Anger as October graduation ceremonies at Limerick college pushed to next spring

GRADUATION CEREMONIES AT Mary Immaculate College (MIC), slated to take place in the coming weeks, have been postponed until next year.

The decision comes on foot of planned industrial action by union members in the public service.

Would-be graduates of the Limerick teaching college were informed by email this evening that their ceremonies are to be moved until the spring semester of this academic year. MIC’s spring semester begins in late January.

The email sent to graduating students, and seen by The Journal, states that the Leading Inclusive Early Childhood Education (LINC) ceremony, the PhD dinner, the Limerick ceremonies and the MIC Thurles ceremony have all been postponed.

The ceremonies were due to take place between 17 October and 30 October.

Emma O’Leary, a student who was set to graduate from the college on 23 October told The Journal that the late postponement was “so inconsiderate”, and she, her friends and family are all out money on non-refundable hotel bookings as a result.

The partner of one of her friends from her course had booked flights to return home from Austria for the ceremony, which are non-refundable.

“My parents and grandparents have hotels booked. Me and my two friends have hotels booked for three nights because we had to book the night before, seeing as we’re travelling down from Dublin, we had to book the night before, the night of, and then there’s a graduation ball that always happens the night after.

“So we’ve spent like seven or 800 euro on hotels that’s non-refundable.”

O’Leary said she can’t understand the reasoning behind the decision, and for it to be made at such short notice.

“At the end of the day, we’re after working very hard for four years; the graduation is always in October.

“For that to be pushed forward, despite even people like losing money, for that major milestone in your life to be pushed forward so far into the distance is very hard for people, and especially when you’re only first starting out.

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“It’s an absolute disgrace for them to push us forward to that extreme timeline.”

The email, signed by MIC’s Director of Academic Administration Pádraig Horgan, said the college appreciates “this news will come as a disappointment”.

“This decision has not been taken lightly. However, due to the uncertainty arising from the recently announced industrial action, the College cannot be confident at this time that it would be in a position to deliver the ceremonies to the standard that our graduates deserve,” it said.

“In reaching this decision, the College was also mindful of the need to respect the rights of all staff and to ensure that no colleague is placed in a position where they may feel under pressure to act contrary to union guidance or instructions.

“We look forward to celebrating with you in 2027.”

Workers and lecturers at MIC are represented by various unions. IFTU is one of these unions. Its Assistant General Secretary Robert McNamara told The Journal it is “very unfortunate” that students and their families are now facing “uncertainty and disappointment”.

“Students are not the target of the current public service industrial action and never have been,” he said.

McNamara said it’s “important to be clear” about the dates – the notified 24-hour strike action is scheduled for 14 and 21 October, he said, while the MIC conferring ceremonies were scheduled to take place outside these dates.

“It appears that the college will have taken a range of operational considerations into account in reaching its decision, and we do not intend to speculate on those,” he added.

It is understood another union representing workers at the college instructed its members not to assist with conferring ceremonies.

McNamara said the postponement of the ceremonies was not inevitable, and the government has had “ample notice” of the deteriorating industrial relations across the public service.

He urged the government to step in and resolve the dispute.

MIC has been contacted for comment.