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Post by Ace on Jun 4, 2004 5:52:07 GMT -5
UTV: Brosnan awarded honorary degreeJune 4, 2004 As students skipped study at University College Cork (UCC) today to see James Bond star Pierce Brosnan receive an honorary degree, the 49-year-old actor said he was delighted and proud to be made an honorary doctor of law. "This is a huge honour, not only for myself but for my family. I never thought I`d get this far in life but so far so good. I`ll carry on dreaming" he said. He arrived at UCC with a fleet of cars including two Mercedes and a Volkswagon Carvelle van with the number plate 04-MO-007. Mr Brosnan, whose four Bond films have grossed more than one billion dollars, said he was still hopeful of appearing in the next instalment. "I was invited back and in the middle of negotiations there seemed to be an impasse, so that`s where it is at the moment, but I`d love to do it again. "My stock answer has been that they know where to find me if they need me," he said. Professor Gerry O`Sullivan, who proposed Mr Brosnan for the award, said the Navan-born man had been a beacon for the Irish Diaspora, as well as a distinguished actor. He paid tribute to his work for the Irish film industry and the strength of character he showed after the death of his partner Cassandra from ovarian cancer in 1991. "The world would have been a poorer place without Pierce Brosnan. "His bankability is not only from his looks and talent but also from his professionalism, peer respect and interpersonal skills," he said. Mr Brosnan shook hands and signed autographs for crowds of adoring fans, he kissed one delighted woman on the cheek and greeted the college cleaners who had taken time off work to meet him. "He`s lovely. He`s definitely as good-looking in the flesh," said Teresa Murphy from Douglas in Cork. "Pierce, we skipped study to be here," shouted one student. "I skipped study to be here too, that`s how I got here," replied Mr Brosnan, who left school at 15 to begin his acting career. He also received an honorary degree from Dublin Institute of Technology two years ago. He is staying at the five star Hayfields Manor hotel in Cork and is due to fly back to the US from Cork airport tomorrow. Historically, UCC favoured the academic community when it came to handing out honorary degrees but in recent years the recipients have come from more diverse backgrounds. Roy Keane was chosen in 2002 and this year another sportsman, former Kerry footballer Mick O`Connell was honoured. He spent one year studying engineering in UCC before returning to his native Valentia Island to take up a job with the Western Union cable company. Mr O`Connell, who is a member of the GAA team of the millennium and the holder of four All-Ireland medals with Kerry, said he was thrilled with the honour. However, he said he was disillusioned with the amount of fouling in Gaelic football today. "The game doesn`t excite me at all as it is played at the moment. I never fouled and I thought any decent sportsman shouldn`t foul. But Gaelic football has gone to extremes now with fouling and non-acceptance of the rules," he said. UCC also awarded honorary degrees to the Stanford University professor Carol Thoresen, the craftsman Louis Mulcahy, the Nobel prize-winning astronomer Robert Woodrow Wilson and the Jack B Yates biographer, Hilary Pyle. Miss Pyle is also the curator of the Jack B Yates museum in the National Gallery where 36 of the artist`s paintings are housed. ========================== T"I skipped study to be here too, that`s how I got here," replied Mr Brosnan, who left school at 15 to begin his acting career. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Ace
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Post by Ace on Jun 4, 2004 6:00:00 GMT -5
FRIDAY 04/06/2004 UTV: Pierce Brosnan in Cork for ceremony
James Bond star Pierce Brosnan is on a mission to University College Cork today to receive an honorary conferral in an elaborate ceremony.
Navan man Brosnan, known as a producer and versatile actor as well as his best-known role as the suave English agent with a license to kill, will be presented with an honorary doctorate from the university this afternoon.
Secutiry is tight for the ceremony but the university`s affairs, quieter now during the summer, are continuing as normal.
It is not known yet if the Irish star will go walkabout on campus, but fans have gathered in the hope of at least a glimpse and perhaps even a handshake or quick chat with the popular actor.
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Post by SaltheGal on Jun 4, 2004 6:25:30 GMT -5
Oh Whats that song by Robert Plamer i think thats his name! oh does it go " Dr Dr Give me the new i gotta bad case of lovin you " Dont ask why i wrote that just thought of the song when i saw the title!
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Post by sparklingblue on Jun 4, 2004 10:34:15 GMT -5
Sexiest Doctor I've ever seen. ::ignores silly hat:: ;D And Dr. of law--Daniel Rafferty would be very pleased.
