One of Ireland’s most acclaimed actresses, Ruth Negga, and two-time Grammy Award-winning artist, Rhiannon Giddens, have been awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Limerick.
At a ceremony in UL’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance today, they were both conferred with the institution’s highest award.
They received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from UL’s Chancellor Professor Brigid Laffan at an event attended by their family, friends and invited guests.
In his conferring address, Acting UL President Professor Shane Kilcommins praised the “two extraordinary artists whose contributions to music, film, theatre, and culture have resonated across Ireland and the world.
“Today, we recognise not just the excellence of their craft, but the spirit, bravery, and integrity with which they practice it.
“Artists such as Rhiannon and Ruth do more than inspire admiration; they expand the horizon of what is possible for our students.
“Rhiannon’s residency at the Irish World Academy over the past four years has enlivened our campus, shaped curricula, and supported students in profound ways. Her recent support for a scholarship fundraising concert further demonstrates the generosity she extends to the next generation of musicians and creatives.
Giddens was born in North Carolina and now lives in Limerick and is a two-time Grammy award-winning singer and multi-instrumentalist, Pulitzer Prize Winner and composer of opera, ballet and film. For the past four years, she has served as artist-in-residence at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance.
She was named as one of the 25 Most Influential Women Musicians of the 21st Century, and has dedicated her career to amplifying voices that have been erased from the historical record.
Discovering the legacy of African American string bands as a young musician changed her life and set her on a path to challenge dominant narratives and introduce audiences to the Black banjoists and fiddlers who shaped American music.
Rhiannon recently made headlines by playing banjo on Beyoncé’s chart-topping country hit Texas Hold ’Em, a collaboration that bridges genres and challenges boundaries.
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to an Irish mother and Ethiopian father, Ruth Negga moved to Limerick at the age of four and later studied acting at Trinity College Dublin.
Ruth has said in the past that acting is a genuine calling for her, becoming a household name in Ireland in 2011 for her role as Roise in RTÉ’s Love/Hate. She went on to appear in Channel 4’s Misfits and portray Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey in the BBC biopic Shirley.
She received multiple accolades for her performance in the 2016 film Loving, including a nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. Her 2021 performance in Passing earned 35 nominations and 12 wins. In 2022, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her Broadway debut in Macbeth.
Professor Shane Kilcommins said that her global success “shows our students, especially those from Limerick, that their stories, their talent, and their heritage have a place on the world stage. Her career models artistic discipline, integrity, and ambition in equal measure.
“The honorary doctorate is among the highest distinctions a university can bestow. In awarding it, we are not only recognising the exceptional achievements of two remarkable individuals, but we are also recognising the broader contribution of the arts.
“Today, we honour their achievements. But we also honour what they represent: the transformative power of artistic practice to advance knowledge, deepen understanding, and inspire the world,” added Professor Kilcommins.
