Sheahan conferred with honorary degree
The last surviving original member of The Dubliners was conferred with his Doctor in Music at a ceremony at the university yesterday along with President Michael D Higgins, historian Sr Margaret MacCurtain and campaigner for the rights of deaf people, Liisa Marjatta Kauppinen.
Professor of Latin, Anna Chahoud, described John Sheahan, 74, as a “musical artist capable of capturing the essence of a people and transforming its oral tradition into a perennial treasure of the world”.
The composer behind such well-loved tunes as “The Marino Waltz” and the “Flowers of Normandy” was with The Dubliners for 48 years.
His career also saw him in demand by performers as diverse as Kate Bush, Rod Stewart and Dolly Parton.
“For half a century his fiddle has articulated the notes of this island, now sad now cheerful, always with distinctive sweetness and unmistakable grace,” his oration read.
President Higgins, 72, who received a Doctor in Laws, was hailed as an “the ardent advocate of equality, inclusivity, solidarity”.
“Through his voice, the musical accents of the west of Ireland reach the furthest corners of the world with powerful notes of passion and compassion.”
A Doctor in Literature was conferred on Sr Margaret MacCurtain, 83, the Dominican nun described as “the pride and joy of Irish women’s history”.
“We are honoured to celebrate an extraordinary life, devoted in equal measure to faith and scholarship, to contemplation and activism.”
The three were joined by Liisa Marjatta Kauppinen, 74, from Finland, who has spent her life campaigning internationally for official recognition of sign language and more inclusive attitudes to deaf people in education and society.