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Post by Ace on Jun 4, 2004 16:40:54 GMT -5
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Post by curious george on Jun 4, 2004 18:25:42 GMT -5
Somebody's probably said this somewhere already, but...Dr. Peppler? cg
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Post by Ace on Jun 5, 2004 4:28:57 GMT -5
CG... no... and OUCH. Here's the entire article from The Irish Times: Dr Bond: UCC adds 007 star Pierce Brosnan to its roll of honour'The name is Dr Bond, Dr James Bond.' Predictable, perhaps, but then Pierce Brosnan was every inch the elegant and consummate gentleman some 500 or more fans expected him to be when they gathered on the quadrangle of University College Cork in glorious sunshine yesterday to watch him be conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Laws. It is exam time at UCC and the manicured lawns and ivy-clad walls of the main quadrangle building had not seen such hysteria as that which greeted Dr Brosnan for, well, two years, when, on a similarly sunny day before any of us had ever heard of Saipan, one Roy Maurice Keane, from Mayfield, was bestowed with a similar honour. Like that day, it was all smiles yesterday as a trim Brosnan, accompanied by his wife, Keely Shaye Smith, forsook his traditional MG sports car and glided into the quad in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes, with the registration plate giving more than a nod to the role which has made the Meath-born actor famous. It is not every day that the glitz and glamour of Hollywood arrives in UCC and Pierce Brosnan played the part to perfection. After fielding a flurry of questions from the media on everything from the war in Iraq to his hopes of playing 007 again, he accompanied UCC president Gerry Wrixon indoors before emerging 20 minutes later to sign autographs for the fans. 'Congratulations, Dr James,' declared a delighted Dr Jayar Shankar, from India, who had taken time out from his research work at UCC's Process Engineering Department to meet 007. 'For me, he is the most attractive of all the James Bonds. Sean Connery was good, but I think Pierce Brosnan is better,' he said. Contract cleaners Elizabeth Chisholm from Blackpool, Theresa Murphy from Douglas and Marie O'Mahony from Mahon were equally impressed. 'Handsome, he's just handsome - even better in real life,' said Elizabeth Chisholm, who had pushed forward to shake Pierce Brosnan's hand only to discover that Theresa Murphy had failed to capture the moment on her camera phone. Local heroes were also honoured - among them the greatest Gaelic footballer of all time, Mick O'Connell, who recalled that he had not been in UCC since 1955, when he quit his engineering course to return to his native Valentia Island and embark on a sporting career which won him four All-Irelands. O'Connell had not met Pierce Brosnan before, although he had seen a TV documentary about him. 'I saw that programme and he has Kerry connections - the name Brosnan is synonymous with Kerry football, so we have something in common here today,' he said with a smile. Also conferred with honorary doctorates yesterday were the founder and director of Potadoireach na Caoloige in west Kerry, Louis Mulcahy; art critic and biographer Hilary Pyle; professor of psychology at Stanford, Carl E. Thoresen; and Robert Woodrow Wilson, winner of the 1978 Nobel Prize for Physics.
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Post by curious george on Jun 5, 2004 5:28:11 GMT -5
I'm guessing these folks love barely making the last paragraph of a story for their achievements. cg
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Post by Ace on Jun 5, 2004 6:24:07 GMT -5
Actually they should. The fact is if it there wasn't someone famous getting their honourary doctorate they wouldn't even make the paper, let alone a front page article. Ace
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Post by Ace on Jun 5, 2004 7:14:42 GMT -5
The National University of Ireland: Pierce Brosnan IntroductionTEXT OF THE INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS DELIVERED BY: PROFESSOR GERRY O’SULLIVAN, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork on 4 June, 2004, on the occasion of the conferring of the Degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, on PIERCE BROSNAN A Sheánsailéar, a mhuintir na hOllscoile agus a dhaoine uaisle, There are those exceptional people whose accomplishments and contributions transcend boundaries, disciplines, and generations. I have the honour to present such a person in Pierce Brosnan, an internationally distinguished actor and film producer, an accomplished artist, an astute and successful businessman, a generous benefactor, an acclaimed ambassador for noble causes, a beacon in the Irish diaspora and a devoted family man. Born in Navan, County Meath in 1953, he moved to London at the age of 11. Early life for him had its tribulations requiring adjustments to new family experiences, new friendships, a change of school and education system and indeed a change of accent and manner of speaking. There is little doubt that these experiences significantly influenced his subsequent career choice and development. He would later say, “The joy and pain of growing up in an environment such as Ireland in the mid-Fifties - I could put that to good use." It was not for him to wallow in a culture of victimhood or self-pity but rather to develop an outstanding career forged from his innate talents, and honed by experience, training and the highest levels of motivation and integrity. On leaving school at age 15, he worked as a trainee commercial artist at Ravanna Studios, where he became involved in experimental theatre at Oval house in Kennington Oval. Here serendipity takes a hand. A fellow employee introduced him to theatrical workshops and he enrolled in a 3-year course at the Drama Centre in North London – a rigorous education and apprenticeship that he would later find invaluable. His initial employment was as an acting assistant stage manager at the Theatre Royal York, where within six months he was selected by the eminent Tennessee Williams to take the role of McCabe in the British premiere of Red Devil Battery Sign. Subsequent starring roles in a diversity of stage productions added to his prestige and were good training for someone eventually drawn to the media of cinema and television. 