Concordia’s Irish champion honoured in Ireland
Longtime advocate of Canadia Irish Studies, Michael Kenneally has received an honorary degree in Literature from the National University of Ireland.
Michael Kenneally and Rhona Richman Kenneally at the conferring ceremony
Principal of the School of Canadian Irish Studies and holder of the Research Chair in Canadian Irish Studies, Kenneally was recognized for his role in the academic development of the discipline at Concordia.
“We wish to celebrate the achievements of this remarkable scholar in deepening, strengthening and reimagining the discipline of Irish Studies, not just in Canada and in North America generally, but also in a wider context worldwide,” said Michael Murphy, President of University College Cork.
Kenneally was honoured for a distinguished academic career, for fostering Irish Studies academic communities — both local and international — as well as for his services as advisor to the Irish Government on education, culture and economics.
“I am deeply honoured by this recognition,” Kenneally said, “but I share it with many others, including adminstrators and colleagues at Concordia over many years, as well as members of the wider community whose support through the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation has been so crucial. Most of all, I share it with my partner, Rhona Richman Kenneally, herself a professor in Concordia’s Department of Design and Computation Arts and a Fellow of the School. She played a central role in the conceptualization and implementation of Canadian Irish Studies at every stage of development over a 20-year period.”
Currently, the School offers 22 courses in 12 disciplines with a total enrolment of 950, and has 80 students in its three programs (major, minor, certificate).
Related links
- Concordia School of Canadian Irish Studies
- Fundamentals, the latest issue of the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation newsletter
- National University of Ireland