Mick O’Dea with daughters Helen and Sarah at his honorary conferring on DCU campus as part of their Autumn Graduations. Photograph: Julien Behal
ENNIS artist Mick O’Dea has been conferred with an honorary doctorate by Dublin City University (DCU).
DCU’s autumn graduations saw the college bestow Mick, New York Times journalist Declan Walsh and entrepreneur and broadcaster Áine Kerr with the Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa). This is the highest award that the University can bestow on an individual.
A painter and sculptor, Mick is a past President of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), he is a member of Aosdána and he has studied at the National College of Art and Design. The Clare man is one of the best known and most respected contemporary artists in Ireland.
Speaking this week, Mick said, “Dublin City University is renowned worldwide for its innovation and dynamism. To be awarded an honorary doctorate by such a distinguished institution is both a humbling and exhilarating honour. My sincere thanks to DCU, it’s a privilege to accept”.
Since 1977, Mick has been exhibiting nationally and internationally. He is the recipient of many awards and prizes throughout his career.
Among his previous work is an official portrait of President Michael D. Higgins (LAB) which has hung in Leinster House since 2017 and will be moved to Arás an Uachtaráin after his departure from office next month when he is succeeded by Catherine Connolly (IND).
Mick spent three seasons as the artist-in-residence at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, painting portraits before a live audience. There, he created works depicting the likes of Colm Tóibín, Paula Meehan, Paul Muldoon and Stephen Rea, whilst giving the public a rare chance to see an artist live at work.
During his four year term as President of the RHA, O’Dea has been instrumental in laying the foundations for the future of the arts in Ireland. He established the Charter Sub-Committee, which began the process of the Charter Amendments, preparing the RHA for the next 200 years. He also established the RCSI Art award and strengthened the ties between the RHA and other academies.
At the beginning of October, his brother John, a popular publican in Ennis died after a short illness.
Dr Mary Shine Thompson of DCU’s governing authority when reading from Mick’s citation stated, “O’Dea’s signature style privileges eye-witness precision and authenticity. He marvels at the surface of things, at their sheer physicality. ‘If you are diligent enough at the surface,’ he believes, ‘something of what lies beneath might reveal itself.’ His keen eye for proportion and selective detail insist that we see into the life of things.
“His skilled, collaborative art-making and focus on students epitomise DCU’s values. His mature artistic judgement obliges us to reevaluate national identity, collective memory and power,” she added.
Prof Dáire Keogh, President of Dublin City University commented, “The University is proud to bestow its highest honour on these three exceptional individuals. In their respective fields, and in our wider society, Áine, Declan and Mick have made a positive impact that echoes the DCU mission ‘to transform lives and societies. They are now among a select group of inspiring people to have been awarded the Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) at Dublin City University”.
They join noted figures from politics, sport, literature and industry in receiving this award from DCU, including Enda Kenny, Moya Brennan, Paula Meehan, Seamus Mallon, David Trimble, President Bill Clinton, Joe Schmidt and Sonia O’Sullivan
From Ballina in Co Mayo, Declan Walsh is a journalist and chief Africa correspondent for The New York Times. He joined the NYT in 2011, having previously worked for The Guardian, spending seven years there covering Pakistan and Afghanistan. He began his journalism career at The Business Post.
Monaghan native, Áine Kerr is an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, educator, and civic leader. Co-founder and COO of Kinzen, she has previously led global journalism partnerships at Facebook, was Managing Director at Storyful and as a journalist with The Irish Times, Irish Independent and Irish Examiner. Áine currently serves as chair of Rethink Ireland, Gaisce, and The Shona Project.
