Honorary conferrings were never like this. Hundreds of UCC students lined the approaches to the President's Office an hour before the arrival of Roy Keane, Republic of Ireland and Manchester United captain, and when he entered the campus, the shout of "Keano, Keano," left no one in any doubt who the hero of the day was.

Looking cheerful after an exhausting season, Keane was at UCC to be conferred with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree (LLD) in recognition, said UCC president, Prof Gerard Wrixon, of his outstanding sporting achievement and remarkable career.

In its graduates, Professor Wrixon added, UCC looked for intelligence, skill and industry. For many admirers, he is a one-man industrial revolution on the football field.

In his acceptance speech, Keane said it was wonderful to be honoured in his own town, but made no apology for cutting short his education by leaving school before he was 16-years-of-age to pursue his football dreams.