Martin J Walsh, the Irish-American Democrat Mayor of the City of Boston, Martin J Walsh, will next week become the first individual to be granted the Freedom of the County of Galway.
Mayor Walsh will be given the honour on Monday May 14 at 4.30pm at a special meeting of Galway County Council in Áras an Chontae, Prospect Hill. The Bostonian has County Galway roots, with family ties to Rosmuc and Carna. He has been a frequent visitor to Connemara since childhood.
“The Freedom is bestowed on Mr Walsh in recognition of his work as a proud Irish-American, the first generation son of Connemara emigrants from Carna and Rosmuc, and a dual citizenship holder,” said Cllr Eileen Mannion, Cathaoirleach of the County of Galway. “His emphatic victory in retaining the mayorship of Boston in 2017 she notes, ‘is a vote of confidence in his abilities in that role and support from the Irish-American and diverse communities of Boston and is an inspiration to Galway people everywhere.”
Mayor Walsh has campaigned on behalf of the undocumented Irish diaspora, and for immigrants generally. He has also served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
The Granting of the Freedom of the County of Galway will be witnessed by the members and executives of Galway County Council and invited guests from public, business, and community, and cultural life in the county. Members of Mayor Walsh’s family will also attend. The award will follow a schedule of events in the preceding days in Galway city and Carna.
