Friday, 22 May 2020
Professor Thomas O’Loughlin has today been made an honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy, considered the highest academic distinction in Ireland.
For 235 years, new members of the Royal Irish Academy have been admitted with a handshake, but this year’s ceremony was very different. Thomas O’Loughlin, a Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Nottingham, was among 29 internationally renowned Irish academics who were welcomed into the Academy by its president, Dr Mary Canning, via video call.
Welcoming the newly admitted members, Dr Canning said:
Ireland should be immensely proud of these women and men who have brought international acclaim to our country. As members of the Royal Irish Academy they will strengthen our capacity to provide the expert advice Ireland needs at this time.
Dr Canning added that she looked forward to the day when she can physically welcome the new members to Academy House.
She thanked the many Academy members who had put their expertise at the service of the people of Ireland during the current COVID-19 crisis and announced that “an Academy steering group has been established to develop and coordinate the activities of the various Academy committees and members and to maximise the Academy’s convening power across all humanities, social sciences and science disciplines throughout the island of Ireland.”
Professor O’Loughlin is one of six academics who have been named as honorary members, after being elected in 2017. The Academy cites the Professor as an authority on the origins and evolution of the liturgy and theology of the early Christian Church, as well as being a leading scholar in the field of Early Insular Christian history. He has produced exemplary work on St Patrick, and has published landmark books on Gildas, the Welsh Christian writer and on Adomnán, the most important Irish Church figure of the seventh century.
I grew up in Dublin and one just knew that the Royal Irish academy was the pinnacle of learning! Then in university, one saw the letters the 'MRIA' (Member of the Royal Irish Academy) on the names of only the most eminent of the professors! So today, it is joy mixed with almost unbelief that I am being made a member!
He added: "Even in lockdown when the ceremony takes place on Zoom, it gives one a sense of great satisfaction that one's research has been recognised - and it is a good excuse to open a bottle of claret this evening!"
There are currently 618 members of the Academy, 88 of whom are Honorary members, including Nobel laureate William C. Campbell, and Louise Richardson, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford. Other members include Mary E. Daly, historian and commissioner with the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation; Brian MacCraith, physicist and president of Dublin City University; and Frances Ruane, economist and chair of the Abbey Theatre.
Story credits
More information is available from Professor Thomas O’Loughlin in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Nottingham at Thomas.Oloughlin@nottingham.ac.uk or Katie Andrews in the Press Office at the University of Nottingham at katie.andrews@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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