Kevin Boyle passed away yesterday. Kevin has been professor of human rights law at the University of Essex, in the UK, for many years. Prior to that, he had been the director of Article 19, a human rights NGO dedicated to freedom of expression, and before that, he had been professor of law at the National University of Ireland, Galway, where he founded the Irish Centre for Human Rights in the early 1980s. He also worked closely with Mary Robinson when she was the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He is one of Ireland's greatest human rights lawyers.
Kevin nurtured generations of students who work in the field of human rights around the world. His scholarship advanced our understanding of the law. He was a lovely man and a dear friend, and we will miss him terribly. Our deepest sympathies go out to Joan, and to the other members of his family.
On 28 December, there was a short obituary on RTE, the Irish national radio network, and in the Irish Times.
On 1 January 2011, the Irish Times published a slight shortened version of a detailed obituary that I prepared. Here is my draft.
See also the obituary in the Irish Independent.
I am still in shock after learning of your demise. You were my friend and my Professor at Essex. You were a great person to know! May your family find comfort during this period of grief. We shall all miss you and will live to tell newer generations of human rights practitioners about you.
ReplyDeleteKevin was an exceptional lawyer and it was a true joy to spend time with him. As a former student at Essex, his influence will remain with me for a long, long time. - Khristopher Carlson
ReplyDeleteA great man,a wonderful teacher, an inspiration. RIP
ReplyDeleteAs one of Kevin's brother living in Northern Ireland his sudden and untimely death was a great shock to us all.He has endured his illness over the past 6 months with patience and stoicism and he never lost his intellectual sharpness right to the end. It is a great tragedy because he would have had so much more to give. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, colleagues and so many others whom he his touched in his life. Louis Boyle
ReplyDeleteProfessor Boyle was a truly inspirational and enthusiastic teacher of law when I attended UCG from 1981; he made you want to understand it and prevent it being misused. He took the time to give tutorials to ensure contact with every student and always had kindly and encouraging word. His lectures were fantastic and I enjoyed them all. His influence stays with me to this day RIP Raghnal O'Riordan S.C. Law Library
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