Letters

Remembering George Huxley’s generosity

A generous benefactor

Fri Dec 23 2022 - 00:06

Sir, – Further to your obituary on the late Prof George Huxley (“George Huxley – Classics professor with a passion for his subject was devoted to Ireland”, Obituary, December 17th) and the letters from colleagues in Belfast and Dublin (December 21st) recording other actions and public statements of his in support of the arts and humanities in the universities, I would like to add that he made a generous donation to me in NUI Galway which he requested specifically be used to endow an annual prize for the best third-year student essay on Early Irish “Brehon” law that was based on original sources.

I believe that he made several other “silent” benefactions of the kind to other universities, in addition to the public endowments that he made, such as the annual Osborn Bergin Memorial Lecture in UCD. – Yours, etc,

DÁIBHÍ Ó CRÓINÍN, MRIA,

Professor Emeritus,

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Department of History,

University of Galway.

Sir, – The obituary for George Huxley noted that one of his many enthusiasms was an interest in railways.

Prof Huxley was a longstanding member of the Irish Railway Record Society and a generous benefactor. Some 20 years ago, he gifted a large collection of books on railway history to the society’s library, along with a number of Irish railway artefacts, and his annual subscriptions were regularly augmented by supplemental donations. Prof Huxley was one of many distinguished British supporters of our society, including, back in the 1940s, John Betjeman, as well as, from a rather different literary genre, John Price, late editor of Cook’s Continental Timetable, and many other well-known figures from a diversity of professional backgrounds.

As we enter our 77th year, the neighbouring island of Britain continues to provide a significant proportion of our society’s support.

MICHAEL J WALSH,

Past Chairman,

Irish Railway

Record Society,

Dublin 8.