Le Brocquy and Kinsella to get freedom of Dublin

Dublin City Council last night agreed to confer the Freedom of the City on artist Louis le Brocquy and poet Thomas Kinsella.

Councillors of all parties unanimously backed the proposal by Lord Mayor Vincent Jackson to honour the men who, Mr Jackson said, had made an "outstanding contribution" to the city.

Independent councillor Mick Rafferty commended Mr Jackson's choice. The careers of Kinsella and le Brocquy overlapped both in time and subject, he said.

"Both their works are an expression of mystery and alienation, beauty and truth."

Le Brocquy had celebrated lives often forgotten in his series of "Tinker" paintings while Kinsella had made a "fabulous contribution" to Irish literature both with his translation of The Táin, an edition of which carried drawings by le Brocquy, and for his "poetry of the dispossessed", Mr Rafferty said.

Labour Party councillor Kevin Humphreys said the honour for the men who had done so much for Irish art and literature was fitting and long overdue.

"They are now in the autumn of their lives; it is certainly time that they were acknowledged by this city."

Mr Jackson said he was grateful for the volume of support his proposal had received.

Kinsella (79) and le Brocquy (90) will be honoured at a ceremony at the Mansion House later this year. The Freedom of the City has been conferred on only 72 people since 1876. Bob Geldof and Ronnie Delany received the honour last year.