2013 Press Releases
The Freedom of Cork
Dr Aodh Quinlivan, of the Department of Government will launch his book, The Freedom of Cork - A Chronicle of Honour, this Thursday 21 November at Cork City Hall.
The tradition of awarding the Freedom of the City still lives on in cities around the world. In Cork, awarding the Freedom of the City dates from the fourteenth century and this new book on the history of the honour will be launched by Lord Mayor Councillor Catherine Clancy.
Aodh Quinlivan said, "In Cork we have a tradition of awarding honorary burgesses, nationalist heroes, clergy and statesmen and more recently high achievers such as Roy Keane, Mary McAleese and Maureen Curtis-Black. Many of the rights or privileges associated with the award are symbolic such as the right to drive sheep and cattle through the city – in 2013 Stephen Fry took advantage of this by bringing a sheep across London Bridge while Bono and The Edge brought lambs to Stephen’s Green in 2000."
Roy Keane is back in the news with his new appointment as assistant manager of the Ireland team but as a proud Corkman, possibly a nicer part of his career was the day he was awarded the Freedom of Cork. On 14 June 2005 Roy, along with Sonia O’Sullivan, received the highest honour Cork city can bestow. Fellow recipients include John Fitzgerald Kennedy who received the honour just months before his death; Kuno Meyer whose name was removed from the roll in 1915 because of his pro-German speeches in America; Mary Robinson, the first woman to be granted the honour; and Monsignor Daniel Mannix who had to wait five years to accept his award as he was persona non grata in Ireland at the time due to his outspoken views on Irish nationalism – the then Prime Minister David Lloyd George even gave instructions that any ship carrying Mannix was not permitted to dock in Ireland.
This is a colourful first history of the award with fascinating stories and informative profiles of some of the major recipients. It brings to life the rich history associated with the awarding of the Freedom of the City in Cork by describing the history of the honour and provides an insight into how a society and democracy changed over time.
The Freedom of Cork – A Chronicle of Honour by Aodh Quinlivan is published by The Collins Press (price €24.99). It is available in all good bookshops and online from www.collinspress.ie. Lord Mayor Councillor Catherine Clancy will launch the book in the Council Chamber, Cork City Hall, on Thursday 21 November at 6.00 p.m.