Outstanding achievers in the fields of science, medicine, law, arts, commerce, engineering and food science and technology are to be honoured by UCC at the 2005 Alumni Achievement Awards Ceremony, sponsored by Henry Ford & Son, Limited, which takes place this evening (Friday, 9 December 2005) at UCC.

The seven UCC graduates who are being honoured are:-

BARRY DESMOND - Politician, former Minister for Health and Social Welfare, former Deputy Leader of Labour Party and MEP.

PAUL DURCAN - Award winning Poet & Writer. The Ireland Chair of Poetry's Ireland Professor of Poetry, 2004-2007.

NICKY HARTERY - Vice President of Manufacturing, Business Operations and Customer Experience for Dell Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

PROFESSOR MARGARET MURNANE - Professor of Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder specialising in optical sciences.

DR JOHN O'BRIEN - Chief Executive Officer of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

PÁDRAIG Ó RÍORDÁIN - Managing Partner of Arthur Cox, practising in corporate law.
 
PROFESSOR PATRICK S. PARFREY - Research Professor in Clinical Epidemiology, Associate Dean for Clinical Research and Nephrologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

The annual UCC Alumni Achievement Awards Programme honours graduates who have obtained extraordinary distinction and success in their chosen fields. The Programme aims to foster a spirit of loyalty, involvement and commitment to UCC amongst alumni.  Professor Gerard Wrixon, President, UCC said "It gives me great pleasure to present an Alumni Achievement Award to these graduates whose outstanding accomplishments have brought great honour to their alma mater."

UCC is a vibrant, dynamic university, internationally recognised for its teaching programme and the quality of the student experience and consistently the premier research university in Ireland. UCC has over 15,500 students (2,000 from 75 countries) and over 3,000 members of staff. UCC brings a global dimension to Cork and plays a driving role in the cultural, economic and social developments not only in the South West region but across Ireland. UCC was recently awarded Sunday Times (UK) Irish University of the Year, 2005-2006, the second time in three years.

POET TO BE HONOURED WITH UCC ALUMNUS  ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Paul Durcan, one of Ireland's most celebrated and popular poets, is to be honoured with a UCC Alumnus Achievement Award by UCC's Faculty of Arts. The 2005 Awards Ceremony takes place this evening (Friday 9 December 2005) at UCC. 

A native of Dublin, Paul Durcan graduated from UCC in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Archaeology and Medieval History.

Paul Durcan has dedicated his life to writing poetry with a career spanning over thirty years. His poetry has long been celebrated for a lyrical, freewheeling style that rejoices in the ordinary. His poems often evoke the themes of love, eroticism and loss and can be intensely personal.  Paul is also renowned as an outspoken critic of his native country and as a political and moral commentator on Ireland's emergence from the repression of the 1950s to the contradictions of the present day.  His work can be aggressively satirical.  His poetry has been most outspoken in condemning sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church and the body politic.

He has produced a significant body of work and is the author of nineteen acclaimed volumes of poetry.  His collections include Teresa's Bar (1976), O Westport in the Light of Asia Minor (1975), A Snail in My Prime (1993) and Greetings to our Friends In Brazil (1999).  His most recent book Art of Life was published in London in 2004.

Paul has received numerous awards and accolades over his long career.  In 1974 he won the Patrick Kavanagh Award; in 1989 the Irish American Cultural Institute Poetry Award; in 1990 the Whitbread Prize for his collection, Daddy, Daddy, and in 1995 he was joint winner of The Heinemann Award.

In 1985 Paul was Poet-in-Residence at the Frost Place, New Hampshire, USA and in 1990 was Writer-in-Residence in Trinity College Dublin. Most recently Paul was appointed by The Ireland Chair of Poetry as Ireland Professor of Poetry, 2004-2007. He is also a member of Aosdána.

Paul has been invited to read his poetry all around the world, and has acquired a reputation as a performing artist with his dramatic and incantatory reading style that brings a wild vibrant energy to his readings.  His popular weekly broadcasts to the nation on RTE Radio 1's Today with Pat Kenny, part autobiography, part opinion and reflection, defence and accusation were published as Paul Durcan's Diary in 2003.

Paul cherished his time at UCC where, as he says "I was fortunate to have three wonderful teachers: Professor M J O'Kelly in Archaeology, Professor John G Barry in Medieval History and Professor John A Murphy in Everything - he was a mentor to me".  On learning of his Alumnus Achievement Award Paul said "I regard this Award as a true acknowledgement of all that they have given me". 

