10 April 2026
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
The Potel Scholarship is named after the founder of the Bon Secours sisters, Josephine Potel
Bon Secours Hospital Cork recently announced a new €20,000 third level sponsorship aimed at supporting students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds attending University College Cork (UCC).
Mr Stephen Byrne, Deputy President & Registrar, UCC, Fr. Dwayne Gavin,Head of Mission,BSHC, Mr Harry Canning. CEO, BSHC ,Ms Olive Byrne, Head of Access, UCC, Mr. Martin Flynn, Engagement and Support Manager, Access, UCC and Mr Matt Hamilton, Head of Transformational Philanthropy, UCC ,Bon Secours Hospital Cork partners with UCC for a new Scholarship Award. BSHC recently launched a new scholarship programme with UCC which aims at supporting entry level students at the university. Aligned with our Mission of “Good help to those in need”, the scholarship aims to support students for whom attendance at university would otherwise pose huge financial challenges.
Photography by Gerard McCarthy Photography
The Potel Scholarship will provide a third level education scholarship to the value of €5,000 per annum, for up to four years for a student pursuing a Level 8 degree course in a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts or Mathematics) area.
CEO of Bon Secours Hospital Cork, Mr. Harry Canning said: “We’re delighted to launch our Bon Secours Potel Scholarship to support talented young people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds pursuing a degree at UCC. This commitment is central to our Mission of providing ‘Good Help’ to our local communities and supporting future talent.”
Professor Stephen Byrne of University College Cork said: “We are very pleased to welcome this scholarship from Bon Secours Hospital Cork. Unfortunately, there are still significant financial barriers preventing some talented students from pursuing third level education. At UCC, we want to provide a level playing field where all students can thrive, where access to education is about ambition and ability and that, in essence, is what the Potel Scholarship is all about.”
Bon Secours Health System, Ireland’s largest private hospital group, is a not-for-profit organisation with its Mission centred on providing compassionate, world class medical treatment to all those it serves. With more than 4,000 staff and 500 leading consultants, Bon Secours treats more than 450,000 patients annually in its five modern acute hospitals in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Tralee and Dublin. It also has a Care Village in Cork, and a clinic in Cavan.