2017 Recipient: Alice Charbonneau
Scholarships
Irish Language Scholarships
In collaboration with the Ireland Canada Univeristy Fund and the National University of Ireland, Galway, the School of Irish Studies is delighted to announce this year's scholarship winners, who will participate in a three-week Irish language summer school at National University of Ireland, Galway.
Gus O'Gorman:
2017-2018 Recipient:
Erin Hynes
Ireland Canada University Fund Scholarship:
2017-2018 Recipients:
Chelsea Lacasse-Gobeille
Alexis Kelly
Doroteya Borisova
In-Course Scholarships
No application is required.
These scholarships are open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Candidates will have completed at least one academic year at Concordia University and are recommended to the Undergraduate Scholarships and Awards Committee by the School.
Amount awarded: $2,000
The Patrick Murray Scholarship was created by the family and friends of the late Mayor of Rockcliffe Park and Director of the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation to provide a scholarship to an Ottawa-area student enrolled in Irish Studies at Concordia. The first scholarship was awarded in 2013-2014.
Patrick Murray and his brother Tim arrived in Ottawa in the late 1950s. The two architects soon established a stellar reputation, and their influence was evident on many of the buildings that became part of the expansion of Ottawa over the following decades. Murray later was elected mayor of nearby Rockcliffe Park. He was an enthusiastic Canadian Irish Studies Foundation board member.
2017 recipient: Doroteya Borisova
Previous Recipients:
- 2015: Isobel Plowright
- 2014: Carine Brunet
- 2013: Anna Campbell
Amount awarded: $1,500
About Father Shaun Govelock
Father Shaun Govenlock was born on June 15th, 1916 in Montreal, the first child of English emigrants Mary McCarthy and John Govenlock. He received his early education in Erie, Pennsylvania. His father died unexpectedly in 1928. In the midst of the Great Depression, Shaun and his mother returned to Montreal, where she worked for the clothing department of the Federation of Catholic Charities and they were both members of St. Patrick’s parish.
Shaun graduated from D’Arcy McGee High School and entered the Seminary of Philosophy. He was ordained in 1943 by Archbishop Joseph Charbonneau and appointed curate at St. Raphael Parish. He would come to be known as an untraditional priest, but also as a highly positive individual and spiritual leader.
In 1945, he went to the Catholic University of America and obtained his MA in social work. He returned to Montreal in 1947, was assigned to teach at the bilingual School of Social Work affiliated with the University of Montreal, and became chaplain of St. Patrick’s Orphanage, where he served until 1964. Govenlock left Montreal again in the mid 60s to teach at Manitoba, Windsor, Carleton, and Calgary universities, settling at Wilfrid Laurier University in 1973. He retired to Montreal in 1981 and lived at Annunciation, the Newman Centre, and finally St. Patrick’s in 1991.
Father Govenlock was not only known for his regular Sunday masses at St. Patrick’s, but for his personal visits to staff, volunteers, the sick, and his fellow priests. Govenlock spent his last four years at the Ignace Bourget Residence, where he died on September 17th, 2008 at age 92. The Father Shaun Gerard McCarthy Govenlock Graduate Scholarship in Irish Studies was named in his honour.
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Victoria Lowery
- 2015: Victoria Lowery
- 2014: Jordana Starkman
- 2013: Carine Brunet (Major Irish Studies)
- 2012: James Leduc (History)
- 2011: Gabrielle Machnik-Kekesi (History)
- 2010: G. Scott MacLeod (Art Education)
- 2009: Heather Macdougall (Humanities)
- 2008: Kathryn FitzPatrick
- 2007: Geoffrey Rayburn (Literature)
- 2006: Tzvi Rivlin (Literature)
- 2005: Laurel Wypkema (Film Studies)
Amount awarded: $1,300
2017 Recipient: Kayla Fanning
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Sarah Michaud
- 2015: Lisa Davies
- 2014: Carla Plowright
- 2013: Carla Plowright (Major Irish Studies)
- 2012: Chelsea Hemmings (Religion)
- 2011: Patrick Reed (History)
- 2010: Camille Harrigan (History)
- 2009: Jessica Joyce Mills (History)
Amount awarded: $1,500
Matthew Hamilton Gault
Mathew Hamilton Gault was an Irish-Canadian financier and politician, born 18th July 1822 in Strabane, Northern Ireland. Financial losses suffered by his father in the early 1840s, resulting from the loss of a number of ships at sea, the decline in the grain trade, and the removal of duty on Baltic timber, led the family to immigrate to Canada. They arrived in 1842, settling in Montreal, but Mathew’s mother soon fell ill and returned to Ireland on the advice of her doctors; within nine months of arrival his father died of cholera. Mathew Hamilton Gault found himself, at the age of 20, the head of a large family. Mathew and his brothers attempted farming but abandoned it after losing about $7,000 in three years, and from 1844 to 1848 Mathew was a grocer in Montreal. In 1851 he became an agent in Montreal for insurance companies, and by 1877 he had worked his way to President of the Montreal Loan and Mortgage Company, and was involved in many other high-powered companies within the Montreal business community. In addition he had been, in his early days, an active member of the militia and retired from it with the rank of captain in the Montreal Garrison Artillery Brigade. He was also a founder and the first president of the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society of Montreal, and numbered among his intimates many members of the Conservative party, including Sir John A. Macdonald; in 1878 he won a seat in the House of Commons, largely supported by the votes of working men.