DISTINGUISHED POLITICIAN TO BE HONOURED WITH UCC ALUMNUS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
 
Politician Barry Desmond is to be honoured with a UCC Alumnus Achievement Award. The 2005 Awards Ceremony takes place this evening (Friday 9 December 2005) at UCC.

Mr Desmond is being honoured by the Faculty of Commerce for his distinguished career in public service at national and European level.

Barry Desmond graduated from UCC in 1956 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Master's in Commerce in 1965. 

After graduation Barry Desmond followed in his father's footsteps and entered the world of the trade union movement and labour party politics. He became a trade union official with the Irish Transport and General Workers Union and in 1961 became the first Education Officer and Industrial Officer of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. 

Barry was a central participant in shaping Irish politics for over three decades culminating in his appointment as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. In 1969 Barry was elected as the first Labour TD for Dun Laoghaire reflecting a significant upsurge in support for the Labour party across the country at that time. He was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Finance in 1981 under the short-lived Labour/Fine Gael coalition.  In 1982 he was appointed Minister for Health and Social Welfare where he implemented many reforming policies over the five years in that post.  He was Chairman of Dublin City Council and a member of the Council of State which advises the President of Ireland.  Barry became Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in 1982, under Dick Spring's leadership. He entered European politics in 1989 when he was elected Labour MEP for Dublin. He was appointed to the European Court of Auditors in 1994.

Throughout his career Barry's habit of telling it like he saw it kept him close to controversy during thirty years in politics.  He repeatedly challenged the once high and mighty, from beef barons to bishops and trade unionists to Taoisigh.  He remained his own man as often at loggerheads with some within his own party as with opponents. From opposing his own party's stand on EU membership in the 1970s, he took on the Catholic Church over contraception in the 1980s and played a crucial back-room role in Labour's success in the 1990s.

Barry's political memoir, Finally and In conclusion: A Political Memoir, published in 2000, reflects on his long and successful career in public service. Barry cites his proudest achievements as his support for Ireland's participation in the EU; his advocacy of the Sunningdale and Anglo-Irish Agreements and his often controversial reforms in health and social welfare. 

Barry is currently writing his personal memoirs, he is an Honorary Fellow of the Department of Politics, University College Dublin, a Council Member of the Irish Maritime Institute and a trustee of the Dalkey School Project.
 
Barry Desmond has many cherished memories of his time at UCC including the people, in particular "Professor Busteed in Economics, Professor John A Murphy in History, Mick Barry the gardener and Seán O Riada, the renowned Irish composer."

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DELL EXECUTIVE TO BE HONOURED WITH UCC ALUMNUS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Dell Executive Nicky Hartery is to be honoured with a UCC Alumnus  Achievement Award. The 2005 Awards Ceremony takes place this evening (Friday 9 December 2005) at UCC.

Mr Hartery is being honoured by the Faculty of Engineering in recognition of his successful career in business.  As Vice President of Manufacturing, Business Operations and Customer Experience for Dell Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Nicky Hartery runs an acclaimed workforce of 7,500 people and is the most senior Dell executive in Ireland.

A native of Waterford, Nicky Hartery graduated from UCC in 1972 with a BE in Electrical Engineering. He left UCC to join GEC in Shannon as a process quality engineer, before becoming operations manager in 1980. During this time he completed an MBA at NUI, Galway.

From GEC he joined Verbatim, a global data storage company where he set up the company facilities, over 3 sites with 700 employees, in Limerick. After a brief time spent in Geneva as President of Sales and Marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to become the Verbatim Group Chief Operating Officer in 1987. He became President and CEO of the group in 1989 and remained there until 1997, overseeing a global workforce of 5,000. After a brief period as VP Eastman Kodak with responsibility for worldwide colour film business he returned to Ireland.

Dell is Ireland's largest exporter, largest technology company and its second largest company overall with both a manufacturing facility for its European, Middle East and African region based in Limerick and customer sales and support centres for the UK and Ireland markets, based in Cherrywood, Co Dublin. The company and its employees have won numerous industry awards and collectively, Dell's Ireland team plays a huge part in Dell's ongoing success in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

Nicky's talents as a CEO are often sought by Government. He was a key member of the Enterprise Strategy Group which published "Ahead of the Curve - Ireland's place in the Global Economy" in July 2004, under the Chairmanship of fellow UCC graduate, Eoin O'Driscoll.

Nicky is a chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland and a non-executive director of CRH plc.

Nicky credits his executive abilities to the problem-solving skills developed as an Engineer at UCC. On learning of his UCC Alumnus Achievement Award Nicky Hartery said "The networks, the education and the broad skills that I acquired in UCC have been the foundation for what I consider to be my professional and personal successes."

