New UCD science centre named after "famous scientist" Dennis O Brien.

steddyeddy

University college Dublin have name a new science centre after Dennis O Brien of tribunal fame. There's already a petiition underway to get the name changed I don't think it will personally achieve anything but it's a good way to vent anger about this.

I can understand O Brien donating money to this but for the love of all that's sweet why are they naming a building with state of the art labs after a man who's claim to fame is being raided by revenue and being the subject of tribunals?

There are other people on the list of Donors who are actually great scientists such As Dr.Kilty who the building could have been named after. There are also other great Irish scientists that the building could have been named after.

It's a really Irish state of affairs to be honest.

€300m UCD centre leads the way
The UCD O'Brien Centre for Science has transformed science
infrastructure at Ireland's largest university and has become home to more than
2,500 undergraduate and graduate students and many more researchers over a range
of scientific disciplines.

The project has been jointly funded by the State, through the Programme for
Research in Third Level Institutions, private philanthropy and the university
itself.

DONATIONS

UCD paid tribute to the "extraordinary philanthropy" of business leaders
whose personal donations had played a "great part" in realising the ambition to
open a centre on such a scale.

The private benefactors are Denis and Catherine O'Brien; George and Angela
Moore; Eddie and Hildegarde O'Connor; Thomas and Deirdre Lynch; Dr Cormac and
Anne Kilty; Jim and Mary Flavin; and Shay Garvey.

UCD's corporate partners Elan, Tullow Oil, Accenture, AOL, Glanbia, ICON, Intel and A Menarini, have also made
contributions.

The second phase, officially opened yesterday by Education Minister Ruairi
Quinn, provides a facility stretching to in excess of 38,000sqm of new and
refurbished accommodation at an overall cost of almost €175m.

The third phase, which will complete the suite of facilities for the sciences
at UCD, is in the planning stage.
Irish Independent

myshirt

Not this whole debacle again...

Denis O'Brien is a saint!

steddyeddy

myshirt wrote: »

Not this whole debacle again...

Denis O'Brien is a saint!

Maybe but he's certainly no scientist.

MadsL

steddyeddy wrote: »

Maybe but he's certainly no scientist.

Magician perhaps, or alchemist. Turning no licences into licences.

steddyeddy

MadsL wrote: »

Magician perhaps, or alchemist. Turning no licences into licences.

How all great chemists started out.

strobe

steddyeddy wrote: »

Maybe but he's certainly no scientist.

"Scientists do science cause they're scientists. O'Briens give money cause they want their name on sh1t. Money builds science building things.
Pragmatism and stuff..."

- W.B Yeats

My name is URL

steddyeddy wrote: »

University college Dublin have name a new science centre after Dennis O Brien of tribunal fame. There's already a petiition underway to get the name changed I don't think it will personally achieve anything but it's a good way to vent anger about this.

I can understand O Brien donating money to this but for the love of all that's sweet why are they naming a building with state of the art labs after a man who's claim to fame is being raided by revenue and being the subject of tribunals?

That's some hyperbole there. I wouldn't be a huge fan of the man, but to say he's 'best' known for being involved in tribunals is absurd.

Femme_Fatale

steddyeddy wrote: »

It's a really Irish state of affairs to be honest.

Could happen in a lot of places - definitely America. The "only in Ireland" stuff in relation to universal stuff is so silly.

steddyeddy

My name is URL wrote: »

That's some hyperbole there. I wouldn't be a huge fan of the man, but to say he's 'best' known for being involved in tribunals is absurd.

I would disagree. He is best known for tribunals in this country. He was previously known for ESAT and other ventures but the tribunals illucudated certain key points in that regard.

Sigourney

Science block, Arts block, Admin. That is all.

steddyeddy

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Could happen in a lot of places - definitely America. The "only in Ireland" stuff in relation to universal stuff is so silly.

Is it me or do some people have to find something to disagree with someone everytime?

An "Irish state" of affairs is a paraphrase of the expression "A bit irish". There's another thread where I mentioned that "Pigs might fly one day". I don't think pigs will master flight in reality either.

Smiles35

I agree with ya eddy. yore the future

steddyeddy

Serioulsty though the man is connected to media, communications and now education. What else does he want to get his hands on?

Amirani

Disagreement and the ensuing discussion is sort of the point of message boards.

Femme_Fatale

steddyeddy wrote: »

An "Irish state" of affairs is a paraphrase of the expression "A bit irish".

I do wonder where that expression comes from though - not a benign place I'd imagine.

Amirani

steddyeddy wrote: »

Serioulsty though the man is connected to media, communications and now education. What else does he want to get his hands on?

Football too. He "sponsors" the Irish national team manager.

steddyeddy

NiallSparky wrote: »

Football too. He "sponsors" the Irish national team manager.

What's next the Gilligan school of horse riding?

steddyeddy

NiallSparky wrote: »

Disagreement and the ensuing discussion is sort of the point of message boards.

Not when it's the same small points disgreed with again and again.

Shakespeare's Sister

His radio monopoly is pretty ridiculous. NewsTalk and Today FM in particular; their drive-time current affairs shows are in direct competition with each other. I remember being amazed he got the green light to buy Today FM. Then he has 98FM and the Spin stations - totally similar in terms of output. And Phantom FM.

steddyeddy

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

I do wonder where that expression comes from though - not a benign place I'd imagine.

It has links with Charles Haughey apparently but my mother says she has heard it befor haughey.

