
  • Sophie Murphy
  • Conan McLaughlin
  • Daniel Clafferty
Student Bursary 2022 Winners
  • Emma Doherty, Scoil Mhuire
  • Elisha Noone, Carndonagh Community School
  • Abigail Wilson, Lumen Christi College
  • Shane McDaid, Moville Community College
  • Padraig McDaid, Moville Community College
  • Mark Curran, Scoil Mhuire
  • Ava Hirrell, Scoil Mhuire
  • Fionn McColgan, Scoil Mhuire
  • Robyn Faulkner, Crana College
  • Ethan Carlin, Cloáiste Chineál Eoghain

Testimonials from past Student Bursary Winners

Jack Barber
I was one of the fortunate names drawn to receive the Credit Union bursary back in 2017, and I still remember the phone call notifying me that I had “won” it. The feeling was incredible—I was both filled with a sense of "luck" and shocked to have actually won something by chance. Going to university away from home can be a daunting and uncertain financial challenge, so receiving the bursary was like someone handing you an umbrella on a rainy day. 

To be honest, unexcitedly, I primarily used the bursary for bus tickets home. Throughout college, I maintained two jobs: one at Londis on campus from Monday to Friday and another at SuperValu back home (buncrana) on Saturdays and Sundays. The cost of commuting into Dublin weekly and the return bus ticket home was offset by the bursary. This financial support enabled me to earn more through my part-time jobs, something that would have been much more challenging without the bursary. It made the trips back home more feasible and worthwhile.

I am extremely grateful for the bursary and cannot thank everyone associated with the scheme enough. My advice to others considering applying for the bursary is simple: go for it. It’s free to enter, and the worst that can happen is you don’t win. It's a no brainer. Since graduating from Maynooth University with a degree in International Business; I now work remotely/hybrid for a stockbroking firm in Dublin as their Project Management Office (PMO). While it's hard to directly connect the dots looking back, I don’t discount the fact that the bursary played a huge role in helping me get to where I am today.
John Doherty
The bursary was a great help for me throughout college, it allowed me to invest in a good laptop which lasted me the 4 years before graduating and now has actually been passed onto my younger brother who is also in college at the moment, so it turned out to be a great help to us as it has aided our academic performances greatly.
I am currently working as an Analyst for a Financial Services firm and have been doing so for the past 3 years since graduating, and I am actually emigrating to Australia in the near future.
I would like to say a massive thanks to Inishowen Credit Union for aiding my academic journey and best wishes for the future,
Niamh Murphy
With the money i saved i was able to stay in a good accommodation that was safe and afford to go to additional courses to improve my professional skills. Im the only person i know that came out of university without debt and was able to save money straight away when entering the workforce. 
This wouldn’t have been possible without the bursary.
Shannon Kelly
I used the Bursary to do a Legal Secretary course in Northwest Regional College in Derry and I am currently working in C. S. Kelly & Co., Solicitors in Buncrana as a Legal Secretary and I’m interested to become a Solicitor in the future.
I would not be where I am today without the bursary as it helped cover all expenses.