1981 was a defining year for the young actor when he was introduced with critical acclaim to the United States audience through his powerful portrayal in the lead role in the mini-series Mannions in America. Here the consummate professional, drawing on his acting talent and Irish background, gave notice that a new star with screen presence had arrived. Subsequently, cast in Remington Steele, he achieved worldwide acclaim for his characterisation of the cultured and charming sleuth with both humour and mystery. It would become one of the most widely viewed syndicated series of all-time. The clamour for a new James Bond was now audible. He was an inspired choice for he has reinvigorated the popularity of the Bond films. Through his own inimitable style, he has added significantly to the character, appearing in five consecutive productions, which already gross more than one billion dollars. His bankability is not only from his looks and talent but also from his professionalism, peer respect and interpersonal skills. But there is, however, much more to this man’s artistic range than the cool, suave, sophisticated, good-looking, clothes hanger of Bond. He was widely acclaimed for his performance as the deceitful villain in Boorman’s production of LeCarre’s Tailor in Panama. His James Bond and his roguish portrayal in The Thomas Crown Affair have seen him perceived as the natural alternative to Connery and McQueen, both long reigning screen icons of masculinity. He has proved himself adept in a diversity of roles including comedy, action thrillers and intense drama. He has received numerous prestigious awards for filmography including the Chicago International Film Festival Career Award, Saturn, blockbuster entertainment and empire awards. The launch of his own production company in 1998 with his production partner Beau St Clair, provides him with the artistic freedom to take risks and to choose his projects, producers and artists. The company name “Irish Dreamtime” combines his romantic and positive disposition to the land of his birth with his harder entrepreneurial acumen. Already firmly established through the production of several films including The Nephew, The Thomas Crown Affair and Evelyn, it seems certain that more Irish themes will achieve international exposure. It will continue to provide much needed energy and support to the Irish film industry through investment, employment and the provision of a bridge between the native artistic talent and the international studios. Together with his wife and soul mate Keely Shaye Smith, he has adopted a passionate and active leadership role on behalf of environmental and conservation issues. This is no mere passing interest by a celebrity, but rather a deeply held conviction that mankind’s future security requires immediate attention to issues including environmental pollution, the endangered ecology and changing climate. Both have been honoured by the Environmental Media Association and Women in Film. At great personal cost, he refused to attend the Cannes festival in protest against the French Government’s policy of nuclear testing in the South Pacific. In 1997, Pierce was presented with the Environmental Leadership award by Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Green Cross International, who cited him as “A truly committed leader whose bold actions and clever voice have been instrumental in marine mammal protection as well as that of fragile ecosystems”. He generously lends his name and support to numerous humanitarian causes, particularly for educational opportunities, research against cancer and for women’s health. Recently He financed a school for technical education of young men in Tibet He serves as campaign chairman for the Entertainment industry Foundation which raised and distributed $45,000,000 last year He is a special patron for UNICEF Ireland He is an Ambassador for the Princes trust He is an Ambassador for The National Women’s Cancer Research Alliance For his lifetime achievements and support for humanitarian cause, he has received numerous awards including an honorary OBE and, perhaps most dear to him, the Freedom of the town of his birth from the town council of Navan. The world would have been a poorer place without Pierce Brosnan. There is much about him in the public domain about influences derived from his humble origins and particularly from the loss of his beloved Cassandra in 1991 through ovarian cancer. From all these disappointments, there emerged someone with great strength of character and altruism who has used his prestige to share his insights and experiences for the benefit of his fellow man. For his richly developed talents, and for his constructive commitment to so many humanitarian and noble causes, it is with great pleasure that I present Pierce Brosnan to the Chancellor of the National University of Ireland for the conferring of the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. PRAEHONORABILIS CANCELLARIE, TOTAQUE UNIVERSITAS: Praesento vobis hunc meum filium, quem scio tam moribus quam doctrina habilem et idoneum esse qui admittatur, honoris causa, ad gradum Doctoratus in Utroque Jure, tam Civili quam Canonico, idque tibi fide mea testor ac spondeo, totique Academiae.
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Post by sparklingblue on Jun 5, 2004 10:52:58 GMT -5
Reading this last paragraph it appears to me that all my Latin has left me.
