SNIPPET: Not many people have been conferred with the honorary title of Freeman or Freewoman of the City of Dublin - 74 in all, since it was instituted in 1468. Benefits are limited, but include the right to graze sheep on the city's common land for free. Recipients include John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela. Now County Wicklow has gotten into the act, and has conferred its first ever freedom of the county on the distinguished American film actor Daniel Day-Lewis, who resides in Wicklow with his wife Rebecca, daughter of playwright Arthur Miller, and their children. Daniel is the son of the late Anglo-Irish poet laureate of England, Cecil Day-Lewis. Speaking at the ceremony, Daniel Day-Lewis gave a splendid testimony to the quality of life in his adopted county. "Living here for the past 15 years, there has been complete harmony in my life. I have been completely absorbed into the nobility of the Wicklow hills around me. This is the place that sustains me. This is where I have planted myself. It is a refuge where I restore myself." Day-Lewis, one of the finest actors of modern times, has won two Oscars ("My Left Foot," and "There Will Be Blood"), and also starred in films such as "In The Name of the Father" and "Gangs of New York." Wicklow County Council said that the Freedom was to "pay tribute to his remarkable contribution and outstanding achievements in the international film industry and in so doing bringing honor to the county." However, unlike Dublin, it doesn't entitle him to graze his sheep for free in the county. -- Excerpt, Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine July-Aug 2009.