The new €80m library at the University of Galway is to be named in honour of a student who was murdered soon after she completed her medical studies there in 2006 –  a week away from her formal graduation as a doctor.

The naming of the Dr Karen Guinee Library – announced this week – is the result of a ‘significant philanthropic gift’ to the university from the Michael Guinee Charitable Foundation, which was established by Dr Guinee’s uncle and godfather.

The Michael Guinee Charitable Foundation is also supporting the establishment of a new scholarship for medical students in memory of Dr Guinee.

Karen Guinee was just 23 when she was murdered by her boyfriend Patrick Hogan Jr in June 2006. Hogan was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to her murder.

Originally from Douglas on the southside of Cork city, Karen Guinee studied in Galway between 2000 and 2006. She was also an accomplished pianist; she fundraised and donated to charities, in particular Médecins Sans Frontières.

At the naming announcement, Michael Guinee said that, as the first person in her family to go to university, Karen ‘carried with her the dreams and hopes of her family and the promise of her career as a doctor’.

“Her passing was a profound loss to me as her godfather and to her family, friends, and the community she had already begun to serve with such care and dedication,” he said.

“By naming the new University of Galway Library in her name, it is my hope that we can honour her memory and inspire future generations of students to a career of excellence, dedication and service.”

The Michael Guinee Charitable Foundation was set up by Dr Michael Guinee to support his philanthropic pursuits into the future.

Dr Guinee established EI Electronics in Shannon in 1988 in a management buyout of GE subsidiary Ei Company, which was due to be closed by the US-based parent company.

The company went on to become Ei Electronics – one of Ireland’s largest and most successful indigenous manufacturing and exporting companies with a turnover of €425million in 2024 and employing 1,250 people.

The Guinee family said in a statement that they were ‘so proud and honoured’ at the announcement of the naming.

“Karen was tragically taken from us almost 20 years ago, a week away from her graduation as a doctor. Her death has left a void and placed an unspeakable trauma on us all as a family,” they said.

“Karen was so terrifically bright, kind, loving and caring. We miss her everyday and her loss in this world is felt by everyone who knew her.  The Dr Karen Guinee Library will serve as a living tribute to Karen. For us as a family, it will give a deeper meaning to her absence.

“During Karen’s six years studying medicine in University of Galway, the Library would have become a second home – one where she would have spent countless hours with friends, sharing knowledge and enriching herself with ideas and plans for her future career.

“As a family, we hope that every student will carry Karen’s memory forward, in a beautiful state-of-the-art facility that Karen undoubtedly would have loved. Karen’s life was cut short, but her legacy lives on,” they added.

The Dr Karen Guinee Library at University of Galway is expected to be completed next year, and it will be a central hub for learning, research, collaboration, and community.

The landmark development overlooks the Corrib and is visible from the Newcastle Road area and the Quincentenary Bridge. A stand-out feature is that the ground floor will be open to the general public.

The new building spans approximately 10,000m2 and will range in height from four to six storeys, with 2,244 study spaces (an increase of up to 400 on the spaces currently on campus).

It is designed to enable 21st century learning and research by providing spaces for individual and collaborative work while a digital scholarship centre and an enhanced makerspace will support innovation, creativity and knowledge production.

A “book-bot” will be installed, offering a high-density storage and retrieval system for the Library’s physical book collection. Expert staff will support students’ learning journey through a Helpdesk, Learning Success Hub and Assistive Technology area. A welcome zone, incorporating an event and exhibition area, will make the Dr Karen Guinee Library a place of community and engagement.

President of University of Galway, Professor David Burn, paid tribute to the Guinee family, and the Michael Guinee Charitable Foundation.

“We are honouring Dr Karen Guinee not because of the tragedy that occurred, but because of the life she lived,” he said.

“The Dr Karen Guinee Library is more than a building; it is a legacy. It will be a place of study and discovery, but also a place of resilience, and hope.”

The building of the Dr Karen Guinee Library at University of Galway is also supported by Government with a €15 million capital grant through the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science under the Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund (HESIF) and the Higher Education Authority.

Additional philanthropic support for the building of the Dr Karen Guinee Library has been generously provided by a group of lead alumni and other individual donors, and by corporate supporters including CBE and Anthony Ryan Ltd.

Last year, the University confirmed receipt of what it described as a “significant philanthropic gift” which will also support the construction of the library.

Deirdre and Irial Finan made a donation of an undisclosed amount to support the construction of the University’s new Library and Learning Commons.

“In recognition of the Finan’s generosity, the University has renamed the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room as the Deirdre and Irial Finan Archives and Special Collections Reading Room,” the University said.

Irial Finan graduated from the University in 1977. Since then, he and his wife Deirdre have become have committed supporters of the establishment.

Pictured: An architect’s impression of the Dr Karen Guinee Library at University of Galway.