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President Higgins follows in Bill Clinton and Terry Wogan's footsteps and gets freedom of his birthplace

President Higgins was born in Limerick on 18 April 1941.

President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, awarded Freedom of Limerick President Michael D Higgins with an artwork painted by the late Jack Donovan which was presented to him by Cathaoirleach Kevin Sheahan Diarmuid Greene / Fusionshooters Diarmuid Greene / Fusionshooters / Fusionshooters

Updated 6pm

PRESIDENT MICHAEL D. Higgins was today bestowed with the Freedom of Limerick City.

President Higgins was born in Limerick on 18 April 1941.

He follows in the footsteps of previous recipients Eamon De Valera, Bill Clinton, John F Kennedy, JP McManus and Terry Wogan.

Contribution to Limerick 

President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, awarded Freedom of Limerick President Michael D Higgins and Former Mayor of Limerick Frank Prendergast Diarmuid Greene / Fusionshooters Diarmuid Greene / Fusionshooters / Fusionshooters

The honour is reserved for those who have made exceptional or unique contributions to the common good or to persons who have made outstanding contributions to the business, commercial, educational or cultural life of Limerick.

Limerick City and County Council agreed to award the Freedom of Limerick to President Higgins in August.

Cathaoirleach of Limerick City and County Council, Councillor Kevin Sheahan said at the time:

President Higgins is renowned for cherishing and promoting our national culture in all its diversity and richness. We want to celebrate and recognise the President’s unique contribution to Irish life, particularly as he is the sole patron of Limerick City of Culture.

A Limerick man 

President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, awarded Freedom of Limerick President Michael D Higgins and John Collins Diarmuid Greene / Fusionshooters Diarmuid Greene / Fusionshooters / Fusionshooters

Speaking at the ceremony today, President Higgins said it was a very special day for him as a Limerick man.

He recalled some of his family history, of how he was baptised in St. Munchin’s Church and how his father rented a premises as a pub in Little Catherine Street and later bought a pub at old number 3 Upper William Street.

In the succeeding years, due to illness and the economic circumstances of the time, he, my mother and my sisters faced difficult times as he faced unemployment and my parents and my two sisters moved constantly between a number of rented flats in the city: the journey that began where we were all born in 27 Belfield Park, and went on through Upper Gerald Griffin Street, back to old number 7 Upper William Street, a retail miscalculation as people were on ration books, then on to 3 Landsdowne Gardens (otherwise known as the Burma Road), Laurel Villas, upstairs in 10 Coleraine Terrace, and finally, 24 Elm Place, Rathbane.My brother and I had been brought from Limerick to our uncle and aunt’s home in Ballycar, Newmarket-on-Fergus in Co. Clare in August 1946.We were 5 and 4, and we visited Limerick from time to time, including visiting at times of excitement such as the great Todd’s fire which changed the city.

He paid tribute to the council and to Limerick City of Culture, of which he is patron. However, while he said it was a time for celebration for Limerick he said many Limerick families are going hard times.

“The character and the solidarity and care for each other among the people of this city is well reflected,” he said.

First published 0.859am

 Read: Who won the war in Northern Ireland? The British, so says a new BBC documentary>

Read: Ireland and Apple’s tax relationship makes the front page of the Financial Times>

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30 Comments
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    Mute Flash Gordon
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    Sep 29th 2014, 9:27 AM

    And Paul O’Connell !

    52
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    Mute neeneee
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    Sep 29th 2014, 9:52 AM

    Tata boy wee Micky D with the big belly

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    Mute Very fond of
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    Sep 29th 2014, 9:57 AM

    And Jimmy Carroll

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    Mute Fluich It
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    Sep 29th 2014, 3:22 PM

    That affected accent he has does not come from limerick. Maybe it’s a leprechaun accent?

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    Mute Trevor Weafer
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    Sep 29th 2014, 3:51 PM

    He’s a brilliant ambassador for our county. Highly intelligent and connected with what’s going on and very down to earth.

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    Mute Flash Gordon
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    Sep 29th 2014, 7:43 PM

    Agree T . Wonder would we have the same amount of slagging of our President if it was a she ala Mary Robinson ( shagged off when she got a better job) Mary McAleese not even Irish!