NTMK

meh if he's putting up a sizeable amount of money for it then it can be called the **** centre for all i care.

it would've be nice for it to be named after an irish scientist but then again no one would have a clue who it was named after since irish scientist are more well known outside of ireland than in it :rolleyes:

My name is URL

steddyeddy wrote: »

I would disagree. He is best known for tribunals in this country. He was previously known for ESAT and other ventures but the tribunals illucudated certain key points in that regard.

I'd say he's far better known for being one of the most successful business people this country has ever produced, than he is for the part he played in the Moriarty Tribunal, but fair enough if you disagree.. we're all just able to give our own opinions.

fwiw, I think naming a building after any 'high profile' living person is a bit obsequious and sycophantic.

hfallada

Who gives a fu ck? Irish universities live off rich alumni donations as the Government gives them just enough money to function. Go to any Irish university including TCD & UCD and you will find amazing buildings that arent maintained due to lack of funding. Pretty much every building built in UCD in the last 10 years was paid for by donations by past students and none it was paid for by the state.

Cian92

My name is URL wrote: »

I'd say he's far better known for being one of the most successful business people this country has ever produced, than he is for the part he played in the Moriarty Tribunal, but fair enough if you disagree.. we're all just able to give our own opinions.

The part he played in the Moriarty Tribunal? "It was almost beyond doubt that [Denis O'Brien's] winning of the contract was due to payments he made to Michael Lowry"

The man was found to have given Michael Lowery $50,000, he made a **** load on the back of the Irish state! It's mad that people still defend the man. He bought his success through bribery, and now he is managing to buy back his popularity.

btard

Cian92 wrote: »

The part he played in the Moriarty Tribunal? "It was almost beyond doubt that [Denis O'Brien's] winning of the contract was due to payments he made to Michael Lowry"

The man was found to have given Michael Lowery $50,000, he made a **** load on the back of the Irish state! It's mad that people still defend the man. He bought his success through bribery, and now he is managing to buy back his popularity.

Most people know what he is and how he got his start. Some have a grudging respect for how he managed to get away with it. Others don't care as long as he spreads some of it their way. Money speaks. I doubt he will ever be popular though.

My name is URL

Cian92 wrote: »

The part he played in the Moriarty Tribunal? "It was almost beyond doubt that [Denis O'Brien's] winning of the contract was due to payments he made to Michael Lowry"

The man was found to have given Michael Lowery $50,000, he made a **** load on the back of the Irish state! It's mad that people still defend the man. He bought his success through bribery, and now he is managing to buy back his popularity.

I never defended his business practices.

Lowry was the one shown to be corrupted, or at least corruptable in the tribunal though. He's the one that allegedly allowed himself to be bought out. No law was broken by O'Brien or Telenor.. even the tribunal itself accepted this fact, and that the money constituted as a legitimate political donation at the time it was made.

LETHAL LADY

Sure isn't he only gorgeous.:pac:

Femme_Fatale

Our binman is the image of him actually.

steddyeddy

My name is URL wrote: »

I never defended his business practices.

Lowry was the one shown to be corrupted, or at least corruptable in the tribunal though. He's the one that allegedly allowed himself to be bought out. No law was broken by O'Brien or Telenor.. even the tribunal itself accepted this fact, and that the money constituted as a legitimate political donation at the time it was made.

You and me have very different views on what makes a great business Man.

steddyeddy

My name is URL wrote: »

I'd say he's far better known for being one of the most successful business people this country has ever produced, than he is for the part he played in the Moriarty Tribunal, but fair enough if you disagree.. we're all just able to give our own opinions.

fwiw, I think naming a building after any 'high profile' living person is a bit obsequio
us and sycophantic.

Well I would have named it after a long dead scientist like Bailey Butler.

take everything

Cian92 wrote: »

The part he played in the Moriarty Tribunal? "It was almost beyond doubt that [Denis O'Brien's] winning of the contract was due to payments he made to Michael Lowry"

The man was found to have given Michael Lowery $50,000, he made a **** load on the back of the Irish state! It's mad that people still defend the man. He bought his success through bribery, and now he is managing to buy back his popularity.

Denis O' Brien has never done anything of the sort.
I've heard he spends whatever free time he has volunteering at his local St Vincent de Paul.
That is of course when he's not busy finding homes for stray kittens.

errlloyd

Beggars can't be choosers. Academics in ucd would have happily sold their left arm for money for that science centre, as it happened they only had to sell the name.

josip

Why don't UCD cut to the chase and name it "The Silvio Centre"

steddyeddy

errlloyd wrote: »

Beggars can't be choosers. Academics in ucd would have happily sold their left arm for money for that science centre, as it happened they only had to sell the name.

I think youre confusing UCD with another university. They do have the prestigious Conway labs and didn't actually need this yoke. It's a glorified vanity project anyway. On the money issue UCD is far far from broke. Look up the patents they own and look up the amount of rich alumni that offer them donations.

Look up some of the other donors. They include real scientists who are extremely well off.

LETHAL LADY

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Our binman is the image of him actually.

Weird!!!! Everytime I catch a glimpse of his Desperate Danesque features on the telly I roar take out me bins ya durty baastardddd.

ygolometsipe

steddyeddy wrote: »

What's next the Gilligan school of horse riding?

UCD scumbag professors playing game ultimately young people right feel bad moral credit the world is a vampire sent to drain ****, corrupt gimp o'brien.

greedygoblin

ygolometsipe wrote: »

UCD scumbag professors playing game ultimately young people right feel bad moral credit the world is a vampire sent to drain ****, corrupt gimp o'brien.

Can you repeat that? I didn't quite get it first time round :pac: