A BUSINESS student has become the first recipient of a University of Limerick scholarship set up in memory of the late Paul Tansey, who was economics editor of The Irish Times.
Paul Egan (24), Tralee, Co Kerry, was yesterday awarded the Paul Tansey Postgraduate Research Scholarship, which is worth €60,000 over a period of three years.
The scholarship was founded by the Kemmy Business School and The Irish Timesfollowing the sudden death of Mr Tansey (59) in September 2008.
Mr Tansey worked for this newspaper in the 1970s, was deputy editor of the Sunday Tribunein the 1980s and returned to work as economics editor of The Irish Timesin 2007.He also lectured at the University of Limerick.
The scholarship named after him will be awarded every three years to a PhD research student intending to enrol at the Graduate Centre of Business at the University of Limerick.
The centre is home to more than 80 postgraduate research students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees.
Mr Egan’s PhD research is on China’s exchange policy and economic issues for the European Union. He has a degree in economics and a master’s in international finance from NUI Galway.
“I was absolutely thrilled to receive the scholarship and as someone who is looking to go into economic journalism when I complete my studies, it is fantastic to have won a scholarship with the name of Paul Tansey attached to it, as he was one of the pioneering economic journalists in Ireland,” Mr Egan said.
Dr Anthony Leddin, head of the department of economics at the University of Limerick, said the scholarship was named after Mr Tansey because he was a great supporter of the college.
“The whole area of macroeconomics was in its infancy back in the 70s and one thing that Paul did was he brought macroeconomics to the masses,” he said.
Among those at the awarding of the scholarship at the university yesterday was the broadcaster Olivia O'Leary, who was Mr Tansey's wife, and Geraldine Kennedy, editor of The Irish Times.