Tiernan Byrne Medal at UCD Awards Ceremony on Friday, 3 March 2017

The School of Civil Engineering are delighted that the inaugural award of the Tiernan Byrne Medal was made at the recent UCD Awards Day Ceremony in the O’Reilly Hall.  The award was made to John Fleming, in recognition of his outstanding performance in geotechnical engineering.  The School of Civil Engineering initiated this award in memory of an inspiring young graduate, Tiernan Byrne, who passed away during the course of his PhD studies in geotechnical engineering.  Tiernan suffered from a brain tumor during his secondary school years and throughout the duration of his studies at UCD.  He was an amazing young man who, despite his ongoing serious illness, progressed with his studies in a quiet and dedicated way.  Unfortunately Tiernan’s condition deteriorated significantly in 2014, and he sadly passed away.  Tiernan had a very positive attitude to life and his ability to cope with his illness was truly inspiring.  The Tiernan Byrne Medal will be awarded annually to the student who obtains the highest grade in the module Geotechnical Engineering (Module code: CVEN4072).  The memory of Tiernan, a truly admirable young man, will remain with us forever.