Sidney V. Regan left €2 million to the Department of Music in his estate, and University College Cork is hugely grateful for this exceptionally generous bequest to support music at UCC.  

His gift will enable UCC to build on the great tradition of Aloys Fleischmann, Seán Ó Riada, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and, more recently, musicians like Ann Cleare, Karen Power, Karen Desmond, Julie Feeney, Rosaleen Molloy, Eibhlín Gleeson and Jack O’Rourke in inspiring the creation, performance and study of music for future generations. 

Sidney V. Regan, a British master builder, and his wife Hilda moved to Cobh from the UK in the 1960s and soon became involved in the local music scene. Sidney joined the Commodore Male Voice Choir and founded the Cobh Gramophone Society. During this time the Regans befriended Aloys Fleischmann, who was Professor of Music at UCC (1934-1980) and conductor of the Cork Symphony and Radio Éireann Orchestras. Fleischman was a profound influencer in Irish musical life and was described by Mícháel Ó Súilleabháin as “a cultural giant of a man whose generosity directly touched so many thousands of people throughout his lifetime”.  

Dr Jeffrey Weeter, Head of Music, UCC, acknowledged that “Sidney Regan’s bequest is the single largest gift to the Music Department in its storied history, and this act of unmatched generosity will enrich the lives of current and future students immeasurably. The bequest will enable the Department of Music to provide direct support to students in the form of scholarships for undergraduates and postgraduates, improve physical resourcing for performers, composers and the academic study of music, and further enable the department to bring in outside expertise, such as professional performers, to support its activities.”  

For more information, visit the UCC Alumni and Development website.