June 2016 NUI Galway Honorary Doctorate Conferring Ceremony

Eamon Gilmore, Marie Mullen, Brendan Flynn and ConTempo conferred with Honorary Doctorates

 At a ceremony in NUI Galway today, Honorary Degrees were conferred on Eamon Gilmore, former Tánaiste and Labour Party leader; Marie Mullen, actor and Druid Theatre co-founder; Brendan Flynn, Clifden Arts Festival Director; and classical quartet ConTempo, currently RTÉ’s Quartet in Residence and also the resident quartet on the west coast in the Galway Music Residency.

NUI Galway President, Dr Jim Browne, speaking at the conferring ceremony, said:  “NUI Galway is fortunate to be associated with many outstanding honorary graduates throughout its history and those being honoured this year form a particularly distinguished group from public and political life and the arts. NUI Galway is very pleased to be in a position to recognise these exceptional individuals.”

Eamon Gilmore was conferred with a Degree of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa). Former Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland, Eamon is now the EU Special Envoy for the Peace Process in Colombia.

He was born and raised in Caltra, Co. Galway and received his education at Garbally College, Ballinasloe and at NUI Galway (then UCG). He was President of the UCG Students’ Union and of the Union of Students in Ireland, and he worked as an officer of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union, prior to his election to Dáil Éireann in 1989. He served as Minister of State for the Marine from 1994 to1997, and was the Leader of the Irish Labour Party from 2007 until July 2014.

Marie Mullen was conferred with a Degree of Doctor of Arts (honoris causa). Marie is an award-winning Irish actress and founding member of Druid Theatre Company. She co-founded Druid with fellow NUI Galway students, Garry Hynes and the late Mick Lally in 1975. Over the company’s 40-year history she has performed many memorable roles and established herself as one of Ireland’s greatest living actors. Marie has been sweeping the boards as an actress for many years; in 2012 she received a special tribute at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards for her contribution to theatre. In 1998, Marie also received a Tony Award for her role as Maureen in Druid’s acclaimed production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh, on Broadway.

Brendan Flynn was conferred with a Degree of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa). A native of Taughmaconnell, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, Brendan was educated at Garbally College and University College Cork. An awareness of the distance from cultural happenings and artistic encounters led to the inception of Clifden Arts Festival in 1977, where artists such as John McGahern, Richard Murphy, Seamus Heaney and John Behan were among the first to participate in what later became Clifden Arts Festival.  He has served on The Arts Council, the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art and is a member of ‘Creative Engagement’, a committee responsible for arts in education under the auspices of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals. 

ConTempo, a Degree of Doctor of Music (honoris causa) was awarded jointly to Andreea Banciu, Adrian Mantu, Ingrid Nicola and Bogdan Sofei.

Formed in 1995 while students at the Music University in Bucharest, Romania, ConTempo Quartet is one of the most celebrated young quartets performing today, having won 14 international awards and toured the world extensively, performing over 1,400 concerts in 46 countries. They have studied with the most celebrated string quartets of the world, including Amadeus, Alban Berg, Tokyo, Emerson, Hagen and Quartetto Italiano.

In 2003, after an international audition ConTempo became Galway Ensemble-in-Residence, in a unique project, under the auspices of Galway Music Residency, supported by NUI Galway, the Irish Arts Council, and Galway City and County Councils.  In 2013, ConTempo was selected as RTÉ String Quartet in Residence.

They have had the honour of performing in front of world leaders, including the late Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II, as well as EU leaders, Nobel Prize-winner, Seamus Heaney, Prince Charles and for Hollywood actors, Angelica Huston, Angela Lansbury, Martin Sheen and Merv Griffin.

The graduands join the ranks of previous honorary alumni which include, among many others, Nelson Mandela, Hilary Clinton, Christy O’Connor Snr and Jnr, Enya, Anjelica Huston, Fionnuala Flanagan and Margaret Atwood.

WATCH: Honorary graduate, Marie Mullen, describes the beginnings of the Druid Theatre Company with fellow students Garry Hynes and Mick Lally: https://vimeo.com/170186995

WATCH: Honorary graduate, Eamon Gilmore, describes his new focus as EU envoy to the peace process in Columbia: https://vimeo.com/170191503

WATCH: Honorary graduate, Brendan Flynn, talks about some of his early inspirations, including Heaney and Yeats: https://vimeo.com/170364729

WATCH: Honorary graduates, ConTempo Quartet, give advice to young graduates starting out in the creative arts: https://vimeo.com/170376721

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Searmanas Bronnta Chéimeanna Oinigh OÉ Gaillimh

Dochtúireachtaí Oinigh le bronnadh ar Eamon Gilmore,  Marie Mullen, Brendan Flynn agus ConTempo

Ag searmanas in OÉ Gaillimh inniu, bronnadh Céimeanna Oinigh ar Eamon Gilmore, iar-Thánaiste agus iar-Cheannaire Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre; Marie Mullen, aisteoir agus comhbhunaitheoir Amharclann an Druid; Brendan Flynn, Stiúrthóir Fhéile Ealaíon an Chlocháin; agus an ceathairéad clasaiceach ConTempo, Ceathairéad Cónaithe reatha RTÉ agus an ceathairéad cónaithe ar chósta an iarthair sa Galway Music Residency.

Bhí an méid seo a leanas le rá ag Uachtarán OÉ Gaillimh, an Dr Jim Browne, agus é ag labhairt ag an searmanas:  “Tá an t-ádh le OÉ Gaillimh céimithe oinigh den scoth a bheith aici in imeacht na mblianta ach is eisceacht céimithe oinigh na bliana seo sa saol poiblí agus polaitiúil agus in earnáil na n-ealaíon. Tá an-áthas ar OÉ Gaillimh a bheith in ann aitheantas a thabhairt do na daoine eisceachtúla seo.”

