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On 4 November 2025, exactly fifty years to the day since their graduation, the NCPE Class of 1975 returned to campus to mark the milestone and unveil a commemorative plaque.

This was the first graduating class of the then National College of Physical Education (NCPE), which later became Thomond College of Education and was subsequently amalgamated into ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ. Their legacy has helped to shape the future of physical education in Ireland and laid the foundations for what is now UL’s Department of Physical Education and Sport Science.

Among the first NCPE graduates were individuals who went on to distinguished careers in sport at national and international level, as well as roles as lecturers, school principals, activists and community workers.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by former Minister Jimmy Deenihan, a member of the graduating class, Acting UL President Professor Shane Kilcommins and many of the original graduates. The group was welcomed by Professor Elaine Murtagh, Course Director of the BSc Physical Education programme, on behalf of Dr John Perry, Head of the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences.

The plaque has been installed in the PESS Building, where the class originally graduated, serving as a lasting tribute to a pioneering cohort.