“Since the President is very passionate about the Irish language, we are particularly excited to welcome him here,” comments Professor Beate Schücking, Rector of Leipzig University. “Celtic studies was one specialisation of Ernst Wilhelm Oskar Windisch, who received his doctorate in Leipzig in 1867 and was rector of the University from 1895–96. He translated the Irish epic Táin Bó Cúalnge into German and published an Irish grammar and a dictionary. We will be able to show these works to President Higgins.”
The University’s holdings also include the notebooks of Irish scholar Whitley Stokes, who was one of Ernst Windisch’s students. Four years ago, Irish Ambassador Michael Collins inspected these notes in the University Library. The President will now also take a look at them. As a gift, he will receive a facsimile with excerpts from Stokes’s correspondence with Windisch, including references to the epic as well as its front cover.
In the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century, Leipzig University was a stronghold of teaching and research into Celtic languages, including Irish. Currently, students can read Irish alongside Celtic studies as part of the international bachelor’s programme in European Minority Languages. There are 19 students enrolled on the programme. Leipzig University also offers the elective subject Celtic Studies, educating more than 60 students in corresponding courses each year.
“Celtic studies has become increasingly rare, but in 2013 we secured Irish language support financed by the Irish government, which allowed us to further expand Minority Languages at the Faculty of Philology,” reports Dr Sabine Asmus, a Celtic and Slavonic studies specialist. Currently, the University is hosting 18 students under the European Erasmus+ exchange programme, with some 27 students from Leipzig spending a semester abroad in Ireland. Twenty-one Irish students are regularly enrolled at Leipzig University.
When he visits on 4 July, Rector Schücking will welcome President Higgins in front of the Neues Augusteum at 11am. After signing the University’s visitors’ book, Higgins will give a speech in the Paulinum entitled “The future of Europe – making new connections between ecology, economics and ethics”. Saxon Minister President Michael Kretschmer will also speak. Furthermore, a discussion with students is planned.
NOTE: We kindly ask all interested journalists to obtain accreditation for this leg of the President’s visit by contacting the State Chancellery. To do this, please send an email to presse@sk.sachsen, stating your full name, media outlet and contact details – including an email address and mobile phone number – by 2 July 2019.
The accreditation passes will be issued on 4 July from 9am until 11am at the Stadtbüro Leipzig, Burgplatz 1 (access via Markgrafenstraße 3, 04109 Leipzig).
Contact:
Dr Sabine Asmus
Research assistant at the Institute of Sorbian Studies
Phone: +49341 97-37658
Email: sabine.asmus(at)uni-leipzig.de