UCC award Masters 56 years after submission
A Corkman has finally been awarded a Masters degree, 56 years after he submitted it.
The posthumous degree award took place in UCC today 56 years after the death of Michael Cowhig who died in the Tuskar Rock disaster.
UCC say it is probably the longest period before the award of a posthumous degree in the college’s history. The family of Michael Cowhig attended the special ceremony on the campus today.
Michael and his two colleagues, John F Nyhan and Thomas P Dwane, were travelling to England to attend a conference in Reading when Aer Lingus Flight 712 crashed en route from Cork to London on 24 March 1968. The crash claimed the lives of all 61 passengers and crew on board.
Michael and his colleagues, who worked at the Agricultural Research Institute at Moorepark, Fermoy – now Teagasc – were to share their research at the conference. A native of Kilbrittain, Michael had submitted a thesis for a Masters to UCC shortly before the crash.
The process of awarding the Masters ended following Michael’s death, until his family recently approached UCC to ask that his work be reviewed for consideration. They were inspired to do so by a memoir by Michael’s supervisor, retired professor and former MEP Tom Raftery, which stated that the thesis had in fact been approved at the time for the award of Masters.
Professor Alan Kelly, head of UCC School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, subsequently reviewed Mr Cowhig’s thesis entitled ‘A study of the milking performance of eight milking machines’, and recommended the university recognise it for the award of a Masters degree, which was agreed by the relevant college committees.
Professor Kelly said: “The work was of a very high scientific standard, and presents an important historical record of technologies which were only newly being put in place on Irish farms. If a thesis of this standard was submitted today we would have no hesitation in making the award.”
The Masters was presented to Michael’s family by UCC President Professor John O’Halloran at a special ceremony in UCC attended by family, friends, and former colleagues of Michael, Thomas, and John.
The Cowhig family said: “As a family we would like to thank the President and staff of UCC for their wholehearted efforts in establishing the merits of our dad’s research. We would also like recognised the support provided in this case by the Teagasc/Moorepark family.
“We are very grateful, in particular, to retired professor Tom Raftery, whose determined spirit persisted over many years and acted as catalyst to the award of this Masters degree. We have always been very proud of what our dad achieved in his short lifetime, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to attend this award ceremony in the company of so many of his former colleagues and friends.”