Just Retired from the University, I was not expecting to be introduced so soon to my replacement! What a Shock!

Thanks to the brilliant Operations Team & Director Edward Curry at Rinn AI University of Galway (formerly Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics) for organising what was for me a wonderfully emotional farewell gathering of friends colleagues past & present. It took place at the campus Sult bar (which I opened as SU President in 1980!)
It meant a lovely sign-off to my career as a member of university staff

I returned back to work in Irish education during 2001, helping in the introduction of science into the Irish primary school curriculum via the Fionn School Science project under the auspices of Bernard Kirk, Galway Education Centre & Minister Noel Treacy. From 2004 until this summer, I've been an Education & Public Engagement Manager at DERI/Insight Research Centre for Data Analytics in the University of Galway
To be honest, I never ever had a bad day at work & I consider myself extremely privileged to have been in a high profile research institute that allowed me to bring computing technology into classrooms across West of Ireland & beyond; to upskill our youth in coding & other sciences; to host Coderdojo; to educate parents, teachers & kids in how to tackle Cyberbullying & the Web's dark side;to add a digital element to local heritage; provide computers(often upcycled) & other tech resources to disadvantaged communities; to help establish Ireland's computer & communications museum; to help push the boundaries of education through Virtual Reality & other web tools; to support researchers introducing their ground-breaking research to new audiences through talks/Q&A & citizen science initiatives; to work with others across campus & beyond through STEM partnership programmes & particularly the Galway Science and Technology Festival, & finally to be given the time out since 2015 to get involved in the awesome SAP Africa Code Week across Africa, and Refugee Code Week throughout the Middle East coordinated by SAP & camden.education. All these great things were only made possible thanks to the generousity in time & ideas of the people I worked alongside not just in the universities & those organisations mentioned above but also Galway Atlantaquaria, Galway County Council Heritage Office, Galway City Council, CCMI, Galway City Partnership, Youthwork Ireland, HSE, SFI, Ballybane Resource Centre, active retired groups...
Working together we've made a positive contribution to society

There are so many people that I have worked with to thank in this short post. But I will be individually contacting each one to express my eternal gratitude- colleagues, collaborators & teachers

But what I did not expect that evening in the Sult bar was to be introduced to my replacement(in photo with Dr Lorraine Tansey)! They tell me that this guy never stops smiling & will stay forever 'young'. However I found him a bit flat & two dimensional!🤣