NUI pays tribute to Ann Milner

16.07.2024

On 1 July 2024, Ann Milner, former Manager of the Registrar's Office, passed away after a lengthy illness. Anyone who has engaged with NUI since 1979 will understand what a loss this is to the institution. Though she retired in 2021, Ann's contribution to NUI reached far and wide. Her 42 years of service made up more than one third of NUI's 116-year existence. She worked with three Chancellors: Dr T.K. Whitaker, Dr Garret FitzGerald and Dr Maurice Manning, as well as three Registrars: Dr Michael Gilheany, Dr John Nolan and Dr Attracta Halpin. Above all, Ann was deeply loyal to NUI; she valued and prioritised its history and reputation.

Ann was a beloved sister, daughter, wife, aunt, neighbour and colleague. She is sadly missed by Brendan, her husband; her mother, Margaret; and her sisters, Trina and Hilda, as well as nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

In 2021, Ann was conferred with an honorary Master of Arts by Dr Manning, introduced by Dr Halpin, who was Registrar for 18 of Ann's 42 years at NUI. Dr Halpin gave the citation, summarising Ann's exceptional contribution to NUI 'great organisational skill, a tremendous spatial awareness and high aesthetic … self-discipline, grit, determination and courage.'

That courage was particularly evident throughout her illness. She continued to work, even during the pandemic when she adapted with great agility to remote work. It was essential for her to isolate, given her physical vulnerability, but Ann loved to be in the office (tea breaks were not the same at home, despite Brendan's wonderful company).

The wider NUI community was gladdened to see Ann in May 2024, at an event to honour Dr Manning following his retirement as Chancellor. Many people who had worked with her over the years, both in NUI and in other organisations, got to catch up with her and Brendan for the first time since the pandemic.

Since Ann's passing, NUI has received a considerable number of heartfelt condolences for her. Her work made her synonymous with NUI for those who interacted with us. Staff at member institutions, from Presidents who worked with her at the Senate meetings she organised to academics she engaged with, all remember Ann with great warmth as a consummate professional.

Ann set standards at NUI that continue to inform the way that it operates. She always took the time to engage on an individual level with every professional interaction she had. She always liked to chat, to catch up with people in a relaxed, one-to-one way. After her retirement, she would check in to get all the news of what was happening at NUI. She demonstrated that there is always time to find the personal touch, be that in the office or via email to a university many miles away.

Ann enjoyed photography, stitching, quilting and patchword, all activities where she got to use her well-honed skills in patience, planning and good taste. Ann also loved to garden. In work as in her gardening, Ann's contribution was steady, consistent and holistic, yielding abundant growth.

Suaimhneas síoraí dá hanam dílis.

NUI Honouary Conferring October 2021

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