The President of the European Parliament, Mr Pat Cox, received the Wild Geese Trophy of the Ireland Fund of France at the Wild Geese Ball in Paris on Friday night, writes Lara Marlowe.
The ball is held annually on the eve of the France-Ireland rugby match and is named after the Irish brigade that fought for France in the 18th century.
The French European Affairs Minister, Ms Noëlle Lenoir, paid homage to Mr Cox as "one of the great Europeans of our time". She suggested he should become president of the EU Commission after his term expires in July.
Recalling the US Defence Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld's disparaging remarks about "old Europe", Mr Cox said: "Old Europe was a place where too many people died in too many wars." The trophy was presented to Mr Cox by Sir Anthony O'Reilly, who founded the network of Ireland funds in 1976.