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Professor Aidan D.S. MacDonald was an archaeology lecturer at University College Cork (UCC). He passed away in 2013 - but thanks to the son of a close friend, a donation of €10,000 has just been made in his name to the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association.

When Carrigaline resident Professor MacDonald died, he left behind an unfinished text about a shrine on the Scottish island of Iona. He also left funds to pay for its publication. Close friend and fellow UCC academic Professor Terence O'Reilly pledged to complete the work - but he too sadly passed away in 2023, having been diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2017.

It looked like Professor MacDonald's manuscript about Iona might never be published.

However, Professor O'Reilly's son Tom stepped up - and managed to get the final text published through UCC.

This meant that Tom had €10,000 left by Professor MacDonald on his hands - which he donated to the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA) in Professor MacDonald's name.

Kevin Burn, CEO of IMNDA, said: “The IMNDA is delighted to be the beneficiary of this kind gesture from the O’Reilly Family. Funds like this will be help to provide the necessary supports to those living with Motor Neurone Disease.”

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive neurological condition that attacks the motor neurones - or nerves - in the brain and spinal cord, which leads to weakness and wasting in a person's muscles.

There is currently no cure for MND - but organisations like IMNDA work to improve quality of life for people living with the condition.

Born in 1941, Professor MacDonald had a long career as an accomplished academic. He was a graduate of both Cambridge and Oxford Universities and lectured in archaeology at UCC from 1978 until his retirement in 2000.

A personal note in his posthumous manuscript explains that: "He is fondly remembered as a good–natured and supportive colleague, and a very learned and conscientious teacher who encouraged his students to reach their potential."

Professor Terence O'Reilly meanwhile was a beloved lecturer in UCC's Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies. After his death, mourners paid tribute to "a true gentleman."

One student wrote: "What a great teacher and person we had in him, what a great love of Spain, Spanish and the Golden Ages he shared with those of us fortunate enough to benefit from his teaching.... What methodical and encouraging corrections and comments on all of our undergrad and postgrad work."

Another said: "The only things that could ever have outshone Professor O'Reilly's academic brilliance were the kindness and generosity he showed to everyone he taught and worked alongside."

A collection of Professor MacDonald's work - including his posthumous manuscript, Iona and the Shrine of Columba, c. 800–1200, can be accessed on the UCC website.