Máire F. Mulcahy (1937 – 28 November 2023) was an Irish

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

and

ecologist Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...

, with an expertise in fish and shellfish health and disease. She was the first female vice-president of an Irish University and the founding chair of the Marine Institute Ireland. She served as a vice-president of

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

(UCC). The Mulcahy medal for the highest achieving zoology student in UCC is named in her honour.

Background

Mulcahy attended St Angela's College and graduated from

(UCC) in 1958. She attained a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in biochemistry from the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

. She married Edmund (Noel) Mulcahy in 1958. Noel, a national chess master, died in the

Aer Lingus Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish , meaning "air fleet") is an Irish airline company which is the flag carrier of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 201 ...

Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. T ...

crash in 1968.

Career

Mulcahy was made a professor of

Zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

at UCC. During her tenure she reinstated L. P. W. Renouf's natural history museum there. In 1989 she was made a vice-president of UCC. In 1990 she was appointed chair of the newly founded Marine Institute, having worked on its creation since the 1970s. Mulcahy was instrumental in the foundation of

Science Foundation Ireland Science Foundation Ireland (SFI; ) was a statutory body in Ireland. It was an agency of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, with responsibility for funding oriented basic and applied research in th ...

's Marine and Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI) programme.

Publications

* * * * * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mulcahy, Maire 21st-century Irish zoologists 20th-century Irish zoologists Marine zoologists Women ichthyologists Women ecologists Academics of University College Cork Alumni of University College Cork Alumni of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology Scientists from Cork (city) 1937 births 2023 deaths Date of birth missing