Why 2.0? Unfortunately, our first Alumni Reception on 28th February was cancelled after only 30 minutes, a few glasses of wine and the start of some interesting conversations, due to an unforeseen power outage. We have decided to give it another go, and are organising the SLCL Alumni Reception 2.0 in the hope of seeing many of the faces from last time as well as many new ones.

Please scroll down for more information.

Below the only image available from what was going to be a wonderful evening:

We are delighted to invite you to the Grand Opening of our newly refurbished premises and our first Alumni Networking Event on Thursday, 16th May 2019 at 6pm in D301 (Newman Building, UCD).

Registration for Alumni: (opens in a new window)http://bit.ly/SLCLAlumniMay

If you graduated from UCD over a decade ago, you may not even be aware of the existence of our School as we have undergone major restructurings over the past decade. In 2004/2005 the five separate language departments formed the School of Languages, Literatures and Film, to become the School of Languages and Literatures in 2006 – and finally: the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics in 2015.

During that time we have had to bid farewell to many colleagues who have retired, and in return we have welcomed many new staff members to our School. Of course, we have also welcomed new students while proudly watching others graduating. In 2018 we introduced our new pathways for undergraduate students and moved into our newly refurbished offices on the third floor of Newman.

In order to embrace the future, but also preserve our past, we would now like to strengthen our connections with former students and colleagues and would be delighted if you could join us on 16th May for a convivial get-together to reminisce about old times, share memories, meet old friends, revive old connections and form new ones!

The evening’s programme is as follows:

6pm Welcome wine reception

6.30pm Welcome by the Head of School, Prof. Bettina Migge

6.35pm Talks by Emeritus

• Jean Michel-Picard
  
  Jean-Michel Picard graduated from the Université de Provence in 1973 with a degree in French Literature and Classics. He completed his specialisation in ancient and medieval languages (Greek, Latin,  Sanskrit, Old French, Occitan) and historical linguistics with a MA in 1974, also from  the Université de Provence. He started working in UCD French Department while registered as a postgraduate student for a MPhil in Medieval Studies, with specialisation in Old Irish and Early Irish History. He holds  a MPhil degree from UCD (1979) and a PhD degree from the Université de Paris-Sorbonne (1981). During his career in UCD he was associated both with the French Department and with the Board of Medieval Studies. He became Senior Lecturer in 1993, Associate Professor in 2003 and full Professor in 2010. From the early 1990s, he served in a number of responsible positions of leadership in the University: Associate Dean of Arts (1991-1994), Academic Secretary of the Board of Medieval Studies (1997-2005), Head of the French Department (2001-2004), Head of the School of Languages and Literature (2007-2011), as well as serving on several Faculty Committees and University  Boards. He is a renowned scholar in Medieval Studies and has published 11 books and 75 scholarly articles, mostly on the Irish involvement in the transformation of Northern European societies in the early middle ages. In Ireland, the Royal Irish Academy received him as a member in 2011 and, in France, he was made Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques in 2003 and Officier in the same Order in 2016. He is a UCD Professor Emeritus since 2015.

• Vĕra Cápková (Emeritus)

  Vĕra Cápková graduated from Charles University in Prague with a Prom Phil in 1962. Thereafter she worked for the Academy of Sciences on an etymological dictionary for Slavonic and contributed material that is still being used in the compilation of the etymological dictionary of Old Church Slavonic.

  In 1968, while holidaying in Ireland, Vĕra learned of the invasion of her home country by the then Soviet army and was faced with a difficult decision. She opted to remain in Ireland and began her association with UCD, starting as part-time lecturer in linguistics. She was appointed a full time lecturer in 1977 and joined Prof Conn Ó Cléirigh and Dr Richard Walsh in their mission to build a vibrant linguistics department. She became a college lecturer in 1980. 

  Vĕra brought with her valuable training and expertise in Indo-European and Slavonic and a passionate commitment to her subject, which developed into a heavy teaching load. She contributed a course in Old Church Slavonic and lectured in various topics in the MPhil in Medieval Studies and the MA in European studies. She organized a number of successful colloquiums in her capacity as a member of the sub-committee for Greek and Latin studies in the Royal Irish Academy. In 1992, Vĕra assumed responsibility as the head of the Linguistics department, which she held until her retirement in 2002.

  She also involved herself in fostering Irish -Czech relations and had been recognized with various awards in recognition of her contribution to developing cultural relations between the two countries.

  Generations of students remember Vĕra as an outstanding teacher with an enormous breath of knowledge, and equally as a mentor with a genuine concern for their well-being.
  
  

 7.00pm Roundtable Discussion with SLCL Alumni

• Nicholas Twist: Nick Twist has recently retired as Irish Ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus. He studied German and Italian in his Undergraduate degree and returned to UCD last year to complete the Higher Diploma in French. In the course of his diplomatic career, he served in several European capitals (Rome, The Hague, Copenhagen, Vienna, Nicosia) as well as representing Ireland at the European Union in Brussels, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, based in Vienna, and various UN bodies also located in Vienna. His knowledge of host-country languages and cultures greatly enhanced effectiveness and enjoyment of each assignment. A career highlight was his involvement in the multilateral process which culminated in the adoption at an international conference in Dublin of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

• Niamh O’Connell: Niamh O'Connell has studied Spanish and French in UCD and graduated with a BA (Hons)
  in 2000. She is now running The Wellness Clinic (www.thewellnessclinic.ie)in Dublin.

• Seán O’Keeffe: Seán graudated from UCD with a BA in International Modern Languages in German and
  Spanish in 2018.He completed his Erasmus year at the FU Berlin. He is currently working at Lidl as "Sales Organisation Coordinator". In 2008 he was presented with an award at the NUI award-ceremony (based on his final-year results). 
  
  
• Deirdre Hanley: Deirdre graduated from UCD with an Arts Degree in Arts History and French in
  2013 and completed the MA in Modern Languages in 2016.
  

7.20pm Food and Wine reception

We would be delighted if you could bring photos or any other memories to add to our memory wall! Digital versions may even be emailed in advance to (opens in a new window)alumnicommunications@ucd.ie.