Mayo student awarded prestigious Durkan scholarship
The late Frank Durkan, a US lawyer and activist whose roots were firmly in Bohola.
A Ballyhaunis computer science student has been awarded a scholarship funded by a famous Irish-American political family, .
Ali Ahmad from Hazelhill, a former student of Ballyhaunis Community School who is completing a degree in Computer Science at Dublin City University, was awarded the Frank Durkan Memorial Scholarship.
Ali’s mother Saima is a popular member of the local Community Garden in Ballyhaunis and a renowned cook whose South Asian recipes are a hit at various markets and events in Ballyhaunis where she takes a stall. “I am very proud of my son,” she said.
A well-known American lawyer, Frank Durkan was a member of the extended Durkan-O’Dwyer family from Bohola which gave New York a mayor and a city council president. Durkan came to much prominence for his defence of Irish republicans in America fighting extradition to Britain.
The Frank Durkan Memorial Scholarship was established in 2008 by DCU with the support of family and friends of Frank Durkan, who died in 2006. The annual scholarship provides support for students from Frank’s native County Mayo.
