Minutes:
The MC for the occasion, Councillor Anne Feeney,
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 Alison Gilliland accompanied by her ADC,
Ailbhe Smyth, Professor Mary Aiken and
Kellie Harrington followed by the Chief Executive, Owen
Keegan, then entered the Round
room at 8pm and made their way to the stage.
The MC, Cllr Anne Feeney, read the
resolution of the City Council that
approved the conferral of the Honorary
Freedom of the City of Dublin on Ailbhe Smyth, Professor Mary Aiken
and Kellie Harrington. The resolution, adopted unanimously by
Dublin City Council at its meeting held on 9th May 2022,
was as follows:
“That Dublin City Council hereby resolves that the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin be conferred on Ailbhe Smyth, Prof. Mary Aiken and Kellie Harrington 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 Cyberpsychology, Online Safety & Security, Human Rights, Social Justice & Academia and Community, Care & Sport”
The Lord Mayor gave a brief history of The Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin. The honour dates from the late 1800s and those conferred with the Honorary Freedom were required to own the following:
She explained that the reason for this attire was that their main duty was to be ready todefend the city from attack. Indeed it was this ability to defend the city that informed the choice of awardee. While the types of attacks may differ in modern times she sincerely hoped the city does not have to call on the three awardees too often into the future although she knows that if we do they won’t let us down.
To compensate for such an onerous duty the awardees can also benefit from some ancient privileges including:
· The right to a trial by jury
· The right to bring goods into Dublin without paying customs duties
· The right to pasture sheep on common ground in the City – St. Stephen’s Green or Hoggen Green which is now known as College Green.
The Lord Mayor informed the gathering that The Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin is thehighest honour that can be given by the City of Dublin. It is conferred on people who have contributed significantly to the life of Dublin City or who have been important international visitors. Since 1876 only 83 people have received this honour. The first recipient was Isaac Butt and the most recent were Jim Gavin in January 2020 and Dr. Tony Holohan in June 2021.
However she noted that of the 83 recipients of the Freedom of the City , only 4 entered in the Roll of Honour have been women.
· Margaret Sandhurst who campaigned for votes for women who was awarded the Freedom along with her husband, James, in 1889
· Maureen Potter, beloved entertainer who was honoured in 1984
· The then Crown Princess of Japan Akihito who along with her husband was honoured during a visit to Ireland in 1985
· And Mother Teresa of Calcutta who was honoured in 1993
The Lord Mayor said that the Freedom of the City was the highest honour the Lord Mayor and City can bestow and that such a responsibility was one she did not take lightly. She acknowledged the significant gender imbalance in the Roll of Honour and said that this was something that weighed heavy on her. It had been her intention to begin to address this imbalance by bestowing this Freedom of the City to women. The recipients are exemplars of women that show the immense diversity of accomplishments that women in general make every day to the city.
Acknowledging the support of her colleagues on Dublin City Council, the Lord Mayor said it was a great honour to propose Ailbhe Smyth, Prof Mary Aiken and Kellie Harrington for this award. They are all worthy additions to the Roll of Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin.
The Lord Mayor then spoke about each of the recipients:
The first recipient, Dublin women Ailbhe Smyth is an academic and prominent social justice activist both in the area of LGBT+ rights and women’s rights. She established the Women’s Education, Research and Resource Centre at UCD in 1990 and was a long time campaigner for the repeal of Eighth Amendment including acting as the co-director of the Together for Yes national referendum campaign. She was a founding member of Marriage Equality that was so central to the 2015 same-sex marriage rights referendum and chaired the National LGBT Federation for over 10 years. She continues to lecture and inspire worldwide and is also currently Chairperson of the Ballyfermot STAR Addiction Services and is a member of the Board of Age Action. Ailbhe has been central to so much of the social progression in our country. She has been a key, consistent undeterred and resilient activist and her activism has led to real and meaningful change. She walks the talk of upholding and defending human rights and striving for social justice and is so deserving of this our City’s highest honour.
A short video on Ailbhe Smyth was shown after which she was then called forward to sign the Roll of Honorary Freedom and accept her Award and Scroll. Ms. Smyth expressed her gratitude for the Honour and thanked the Lord Mayor and Councillors.
The next recipient, Professor Mary Aiken isone of the world’s leading experts in Cyberpsychology – the study of the impact of technology on human behaviour. She has advised at Irish, European and International levels in policy debates at the intersection of psychology, criminology and technology. In particular, she has contributed to Irish legislation in the area of online safety and digital protection of children. Mary is dedicated to the creation of a safer and more secure online environment for the people of Dublin, the people of Ireland, and worldwide. Her 2016 book, The Cyber Effect, gives a powerful insight into how human behaviour changes online. Amongst other institutions she has worked with INTERPOL and the Obama White House.
In an era where we are so dependent on, and indeed influenced by, technology, the web and cyberspace Mary’s passion and expertise to ensure we balance the benefits and opportunities afforded by this area with upholding personal rights and safety is most pertinent. Indeed, in an era where cyber-attacks are common place Mary with her invaluable knowledge and skills is most deserving of this our City’s highest honour.
A short video of Mary was shown after which she was then called forward to sign the Roll of Honorary Freedom and accept her Award and Scroll. Ms. Aiken expressed her gratitude for the Honour and thanked the Lord Mayor and Councillors.
The final recipient was Kellie Harrington. The Lord Mayor spoke about how most people know Kellie Harrington from her most incredible sporting achievements - a silver medallist in the light welterweight division at the 2016 Women's World Boxing Championships, a gold medallist in the lightweight division at the 2018 Women's World Boxing Championships and most recently, lifting the entire nation along the way, a gold medallist in the lightweight division at the Tokyo Olympic Games last August. A young female reaching these heights in a very male dominated sport and one that is not always well resourced for girls and women is no mean feat.
However, the Lord Mayor explained that she did not propose Kellie for this award only for her sporting achievements. In fact, the main reason Kellie is most deserving of this our City’s highest honour is for the human being that Kellie is. She is the most caring, humble and inspiring ambassador and role model for our city and in particular her local community in the North East Inner City. Kellie is always thinking of the well-being of others and her community ahead of her own achievements. She knows the difficulties and temptations our young people face because she’s faced them herself. She has shown how finding your thing and working hard at it, taking the hits and getting up, not giving up, can realise your talent and potential and that determination and persistence can lead to success and fulfilment, not to mention global recognition. Kellie brings out the best in us and asks us to be better people, to care more for each other. She is a real inspiration for us all in the good times and the bad times.
A short video of Kellie was shown when she was then called forward to sign the Roll of Honorary Freedom and accept her Award and Scroll. Ms. Harrington expressed her gratitude for the Honour and thanked the Lord Mayor and Councillors.
The Lord Mayor concluded the meeting acknowledging the recipients and thanking her fellow members of Dublin City Council, the staff of the Media Relations Department in Dublin City Council and a very particular thanks to her dedicated and committed Mansion House staff for their flawless organising.
The MC, Councillor Anne Feeney, declared the formal part of the ceremony to be overand invited the ceremonial party to process from the stage. A meal was served and the dignitaries mingled with guests, family and friends.