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Post by curious george on Jun 5, 2004 11:12:06 GMT -5
Nice eulogy - I mean speech. PB's family must be quite proud of him. cg
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migs
Jewel Thief
Posts: 144
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Post by migs on Jun 5, 2004 19:32:52 GMT -5
???Gggggrrrrr, I log in and type my response, then, when I hit preview or post, it logs me out and tells me: An Error Has Occurred! You forgot to enter a name. Please hit back and enter a name. Then, when I hit the back button, my response is gone! I finally pasted the article into Word, typed in my responses there, and then pasted it back into the message board . . . gggggggrrrrrrrr . . . I sure hope this works Anyway, here’s my response: Okay, maybe I'm just being picky here, but couldn't they have gotten things right in an honorary speech about him? Okay, the first sentence doesn't even make sense. Are Ravanna Studios and Oval House connected? Very bad sentence structure. And all this time I thought it was The Manions of America. I know it was popular, but, "one of the most widely veiwed syndicated series of all-time"? Five? Which one did I miss? Not to mention he didn't get it the first time around Wasn’t that The Tailor of Panama? Again, I may just be being picky, but this is an academic institution conferring an honorary degree on him. If I turned in a paper with mistakes like these, I would get a very bad grade. migs It worked, yea ;D
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Post by Ace on Jun 5, 2004 20:24:48 GMT -5
Well hopefully a couple of those were typos by the transciber (like Mannions and Talior in Panama and Five instead of Four). But yes, I've read that actually Remington Steele is indeed one of the most widely syndicated programs of all time.
Ace
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Post by curious george on Jun 6, 2004 5:41:41 GMT -5
???Gggggrrrrr, I log in and type my response, then, when I hit preview or post, it logs me out and tells me: An Error Has Occurred! You forgot to enter a name. Please hit back and enter a name. Then, when I hit the back button, my response is gone! Aha! So it's not just me! Stupid board. (Board, not admin, mind you.) cg
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Post by Yuliya on Jun 8, 2004 5:59:43 GMT -5
I've finally found time to read this thread, but I'm still confused. I realize a honorary degree is just to recognize someone's achievements, but why these 3 establishments and not other ones? Are they going to jump in, too? And why the degree of Doctor of Laws? Why not chemistry, physics, or even biology? That might be more apropriate of there is no degree in arts. I'm so confused...
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Post by Ace on Jun 8, 2004 6:47:44 GMT -5
What do you mean by why these 3 establishments? What 3?
As for Doctorate of Law. that depends on the program, some Law programs are part an parcel of social, business or political programs and he's being recognized as much if not more for his environmental particpation, his charitable causes, his business practices as he is his acting.
Ace
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Post by Yuliya on Jun 8, 2004 7:46:36 GMT -5
At the close look, second one. I thought the one on page 3 from UCC was different from this one from University of Cork. Still, there's two already. And I still don't understand an honorary doctorate as a form of recognition.
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Post by Ace on Jun 8, 2004 7:49:35 GMT -5
Yes that would be two, this is the second one. As for why these and not others, well they're a couple of the largest universities in Ireland and he's one of it's most famous accomplished sons.... makes sense. As for why certain universities choose certain celebrities at certain times, who knows, but they all do it. I'm sure there are also those honours offered by some smaller colleges looking for publicity that might even be denied because part of receiving the honour is the duty to pick it up. As for why it's an honour it's an an honour in the same way being an named and OBE or a Knight is an honour. It's just recognition, a way of saying thank you and we appreciate you and this is what we have to offer. But you don't really get anything else from it, like parking priviledges or the right to practice law. Ace
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Post by Yuliya on Jun 8, 2004 8:07:29 GMT -5
Yes that would be two, this is the second one. As for why these and not others, well they're a couple of the largest universities in Ireland and he's one of it's most famous accomplished sons.... makes sense. Ahem... They should have "I'm the most famous univiersities in Ireland" displayed somewhere for those as ingorant as I am. What, you mean those colleges who look for publicity don't buy celebrities a round-trip ticket at convenient time? Well, the way I see it, one can't earn OBE or Knighthood - one is either born in it or it's (historically) given in recognition of something. Being born into something aside, knighthood or OBE is like a medal - it should be earned. An honorary medal is, IMO, an insult to those who had to earn theirs. Same goes for an honorary doctorate - doctorates are given in recognition of person's level of education in a certain area, after they defend their thesis and prove they've earned the degree. A doctorate should stand for a certain level of knowledge in a certain area. How does a sports star, an actor, or an environmentalist qualify? I know it's done, I know it's honorary, it doesn't mean all those things, but IMO, there should be an award, not a degree. Just the way I feel about it.
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