Freedom Of The City
Published on 29th January 2013
The Freedom of the City of Dublin is the highest civic honour bestowed by Dublin City Council. It honours the contribution made by people to Dublin or important visitors to the city.
Since the creation of the honour, only seventy-eight people have been awarded the Freedom of the City. These chosen few are drawn from various aspects of society including the arts, politics, and sport.
On 22nd March 2014, the veteran campaigner for the homeless, Fr Peter McVerry, and the rugby legend, Brian O'Driscoll, were both declared Honorary Freemen of the City of Dublin.
This image gallery depicts some of the Freedom of the City ceremonies dating from 1961 to 2014.
Read more about the Freedom of the City. See also the full list of recipients of the Freedom of the City Award.
Further Resources
Dublin City Libraries has a wide range of sources on the social, political, and cultural history of Dublin, some of which are available online and some through the Dublin City Libraries network.
The Reading Room, Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street holds a wealth of material on the history of Dublin, including books, pamphlets, journals, street directories, and almanacs.
The following online resources can be accessed free of charge at your local library. Ask library staff for information and assistance.
- DRI - Digital Repository of Ireland is a national digital repository for Ireland’s humanities, social sciences, and cultural heritage data. Here you will find select digital collections of Dublin City Library and Archive. Highlights of the collection include the Fáilte Ireland Photographic Collection, the Jacobs Biscuit Factory Photographic Archive, Wide Street Commission and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association Archive.
- Irish Times Digital Archive: This online archive service gives access to contemporary editions of the Irish Times from the mid-nineteenth century until the present.
- Irish Newspaper Archive: This online archive service gives access to contemporary editions of the Irish Independent and a range of other newspapers.
- The Ireland-JSTOR Collection: This online archive of academic articles can also be accessed free of charge at your local library.
For further reading, consult the Library Catalogue.