The degree, Trinity’s highest honour, was awarded by Chancellor Dr Mary McAleese on Friday in a ceremony conducted in Latin in the historic Public Theatre.

A graduate and former Pro-Chancellor of Trinity, Mrs Justice Denham served as chief justice of Ireland from 2011 to 2017. Prior to this she had been a barrister, senior counsel, High Court judge and member of the Supreme Court.

She wrote some of the most significant judicial decisions in the history on the State. Her work in relation to the court system led to the establishment of the Court of Appeal, and she played a significant role in the establishment of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary.

She was only the second-ever woman to be a judge in the Irish superior courts, the first woman to be a Supreme Court judge and the first woman to be chief justice.

Professor Anna Chahoud said: “Her name is associated with momentous reforms, from the creation of the Court Service in support of all law-courts in the State, to its inclusion in the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary, which she contributed to establishing in the early years of the new millennium.

“Clarity, calm, and diplomacy were the hallmarks of her style and authority in court, just as they are permanent traits of her strongly principled character.”