President Catherine Connolly awarded Freedom of Galway City - ‘All people are free, all people are equal’
President Catherine Connolly was given the highest form of honour from Galway City Council today.
At a ceremony hosted at the Hardiman Hotel in Eyre Square today, June 12, President Connolly joined a long list of Galway idols as she received the 33rd Freedom of the City of Galway.
She now shares this title with Douglas Hyde, John F. Kennedy, Pope John Paul II, Mary Bennett, and Michael D Higgins as well as 27 others “who have left a lasting mark on our city,” Mayor Mike Cubbard said.
L-R Michael D Higgins, President Catherine Connolly, Mary Bennett, and Keith Finnegan
Also in attendance were Freedom of the City recipients and Galway locals, businesswoman Mary Bennett and radio personality Keith Finnegan.
The theme of the President’s acceptance speech, given in Irish and English, surrounded the necessity for international peace.
“We need to return to first principles, that all people are free, and all people are equal,” President Connolly said in her speech. “We must reclaim the language of universal human rights, and we have to defend the structures that were set up to implement those rights.”
“The structures built to prevent war are being undermined by the some of the very states that built them. In place of ‘all are equal’, we are back to the language of ‘might is right’. War itself is being normalised.”
President Connolly shakes the hands of Galway City Councillors upon arrival.
“Ireland, given our history, is uniquely placed to call out what is happening and to show leadership. We are an independent, neutral republic,” she urged. “That commitment places a duty on all of us.”
Mayor Cubbard presented President Connolly with a commemorative scroll in a case made from Irish Bog Oak and handcrafted by local Galway artists.
President Connolly held a City Council sit beginning in 1991. In 2004, she was named mayor, becoming the first female Labour Party councillor to hold the seat, before being elected as a Galway West TD in 2016.
“Her years in local government were marked by diligence, independence of thought, and over nearly two decades as a city councillor, she approached her work with a clear sense of responsibility, not just for policy and process, but to the people behind every issue that came to the fore in the Council Chamber,” Mayor Cubbard said before distinguished guests.
“As Mayor, she brought a thoughtful and a principled approach to leadership.”
Upon arrival, Mayor Cubbard gifted President Connolly with a welcome basket.
“[Her] contributions have left a lasting impact on this city and on the wider public life of our country. It is fitting that Galway City should now honour you in this way.”
In 2025, she was elected as Uachtarán na hÉireann.
“President Catherine Connolly’s story is, in many ways, a Galway story,” Chief Executive of Galway City Council Leonard Cleary said. “President Connolly has also consistently demonstrated a deep respect for and interest in Gaeilge, recognising the language not only as an important part of our national identity, but as a living and valued part of everyday life in Galway.”