UCC alumni to be honoured

A LEADING poet, a distinguished High Court judge, a pioneering cancer specialist and the head of a global construction giant will be honoured by their former college today.

University College Cork president Michael Murphy will present the 2007 Alumni Achievement Awards to poet Theo Dorgan, High Court judge Bryan McMahon, Professor Gerald O’Sullivan, president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and Liam O’Mahony, the chief executive of global building materials giant CRH.

Mr Dorgan is one of Ireland’s best known and most prolific poets, and a broadcaster on literature and culture.

He graduated from UCC with a BA in English and philosophy in 1975 and a masters in English in 1984.

Mr Justice McMahon, who was awarded his PhD from UCC in 1972, went on to become professor of law and head of the department of law at the university. He was appointed adjunct professor of law in 2004.

Prof Gerry O’Sullivan has dedicated his life work to cancer research.

He graduated from UCC in 1969 with a degree in medicine, was appointed consultant surgeon at the Mercy University Hospital, Cork in 1985 and to a chair in the department of surgery at UCC in 1999.

He is the first Cork-based surgeon to be made president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland in its 225-year history.

Tipperary native Liam O’Mahony graduated from UCC in 1967 with an honours degree in civil engineering.

He joined building materials giant CRH in 1971 and joined the board in 1992.

He was appointed group chief executive in 2000.