Professor appointed despite failing Irish test

NUI Galway has decided to appoint a leading endocrinologist to the professorship of medicine, in spite of the fact that he failed the university's compulsory Irish test.

Dr Timothy O'Brien, an endocrinologist currently working in the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, US, has been awarded the professorship by the university's governing body, following a meeting yesterday morning. Prof Emer Colleran, who resigned from the college's governing authority last May in a row related to the Irish test, was also approved as new professor of microbiology.

Dr O'Brien was regarded as a leading contender among six applicants interviewed for the medicine professorship, which is shared with the Western Health Board.

However, his chances were dashed when he was one of three to fail the language test. He had won the support of the Local Appointments Commission to take up the health board half of the job as consultant physician at University College Hospital Galway. It is understood that a loophole was found in the legislation, on the basis that a professor of medicine can only be appointed if he is also consultant at the teaching hospital.

The university said it had "no plans" to drop its controversial Irish test, which is part of its statutory remit under the University College Galway Act 1929, but had taken "legal advice" on the appointment.

This is the second controversy in months involving the university's Irish test - the only such exam in an Irish university, and introduced at a time when college numbers were small, the institution faced closure and the language was also under threat. A row broke out last May when the college's governing authority rejected the recommendation of an assessment board for college president.

The assessment board had favoured the dean of engineering, Dr Jim Browne, who is known to support modification of the Irish regulations.

However, the college authority chose Prof Iognaid O Muircheartaigh, a fluent Irish-speaker, instead. Prof Colleran, a member of the assessment board, resigned from the authority in protest at the handling of the selection.

Prof Colleran was appointed professor of microbiology yesterday, in spite of her controversial stance. Prof Colleran is a former chairwoman of An Taisce and former member of the Council of State and the Heritage Council. She was a leading opponent of plans for an interpretative centre at Mullaghmore on the Burren.