Matt Damon was the subject of an April Fool’s Day joke when he was awarded the honour, ‘freeman’ of Dún Laoghaire. The Hollywood actor was commemorated for his unparalleled stay in Dalkey last summer, where he made home during the pandemic.
Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Co Council and Green Party councillor, Una Power unveiled a plaque, at a virtual event on Wednesday. Hosted by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, the event commemorated Damon’s work within the town, granting the Bourne Identity star ‘Freedom of the County’.
The blockbuster star was unable to attend the event due to prior commitments, with Damon currently filming in Australia. Matt spent three months in Dublin during lockdown, returning to Ireland in September to finish filming his upcoming film, The Last Duel. Without much happening in the town over the last 12 months, it has been said that Damon’s arrival was the most exciting thing to happen there since Dealz opened.
In a statement released by the Council, Damon is said to be honoured by the county “for his work in promoting our beautiful coastline, local culture, retail establishments, as well as demonstrating excellence in environmental consciousness in reusing plastic shopping bags, while temporarily residing in the historic seaside town of Dalkey in May 2020.”
“It is a great privilege to award Mr Damon the Freedom of the County and unveil this plaque to commemorate such an important event,” said Power. “Mr Damon truly embraced our local customs and traditions and played an important role in promoting local amenities and businesses. There will always be a warm welcome for him in his adopted hometown.”
Damon was spotted and captured on camera on numerous occasions, leading by example in the fight against unrecycled plastics. Although he was unable to attend today’s virtual event, Councillor Power will be sending the Certificate of Honour by courier pigeon to Matt, along with a note wishing him a Happy April Fools’ Day.
An Cathaoirleach, @unapower is honouring Matt Damon as a Freeman of the County of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown!
Full story here: https://t.co/Ppaj3DVQgo pic.twitter.com/ENU9aEuNEh
— Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (@dlrcc) April 1, 2021
