A Limerick Billionaire Is Gonna Bankroll €32 Million For 1000 Irish College Scholarships

We'd like to think college in Ireland is accessible for everyone but the fact of the matter is that it isn't, particularly for people from low-income families. But that could change thanks to a Limerick billionaire's Irish college scholarship programme, announced today.

According to the Irish Times, JP McManus is announcing today that he will bankroll €32 million in third-level scholarships for more than 1,000 students from less well-off backgrounds over the next decade.

The yearly scholarship programme will be open to 125 high-achieving students from low-income families in Northern Ireland and the Republic.

The value of each scholarship is €6,750 per year (£5,500 in the North) for the length of the undergraduate programmes chosen by the scholarship winners.

In a statement, McManus said financial barriers "rob high-achieving Leaving Cert students of the opportunity to access third level education.

“I hope that the decision of my wife Noreen and our family, to fund a further ten-year extension of the all-Ireland scholarships programme will help many students over the coming ten years to overcome those obstacles and build a better Ireland throughout the entire island”

McManus set up the all-Ireland scholarships programme in 2008, since providing 1,250 third-level scholarships to help young people achieve their goals.

We wish more millionaires and billionaires would use their fortune for good like McManus.

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