Scottish Catholic Observer

Professor Tom Devine (above) has been awarded a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday honours list.

Perhaps the leading historian of Scotland, he has been recognised for his services to his discipline. The awards comes as he prepares to retire from academia with a special event with Gordon Brown in Edinburgh on Monday evening.

The leading Catholic academic told the SCO that he felt the award was a recognition of ‘the huge transformation in the quality’ of Scottish history in the past 25 years rather than a personal accolade.

His colleague and peer, Owen Dudley Edwards, the Irish historian, said the award was a recognition of ‘a wonderful historian who has done wonderful work both with primary sources and brining the history to the widest possible reading public.’

“He has transformed our understanding of the highlands, the lowlands, the towns, the Irish and Scotland and the Scots across the world,” he said. “He has made a particular fine contribution to Scottish Catholic history itself and the award salutes his achievement as the foremost Scottish Catholic historian of our times. This award also honours the Irish in Scotland as well as the great strides made in recent Scottish history.”

He also added the Professor Devine was not only well liked but ‘well loved and respected and all of us would want to recognise that.’

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