Emmy-winning actor and writer Chris O'Dowd has been honoured with the Freedom of County Roscommon at a ceremony in his hometown of Boyle.
The county council decided to honour their most famous son after he put Boyle on the world map with his TV comedy series Moone Boy.
The 35-year-old was joined by his pregnant wife Dawn O'Porter, parents Seán and Denise and friends for the occasion which he described as “hugely meaningful”.
During the ceremony, which took place in King House, Boyle, the Broadway and Hollywood star quipped: “I was not aware Roscommon had enslaved me.”
While researching for his speech on the night, O’Dowd said he discovered that Roscommon has the longest life expectancy in all of Ireland: “I know everybody is surprised. I like to think it is because Roscommon people have more to live for but it is probably because without an A&E Department we are too afraid to die.
“It’s a joke. What we lack in clean water we make up for in dirty jokes. I know councillor ... I know ... it is nobody’s fault.”
Jokes aside, the Moone Boy creator, who put Boyle on the map, became emotional as he listed the things he would tell his child about his home town and county: “I will tell her how lucky her Dad was, how in an ever-changing Ireland, Roscommon has stayed true to itself. I love it.
“It is not a rich man’s weekend getaway, it is a breeding ground for artists and entertainers like John Reilly, Maureen O’Sullivan and and John Carty.”
