A tribute to Michael Purser 1937 – 2025
Posted on: 07 February 2025
Michael Purser, who passed away recently, taught in Trinity for four decades and left a lasting impression on students and colleagues alike.
Michael Purser lived an extraordinary life that took him to far-flung places, saw him develop skills and knowledge in a huge variety of subjects, and enabled him to establish a multi-million-euro consulting company (Baltimore Technologies). Yet he somehow managed to also devote four decades to teaching in Trinity and, from the many tributes gathered after his passing, it is immediately apparent how highly his students and colleagues valued his considerable contribution.
After spending time at Cambridge, Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies, teaching at the University of Buenos Aires, leading research in metal mining in Peru, and lecturing at the University of Chile, Michael and his growing family moved to Dublin via a short stay in London. Initially beginning his teaching in Trinity in 1973, he took on a larger lecturing role in 1976 and straight away forged a bond with those he taught, whether his students were taking extra-mural evening classes or the normal undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Having taken early retirement in1988, he quickly joined the School of Mathematics as an honorary lecturer – with only three stipulations: that he wouldn’t have to be involved with any committees; that he would be granted membership to Trinity’s Senior Common Room; and that he would only teach for as long as students wanted to attend his lectures.
That he would go on to teach cryptography and coding theory on this voluntary, unpaid basis for around 35 years underlined how much students did indeed wish to attend those lectures. In fact, this special relationship only came to a halt when the COVID-19 juggernaut hit the world and temporarily put a stop to normal life for many of us.
Here is what some of his students said:
“I have the fondest memories of Michael from when he was my Masters supervisor in Trinity many moons ago. He was a thorough gentleman, educator and wit from whom I learned a lot. I was also lucky enough to spend a couple of summers minding the hens in Killiney in the late 80s, and briefly met his wonderful wife and family.”
“Michael was my PhD supervisor – and I think it will be of little surprise to those who knew him to hear that he was unlike any other I knew or heard of since! After I took a brief trip to South America during my studies, Michael emailed me exclusively in Spanish for the following 6 months (despite me knowing almost no Spanish at the time!). Deciphering those emails (without the benefit of Google Translate) was just part of my training! Michael was a true polymath and from him I learned a multitude – from how to conduct a survey of wild birds to the fascinating history of his ancestors.”
And a few kinds words from his former colleagues in Trinity include:
“Michael was a wonderful colleague. I met him frequently over lunch in Trinity when we would discuss so many fascinating issues that he raised. As the effective creator of what became known as Baltimore Technologies he was to the forefront of developing an indigenous high tech sector in Ireland. An ever smiling and sympathetic friend, he will be greatly missed.”
“Michael was a good friend, excellent colleague, and true Trinity man. He will be missed very much. Genuine people like Michael are so exceptionally rare that they will be remembered for many decades.”