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    Mute Moccy Fondoo
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    Sep 29th 2014, 10:05 PM

    Good man Michael D. – I like the user name…

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    Mute Dublinjonny_No.2
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    Sep 29th 2014, 2:13 PM

    A politician on a huge salary and a massive pension on the way … What a National Hero . No gesture to the people of Limerick that are working tirelessly to improve life in the city , people bringing help to the homeless , people who are working with special needs children , people who are caring for the elderly . Not to mention the doctors and nurses that are saving lives on a daily basis and helping peoples pass away in comfort and with dignity. No lets celebrate a career politician

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    Mute Truthy Truth
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    Sep 29th 2014, 2:45 PM

    you mean like you want the little people honoured?

    True though, like i said it should be up to the citizens of cities who they want honoured not councillors.

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    Mute Liam Ó Séicspéir
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    Sep 29th 2014, 10:46 AM

    Bill Clinton wasn’t born in Limerick.

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    Mute Flash Gordon
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    Sep 29th 2014, 4:03 PM

    Neither was JFK.

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    Mute Sean O'Keeffe
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    Sep 29th 2014, 6:01 PM

    Neither was Dev or Higgins.

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    Mute Flash Gordon
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    Sep 29th 2014, 7:38 PM

    Dev was born in Bruree !

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    Mute De Grouch
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    Sep 29th 2014, 9:00 PM

    Wrong, he was born in America.

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    Mute Flash Gordon
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    Sep 29th 2014, 9:34 PM

    You’re correct – lived in Bruree. Played the US card in 1916 so he couldn’t be shot !!!!

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    Mute Noel Deegan
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    Sep 30th 2014, 8:04 PM

    Flash Gordon is fiction, so what would you know.

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    Mute BC
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    Sep 29th 2014, 9:53 AM

    No better man, fair play Micky D.

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    Mute CeannComhairleDollop
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    Sep 29th 2014, 10:52 AM

    Its wonderful he can return to his birthplace without being charged an admission fee.

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    Mute CMac59
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    Sep 29th 2014, 4:18 PM

    Michael D. Higgins was in South American in the 1980s and 1990s looking the defend peoples rights and open society. Back home, a less exotic place and with much reduced expenses for travelling, abuse of women in state placed laundries run by nuns, children exported to America for adoption and the church abuse in schools and industrial schools all went unnoticed by the great liberator and defender of human dignity! And he is to be granted even more honours! I despair for Ireland.

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    Mute Chris Kirk
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    Sep 29th 2014, 7:07 PM

    I wouldn’t want to walk in anyone’s footsteps in case I dirty my shoes on someone else’s shite. Reminds me of an Obama story that is doing the roands whereas the US President was invited to meet some Indian chiefs at a special commemoration. They gave him a special plaque and called him ‘Walking Eagle’. Afterwards one of the media presenters spoke to one of the Indian chiefs to ask for a translation of what ‘Walking Eagle’ meant. “It means, said the chief, that the bird can’t fly because it is so full of it’s own shite”.

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    Mute Moccy Fondoo
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    Sep 29th 2014, 10:03 PM

    ROFLMAO…..!!!

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    Mute Tony Le Blanc
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    Sep 29th 2014, 4:57 PM

    Freedom of the Shire eh? Must be great celebrations in Middle Earth today.

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    Mute CMac59
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    Sep 29th 2014, 3:10 PM

    It ,means the Chairman of the Labour party that with FG introduced brutal austerity to Ireland won’t have to pay for a glass of water in Limerick city again! Expect to see him a lot more in that city.

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    Mute John Ward
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    Sep 29th 2014, 9:54 AM

    There was an old fellow named Mick…..

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    Mute Truthy Truth
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    Sep 29th 2014, 1:01 PM

    Can we take terry wogans back please. I welcome the freedom for michael D but shouldn’t the freedom of Cities be something that the citizens decide.

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    Mute Winston Teardrops
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    Sep 29th 2014, 3:08 PM

    Wogan never missed a chance to ‘big us up’ on UK airwaves – both the city and country. Well deserved.

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    Mute Seán A Haon
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    Sep 29th 2014, 2:53 PM

    He’ll be pasturing sheep in Stephen’s Green any day now..

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    Mute Fluich It
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    Sep 29th 2014, 3:23 PM

    That’s in Dublin in case you hadn’t noticed.

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    Mute Jason Bourne
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    Sep 30th 2014, 2:03 AM

    Lol

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    Mute Partysauras Rex
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    Sep 29th 2014, 3:45 PM

    Thought it said he was born in 1841 for a second.

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