The co-founder of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind charity has been awarded an honorary doctorate by University College Cork at a special ceremony this evening.
Jim Dennehy helped set up the charity in 1976 after losing his sight 8 years earlier.
The honorary doctorate of Laws was awarded to the Cork man in recognition of the "hugely positive impact the charity he founded in Ireland, with fellow Corkonian Mary Dunlop, has had on service users".
Since its establishment 42 years ago, the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind has helped thousands of blind people improve their mobility and gain independence. The charity also trains dogs to help children with autism.
Mr Dennehy said he was very proud to receive the honorary doctorate.
"When I was young blind people were hidden out of sight. Irish society didn't understand that someone with blindness could achieve so much, and often times more, than someone with vision. Now so many young blind people attend UCC and contribute so much to life here," he said.
Professor John O'Halloran, Deputy President and Registrar of University College Cork described Mr Dennehy's success as a "triumph in the face of adversity".
He said he is "a great example to the college's students of the importance of developing resilience in the face of serious life challengers which we will all encounter at some stage in our lives".
Over the years Dr Dennehy has had four different dogs, Vanessa, Ivan, Granby and Bruno.
"They all taught me so much and enabled me to do things that would have been almost impossible otherwise. And in their own way they helped change the perception of blindness in wider Irish society. That's something I'm very proud of and something I'm delighted to celebrate today."
Each year, the charity trains between 30 and 40 dogs at its centre on the Model Farm Road in Cork and it’s hoped that in the future this figure can be doubled.
