Third person turns down doctorate from University of Galway over links to Israel

A third person has turned down an honorary doctorate that was due to be conferred by the University of Galway, at a ceremony tomorrow.

Professor Kerby Miller told an event on campus this afternoon that he would not accept the award, in light of the university’s ongoing links with an Israeli institution, which is linked to the country’s army.

Prof Miller was due to be recognised for his role in helping to create the university’s archive of emigrant letters, sent from around the world, over more than 300 years.

The historian donated his collection in 2021, kickstarting the Imirce digital archive.

Kerby Miller pictured looking through documents — Professor Kerby Miller said he would not accept the award

Established Professor of Modern Irish History, Breandán Mac Suibhne, who worked with Prof Miller to establish the project, said it spoke volumes that a scholar of such high repute, “who had brought such great honour and attention to our university, cannot in conscience accept an honorary degree from it”.

Prof Mac Suibhne said the university needed to take note of the significance of the decision.

Earlier, actor Olwen Fouéré also turned down an honorary doctorate from the university, in protest of the links it has with an Israeli institution.

Film-maker Margo Harkin also withdrew from tomorrow’s ceremony, at which a number of others will be recognised for their contributions to the arts and public life.

Both women said they have taken the “difficult” decision over their opposition to the university’s research links with Israel’s Technion Institute of Technology.

The acclaimed actor and director was due to receive a Doctor of Arts for her “international career spanning theatre, film and television”.

Actor Olwen Fouéré also turned down an honorary doctorate from the University of Galway over links it has with an Israeli institution

In a statement, Ms Fouéré said she was “overjoyed to be offered an honorary doctorate” but had decided to refuse the award, because of her opposition to the links the university has with the Haifa based institution.

In September, the university said contractual obligations meant it could not back out of the ASTERISK research project, which is looking at ways to produce hydrogen from seawater. It is co-funded by the EU.

The Technion Institute is one of a number of third-level institutions involved.

The agreement has been criticised by human rights campaigners, given Israeli actions in Gaza and Technion’s role in developing what it terms “defence and security technologies”.

Ms Fouéré said: “The research partnership with the Technion Institute of Technology is extremely problematic.”

She was also critical that demands from University of Galway staff, researchers, students to end the contract had been met with “avoidance, delay and legal obfuscation”.

Aosdána member and activist Margaretta D’Arcy, who died earlier this week, and film-maker Lelia Doolan recently returned honorary doctorates to the university in protest over the research links.

Other recipients of the honorary doctorates this week include artist Brian Bourke, novelist and translator Anna Heussaff, harpist Kathleen Loughnane, former advocacy manager and deputy general secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge Peadar Mac Fhlannchadha, business leader Pádraig Ó Céidigh and poet and singer Micheál Ó Cuaig.