Ó CÉIDIGH, Pádraig

Item

Title

Ó CÉIDIGH, Pádraig

KEADY, Patrick

Identifier

VHP0008

birth name

Patrick Keady

Known as

Paddy Keady, Pádraig Ó Céidigh

Bio-note

Pádraig Ó Céidigh (14 July 1933 - 29 October 2008) was Professor of Zoology in UCG/NUI Galway. He was responsible for the establishment of a field station at Crumpaun, Carna and, over several decades, its development into a modern research facility. 'Larger than life, he was an inspirational teacher and very popular with students' ('Defender of fishermen').

Biography

Having been awarded a PhD by the NUI in 1960 for a thesis on 'Seasonal Variation in the Decapod Larvae of Kilkieran Bay, Co Galway', while working as an Assistant in Natural History in UCG, he went on to be appointed Professor of Zoology and, with several colleagues, successfully built up the Department's reputation for research in marine zoology.
The story is told of how, shortly before he died, his old friend Martin Ryan visited him at Kilkieran, and heard from him that his greatest wish was the establishment of a dedicated research centre. The upshot was the generous funding granted by Tony Ryan that enabled the creation of the Ryan Research Institute (Uí Chionna, 2019). Initially concentrated on marine research the Institute has grown into a highly interdisciplinary research body covering four thematic areas: Marine & Coastal; Energy & Climate Change; Agriculture & BioEconomy; and Environment & Health. In 2023 it comprises 89 Research Groups and 12 Research Centres/Clusters.
Pádraig Ó Céidigh was committed to the Irish language, and was also keenly interested in French and Italian.

References

'Defender of fishermen and marine resources' [obituary], Irish Times, 15 Nov 2008, at https://www.irishtimes.com/news/defender-of-fishermen-and-marine-resources-1.910830. Accessed 3 July 2023.

Martin Ryan Institute, 'Carna Research Station: History' at https://www.universityofgalway.ie/ryaninstitute/corefacilities/carnaresearchstation/history/. Accessed 3 July 2023.

Brendan O'Connor, 'Professor Pádraig Ó Céidigh, 1933-2008', Crustaceana, 83:7 (2010), 889–91. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20787188, accessed 26 Nov. 2023.

'University College, Galway', University Review, 2:11 (1962), 60–63 at 61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45241839. Accessed 22 July 2023.

Jackie Uí Chionna, An Oral History of University College Galway, 1930-1980 (Dublin, 2019).

Relation

Padraig Ó Céidigh (Paddy Keady) relaxing with his dog

Key Words

Marine Biology; Fishing; Aquaculture; Carna; Field station; Ryan Institute

Language

English

Irish

Publisher

University of Galway Library

Date Modified

26 July, 2023

Note

Upload and data entry by: Jane Conroy
Research by: Jane Conroy
To do: augment this bio. Check year of thesis. Reglaze the photo loaned to Ger and return it to him.

lastReviewed

2023.07.26 by Jane Conroy

Item sets

Visual History Retired Staff Collection PEOPLE

Linked resources

Filter by property

additionalProperty
Title	Alternate label	Class
Padraig Ó Céidigh (Paddy Keady) relaxing with his dog	People	Image
Pádraig Ó Céidigh and his dog on Aran, 1994	People	Image
Pádraig Ó Céidigh at book launch on Aran, April 1994	People	Image