After a protracted illness Gault died on 1 June 1887. A tall (6 foot, 1 inch), handsome man, with fashionable mutton chops, he was a respected and highly esteemed member of the Montreal business community.
2017 recipient: Erin Dunlop
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Kayla Gasperec
- 2015: Kayla Fanning
- 2014: Helen Jane Groarke
- 2013: James Leduc (History)
- 2012: Jordana Starkman
- 2011: Stephanie Adler (Psychology)
- 2010: Lise Gaston (English)
- 2009: Jean-Marc Leduc (Études françaises)
- 2008: Katherine Chirke
- 2007: Cari Anne McGratten (Journalism)
- 2006: Steven McLeod (Literature)
- 2005: Erik Speeckaert (Philosophy)
- 2004: Ruth Orlaith Jennings
- 2003: Edna Ralston
Amount awarded: $1,000
Timothy Edward McIninch (1974-1982)
Timothy was a loving, artistic, joyful child who captivated all who knew him in his short but wonderful life. His Irish roots were deep and his ancestors were some of the earliest immigrants to begin building the Canadian dream. Mother Elizabeth is from early Archer and Moody stock. Father David is from a long lineage of McIninch and Grimes roots. Almost all Timothy Edward’s forebears date back to Irish families who arrived in North America before the famine, some arriving on this soil in the late 19th century. In dedicating a scholarship in his name, the family feels his memory will be kept alive in a way that helps other.
2022 Recipient: Isabel Saldanha
Previous Recipients:
- 2021: Erin Murphy
- 2019: Alex-Ann Adams
- 2018: Alexis Kelly
- 2017: Katrina Di Lalla
- 2016: Robin Brodrick
- 2015: Rachel Hoffman
- 2014: Lucas Lawton
- 2013: Helene Pilbeam
- 2012: Maria Filippone
- 2011: Allison Beazey Pare (History)
- 2010: Cassie Smith (Public Affairs and Political Science)
- 2009: Joseph Donnelly (History)
- 2008: Teresa Bowyer
- 2007: Linda Lombard (Literature)
- 2006: Linda Lombard (Literature)
- 2005: Anna Pottier (Literature)
- 2004: Bevin Cassidy
- 2003: Greg Bartlett
Amount awarded: $500
2017 Recipient: Kameryn Whyte
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Hannah Legault
- 2015: Alexandra Xanthoudakis
- 2014: Kayla Gasperec
- 2013: Catherine McGuire
- 2012: Pierangela Lattuca
- 2011: Kim McAllister
- 2010: Amber Griffith (Political Science)
- 2009: Laura Sexton (Religion)
- 2008: Valerie Shannon
- 2007: Valerie Shannon (Certificate in Irish Studies)
- 2006: Wendy Corner (Certificate in Irish Studies)
- 2005: Linda Lombard (Literature)
- 2004: Sylvie Gauthier (Religion)
Amount awarded: $500
2017 Recipient: Chelsea Lacasse-Gobeille
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Lisa Davies
- 2015: Rachelle Rauch
- 2014: Amelia McFall-Keeffe
- 2013: Isobel Plowright
- 2012: Anna Campbell
- 2011: Maria Filippone
- 2010: Jenny Leigh Dancer (Creative Writing)
- 2009: Marissa Stimpson (Literature)
- 2008: Anne Coulter
- 2007: Elizabeth Shea (Art History)
- 2006: Linda Lombard (Literature)
- 2008: Josephine Cher (History)
No application is required.
