of UHI Millennium Institute
Her Excellency Mary McAleese, President of Ireland will today (Monday ) be delivering the UHI Millennium Institute annual lecture. President McAleese's visit to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on Skye will mark a celebration of the cultural, social and linguistic links between Scotland and Ireland.
Among the highlights of the afternoon's formal events will be the conferral of UHI Millennium Institute Honorary Fellowships to Professor C Duncan Rice, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, to Dr Farquhar Macintosh CBE, Chair of the Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Board of Trustees, and to President McAleese.
Professor Rice and Dr Macintosh are both long-standing and active supporters of the creation of a University of the Highlands and Islands.
Professor Rice was delighted to be receiving an Honorary Fellowship today and said: "I consider it a great honour to receive such a prestigious award from UHI Millennium Institute.
"The University of Aberdeen is proud of the collaborative work it has been involved in with UHI Millennium Institute. I look forward to continuing this work, and to strengthening our relations in the years ahead."
Before giving her address, President McAleese will tour a student showcase comprising exhibitions, displays and performances by students from around UHI Millennium Institute network, which is made up of a partnership of 15 colleges and research institutions throughout the Highlands and Islands, Moray and Perthshire.
Principal, Professor Robert Cormack, said the showcase underlined the quality and sheer variety of the work being carried out by the 5,300 students across the UHI network.
The Presidential visit will also be marked by performances from internationally-renowned Scottish and Irish musicians.
These will include an afternoon recital, accompanied by a string quartet from the Scottish Ensemble, by acclaimed pianist Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, founder and director of the Irish World Music Centre at the University of Limerick.
Evening performances will feature all-female Scottish traditional band, Dòchas, and award-winning Irish traditional musicians Slide.
Celebrations for the visit will be rounded off in traditional style by a cèilidh lasting into the early hours.