RENOWNED PHYSICIST TO BE HONOURED WITH UCC ALUMNUS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Renowned Physicist and International Leader in Optical Physics, Professor Margaret Murnane is to be honoured with a UCC Alumnus Achievement Award by UCC's Faculty of Science.  The 2005 Awards Ceremony takes place this evening (Friday 9 December 2005) at UCC.

Professor Murnane graduated from UCC with an honours degree in Physics in 1981 and an MSc in 1983.  She was awarded her PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 1989.

After completing a one year fellowship at Berkeley she joined faculty at Washington State University in 1990.  She subsequently moved to the University of Michigan in 1996 before taking up her current post as Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics at the University of Colorado in 1999.  Margaret and her husband Henry Kapetyn, a Professor of Physics, work together as a team and both are Fellows of JILA a leading research institute in the physical sciences.

Margaret is a leader in her research field of ultrafast optical science, x-ray science and lasers.  Margaret Murnane is considered one of the top women physicists in the Unites States. She has received numerous honours and accolades for her work including the John D and Catherine T McArthur Fellowship, known as the "Genius Grant" in 2000 where she was cited for her work in creating some of the shortest light pulses to date.  In 1997 she received worldwide recognition for winning the Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award of the American Physical Society, given each year to the top woman physicist under the age of 40.

Margaret and her research group have published over one hundred and seventy publications and presented more than three hundred talks and colloquia. She is a Fellow of The American Physical Society, The Optical Society of America, The American Society for the Advancement of Science and most recently she was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honours that can be bestowed upon an American scientist.

Margaret serves on many boards and committees including the Board of the Tyndall Institute, formerly known as the NMRC, here at UCC. 

Margaret is very keen in increasing the representation of women in Physics.  She was the founding member and President of the Association for Women in Science in 1993-1995.  She served as Chair of the American Physical Society Committee on the Status of Women in Physics in 2004 and currently co-ordinates the Site Visit programme to improve the climate for women in physics.

Professor Murnane credits her success with the unfailing support of mentors and friends in the UCC Physics Department.  Reacting to her Award she said "I can say without a doubt that lecturers, staff and classmates were one hundred per cent encouraging.  It is wonderful that many of these classmates are now part of the Physics Department, leading with way forward in research and teaching for the next generation of students at UCC".

INTERNATIONAL LEADER IN FOOD SAFETY TO BE HONOURED WITH UCC ALUMNUS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Dr John O'Brien, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Food Safety Authority of Ireland is to be honoured with a UCC Alumnus Achievement Award. The 2005 Awards Ceremony takes place this evening (Friday 9 December 2005) at UCC.

Dr O'Brien is being honoured by the Faculty of Food Science & Technology as an international leader in the field of food safety.

A native of Cork, Dr O'Brien graduated from UCC in 1982 with a first class honours BSc degree in Dairy and Food Science and a PhD in Food Chemistry in 1988.  

After graduating from UCC, John completed postdoctoral research at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. He subsequently lectured in food safety at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Surrey where he also completed an MSc in Toxicology. John became Director of Food Safety, and Head of the Danone Food Safety Centre in Paris from 1999 to 2003 then Director of Corporate Scientific Affairs with the Danone Group.
John, a chartered Chemist, chartered Biologist and registered Toxicologist was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland in February 2004. John is a recognised international expert in risk assessment and food safety management.

He was founding editor of the journal Trends in Food Science and Technology, one of the leading international food journals, and is currently European Editor. He is also co-editor of three books and is author or co-author of more than 50 other scientific publications. 

John is formerly a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the International Life Sciences Institute Europe where he has chaired a number of international task-forces on topics such as Environment and Health, Genotoxic Carcinogens in Foods and the Safety of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Foods. He is on the editorial boards of Human and Experimental Toxicology and the International Journal of Dairy Technology and is currently a member of the Irish National Accreditation Board. He is currently Chairman of  the Training Advisory Board of Teagasc. 

John is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (UK) and of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and is external examiner for the Masters programme in European Food Regulatory Affairs at the University of Ulster. 
John credits his alma mater with "furnishing me with skills that I have built upon and still use on a daily basis".  On learning of his Alumnus Achievement Award Dr O'Brien said "I am honoured to receive this prestigious award from UCC. It is also a great encouragement in my daily mission to ensure that Ireland has one of the safest food supplies in the world."

