The mayor of Fermoy has welcomed the decision by Cork City Council to confer the freedom of the city on Irish dancer Michael Flatley.
Councillor Tim Carey, who attended the US-born dancer's wedding last year, said yesterday the people of Flatley's "adopted home town of Fermoy" would be delighted to hear that the prestigious honour was being conferred on him.
"This couldn't happen to a better man in my lifetime," Mr Carey said. "Michael Flatley bought the estate [ in Fermoy] and has put so much money into it. He is quite generous, too.
"Recently there was a fundraiser for someone who needed a car with wheelchair access and Michael was first in with a very generous offer. He is not the multimillionaire type you would expect - he is a very down-to- earth man."
It is understood the City Hall ceremony will not take place before the birth of Flatley's first child in April.