Leading figures from the worlds of business, the media, science and literature, including poet Michael Longley and former editor of The Irish Times, Mr Douglas Gageby, received honorary degrees at Trinity College Dublin yesterday.
The six honorary graduates signed the Roll and were admitted by the college's chancellor, Mrs Mary Robinson, after listening to their orations read in delicately pronounced Latin.
The first to receive his degree was one of the college's own, Mr Aidan Cullen, who has worked in the Trinity library for more than 40 years. He was awarded a Master of Arts.
Receiving a D.Sc was Prof James Hunter Whitelaw, professor of convective heat transfer at Imperial College, London. The oration said Prof Whitelaw had "pioneered new methods of measurement".
A man more used to measuring ryhming couplets, poet Michael Longley, was made Doctor of Letters. The oration said Mr Longley, who read classics at Trinity, possessed a pen which ranged "easily from love to death, from city street to rural solitude".
Another man familiar with crafting the written word, former editor of The Irish Times, Mr Douglas Gageby, was made a Doctor of Laws. He was described in his oration as "an outstanding figure among the dedicated journalists who have chronicled our epoch".
After the ceremony, he recalled living in Trinity College before the second World War where his "modest" means did not stop him from enjoying the social life and friendships of the college's Boat Club. However, he added that the most important moment of his college days was "meeting my wife Dorothy".
The American philanthropist, Mr Lewis Glucksman, who cut his teeth on Wall Street, was also made a Doctor of Laws. His financial generosity to Trinity and the University of Limerick was noted in the oration. The final recipient was Mr Gordon Lambert, the former chairman of Jacobs, who also became a Doctor of Laws. The oration said this was the man who truly knew "how the figs get into the fig rolls", but added that his greatest contribution was his generosity to the arts.