Poet Paul Durcan Among Four Recipients of Honorary Degrees at Trinity College Dublin
Posted on: 14 December 2009
The renowned Irish poet, Paul Durcan and the Chief Executive of the charity, Fighting Blindness, Michael Griffith, were among four recipients of honorary degrees at Trinity College Dublin on Friday 11th December last.
Paul Durcan, one of Ireland’s most eminent and original poets was conferred with a Doctor in Letters. In addition to his national and international reputation as a poet, he is also an important and fearless commentator on social issues and through his work has provided some of the most succinct appraisals of modern Irish social, cultural and political life. In 1990 he was Writer Fellow of the College, and from 2004 to 2007 he held the Ireland Chair of Poetry at Queens University Belfast, UCD and TCD. He has published more than twenty books and his work has won many awards.
Michael Griffith, the Chief Executive of Fighting Blindness 1996-2008 and founding chairman of the charity in 1983, was conferred with a Doctor in Science. For more than twenty years the Fighting Blindness CEO has played a crucial role in the development of biomedical research in Ireland and of genetics at Trinity in particular. His support and fundraising efforts since the 1980s led to the mapping of the genes responsible for retinitis pigmentosa, a form of blindness. The charity, Fighting Blindness, today supports more than 14 research projects on eye diseases.
Geraldine Kennedy, the Editor of The Irish Times since 2002 was conferred with a Doctor in Letters in the year of the 150th anniversary of the newspaper. The Irish Times editor during her distinguished career has made a significant contribution to political journalism, a career which spans over thirty years working with The Irish Times, and formerly The Sunday Tribune and The Sunday Press. She was also a member of the Dáil, 1987-1989.
Ismail Serageldin, is the Director of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt, which is acclaimed as the world’s first library and research centre and a crossroads of dialogue throughout history. Known worldwide as an inspiring humanist and social scientist, Mr Serageldin is a leading authority on the role of education and of science and technology in promoting developing societies. He was also Vice-President of the World Bank 1992-2000, with responsibility, until 1998, for environmentally and socially sustainable development. He has published over 50 books and monographs and has served on numerous international bodies and fora.
