The principal of the City of Dublin Further Education College in Ballyfermot, where three-time Oscar winner Richard Baneham studied, has praised his "outstanding success".
The Tallaght-born animator and visual effects supervisor secured his Oscar hat trick after he won the Best Visual Effects category for his work on Avatar: Fire and Ash on Sunday night, having previously won in the same category in 2009 and 2023.
City of Dublin Further Education College principal Cecelia Munro told RTÉ's News at One: "I agree with Richie - industry of relationships and empowerment, family and trust is how it works."
Ms Munro added that at the college, "the students are supported every step of the way to realise their dreams, and we teach them the fundamentals and the basics.
"So the college here has had outstanding success. We've had 13 Oscar nominations to date, and three Oscar wins for Richie Baneham.
"The euphoria in the college...it's unbelievable, and it's a real testament to the hard work that the team in the college, the teachers, the maintenance, the admin staff, the technicians, have put into students over the years, including Richie.
She said that Richie has "2,200 in his team".
"There are a number of Ballyfermot graduates who work there. It's a small community - graduates from Ballyfermot are everywhere, and they gravitate towards Hollywood, the big names, Los Angeles, the big companies, and they all work with each other and live together and enjoy each other's company, and that's how it works".
