In November 2024, UCC celebrated 175 years of learning and teaching. The School of Physics marked their history by having various events, which brought together physicists who had studied and taught at UCC.

The celebration was opened with a tree planting at the Crawford Observatory of a Sorbus aucuparia 'Autumn Spire', the Irish Rowan Tree, in memory and celebration of 175 Years of Physics at UCC.

Moving into the Dora Allman Room in The Hub, Prof. John O'Halloran gave a speech to mark the event. Following this, there were three talks:

• Colm O'Sullivan - 'George Ferdinand Shaw  – First Professor of Natural Philosophy at Queen's College Cork 1849 to 1855'
• Margaret Lantry -  ‘From the West Wing to the Kane 1849-1970: improving facilities for Physics’ [PDF]
• Pádraig Mac Cárthaigh - ‘John England & William Bergin, some gleanings from newspaper archives and John A. Murphy's The College; also, the Physics Department in the 1980s (Mike Mansfield)

After a sociable break to network and enjoy items in the Physics Historical and Archival Display, there was an interesting discussion by the Physics Alumni panel: Séamus Davis, Sian Joyce, Margaret Murnane (dialling in remotely), Richard G. Milner (dialling in), Eoin Murphy, Patrick G. Shea (dialling in), and Laura Russell. The panel was a mix of older and more recent graduates whom Prof. Paul Callanan interviewed about their student experience and why they loved Physics. This fascinating conversation brought a wonderful day to an end.