Agenda and draft minutes

The MC for the occasion, Councillor Deirdre Heney, welcomed the invited guests to the Round Room at the Mansion House on this historic occasion. The ceremonial procession, the Sword and Mace bearers, the Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy accompanied by her ADC, and Duncan Stewart followed by the Chief Executive, Owen Keegan, then entered the Round room at 7p.m. and made their way to the stage.

The MC, Cllr Deirdre Heney, read the resolution of the City Council that approved the conferral of the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin on Duncan Stewart & Greta Thunberg. The resolution, adopted unanimously by Dublin City Council at its meeting held on 12^th June 2023, was as follows:

“The Dublin City Council hereby resolves that the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin be conferred on Duncan Stewart and Greta Thunberg and that their names be inscribed on the Roll of Honorary Freedom of Dublin, pursuant to the provisions of Section 74 of the Local Government Act 2001, in recognition of their enormous contribution to the City of Dublin in relation to Environmental Activism.”

The Lord Mayor then welcomed those present to the historic Round Room in the Mansion House for this special occasion.  She outlined that one of the privileges of the Lord Mayor is to propose names for the conferral of the Freedom of the City.This is the highest honour that can be given by the City of Dublin and since 1876 only 86 people have received this honour, only 7 of these have been women.

All 86 recipients have been people who either contributed significantly to the life of Dublin City or were important international visitors.

Acknowledging the support of her colleagues on Dublin City Council, the Lord Mayor said it was a great honour to propose Duncan Stewart and Greta Thunberg for the award and expressed her delight in their acceptance, as they are both deserving of this prestigious award.

She acknowledged the significant contributions they have both made to the future of our city, and more widely to our country and our world, in very different ways. 

She paid tribute to the recipients for their integrity as well as their work in

raising awareness of the twin challenges that define our age: climate and biodiversity. They have demonstrated a resolve, a determination and a resilience. They are passionate in their pursuit of a better future for the people of Dublin and of this entire world. They have spoken up for causes that, at best, don’t always get the attention that they deserve, and at worst, are met with considerable opposition, not least from vested interests.

The Lord Mayor then spoke about each recipient:

Duncan is an Award-winning architect and media producer. He is Ireland’s most well-known and respected environmentalist. With an activism stretching back to 1969 from his student days at UCD where he studied architecture, he was producer and presenter of the highly acclaimed Eco Eye, Ireland’s longest running environmental television series, that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.