Mandela receives honorary degree from friend O'Reilly
Nelson Mandela receives his Queen's University degree from Sir Anthony O'Reilly. The chief executive of INM said it was an honour to give the award to such an 'exceptional human being'
Nelson Mandela is to be bestowed with a unique honour when he will be formally declared Centenary Honorary Graduate of Queen's University Belfast at a special ceremony tonight.
The former president of South Africa, who led the struggle against apartheid, was presented with the honorary doctorate for distinction in public service by his close friend Sir Anthony O'Reilly.
The Nobel Peace prize winner could not be in Belfast for the occasion, but was handed the degree parchment by Independent News & Media (INM) chief executive Sir Anthony. Mr Mandela then recorded a special message to be relayed at tonight's ceremony.
He said: "Thank you for the honour bestowed upon us. My grandchildren will be impressed when I can boast I have an honorary doctorate from such an esteemed institution.
"Queen's University, Belfast, plays a central role in the life of Northern Ireland," Mr Mandela said. He also thanked the student body for naming Mandela Hall after him as part of the worldwide opposition to apartheid. As he presented the degree parchment, Sir Anthony, who also holds an honorary doctorate from Queen's, said: "It was a real honour for me to hand over the parchment on behalf of the university. Nelson Mandela is an exceptional human being. He has been honoured around the world, but he told me that this award was very precious to him. He is proud of the role South Africa played in supporting the peace process here."
In his speech tonight, Queen's Chancellor Senator George Mitchell describes Nelson Mandela as "an inspirational figure".
"Nelson Mandela was the 11th president of South Africa, but the first to be elected in democratic elections which were free, fair and open to people of all races," he said.
- Grainne Cunningham
