Address by President Connolly on receiving the Freedom of the City of Galway
Hardiman Hotel, Galway, 12 June 2026
A Chairde Uaisle ar fad, is mór na onóir dom a bheith i bhur gcomhluadar inniu i nGaillimh agus Saoirse na Cathrach, cathair mo dhúchais, á bhronnadh orm.
Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le Méara na Cathrach, Mike Cubbard, agus leis na Comhairleoirí Cathrach ar fad as ucht an aitheantais seo. Freisin mo bhuíochas d'fhoireann uilig na foirne a rinne obair na gcapall chun an lá seo a réiteach.
Tá áilleacht ar leith ag baint leis an gCathair Dhátheangach seo atá suite i gCuan na Gaillimhe agus buailte leis an nGaeltacht is mó sa tír. Áilleacht a eascraíonn ón gcultúr, ó na healaíona agus ón meas agus ómós a léirítear do theanga ársa ár sinsear.
It is wonderful to be back in Galway, and to be honoured in this way, by the city that shaped and moulded me, is profoundly moving.
Over a period of 87 years, thirty-three people have received the Freedom of this City, and indeed I want to acknowledge and warmly welcome the former recipients who are with us today, including Iár-Uachtarán Michael D. Higgins, Mary Bennett, Keith Finnegan and John Killeen.
Is pribhléid faoi leith atá á bhronadh orm, aitheantas a bronnadh don chéad uair i Lúnasa na bliana 1939 ar chéad Uachtarán na hÉireann Dubhghlas de hÍde. Fear ildánach a chreid go mba cheart go mbeadh saoirse agus cearta ag muintir na tíre seo a dteanga féin a labhairt agus a úsáid mar ghnáth-theanga laethúil.
Tá sé suntasach, ar bhealach uafásach, go raibh Gradam Saoirse á bronnadh don chéad uair i gCathair na Gaillimh tráth go raibh tús á chur le huafás an dara Chogaidh Dhomhanda agus saoirse na milliún gan locht á scriosadh agus á réabadh ar fud na hEorpa. Bhí ábhar dóchais ag deireadh an chogaidh sin nuair a bunaíodh na Náisiúin Aontaithe agus é de chuspóir acu síocháin agus cearta daonna a chothú agus a chaomhnú ar fud an domhain.
Is cúis uafáis agus briseadh croí é, ochtó bliain ar aghaidh, go bhfuil neamhaird iomlán á dhéanamh ar phrionsabail bhunaithe na Náisiún Aontaithe. Tá cogaí á normálú agus ar bun ar fud an domhain ar chúiseanna sainte agus cumhachta agus ciníocha neamhurchóideacha á marú agus á ruaigeadh óna mbailte gan trócaire.
As we know, the first recipient of the Freedom of Galway was Dubhghlas de hÍde - scholar, founder of Conradh na Gaeilge, and first President of Ireland. He received this honour on the 31st of August 1939 and, as it turned out, it was the last day of peace in Europe. The following morning, Germany invaded Poland. Within three days, the world was at war.
Following that horrific war, the overwhelming feeling was to never let this happen again. The strength of that feeling and the horror of that war led directly to the groundbreaking Charter of the United Nations in 1945, which established the structures of a new international order – the General Assembly, the Security Council and the International Court of Justice. Along with that, every member nation, large and small, committed to settle disputes peacefully and never again resort to the use of force.
Building on that Charter, in 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights set out, for the first time in human history, the rights belonging to every person. Not because of nationality or religion, or power, but because we are human.
These founding documents gave the world hope and mapped out the way forward to resolve disputes peacefully.
Eighty years on, not only are these very same structures under attack but also the universal principles on which they are based.
We see judges of the International Court of Justice being sanctioned for doing their work. UN rapporteurs are punished for telling the truth. Human rights organisations are designated as terrorist organisations. Countries are invaded at will. 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.
We see the consequences of “might is right” before our eyes: genocide; famine, the displacement of approximately 118 million human beings from their homes, and the existential threat of climate change.
How have we come to this point? How have we allowed this to happen?
Urgent reflection on these questions must also be accompanied by action. Now, more than ever, we need courageous people to challenge the narrative of the inevitability of war, inequality and poverty.
We need to return to first principles, that all people are free, and all people are equal. We must reclaim the language of universal human rights, and we must defend the structures that were set up to ensure the implementation of those rights.
Ireland, given our history, is uniquely placed to call out what is happening and to show leadership. We are an independent, neutral republic. We are a country that knows famine, that knows emigration, and we know, on this island what it takes to move from armed conflict to peace; we have made that journey ourselves. Our Constitution in Article 29 commits us to “the ideal of peace and friendly cooperation amongst nations founded on international justice and morality.” That commitment places a duty on all of us.
Moreover, I have seen that desire for peace everywhere I have travelled as President.
Tá sé de dhualgas orainne seasamh ar son na daonnachta agus in aghaidh na tíorántachta, ní amárach nó uair éicint sa todhchaí, ach anois díreach. Ná bíodh sé le léamh i leabhair staire ár gcuid garpháistí nach ndearna muid tada.
Ag seasamh dom anseo i gCathair na Gaillimhe, os bhur gcomhair, mothaím spiorad ár sinsear i mo chroí, sinsear a sheas ar son na cirte, daoine a chreid sa meitheal, sa chomharsanacht agus sa chairdeas.
Is ábhar dóchais é sin dom, a chairde, dóchas go mbainfear saoirse amach, lenár gcabhair agus tacaiocht, dóibh siúd atá briste brúite ag brúidiúlacht a saoil.
Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas ó chroí a ghabháil arís libh, a Mhéara agus a Chomhairleoirí as ucht an Ghradaim seo.
Tuigim gur pribhléid ollmhór atá bronnta agaibh orm inniu. Geallaim daoibh agus do mhuintir na Cathrach uaisle seo go ndéanfaidh mé mo sheacht ndícheall bhur muinín ionam agus dualgais Ghradam Saoirse na Cathrach a chomhlíonadh le dúthracht agus díograis.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.