UCC HISTORY professor Gabriel Doherty, who died suddenly on Friday November 8th, has been described as a ‘true academic, a fresh thinker and a person who could never do enough.’
Prof Doherty had only recently attended the unveiling of the Dick Barrett bust in Ballineen, and Lisa Collins of the Dick Barrett Committtee said the committee was devastated by his death. ‘His enthusiasm for his subject matter, his generosity of time and his encouragement to commemoration groups such as ours were traits we will fondly remember,’ she said.
‘He was the driving force and leading figure in bringing the Civil War Symposium to Clonakilty in 2022, the first of its kind in West Cork. He could never do enough for people, sharing both his research on the subject but also giving always so generously with his time and expertise in the area. He lives on, in a different way, through his greatly important work.’
Tadhg Murphy of the West Cork History Festival said Gabriel was a fantastic historian of Irish history.
‘He was also a wonderful lecturer and as part of UCC’s school of history, he was a great influence on generations of young historians.’
Professor John O’Halloran, president of UCC, said Gabriel was an outstanding historian who deepened our understanding of key moments in Irish history.
Born in Birmingham, Gabriel studied in Oxford before completing a masters in NUI Galway and was appointed at UCC in 1993.