EMINENT LAWYER TO BE HONOURED WITH UCC ALUMNUS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Pádraig Ó Ríordáin, Managing Partner of Arthur Cox is to be honoured with a UCC Alumnus Achievement Award.  The 2005 Awards Ceremony takes place this evening (Friday 9 December 2005) at UCC.

Mr Ó Ríordáin is being honoured by the Faculty of Law in recognition of his  outstanding career in commercial and corporate legal practice.

Pádraig Ó Ríordáin graduated from UCC with a BCL in 1986 and a LLM in 1989. He was admitted to the Irish Bar in 1988 having obtained a BL from The Honorable Society of King's Inns, and he graduated with a LLM from Harvard Law School in 1990. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1991 and admitted as a solicitor in 2000.

Pádraig began practice as a lawyer with a Wall Street law firm in New York in 1990 and was appointed head of the New York Office of Arthur Cox in 1993. In 1996 he returned to Ireland where he worked on transactions such as the initial public offering of Eircom, the sale of Eircell to Vodafone and the sale of the Jefferson Smurfit Group to Madison Dearborn.

Pádraig was appointed Managing Partner of Arthur Cox in 2003 at the age of 37, one of the youngest in the country. He is the first Managing Partner of a top five law firm from a university outside Dublin.

With over 230 lawyers, Arthur Cox is one of the largest and most successful law firms in Ireland. This year alone the company won the coveted Chambers & Partners Irish Law Firm of the Year Award as well as the International Tax Review Irish Tax Firm of the Year Award.

Pádraig is considered a leading individual in corporate law and the practice of mergers and acquisition and has been recognised by Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business, 2004-2005, European Legal Experts, 2005 and PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook, 2005.  He is considered efficient, professional, of formidable intellect, shrewd and capable of getting deals done.

Pádraig is an independent member of the Equity Advisory Panel to the Irish Stock Exchange; he is a trustee to a number of charitable organisations and is on the editorial board of a number of Law reviews.

On learning of his Alumnus Achievement Award Pádraig recognised the role UCC had played in his growing up professionally and personally. "UCC taught me to enjoy what I do and to understand people, while the Faculty of Law taught me to reason and to be reasonable. For me UCC was a gateway, it blended a deep education and released an ambition for which I will always be truly grateful".

LEADING MEDIC TO BE HONOURED WITH UCC ALUMNUS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Professor Patrick S. Parfrey, Research Professor in Clinical Epidemiology, Associate Dean for Clinical Research and Nephrologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland is to be honoured with a UCC Alumnus Achievement Award. The 2005 Awards Ceremony takes place this evening (Friday 9 December 2005) at UCC.

Professor Parfrey is being honoured by the Faculty of Medicine and Health in recognition of his distinguished career in clinical epidemiology and nephrology.

Professor Parfrey graduated from UCC in 1975 with a first class honours degree in Medicine and with the distinction of having been first in class throughout his medical degree and first in class in his BSc Physiology degree. Professor Parfrey's prize-winning career began at UCC when he was awarded the Graduates' Gold Medal as the outstanding graduate, the Peel Memorial Prize for the best all-round graduate, the Blayney Prize for first place in medicine and the O'Donovan Prize for first place in Clinical Medicine.  In 1980, Patrick was awarded a MD.

Having worked in Cork, London and Montreal Patrick eventually settled in Memorial University of Newfoundland where in 1984 he was appointed Assistant Professor of Medicine. He became Chief of the Division of Nephrology in 1987, Chief of the Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Full University Professor in 1993. He is currently Associate Dean for Clinical Research. His research interests include the genetic and clinical epidemiology of inherited diseases, patient related problems in nephrology and healthcare delivery research.

Over a long and productive career, Patrick has published over 200 original articles, he has contributed to many books and has supervised and mentored many young clinicians as they embark on their own challenging careers in academia.

He has been suitably honoured by his adopted country having received the Canada Institute of Health Research Distinguished Scientist Award in 2000 and the medal of Excellence in Research from the Kidney Foundation of Canada in 2002. In 2004 he was named an Officer to the Order of Canada which is Canada's highest lifetime achievement award.

There is more to Patrick's life however than medicine and he is recognised for his outstanding leadership in the sport of rugby; coaching teams locally, provincially and at the national level as President of Rugby Canada.

On learning of his UCC Alumnus Achievement Award, Professor Parfrey said "Not for one second did I expect that my endeavours would be observed, not a mind be recognised in this manner, by my university at home. I accept this wonderful surprise as recognition for the work done by my teams of researchers working selflessly on patient related problems back in Canada".

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