2008 Press Releases

Award for UCC Historian
18.02.2008

Professor Dermot Keogh, Head of the History Department at UCC, has been awarded the Olenin Medal by the Russian National Library at St Petersburg (RNL). The medal was presented  on January 14th 2008 by the Director of the Library, Dr Alexander Zaitsev and by Deputy Director, Dr Vladimir Bukreev at a ceremony attended by 200 people.

Due to teaching duties at UCC, Professor Keogh was not in a position to be personally present at the ceremony.  Professor Andrey Mashinian, Director of the Irish Cultural Center of the St. Petersburg State University, received the medal on Professor Keogh's behalf.

The bronze medal represents the emblem of the RNL and also has a portrait of Alexei Olenin (1763-1843)who was the first director of the RNL. Professor Keogh explained that Olenin was an important cultural figure of his time, a scholar and a book collector. Olenin, he explained, gave the initial boost to the growth of the collection that now contains an estimated 34 million items.

This high honour is awarded annually to a distinguished international scholars who has developed a close working relationship with the RNL. Professor Keogh, with the assistance of Dr Diarmuid Scully, arranged for a donation of books on Irish history and literature to the national library. The Irish Government also presented a substantial number of books to the RNL.

Professor Keogh, who has organised a number of bilateral international conferences in St Petersburg and developed links between UCC and the Department of Philology and the Arts in that city, said he was delighted to receive the honour on behalf of the Department of History.

Professor Keogh said that the presentation was a tangible recognition of the growing academic exchanges between St Petersburg, UCC and Cork City.  He said that there had already been major developments in the teaching of Irish and Irish history in the Department of Philology and the Arts.  He said that a delegation from the city of St Petersburg was expected in Cork in mid-May, bringing cultural and academic events, an exhibition and choral recitals.

Asked about further developments, Professor Keogh said that he knew the Government of St Petersburg had written to the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Donal Counihan, proposing the idea of entering into discussions about the possibility of twinning the two cities.  

Professor Keogh felt that the developing relationship with Cork and with UCC will have great significance in the near future.

Picture: Professor Dermot Keogh

634MMcS




<<Previous ItemNext Item>>

« Back to 2008 Press Releases

University College Cork

Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh

College Road, Cork T12 K8AF

Top