Renowned Cork historian Prof Dermot Keogh  'touched so many people in so many ways' 

The 78-year-old former Professor of History at University College Cork, died peacefully at home in Cork city on Wednesday following an illness.

Professor Keogh taught in UCC’s department of history between 1980 and 2010, was Jean Monnet Professor in the department between 1990 and 1996. File Picture

One of Ireland’s renowned historians has been remembered by his family as a dad who had created a ”warm and happy home”.

Emeritus Professor Dermot Keogh’s daughter Aoife also paid tribute to how he “touched so many people in so many ways”.

She addressed mourners at the funeral for the 78-year-old former Professor of History at University College Cork, who died peacefully at home in Cork city on Wednesday following an illness.

Mourners also heard how after his death, there would now be “no more naughty jokes” being shared with his “adored” nine grandchildren.

Tokens of his life brought up at the start of service in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at The Lough included a copy of the Beano comic.

This, mourners were told, was to represent the fact that he “loved to have fun and to laugh” and “represented the slapstick humour he enjoyed sharing with his family".

Mourners at the 10am service included Tánaiste Micheál Martin, who studied history in UCC under Prof Keogh.

“Our hearts have been warmed by the many tributes to dad,” Aoife said. “He touched so many people in so many ways.

“So many were in touch and really helped him to stay connected.

For us, he was just dad, who created a warm and happy home. It was a privilege to have such a dad

After a round of applause, his  daughter Clare read out the poem Possibilities by the Polish poet Wisława Szymborska.

She explained the poem had been marked in a book the family found on a table by his bed the morning after he died.

She struggled to hold back her tears as she read out the last lines.

“I prefer not to ask how much longer and when,” she read.

“I prefer keeping in mind even the possibility that existence has its own reason for being.” 

Earlier, his nine grandchildren had brought up various tokens of his life.

They included his last book, Ireland and Argentina in the twentieth century: Diaspora, diplomacy, dictatorship, catholic mission and the Falklands crisis.

They also included a framed photograph of his wedding to his “beloved” wife Ann, with whom he had recently celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary.

So Late in the Day by best-selling author Claire Keegan was also brought up as it had been the most recent book he had bought.

Mourners smiled as some of the other tokens were brought up.

As well as the Beano comic, these included “his beloved Panama hat which travelled the world with him and Ann” and a football to represent his “lifelong love of all sports”.

His youngest grandchild Olan brought up a copy of Tony Mitton's book of children’s cartoons Flashing Fire Engines, which Prof Keogh had “read over and over and over and again and again and again”.

Prof Keogh, who taught in UCC’s department of history between 1980 and 2010, was Jean Monnet Professor in the department between 1990 and 1996.

He was also professor of history from 1997 and served as head of department between 2002 and 2009. 

The author of 10 monographs, including the prize-winning Jews in Twentieth Century Ireland in 2008, he co-edited 20 books and was twice a Woodrow Wilson fellow.

He was a frequent co-editor and contributor to dozens of books and scholarly journals as well as TV history programmes, and he presented papers at conferences across Europe, in the US and in Argentina, a country for which he held a deep affection.

Prof Keogh is survived by his wife Ann, and their children, Eoin, Niall, Aoife and Clare.

He is also survived by his grandchildren, Abi, Luke, David, Aisling, Darragh, Clodagh, Anna-Amy, Mani and Olan.

He was a father-in-law to Caroline, Liz, Marco and Barry.