Honorary Degrees conferred in University College Dublin

Photographed at the recent NUI Honorary Conferrings held at UCD are (left to right): Frank O'Kane, Dr Anne MacEneaney, Dr Garret FitzGerald, Dr Margherita Rock, Catherine Day, Angela Kerins, Dr John Nolan.
Please click here for more pictures.

Honorary Degrees of the National University of Ireland were conferred at a ceremony on Friday 13 June 2003  in O'Reilly Hall, University College Dublin, Belfield. Those who received degrees were:

Sr Margherita Rock and Sr Anne MacEneaney
Degree of Doctor of Laws 
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and St Vincent's University Hospital.

Angela Kerins 
Degree of Doctor of Laws
Chief Executive of RehabCare and Director of Public Affairs and Group Development, Rehab Group.

Frank O'Kane 
Degree of Doctor of Laws
Chairman and Chief Executive of Mercury Holdings plc

Catherine Day 
Degree of Doctor of Laws
Director General of Environment DG, European Commission


Sr Margherita Rock and Sr Anne MacEneaney Degree of Doctor of Laws

Sr Margherita Rock was born in Galway and entered the congregation of the Sisters of Mercy at Carysfort, Blackrock. Sr Margherita qualified in Teacher Training in Blackrock, graduated in Social Science at UCD and then
obtained a Masters Degree in Social Work at the Catholic University of America, Washington DC. Sr Margherita was a founder member of the Mater Child Guidance Clinic, St Paul's Hospital for Autistic Children, Beaumont and the VEC Diploma Course for Child Care Workers. In 1987 Sr Margherita was appointed Executive Chairperson of the Board of Management of the Mater
Misericordiae University Hospital. At present Sr Margherita is a board member of the Board of Governors and the Boards of Directors of the Mater Misericordiae and Children's University Hospitals.

Sr Anne MacEneaney was born in Naas, Co Kildare, Sr Anne joined the Sisters of Charity following her qualification as a General Nurse in 1962. She excelled in her health care ministry and was appointed Director of
Nursing in St Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park in 1985. Currently, Sr Anne is a member of the Board of Directors of St Vincent's Healthcare Group Ltd which manages Vincent's Private Hospital and St Vincent's University Hospital (incorporating St Michael's Hospital, Dun Laoghaire) all hospitals run by the Sisters of Charity.

These degrees were conferred on Sr Margherita and Sr Anne to mark the long established collaboration between UCD and the two major Associated Teaching Hospitals of the Mater Misercordiae University Hospital and St Vincent's University Hospital.


Angela Kerins Degree of Doctor of Laws

Chief Executive of RehabCare and Director of Public Affairs and Group Development, Rehab Group. Angela established RehabCare in 1995 as the health and social care division of the Rehab Group. RehabCare now provides services to over 1,800 people with disabilities in 61 locations nationwide together with joint ventures in other EU countries. RehabCare has over 500 staff with a turnover of Euro 16 million, and a range of services including residential care, resource centres, home care, respite care and community-based housing. 

Angela is currently Chairperson of the National Disability Authority, the Disability Legislation Consultation Group, the National Co-ordinating Body of the European Year of People with Disabilities 2003 and the Disability Alliance for Europe. Angela is the permanent NGO representative to the United Nations. She is a board member of Rehab Lotteries, the National Training and Development Institute, the National Women's Council, the East Regional Committee of IBEC and Rehab Scotland.

Frank O'Kane Degree of Doctor of Laws

Chairman and Chief Executive of Mercury Holdings plc
Frank O'Kane served his apprenticeship in the family electrical engineering business, JJ O'Kane Electrical Engineering, which was responsible for bringing electricity to the homes of West Donegal in the rural electrification of the 1950s. In 1972 Frank set up Mercury Holdings plc with his business partner Joe Morgan. Mercury Holdings have been associated with UCD since the move to Belfield and the subsequent development of the campus.

Mercury Holdings have developed from an electrical engineering business to an international company responsible for developments in Libya, Poland,
France and Holland. International enterprises that engaged Mercury Holdings to build their state-of-the-art facilities in Ireland include Hewlett Packard, IBM, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Wyeth Medica, Intel, Pfeizer and
Compaq. Mercury Holdings now employs 2,000 employees and provides apprenticeships for up to 500 at any one time.


Catherine Day Degree of Doctor of Laws

Director General of Environment DG, European Commission Catherine Day was awarded an MA in International Trade and Economic Integration in 1975 at University College Dublin. Since joining the European Commission in 1979, Catherine has worked with four Commissioners, Dick Burke, Peter Sutherland, Sir Leon Brittan and Chris Patten. Catherine served as Deputy Director General of the European Commission DG for External Relations with responsibility for Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and the South Mediterranean. 

In May 2002, she took up her new appointment as Director General of the European Commission DG for the Environment. The Environment DG is responsible for the protection of our natural resources, fostering resource-efficiency in production, consumption and waste-disposal measures and addressing the challenges of climate change.

For further information please contact Maria Bourke at tel: 716 1681.