THE man who masterminded the Olympic success of Irish rowing, Dominic Casey, was joined by two other proud West Cork residents as they were awarded honorary degrees at UCC on Wednesday.
Dominic was joined by Oscar-winning producer David Puttnam, who lives in Skibbereen, Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons, who has a house at Kilcoe outside Skibbereen, and activist and charity worker Adi Roche all received honorary degrees at a special ceremony in UCC’s Aula Maxima.
‘Jeremy, Adi, Dominic, and David have all made outstanding contributions in their respective fields. Our awardees are exemplars of what it means to lead with purpose, compassion, and vision, inspiring others to follow in their footsteps,’ said UCC Professor John O’Halloran.
Dominic is Ireland’s lightweight national rowing coach, and received an Honorary Doctorate in Education by UCC for his lifelong dedication to coaching and recognition of his transformative impact on Irish sport. As the long-serving coach of Skibbereen Rowing Club and Ireland’s high-performance lightweight rowing team, Casey has mentored athletes to achieve extraordinary success. Dominic Casey’s most notable achievements include coaching Paul and Gary O’Donovan to Ireland’s first-ever Olympic rowing medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, leading Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan to gold at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games, as well as coaching other Olympic rowers including his own daughter Aoife Casey, and Emily Hegarty.
Jeremy Irons received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from UCC.
Jeremy has won an Academy Award for film, an Emmy Award for television, and a Tony Award for theatre over his illustrious career. He is a former goodwill ambassador of the United Nations and an outspoken campaigner on a number of issues.
David Puttnam received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts in UCC. He produced award-winning films including The Mission, The Killing Fields, Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone and Local Hero.
Adi Roche has championed humanitarian causes internationally and founded Chernobyl Children International bringing medical and humanitarian aid in the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.
