The President of Ireland Mary McAleese will be awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Aberdeen on St Andrew’s Day (Tuesday, November 30, 1999).
Following the ceremony, the President will formally inaugurate the University’s new Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies (RIISS), which was established last year and is headed by the leading Scottish historian Tom Devine.
The Research Institute is the first academic institute of its kind in the world for the graduate study and research of the history, language, literature and culture of both Scotland and Ireland. It is also the first centre in the UK to offer a masters degree programme (MLitt) in Irish and Scottish Studies.
Aberdeen has around 70 academic staff with Irish and Scottish research interests – believed to be the largest concentration of such expertise of any university in Europe.
Further details of the graduation ceremony and the official opening of RIISS will be announced nearer the event.