Tubs gets the freedom of Connemara!

Date Published: 15-Jun-2011

Connemara Chamber of Commerce is to honour its most famous adopted son, Ryan Tubridy, with a key symbolising the Freedom of the Area next month.

The ceremony, which is planned for July 16 in the Abbeyglen Hotel, is in recognition for the “support and hard work he has shown for Connemara over the last ten years” according to Chamber President Brian Hughes.

The first of its kind event was the brainchild of Mr. Hughes, who took over leadership of Chamber last January – and who is also the RTE star’s cousin.

“We’re doing it as a thank you, not as an advertising gimmick, it’s going to be for the good of everyone involved. We’re always very good at taking, we think it’s about time to give something back,” he said. The hotelier said his cousin was “delighted with the news.”

A frequent visitor to the area, Ryan is known for his tweets on “Pining for Connemara” and often quoted in interviews about his fondness for the area.

The Chamber hopes to present further keys to other personalities for their efforts to promote Connemara. One such recipient will be French singer Michel Sardou, the aging ‘chanteur’ best remembered for his 1981 international hit ‘Les Lacs du Connemara’.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.