Freedom of the City of Dublin conferred upon famous singer, John McCormack
Tenor predicts a School of Music for Dublin to stem the flow of Irish artists overseas to learn
Dublin, 7 September 1923 - The Freedom of the City of Dublin was yesterday conferred upon the famous, and world-renowned, tenor, Count John McCormack.
The honour was conferred upon Mr. McCormack by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alderman Alfie Byrne, at a ceremony at the Mansion House before a large attendance which included many well-known figures from Irish music circles. This was followed by a lunch at the nearby Shelbourne Hotel. Mr. McCormack was accompanied throughout by his wife, Mrs. McCormack, who was presented with a bouquet of carnations by the young daughter of the Lord Mayor.
Making his first public appearance in some time, the Lord Mayor said that he had no doubt that the decision of his colleagues to confer the Freedom of the City upon on Mr. McCormack, was influenced by two principal considerations - firstly, Mr. Mccormack’s considerable achievements and what he stood for; and secondly, as a tribute to what he had done for Ireland.
Others who spoke at the ceremony included Senator Jenny Wyse Power and Senator Thomas Farren, the latter describing the singer as the greatest artist the world knows today and someone of whom Irishmen and Irishwomen were all proud. The signing of the roll of Freeman of the City by Mr. McCormack was followed by several minutes of sustained applause.
Later, at the luncheon held in his honour, Mr. McCormack paid tribute to those songwriters who came before him and expressed his confidence in the future of music education in Ireland now that difficulties of recent years could be put behind the country.‘If the great folk tunes of Ireland had never been written, John McCormack might never have been a Freeman of the City of Dublin’, he acknowledged, adding that it was ‘those who wrote and inspired the folk tunes’ who were the ones who should be honoured.
Looking forward, Mr. McCormack said that he was convinced that in the better times that lay ahead for Ireland the country would have a School of Music in Dublin which he hoped, endorsing comments made by Alderman Clark, would mean that Irish artists did not have to move abroad to learn.
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Pathé newsreel report of John McCormack receiving freedom of Dublin City. This event took place in 1923 and not 1924 as indicated on Pathé website.
[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]
