‘The best course in the world’

JACK Shanahan is a renaissance man. An artist, football fan and French speaker, last night he added another string to his bow by graduating as one of 24 students who completed a university course for people with intellectual disability.

The 26-year-old was born in Cork, but lives in Terenure in Dublin. Last night he received his scroll for graduating from the innovative two-year course, which allows students to undertake a range of modules and to attend mainstream lectures.

The only course of its kind in Ireland, it has produced two graduate classes and it is hoped that it will be extended to other parts of the country, including Cork, Dundalk and Sligo.