Two scholarships in honour of former IMPACT activist Tom Bogue were awarded by the School of Applied Social Studies at an event at University College Cork last week. The €6,000 ‘Tom Bogue Postgraduate Scholarship’ was established by the union’s Cork branch to remember Tom and reflect his commitment to education and social progress.

The awards were won by Anna Marie Bourke for her essay on the role of research in the development of social policy in Ireland, and Jon Facer for his essay on how the ‘politics of austerity’ impacted on social justice in 21st century Ireland.

Tom’s trade union career spanned over 50 years from his first union meeting in 1962. He was a stalwart of IMPACT’s Cork branch, the Cork Trades Council and the ICTU unemployed centre in Cork city.

He was a president of the Local Government and Public Services Union (LGPSU), one of the unions that merged to create IMPACT. He was respected throughout the union movement for his commitment, hard work and cool judgement, and his deep understanding of local government and public service issues.

An avid reader and a student of social studies, Tom brought great intelligence to debate and was an inspiration to those who worked with him. He was known, respected and held in great affection by generations of IMPACT members.