Calls for winners of University of Galway's alumni awards to boycott event over links to Israel

THERE HAVE BEEN calls for the winners of University of Galway’s alumni awards to boycott the event due to the university’s links to an Israeli institution.

The 2026 University of Galway Alumni Awards will take place this Saturday.

The awards celebrate the achievements of the university’s alumni and recognises graduates who “make a meaningful impact in their fields in Ireland and internationally”.

TG4 director general Deirdre Ní Choistí will receive the Irish language award.

Unlike in previous years, the other winners have not yet been announced.

As first reported in Tuairisc, it’s been claimed that the list of awardees is not being released in advance in order to avoid further controversy.

A spokesperson said the university will be issuing this information after the awards gala “so that we can include accompanying photography of the award recipients”.

University of Galway is part of a research partnership involving Israel’s Technion Institute of Technology, which works with Israel’s arms industry, including its top weapons manufacturer Elbit systems.

The €3.9m ASTERISK research project on extracting hydrogen from seawater is co-funded by the EU and coordinated by the University of Galway, with the Technion Institute being one of several partners.

Last year, several people turned down an honorary doctorate from University of Galway over the issue.

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The Campus Anti-Genocide Coalition, made up of students and staff of the University of Galway, penned a letter to TG4’s Ní Choistín calling on her to refuse the award.

The letter noted that Ní Choistín “must be careful about neutrality when it comes to controversial news issues” as director general of TG4.

It added that the “threshold of neutrality has already been crossed when the offer of this award was accepted in the context of the controversy over the university.”

Meanwhile, University of Galway Students’ Union last week called for a boycott of the awards gala and for the university to “break its ties with Technion”.

It noted that high-profile figures have recently refused honorary doctorates and added that “awards have been returned in protest”.

It said that the Nelson Mandela Foundation is also reviewing the use of Nelson Mandela’s name by the University of Galway.

Students’ Union president Maisie Hall said there has been a “lack of action by University management to address this issue” and added that the students’ union has turned down invitations to the awards and “encourages everyone else to do the same”.

Meanwhile, Students’ Union vice president Seán de Búrca said: “We have seen a negative international spotlight turned on the University because of its continued refusal to break ties with Technion.

“The University community and alumni are rightly ashamed of this inaction and lack of empathy from the President and University management team.

“We can’t support a University that ignores the voices of its community.” 

TG4 has been approached for comment.

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