Professor Geraint Jenkins, former Director at the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies and a Founding Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, has died at the age of 78.

Professor Jenkins who was raised in Penparcau near Aberystwyth, was an historian of Wales and joined Aberystwyth University as a lecturer in 1968. He subsequently headed up the Welsh History department there for 25 years. In 1993, he became Director of the Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, which he described as ‘a unique research institution’ and where he worked until his retirement in 2008.

Professor Jenkins published over 30 books on a wide range of subjects, including the Welsh language, Welsh nonconformism, football and, most notably, Iolo Morgannwg. The book he edited on Morgannwg, ‘A Rattlesnake Genius’, explored the many lives of the Welsh poet and forger, drawing upon a wealth of left-behind manuscripts. The book is credited with advancing ideas about Wales’ cultural and literary traditions.

Tributes to Professor Jenkins have been fulsome. Professor Paul O’Leary, talking to BBC Cymru, commented that he would be remembered for his scholarship, his ability to communicate with a wide range of audiences, and “his unwavering dedication to Wales and the Welsh language.” Meanwhile, Coleg Cenedlaethol’s Chief Executive, Dr Ioan Matthews, praised his commitment to developing the progress of early career researchers.

Professor Jenkins became one of the Learned Society of Wales’ Founding Fellows in 2010, eight years after he was made a Fellow of the British Academy.