THE FOUNDING president of the University of Limerick, Dr Edward Walsh, will deliver the oration at the annual Michael Collins commemoration at Béal na mBláth this Sunday.
Dr Walsh was the driving force behind the transformation of the University of Limerick from a regional college into one of the country’s top universities.
He was founding chairman of the Irish Council for Science Technology and Innovation, the National Technological Park in Plassey and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. He has also served as chairman of the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities and of Shannon Development.
About 1,000 people are expected to attend the commemoration next weekend, with Dr Walsh as guest speaker. The event will mark the 89th anniversary of Michael Collins’s death.
Previous speakers have included former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, British filmmaker Lord David Puttnam and former minister for finance, the late Brian Lenihan – the first Fianna Fáil cabinet minister to have been so honoured.
Brian Lenihan was particularly proud to have been asked to deliver the annual Michael Collins commemorative address at Béal na mBláth in Co Cork, which he did on August 22nd, 2010, the first Fianna Fáil cabinet minister to have been so honoured.
At traditionally an exclusively Fine Gael event, Mr Lenihan said the spirit of Collins was the spirit of the nation and it must continue to inspire all in public life.
He said the invitation to make the address was generous and could be seen as a further public act of historical reconciliation, at one of Irish history’s sacred places. If this was so, he said, he was proud to have played his part.
Michael Collins was killed on August 22nd, 1922, after being ambushed on the Cork to Bandon road by anti-Treaty IRA forces.
Dr Walsh was born in Cork in 1939. He is responsible for a host of firsts in Irish education including work experience, industry collaborations and large scale campus accommodation.
The Michael Collins commemoration will take place at 3pm and is open to the public.