Posted: 28 May 2008
King of Spain honours UCD historian
His Excellency the Spanish Ambassador to Ireland, Don José de Carvajal on behalf of His Majesty, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, presented Dr Declan M. Downey of the UCD School of History and Archives, with the insignia of Knighthood in the Order of Isabel la Católica on 22 May 2008.
“This honour, with title of Comendador, is bestowed on Dr Downey in recognition of his academic research, publications, international profile and work concerning the historic ties between Ireland and Spain and his valuable contribution to the strengthening of relations between our two countries,” said Ambassador Don José de Carvajal.
Pictured far right: His Excellency the Spanish Ambassador to Ireland, Don José de Carvajal on behalf of His Majesty, King Juan Carlos I of Spain presents Dr Declan Downey with the insignia of Knighthood in the Order of Isabel la Católica
Dr Downey’s academic research incorporates various aspects of the unique historic relationship that developed between Ireland and the old Habsburg Monarchy of Spain, Austria and the Low Countries. In particular, his research has highlighted the successful integration of Irish émigrés in these states and the privileges that they enjoyed as a consequence of the Treaty of Dingle that was signed by James, the eleventh Earl of Desmond and Don Gonzalo Fernández, envoy of the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, Charles V & I on 28 April 1529.
For the past eight years, Dr Downey has co-directed, with Professor Ciarán Brady of Trinity College Dublin, a major international collaborative research project: ‘Wild Geese Regiments Database Project – Irish officers and soldiers in the Spanish Service c.1560-1810.’ This joint UCD-TCD research project is funded by the Higher Education Authority and the success of the project has led to the establishment of a new project: ‘Wild Geese Regiments Database Project – Irish officers and soldiers in the Austrian & Spanish Imperial Naval Services c.1600-1918’.
In June 2007, Dr Downey was awarded seed-funding from UCD to initiate an international and inter-institutional research project to create an initial catalogue of the Archives of the Chancellery in Valladolid which contain a major resource for European, Latin American and Southeast Asian economic, cultural and social history.
Dr Downey was historical adviser to the Belgian Embassy to Ireland and to the Regional Government of Flanders on the 400 anniversary commemorations of the establishment of the first Irish Regiment in the Army of Flanders, the Flight of the Earls into Flanders and the founding of the Irish Franciscan College of St. Anthony in Leuven (Louvain). The commemorative events were organised by the UCD Mícheal Ó Cléirigh Institute.
Dr. Downey holds the Ph.D. degree in Legal & Diplomatic History from the University of Cambridge (1994). He has lectured in Modern European and Asian Diplomatic History at University College Dublin since 1995. His specialist interests include: Habsburg Austria & Spain; The Netherlands and Germany 1500-1870; Japan, Korea and China 1790 – 1990; Irish émigré elites in Spain, Austria & The Netherlands, 1560-1860; Contemporary European Union - Asian Relations. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Diplomatic Academy Vienna and of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Madrid.
In 2003, Dr Downey was presented with the Knight’s Cross of the Federal Republic of Austria in recognition of his pioneering work on Irish émigrés in Imperial Austria and on Irish-Austrian Historical Relations.
