Politics

Michael D Higgins to receive honorary doctorate from former university on Manchester trip

President attended University of Manchester from 1968 to 1971

The president will meet a number of contacts in institutions in Manchester, as well as members of the well-established Irish community in the city. Photograph: Maxwells

Olivia Kelly
Tue Apr 23 2024 - 06:00

President Michael D Higgins will on Tuesday evening be awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, the University of Manchester, for his contributions to literature and public life.

The President’s visit coincides with the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the university, where he studied from 1968 to 1971. It also marks the tenth anniversary of his State visit to the United Kingdom.

Mr Higgins will deliver the inaugural lecture in a new series of lectures which will run at the university over the next five years. The John Kennedy Lecture Series, will be part of the programme of the University of Manchester’s School of Arts, Languages and Cultures.

His lecture is entitled ‘Of the consciousness our times need in responding to interacting crises and the role of Universities as spaces of discourse in facilitating it’.

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Mr Higgins will be conferred with the degree of Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa by the chancellor of the University of Manchester, Nazir Afzal, “in recognition of his extensive and significant contributions to literature and public life”. The citation will be read by Professor of Poetry John McAuliffe.

The president will also meet a number of contacts in institutions in Manchester, as well as members of the well-established Irish community in the city.

Olivia Kelly

Olivia Kelly

Olivia Kelly is Dublin Editor of The Irish Times

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