These scholarships are open to students entering university for the first time and are recommended to the Undergraduate Scholarships and Awards Committee by the School.
Amount awarded: $1,000
2017 Recipient: Keenan Churchill
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Victoria Di Paolo
- 2015: Gavin Bennett
- 2014: Gabriel Gilker
- 2013: Gavin Bennett (Double Major Irish Studies / History)
- 2012: Darius Alexei Paradiak (History)
- 2011: Ashley Ma (History)
- 2010: Angela Dawn Parker (Geography)
- 2009: Melissa Auclair (Literature)
- 2008: Josephine Cher
- 2007: Christine Sherrington (Art History - Visual Arts)
- 2006: Allison Gauthier (History)
Amount awarded: $1,000
2017 Recipient: Marie-Eve Tremblay
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Rebecca Stacey
- 2015: Hannah Legault
- 2014: Robin Brodrick
- 2013: Darius Alexei Pardiak
- 2012: Raymond Thauvette
- 2011: Madeleine Follis
- 2010: Elizabeth Christopherson (Irish Studies Certificate)
- 2009: Gabrielle Machnik-Kekesi (History)
- 2008: Natasha Forgues
- 2006: Noémie Deshaies (History)
- 2005: Dominique Lefebvre (Film Studies)
- 2004: Wendy Corner
- 2003: Linda Lombart
Amount awarded: $1,000
2017 Recipient: Alexis Kelly
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Sinead O'Halloran
- 2015: Gabriel Gilker
- 2014: Olivia Falduto
- 2013: Jordana Starkman
- 2012: Camille Harrigan (Double Major Irish Studies / History)
- 2011: Joanie Langelier (Translation)
- 2010: Joanie Langelier (Translation)
- 2009: Cameron Fenton (Anthropology)
- 2008: Christine Sherrington
- 2007: Dominique Lefebvre (Film Studies)
- 2006: Kelly Cambridge (Political Science)
- 2005: Steven McLeod (Literature)
- 2004: Linda Lombard
- 2003: Sylvia Gauthier
Thomas D’Arcy McGee was an Irish-Canadian journalist, poet and politician, born April 13th, 1825 in Carlingford, Ireland. At the age of 17, McGee emigrated to the United States and found work at the Catholic newspaper, Boston Pilot. Within two years he became editor, using his position to advocate for Irish independence and the rights of Irish Catholic immigrants. After returning to Ireland and becoming active in movements such as the Young Ireland Movement and the Irish rebellion, McGee eventually returned to the United States and later, moved to Canada. In Montreal, McGee edited the New Era, where he discussed Irish Canadian politics, and was a promoter of Confederation and the construction of the Canadian railway. In December of 1857, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and in1863, McGee became the minister of agriculture, immigration and statistics. On April 17th, 1868, after a speech about national unity in the House of Commons, D’Arcy McGee was assassinated on Spark’s Street in Ottawa. He was buried in the Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges. The Government of Canada’s Thomas D'Arcy McGee Building stands near the site of his assassination.
Amount awarded: $1,000
2017 Recipient: Victoria Lowery
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Raken Howell-Slater
- 2015: Angela Bruni
- 2014: Timothy Weynerowski
- 2013: Shaney Herrman
- 2012: Ashley Ma (History)
- 2010: Kerry Lambton (English & History)
- 2009: Angelica O'Brien (Film Studies)
- 2007: Nadia Fabrizi (Literature)
- 2006: John O'Connor (Irish Studies)
- 2005: Jesse McAdoo (Linguistics)
- 2004: Christopher Carr
- 2003: Ruth Jennings
Amount awarded: $500
About Francis Hincks
Sir Francis Hincks was born on December 14th, 1807 in Cork Ireland. He was a Canadian Politician, editor, businessman and banker. He established The Examiner in Toronto, with the aim of promoting responsible government (following the parliamentary form of government that was evolving in Great Britain). In 1855, the paper eventually merged with the Globe, the predecessor of the Globe and Mail. Hincks was elected to the 1st Parliament of United Canada in 1841, representing Oxford County, in Ontario. In 1842, he was appointed inspector general of public accounts. In 1844, he became editor of a new newspaper in Montreal, the Pilot, which supported Reformers (those who advocated responsible government) in both Canada East and Canada west. Because he sought subscriptions for his paper in Canada West, he came into conflict with George Brown, editor of the Globe. In 1848, he sold the paper and accepted the post of inspector general. He was then appointed premier of the Province of Canada from 1851 to 1854. Hinck’s vision of a railroad linking British North America led to the establishment of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1852, which operated in Ontario and Quebec as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. In 1856, Hinck’s was appointed as governor of Barbados and the Windward Islands and, in 1861, became governor of British Guiana. He was knighted in 1869. On his return to Canada, he was Minister of Finance from 1869 until 1874. In 1878, he represented the federal government on the Ontario- Manitoba Boundary commission.
