GABRIEL BYRNE - BYRNE TOUCHED BY IRISH HONOUR

BYRNE TOUCHED BY IRISH HONOUR

Actor GABRIEL BYRNE was overwhelmed with the honorary philosophy degree he received from Trinity College Dublin earlier this year (07) - after realising he was one of 300 greats. The Usual Suspects star was honoured by the university's Philosophy Society, and received only the 300th medal the college's top minds had handed out since the late 1700s. Byrne says, "The medal they gave me said I was the 300th recipient of since 1770 and I looked down the list of people who had been awarded this medal - Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde... "Being recognised in your own town with an honour like that from a prestigious university really meant so much to me because, even though I don't live in Dublin anymore, I've always considered myself and will always consider myself to be from Dublin. "Every second day people are getting awards for something but that really meant something to me." Byrne is now considering how he can use his new title. He jokes, "I suppose I could throw my weight around in pubs in Dublin and demand to be called a doctor of philosophy but I know the kind of reaction I'd get if I ever tried that."