Bronnfar Céim Dhochtúireachta le Dlíthe (honoris causa) ar Eamon Gilmore. Iar-Thánaiste agus iar-Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála na hÉireann is ea Eamon agus tá sé anois ina Thoscaire Speisialta AE do Phróiseas na Síochána sa Cholóim.

Rugadh agus tógadh é sa Chealtrach, Co. na Gaillimhe agus fuair sé a chuid oideachais i gColáiste an Gharbhaile, Béal Átha na Sluaighe agus in OÉ Gaillimh (COG ag an am). Bhí sé ina Uachtarán ar Chomhaltas na Mac Léinn i gColáiste na hOllscoile, Gaillimh agus ar Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn, agus d’oibrigh sé mar oifigeach ar Cheardchumann Oibrithe Iompair agus Ilsaothair na hÉireann, sular toghadh chuig Dáil Éireann é sa bhliain 1989. Bhí sé ina Aire Stáit Mara idir 1994 agus 1997, agus bhí sé ina cheannaire ar Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre ó 2007 go dtí mí Iúil 2014.

Bronnfar Céim Dhochtúireachta sna Dána (honoris causa) ar Marie Mullen. Aisteoir Éireannach a bhfuil duaiseanna buaite aici í Marie agus bhí sí ar dhuine den dream a bhunaigh Compántas Amharclannaíochta an Druid. Sa bhliain 1975, in éineacht lena comh-mhic léinn as OÉ Gaillimh, Garry Hynes agus Mick Lally nach maireann, bhunaigh sí an Druid. Thar thréimhse 40 bliain an chompántais is iomaí ról mór le rá a bhí aici agus tá sí anois ar cheann de na haisteoirí Éireannacha is fearr dá bhfuil ann. Is iomaí ról aisteoireachta a bhí ag Marie le blianta fada anuas; sa bhliain 2012 tugadh ómós ar leith di ag Gradaim Amharclannaíochta na hÉireann de chuid an Irish Times as an méid a bhí bainte amach aici i leith na hamharclannaíochta. Sa bhliain 1998, bronnadh Gradam Tony ar Marie dá ról mar Maureen sa léiriúchán mór le rá a rinne an Druid ar The Beauty Queen of Leenane le Martin McDonagh, in Broadway.

Bronnfar Céim Dhochtúireachta le Dlíthe (honoris causa) ar Brendan Flynn. Is as Teach Mhic Conaill, Béal Átha na Sluaighe, Co. na Gaillimhe do Brendan agus cuireadh oideachas air i gColáiste an Gharbhaile agus i gColáiste na hOllscoile, Corcaigh.  Is ón tuiscint ar an achar ó imeachtaí cultúrtha agus eachtraí ealaíonta a bunaíodh Féile Ealaíon an Chlocháin sa bhliain 1977, áit a raibh ealaíontóirí amhail John McGahern, Richard Murphy, Seamus Heaney agus John Behan ar chuid den chéad dream a ghlac páirt san ócáid ar a dtabharfaí Féile Ealaíon an Chlocháin ina dhiaidh sin.  Bhí sé ar an gComhairle Ealaíon, ar bhord Áras Nua-Ealaíne na hÉireann agus is ball é de ‘Rannpháirtíocht Chruthaitheach’, coiste atá freagrach as na healaíona san oideachas faoi scáth Chumann Náisiúnta na bPríomhoidí agus na Leas-Phríomhoidí. 

Bronnfar Céim Dhochtúireachta le Ceol (honoris causa) ar an ngrúpa ConTempo, is iad sin Andreea Banciu, Adrian Mantu, Ingrid Nicola agus Bogdan Sofei.

Bunaíodh an ConTempo Quartet sa bhliain 1995 fad is a bhí siad ina mic léinn san Ollscoil Cheoil i mBúcairist, an Rómáin agus tá sé ar cheann de na ceathairéid óga is mó cáil atá ag seinm inniu. Tá 14 ghradam idirnáisiúnta bainte amach acu agus bhí siad ar stáitse ar fud an domhain i mbreis is 1,400 ceolchoirm i 46 tír. Tá staidéar déanta acu ar na téadcheathairéid is mó le rá ar domhan, ina measc Amadeus, Alban Berg, Tokyo, Emerson, Hagen agus Quartetto Italiano.

Sa bhliain 2003, tar éis triail idirnáisiúnta a dhéanamh, rinneadh  Ensemble Cónaithe na Gaillimhe de ConTempo. Tionscadal uathúil a bhí anseo faoi scáth Galway Music Residency, agus fuarthas tacaíocht ó OÉ Gaillimh, ó Chomhairle Ealaíon na hÉireann agus ó Chomhairlí Contae agus Cathrach na Gaillimhe.  Sa bhliain 2013, roghnaíodh ConTempo mar Théadcheathairéad Cónaithe RTÉ.

Bhí de phribhléid acu seinm os comhair ceannairí domhanda, ina measc Nelson Mandela agus an Pápa Eoin Pól II nach maireann, mar aon le ceannairí AE, buaiteoir Dhuais Nobel, Seamus Heaney, an Prionsa Séarlas agus aisteoirí Hollywood, Angelica Huston, Angela Lansbury, Martin Sheen agus Merv Griffin.

Beidh na céimithe seo anois i measc céimithe oinigh eile mór le rá a tháinig rompu cosúil le Nelson Mandela, Hilary Clinton, Christy O’Connor Sinsear agus Sóisear, Enya, Anjelica Huston, Fionnuala Flanagan agus Margaret Atwood.

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