The actor, who appeared as King Herod in Wilde's Salome on Broadway, was drawn to Dublin after developing an interest in Wilde's work.

Wilde's influence

He said: "My first visit to this country, to this beautiful great city Dublin."

"It has made the connection to Wilde and Salome more real, more complete."

"I just want to say thank you for this honour," he added.

Pacino, who flew in from Paris after frequenting the haunts where Wilde spent his last days, told the audience he had filmed the writer's statue in Dublin during the day.

The film is based on Pacino's quest to find out more about the intellectual and his influences for writing Salome, published in 1892.

The actor will also speak to some of Trinity's students about Wilde's time as an undergraduate at the college.