James Watson, a Nobel Prize winner in 1962 for his seminal work on the structure of DNA and a former head of the human genome project, and Fiona Shaw, the Irish actress with a distinguished career in theatre, television and films in Britain and Ireland, were among six recipients to receive an Honorary Degree from the University of Dublin (Trinity College) on Friday 6 July.

The recipients of Honorary degrees were:

• James Watson Sc.D. (Doctor in Science)
  Best known for his seminal work at Cambridge University on the structure of DNA, for which he and Francis Crick won the Nobel Prize in 1962, and which is the basis of modern day molecular biology, genetics and biotechnology, he has since had a distinguished career in the United States at Harvard University and later as Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Research Laboratory (1968-1993) and Director of the National Centre of the Human Genome Research at the National Institute of Health (1989-1992).
  
  
• Fiona Shaw Litt. D. (Doctor in Letters)
  Irish actress and graduate of University College Cork, she has had a successful career in theatre, television and films in Britain and Ireland, including the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company and the Old Vic. The winner of a number of acting awards, she is Honorary Professor of Drama Studies at Trinity College Dublin.
  
  
• Caroline Moffett LL.D (Doctor in Laws)
  Caroline was still a young student reading modern languages in Trinity College when her father died suddenly. She left college before graduating and along with her brother operated the family business so effectively that they soon brought it to previously unknown levels of success. They built the family business, Moffett Engineering Limited, Monaghan into a leading international company, renowned for its design expertise and innovation. Businesswoman of the Year in 1983 and a former Director of Corás Trachtála Teo, she is at present a Director of Allied Irish Bank.
  
  
• Thomas A Connors Sc.D. (Doctor in Science)
  Of Irish parentage but born and educated in the United Kingdom, he has worked for over forty years in the field of cancer chemotherapy. A past President of the British Association for Cancer Research, his outstanding contribution was recognised by the establishment of the 'Tom Connors Prize Lecture'. He was a key advisor of the Irish Cancer Society and greatly assisted Trinity College Dublin's Chemistry Department in obtaining funding from the U.K. Cancer Research Campaign for its work on enzyme inhibitors.
  
  
• Frank H.T. Rhodes LL.D. (Doctor in Laws)
  A geologist by training educated at the University of Birmingham, he has published widely on scientific matters. As Professor of Geological Sciences and later as President of Cornell University he played a significant role in the development of Science Policy and as an advocate for research and education in the United States. Retiring after eighteen years as President of Cornell in 1995, he was in 1999 elected President of the American Philosophical Society.
  
  
• Enda McDonagh D.D. (Doctor in Divinity)
  Emeritus Professor of Moral Theology at the Pontifical University, Maynooth and internationally recognised as a leading moral theologian. The Reverend Enda McDonagh is the author of some ten books covering various aspects of modern life. At present Chairman of the Governing Body of the National University of Ireland, Cork, he has been closely involved in many issues of contemporary Irish life, including church/state relations, peace and reconciliation and medical ethics.