The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Senator Joe Doyle, last night described Gay Byrne as "a true Dub . . . one of our own".
On a blustery May evening on a huge stage in front of the Mansion House, Gaybo was given Dublin's greatest honour, the Freedom of the City, in recognition of his contribution to Irish culture.
The crowd of only several hundred was disappointing. But they were cheered by a jazz band and there was no doubt about the warmth of feeling for Ireland's most accomplished broadcaster.
The Lord Mayor hardly needed to list his achievements as host and producer of the longest-running chat show in TV history; it had shaped and mirrored the modernisation of Ireland since the 1960s. "You made it all look so easy. You threw in the ball and sat back and let it all happen on air," he said as Mr Byrne became the 64th Freeman of Dublin.