He died in Montreal of smallpox in 1885.
The Township of Hincks in Quebec was named in his honour (although officially renamed in 1975 to Lac-St.-Marie).
Previous Recipients:
- 2012: Patrick Reed
- 2011: Olivia Crawford (Community and Public Affairs)
- 2010: Jocelyn Wakefield (History)
- 2009: Amber Griffith (Political Science)
- 2008: Nadia Fabrizi
- 2007: John O'Connor (Certificate in Irish Studies)
- 2006: Anna Pottier (Literature)
- 2005: Wendy Corner (Certificate in Irish Studies)
- 2004: Linda Lombard
Amount awarded: $1000
2017 Recipient: Victoria Kelly
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Eamon Toohey
- 2015: Sarah Michaud
- 2014: Gavin Bennett
- 2013: Patrick Reed
Amount awarded: $1,000
2017 Recipient: Eamon Toohey
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Alexandra Grimes
- 2015: Donivan Bell-Kisiel
- 2014: Clara Cariou
- 2013: Helene-Jane Groarke (Double Major Irish Studies / Liberal Arts)
- 2012: Kristin Rose
- 2011: Kathleen Green (Classics)
- 2010: Geoffrey Aucoin (Film Production)
- 2009: Geoffrey Aucoin (Film Production)
- 2008: Jean-Marc Leduc
- 2007: Sean Cleary (Political Science)
- 2006: Kathleen Gault (Psychology)
- 2005: Ryan McNicholl (Political Science)
- 2004: Dylan Griffith
Amount awarded: $700
2013 amount awarded: $500
2012 amount awarded: $600
2017 Recipient: Sarah Bissonnette
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Kayla Fanning
- 2015: Melissa Lalonde
- 2014: Melissa Lalonde
- 2013: Jessica Poulin
- 2012: Robyn Grassby
- 2011: Cassie Smith (Comunity, Public Affairs and Policy)
- 2010: Ashley Ma (History)
- 2009: Allison Beazley-Paré
- 2008: Jenny Leigh Dancer (Creative Writing)
- 2007: Steven McLeod (Literature)
- 2006: Anna Pottier (Literature)
- 2005: John O'Connor (Certificate in Canadian Irish Studies)
- 2004: Gregory Bartlett
Amount awarded: $500
About Mary Travers
Mary Travers, French Canada's first author-composer-interpreter (also known as La Bolduc), was very poor growing up in the Gaspé region. She had an Irish father and French Canadian mother, and as a result, was fluently bilingual. She learned how to sing as well as play the accordion, fiddle and harmonica, and just as she entertained her neighbours, she laid the foundations of the Quebec "chanson." When she was 13, she left for Montreal to relieve the financial weight on her family and later married, raising four surviving children (out of a possible 13) in a typical French Canadian home. She observed the little details of the working-class life and began to weave them into her songs. Her popularity began to spread both as a singer and musician, and she began to compose even more songs, eventually landing a recording contract in 1929 which allowed her to tour regularly throughout the eastern provinces and north eastern United States. Her simple and traditional folk songs spoke to the common people as she became a voice of courage and hope.
Previous Recipients:
- 2012: Olivia Crawford (School of Community and Public Affairs)
- 2011: Angela Olaguera (Classics)
- 2010: Timothy O'Connor (History)
- 2009: Angela Dawn Parker (Geography)
- 2008: Geoffrey Aucoin
- 2007: Rosalynne Clark (Art History)
- 2006: Cory Gower (Human Environment)
- 2005: Dominique Lefebvre (Film Studies)
- 2003: Wendy Corner
Amount awarded: $700
2017 recipient: Robin Brodrick
Previous Recipients:
- 2016: Gabriel Gilker
- 2015: Clara Cariou
- 2014: Shaney Hermann
