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Literature Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney conferred with honorary doctorate from Dublin City University
6th May
Poet, dramatist, critic and leading Irish literary figure, Seamus Heaney, has been conferred with the award of Doctor of Philosophy (honoris causa) by President of Dublin City University, Professor Brian MacCraith.
The conferring, which took place today at St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, was attended by family and friends of Seamus Heaney's as well as academics and staff from Dublin City University and St Patrick's College.
Speaking at the ceremony Seamus Heaney said, "The first thing to say is how much this degree means to me, coming as it does from Dublin City University. The roll-call of those previously conferred with honorary doctorates by DCU is an impressive one. It includes several names destined to be historical, so to have my own name inscribed in that roll-book is a rare distinction.
"I am also grateful to the people who were involved in proposing me for the degree and appreciate the fact that it has been possible to arrange the conferral here in St Patrick's College. Over the years I have come to feel at home in St Pats., having been invited here on several occasions to read poems, hear lectures, and enjoy the honour of a lecture series established in my name. The welcome from staff and students has always been a warm one and their commitment to their teacherly calling of the highest order.
Concluding his address, Dr Heaney read a poem called 'Alphabets', "... because so much of our lives as teachers and students involves the shaping of letters, whether by handwriting or keyboarding, by ink or electronics. But it also involves looking up to letters, letters in the old sense of litterae humaniores - the humanities, as we would say today, the humanities upon which culture and continuity ultimately depend, the humanities which are fundamental to education at every level and achieve their finest exposition in a university such as DCU and its constituent college here at St Patrick's".
President of St Patrick's College, Dr Pauric Travers, said that Seamus Heaney's acceptance of the award would be welcomed by all those who valued the arts, creativity and the imagination in education. "As a poet and a former teacher, Heaney exemplifies these values which are needed now more than ever", he said.
DCU President, Professor Brian MacCraith said at the ceremony: "We are profoundly honoured that Seamus Heaney has accepted our proposal to recognise him in this way. His mark and contribution to the literary landscape in Ireland has been immense but his legacy will be even more so. The choice of this location for the ceremony celebrates the pivotal role of teaching and teachers not only in the life of Seamus but also in all our lives.
"Today's ceremony also conveys an important message to our students. What Ireland needs most now, especially for those students, is a regeneration of spirit. And, through his work, Seamus provides that elevation of the spirit, and that gentle inspiration, that is never strident or brash. At every student graduation ceremony since I took up office, I have quoted an excerpt from his address on the occasion of his 70th birthday: 'We should keep our feet on the ground to signify that nothing is beneath us, but we should also lift up our eyes to see that nothing is beyond us'".
Other honorary doctorates given at DCU have included playwright Brian Friel, EC Commissioner Peter Sutherland, Mother Teresa Calcutta, Mr John Hume MEP, novelist and teacher John Mc Gahern and President of Ireland, Mrs Mary McAleese