UCC HONOURS KERRY GREATS
THREE Kerry figures who have left an indelible mark nationally and internationally on their chosen fields received the highest honour University College Cork can bestow in a warm ceremony on Friday.
Killarney woman Brigid Quilligan meanwhile made history as one of the three Kerry honorees when she became the first member of the Traveller community in Ireland to receive an honorary doctorate.
She was honoured alongside Moyvane native Fr Pat Ahern, Kerry Group Chairman Michael Dowling and RTÉ presenter Miriam O’Callaghan - whose father hails from Kerry - in a ceremony that came as a proud reminder of just how much the Kingdom has given the nation. All have strong links to UCC, having studied there or lectured at various times.
UCC graduate Ms Quilligan was recognised for her unstinting efforts on behalf of her community over the years, which contributed to the historic securing of ethnic minority status for Travellers earlier this year.
“Today UCC recognises and honours Brigid Quilligan as a leader in our community,” says Professor John O’Halloran, Vice President for Teaching and Learning at UCC. “We salute and acknowledge her for the leadership she has shown and the critical role she has played in the campaign to secure recognition of the distinct ethnic identity of the Traveller Community in Ireland,” Prof O’Halloran added.
Fr Pat Ahern (85) was meanwhile honoured with a Doctorate of Laws for his incredible custodianship of the nation and county’s traditional music and culture over the decades. Fr Ahern was introduced by Ceann Roinn na Nua Ghaeilge UCC Professor Pádraig Ó Macháin, who paid tribute to the cleric as a man ‘ lán de cheoil’ (‘full of music’): “One might think that the formulation of this expression, whenever it happened, was done with Fr Pat Ahern specifically in mind, because he embodies its spirit literally and metaphorically.”
Michael Dowling, formerly a visiting Professor at UCC, received a Doctorate of Science for his leadership of the hugely successful multinational over the years meanwhile.