Five honorary doctorates were conferred yesterday at University College Dublin.
Doctorates of Laws were conferred on the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Ronan Keane, and sociologist Dr Damian Hannan - Mr Justice Keane as a "gifted academic and respected head of the Law Reform Commission" and Dr Hannan in recognition of his "theoretically sophisticated and methodologically rigorous" social research.
A Doctorate of Science was conferred on Prof James Dooge. As minister for foreign affairs, Prof Dooge chaired the ad-hoc committee of personal representatives of heads of government whose report formed the basis of the Single European Act.
A Doctorate of Music was conferred on Russian-born Alexander Anissimov, principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra.
Dr Marianne McDonald, professor of theatre and classics at the University of California, was the recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Literature.