My Experience of the Validation Programme…. as Gaeilge
Author: Ava O’ Connor — Céimí Néareolaíochta, Cohórt 29
To mark Seachtain na Gaeilge this year, we asked fluent Irish speaker Ava O’Connor, one of the interns who completed our Validation training programme, to share her thoughts on the experience in Irish.
As an indigenous Irish company, we’re proud to bring Ava’s beautiful account in our native language to you. For the less confident and those who are new to Gaeilge (the Irish language), we’ve also included an English language version.
Conas a thosaigh sé
Bhain mé céim amach i Néaraeolaíocht in UCD i 2025. Cosúil le go leor céimithe eolaíochta, ní raibh mé cinnte go hiomlán conas a aistríodh mo chúlra go ról tionscail. Bhí scileanna saotharlainne láidre agam, bhí mé compordach le hanailís sonraí agus doiciméadú, agus thaitin an taobh mionsonraithe den obair eolaíoch liom. Ach bhí bearna idir mo shaol acadúil agus an tionscal cógaisíochta — agus ba é Clár Bailíochtaithe Innopharma a líon an bhearna sin.
An Clár féin
Clúdaíonn an clár speictream iomlán na mbailíochtuithe cógaisíochta, agus bhí ionadh orm cé chomh praiticiúil agus a bhí gach cuid de. Ní hamháin gur ranganna teoirice a bhí le déanamh — bhí na tascanna cosúil leis na cinn a úsáideadh sa tionscal. Ba mhór an taithí é oibriú le baill eile den chohórt, fuair mé deis foghlaim ó ghairmithe a raibh eolas tionscail acu le blianta. Bhí sé sin ar cheann de na gnéithe is fearr liom — níor fhoghlaim mé ón gcuraclam amháin, ach ó na comhráite freisin.
Bailíochtú Próisis agus Cáilíochtú Trealaimh
D’fhoghlaim mé faoin gcur chuige trí chéim le bailíochtú próisis: dearadh próisis, cáilíochtú próisis, agus fíorú leanúnach. Tháinig mé chun Tréithe Cáilíochta Criticiúla (CQAs) agus Paraiméadair Phróisis Chriticiúla (CPPs) a thuiscint — ní mar choincheapa teibí, ach mar uirlisí praiticiúla a chinneann an bhfuil táirge sábháilte agus éifeachtach.
Rinneamar ceardlanna praiticiúla ar shamplú, ar níochán lámh, agus ar gharbhadh seomra glain. Gan na ceardlanna sin, bheadh an t-ábhar teoiriciúil i bhfad níos deacra a thuiscint. Chuir an clár aithne orm freisin ar bhailíochtú ríomhchóras— scríobh mé agus rinne mé scripteanna tástála agus d’athbhreithnigh mé rianta iniúchóireachta.
“Ba shin ceann de na nóiméid a thuig mé cad is bailíochtú ann i ndáiríre — nach bhfuil tú ag comhlíonadh bosca seiceála amháin, ach ag léamh scéal atá á insint ag na sonraí agus ag cinneadh cad ba chóir a dhéanamh dá bharr.”
Mo Chomhairle
Sílim go bhfuil an obair ullmhúcháin agallaimh iontach agus fuair mé leideana iontacha ó na meantóirí, tá níos mó muinín agam sna hagallaimh anois da bharr.
Ní gá duit cúlra cógaisíochta a bheith agat chun tairbhe a bhaint as an gclár seo— is é an rud is fearr faoin gclár ná go dtógann sé cibé cúlra atá agat agus go gcuireann sé i gcomhthéacs tionscail é. D’fhág mé le tacaíocht scileanna, le muinín, agus le tuiscint shoiléir ar an áit a bhfuil mé ag dul.
An Ghaeilge agus an Tionscal Cógaisíochta in Éirinn
Is onóir dom an blag seo a scríobh i mo theanga féin. Léiríonn sé dom go bhfuil áit ag an nGaeilge sa saol gairmiúil — agus gur féidir linn ár gcultúr a iompar linn isteach sa tionscal cógaisíochta, seachas é a fhágáil ar an doras. Tá an tionscal cógaisíochta in Éireann ag fás is ag neartú, is deas an rud é cultúr na tíre a chur chun cinn agus fáilte a chur roimh chultúir eile – sin cuid de neart na hÉireann mar thír.
English Version:
How It All Started
I graduated with a degree in Neuroscience from UCD in 2025. Like many science graduates, I wasn’t entirely sure how my background translated into an industry role. I had strong lab skills, I was comfortable with data analysis and documentation, and I genuinely enjoyed the detail-oriented side of scientific work. But there was a gap between my academic life and the pharmaceutical industry — and it was the Innopharma Validation Programme that bridged that gap.
The Programme
The programme covers the full spectrum of pharmaceutical validation, and I was surprised by just how practical every part of it was. It wasn’t just theory — the assignments were reflective of real industry tasks. It was a great experience working alongside other members of the cohort; I got the chance to learn from professionals who had years of industry knowledge. That was one of the things I enjoyed most — I wasn’t just learning from the curriculum, but from the conversations around me too.
Process Validation and Equipment Qualification
I learned about the three-stage approach to process validation: process design, process qualification, and continued process verification. I came to understand Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) and Critical Process Parameters (CPPs) — not as abstract concepts, but as practical tools that determine whether a product is safe and effective.
I took part in a group project where we qualified a laboratory balance in Sandyford. We used USP 41 and USP 1251 as reference standards and carried out OQ tests — repeatability, linearity, eccentricity, and sensitivity. I also prepared a report on a purified water system, applying X-bar and R-bar analysis to identify microbial trends over a 28-day period.
We ran practical workshops on swab sampling, hand washing, and cleanroom gowning. Without those workshops, the theoretical material would have been much harder to grasp. The programme also introduced me to computer system validation – where I wrote and executed test scripts and reviewed audit trails.
“That was one of the moments I truly understood what validation means — that you’re not just ticking a box, but reading the story the data is telling and deciding what to do next.”
My Advice
I think the interview preparation work on the programme is excellent. I got great tips from the mentors, and I feel far more confident going into interviews now as a result.
You don’t need a pharmaceutical background to benefit from this programme — what makes it so valuable is that it takes whatever background you have and puts it into an industry context. I left with a solid skill set, with confidence, and with a clear sense of where I’m going.
The Irish Language and the Pharmaceutical Industry in Ireland
It is an honour for me to write this blog post in my own language. It shows me that Irish has a place in professional life — and that we can carry our culture with us into the pharmaceutical industry, rather than leaving it at the door. The pharmaceutical industry in Ireland is growing all the time. It is a wonderful thing to promote the culture of this country while also welcoming other cultures — that is part of what makes Ireland strong.
