Six leading figures in the world of education, sport, literature,
creativity, business and the arts will be honoured by the National
University of Ireland during a ceremony to confer honorary doctorates
at University College Cork on Friday, 2 June next. The
traditional ceremony honours individuals who have distinguished
themselves nationally or internationally, through their scholarship,
creativity, public service or contribution to social, cultural or
economic life.
PATRICK GALVIN
Poet
Patrick Galvin, born in Cork in the late 1920s, is widely acknowledged
as a poet of considerable stature, being described variously as "the
doyen of Cork writing" and as "one of Ireland's most distinctive
poets". He is the author of seven collections of poetry,
including his New and Selected Poems published by Cork University Press
in 1996. As a singer and songwriter, he has recorded several albums of
his own songs. He has beenWriter-in-Residence in UCC and has
contributed significantly to community arts in Ireland generally, but
specifically through his work in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
and in Cork, through his role in the Munster Literature Centre. His
latest work - a translation with Robert O'Donoghue of the work of
Turkish poet, Yilmaz Odabas, the final volume in the series of
translations by Cork poets of the work of writers from the accession
countries or aspiring members of the expanded European Union - was
launched on 14 December 2005.
TOM KIERNAN
Rugby International
Former Rugby International, Tom Kiernan, born in Cork in 1939, has had
one of the most outstanding careers in the history of rugby football as
a player, captain, coach and administrator. His rugby career started as
a very young member of Cork Constitution Football Club followed by
Junior and Senior Cup medals with Presentation College and also
representation at Munster Schools. Then with University College Cork
and Cork Constitution he won 13 Munster Senior League and seven Munster
Senior Cup Medals and played with the Munster Senior Interprovincial
Team. Tom has also represented Ireland, the Lions and Barbarians
winning 54 caps for Ireland and a record 24 occasions as captain. He
has enjoyed considerable success as a coach to the Munster and Irish
teams. His administrative roles include Cork Constitution's
representative on the Munster branch (1977-78), centenary president of
the Cork Constitution 1991-92 and President of the IRFU 1988-89.
He served as Director of the Rugby World Cup in 1999 and has been a
Trustee of the IRFU since 1992.
PROFESSOR JOE LEE
Academic
JJ Lee is Glucksman Professor of Irish Studies at New York
University, and part-time Professor of History at University College
Cork, where he has also served terms as Dean of Arts and
Vice-President. He was at various times an Administrative
Officer in the Department of Finance, Dublin, an Assistant in History
in UCD, Fellow of Peterhouse and Magdalene Colleges, Cambridge, and has
held a number of visiting appointments in Europe and America. A
Member of the Royal Irish Academy, he has served as Chairman of the
Irish Fulbright Programme, President of the Irish Association of
European Studies, member of the Public Service Advisory Council,
independent member of the Irish Senate and of the British-Irish
Parliamentary Committee, and for seven years wrote a weekly column in
The Sunday Tribune.
Professor Lee's numerous scholarly publications include the prize-winning Ireland 1912-1985 (Cambridge 1990).
BRIAN McCARTHY
Businessman
Dublin born, Brian McCarthy is founder, chairman and the single biggest
shareholder in FEXCO, the Killorglin-based global payments company,
which is the largest employer in Kerry. In 1981, he founded Foreign
Exchange Company of Ireland, later FEXCO and launched a network of
Forex offices around Ireland. The year 1985 saw the expansion
into British forex retail business. FEXCO Stockbrokers was
established in 1996 followed in 1998 by the opening of the new IT &
Teleservices Centre in Killorglin. In 2003 the new Global Contact
Centre opened in Cahirciveen. Brian is a Director of Cork
University Foundation and member of the new University Foundation
Board. His interests include: GAA, deep sea angling, boats,
classical music, paintings and antiques. He was named as International
Services Entrepreneur for 2002.
VIVIENNE ROCHE
Sculptor
Born in Cork, Vivienne studied at the Crawford College of Art and at
the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She has participated in
international group exhibitions in France, Finland, Sweden, England,
and the U.S. The Amen of Calm Waters formed part of the exhibition at
the Irish pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hamburg. Most of Vivienne's recent
work can be seen in Dublin; notably the award winning 'Flow' in Fingal
County Hall (completed in 2002), and 'Wave Shadow' (1999) in the Dublin
Dental Hospital, Trinity College Dublin. She is currently working on a
number of large projects including N.C. IRIS, a fourteen meter high
sculpture for Dublin's Docklands at the National College of Ireland in
conjunction with ARUP, Cork and 'White Light', an environmental art
work created by tracing the underlying archaeology of an early
Christian burial site at Parkwest, Dublin. Designed as a garden by day,
it will be transformed into a light sculpture by night. Vivienne Roche
is a member of Aosdána and of the RHA. She was instrumental in the
establishment of the National Sculpture Factory in Cork, and served as
a member of the Arts Council from 1993 to 1998.
PADRAIG TYERS
Irish Language Author and Educator
Born 80 years ago in County Waterford, Pádraig Tyers grew up in the
countryside between Mount Melleray and Clonmel, where Irish was still
spoken well into the 20th century. A graduate of UCC, Pádraig
Tyers will be long remembered for his administrative role in vitalising
interaction between Corca Dhuibhne and UCC. Under UCC Presidents
McCarthy and Ó Ciardha, Pádraig Tyers established audio-visual
resources that not only underpinned the work of Bord na Gaeilge
(established in UCC in 1973) and, in particular, Ionad na Gaeilge
Labhartha, but benefited language departments across the board.
The initiative that led to the acquisition of 'Dún Chíomháin' hostel in
Baile an Fhirtéaraigh, which functions as a Gaeltacht learning base for
UCC staff and students, but also his successful fund-raising to enhance
the activities of Bord na Gaeilge, are but two examples of Pádraig
Tyers' eminently practical contribution to the historic switch from
compulsion-backed to incentive-based support for Irish in the life of
the NUI. 'Sliabh gCua m'Óige' one of six books he penned
celebrates his native place whilst the remainder are based in the Kerry
Gaeltacht of Corca Dhuibhne.
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