President leads tributes to historian and author Dermot Keogh who has died aged 78

President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to historian and author Dermot Keogh who died at his home in Cork city on Wednesday aged 78.

Emeritus Professor of History at University College Cork (UCC), Prof Keogh, the author of more than a dozen books, was the first person to receive a doctorate in History and Civilisation from the European University Institute in Florence. Among his students at UCC was Tanáiste Micheál Martin, who described him as a “mentor”.

A former journalist, Prof Keogh was a keen and energetic researcher with a wide range of interests from 19th and 20th century Irish politics and movements to church-State relations in Ireland and beyond. He was also interested in international relations and had a particular interest in Latin American history.

“Dermot Keogh was one of our finest historians, bringing in particular a valuable insight into the history of Ireland’s connection with South America,” said Mr Higgins, who recalled Prof Keogh visiting Áras an Uachtaráin last year to present him with a copy of a book about Ireland and Argentina.

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“Among his other most valuable contributions was his publications on Irish diplomatic relations with the Vatican, his time as editor of foreign policy archives for the RIA and his important work on Jews in 20th century Ireland.

“Dermot Keogh will be missed by all those who he taught at University College Cork, as well as all those whose strong scholarship in UCC on South American issues owes much to his personal research interests.”

Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Kieran McCarthy, a graduate of the school of history at UCC where Prof Keogh taught for 30 years, said he was “deeply saddened” at the passing of Prof Keogh “who was deeply respected in UCC, Cork, nationally and internationally” for his work.

“Not only was Dermot a renowned academic but he was a true gentleman who deeply believed in equality, solidarity and human rights. He was a man who strived to improve the lot of others. Ar dheis de go raibh a anam,” he said.

Prof John O’Halloran, president of UCC, said Prof Keogh “made a huge contribution to our understanding of 20th century Ireland”.

“He was part of the fabric of UCC for many years and will be deeply missed here. We extend our sympathies to his wife Ann and all the family,” said Prof O’Halloran.

Dr Hiram Morgan, head of the UCC school of history, said Prof Keogh would be missed by his many colleagues and friends, and described him as “a generously affable and genuinely humane individual who will be greatly missed by all who knew him”.

“Dermot was a distinguished and prolific historian of many aspects of Ireland in the 20th century – labour history, the Irish Jewish community, Irish diplomatic history, Irish connections with Latin America, and Irish political and constitutional history including a biography of Jack Lynch.”

A close friend of fellow UCC historians Prof Joe Lee and the late Prof John A Murphy, Prof Keogh reflected on his time at UCC in a speech he gave at a history prize-giving in the university in 2020.

“Looking back over my 30 years teaching in UCC, a privileged way to spend my professional life, I was in the company of many outstanding colleagues and generations of great students,” he said, singling out Murphy’s Ireland in the Twentieth Century and Lee’s Ireland, 1912-1985: Politics and Society as two works that inspired him.

“During that busy time, I had the opportunity to research in a range of different fields. It was particularly rewarding to meet many people who made history and who made this country – be they political leaders or rank and file trade unionists, farm labourers or others who helped bring the State into existence.”

Prof Keogh is survived by his wife Ann and adult children, Eoin, Niall, Aoife and Clare. His funeral will take place in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Cork on Saturday.