Popular Offaly man honours late father as he graduates with Masters

Martin Joseph Hoctor, a regular contributor to the sports section of the Tullamore Tribune, recently graduated with an MA in Irish History from Maynooth University, where his thesis was based on Tullamore and the Great Famine 1845-1851.

Martin, from Tullamore, is a son of the late Andrew Hoctor, and his mother, Mary, who was there to see him graduate on the day.

“After five years in Maynooth University, I have accomplished my ambition to honour my late Dad by fulfilling his interests in history,” Martin told the Tribune.

The Tullamore man is in the process of compiling research that will allow him to pursue a PhD into the study of the history of Northern Ireland.