KILKENNY HURLING manager Brian Cody and former ceann comhairle Séamus Pattison have both been awarded the freedom of their home city.
The two men were conferred as Freemen of Kilkenny at a specially convened meeting of the city’s borough council on Saturday night.
Mayor of Kilkenny Pat Crotty said the honour of freeman is the “greatest tribute” the people can bestow.
“I feel overwhelmed, overawed and a little bit over the moon,” said Mr Pattison, who served as a TD without interruption for 46 years having successfully contested 12 general elections.
Mr Cody was unanimously voted for the honour by council members for his contribution to Kilkenny hurling.
Kilkenny has won six All-Ireland hurling titles, nine Leinster titles and four National Hurling League titles, since he took up the manager’s post in 1999.
Mr Pattison, who served as ceann comhairle to the 28th Dáil and as minister of state for the then department of social welfare (1983 to 1987), was honoured for a lifetime of public service.
Accepting the award, Mr Pattison said he felt “a bit inadequate to qualify for such an honour” and that it had been “an honour in itself to serve the people for 46 years”.
“In honouring me, you are honouring great people down through the years,” said Mr Pattison who paid tribute to his father James, who had served in the Dáil for 22 years.
Mr Cody told the gathering in the Parade Tower at Kilkenny Castle that he was aware of the “huge honour” being bestowed upon him.
“Hurling and Kilkenny are inseparable,” said Mr Cody who holds five All-Ireland medals of his own as a player between 1975 and 1986.
The 54-year-old primary school teacher said he accepted the award on behalf of “everyone who is involved and who has been involved with hurling in Kilkenny down through the years”.
During his speech, Mr Crotty referred to a controversial secret ballot held last year, which resulted in Mr Pattison not receiving a unanimous vote for the award of freeman.
“A wrong was done to Séamus Pattison and that wrong has now been righted,” said Mr Crotty.
“Séamus does us more honour by accepting this award than any honour we do to him,” said Mr Crotty.
The conferring of freeman on a citizen of Kilkenny dates back to a 13th-century charter of the city and entitles the freeman to “drive his sheep or cattle through the main street”.
The honour also entitles the freeman the right to be put in a cab and taken home if he is found drunk on the street by a policeman.
The honour was last bestowed on artist Tony O’Malley in 1993.