The following is a list of those who received the Honorary Freedom of Limerick since it was first established in 1877. The date they were admitted and Mayor in office at the time they were admitted.
Some Mayors honoured more people than others, with Alphonsus M. O’Mara topping the list with six honours. While John Daly, honoured his personal friends and family. As of 2020, only four women have received the Freedom of Limerick.
Honorary Freedom of Limerick, 1877-1899
- January 1, 1877 – Isaac Butt (1813-1879), M.P. for Limerick – Mayor James Spaight
- January 1, 1877 – Richard O’Shaughnessy (1842-1918), M.P. for Limerick – Mayor James Spaight
- July 14, 1880 – Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891), M.P. for Cork – Mayor Michael O’Gorman
- 1881 – John Dillon (1851-1927), M.P. for Dublin (not on the official list until 2010)
- April 14, 1884 – Michael Davitt (1846-1906), founder of the Irish Land League – Mayor Maurice Lenihan
- April 14, 1884 – Edward Dwyer Gray (1845-1888), M.P. for Carlow – Mayor Maurice Lenihan
- April 14, 1884 – Charles Dawson (1842-1917), M.P. for Carlow – Mayor Maurice Lenihan
- October 4, 1886 – William Ewart Gladstone, (1809-1898) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – Mayor Stephen O’Mara
- June 13, 1887 – William O’Brien (1852-1928), M.P. for Cork – Mayor Francis O’Keeffe
- February 3, 1888 – John Morley (1838-1933), M.P. for Newcastle-on-Tyne – Mayor Francis O’Keeffe
- February 3, 1888 – George Frederick Samuel (1827-1909), Marquis of Ripon – Mayor Francis O’Keeffe
- 1888 – Timothy Daniel Sullivan (1827-1914), composer of God Save Ireland (not on the official list until 2010)
- December 23, 1889 – Revd. James Francis Corbett (1838-1912), D.D., Roman Catholic Bishop of Sale, Australia – Mayor Francis O’Keeffe
- June 8, 1894 – Ishbel Maria Hamilton-Gordon (1857-1939), Countess of Aberdeen – Mayor Bryan O’Donnell
- June 14, 1894 – Cardinal Michael Logue (1840-1924), Bishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland – Mayor Bryan O’Donnell
- March 2, 1899 – Thomas Clarke (1858-1916), Irish revolutionary – Mayor John Daly (Clarke was married to Daly’s niece)
Honorary Freedom of Limerick, 1900-1999
- May 10, 1900 – James F. Egan (1844-1909) – Mayor John Daly (In 1884, Daly lived with Egan in Birmingham)
- June 16, 1900 – Thomas Myles (1857-1937), M.D., President Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland – Mayor John Daly
- December 13, 1900 – Maude Gonne (1866-1953), Irish revolutionary – Mayor John Daly
- October 20, 1903 – Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), Philanthropist – Mayor M. Donnelly
- October 2, 1908 – Joseph O’Mara (1864-1927), Singer – Mayor T Donnellan
- December 7, 1908 – Windham Wyndham-Quin (1841-1926), 4th Earl of Dunraven (removed from list in 1918, returned 2007)
- June 5, 1909 – Douglas Hyde (1860-1949), President of Gaelic League & 1st President of Ireland – Mayor T Donnellan
- September 13, 1909 – Captain Edward O’Meagher-Condon (1835-1915) – Mayor T Donnellan
- August 3, 1916 – Rev Dr. Edward O’Dwyer (1842-1917), Roman Catholic Bishop of Limerick – Stephen Quinn
- September 5, 1918 – Kathleen Clarke, née Daly (1878-1972), founding member of Cumann na mBan (wife of Thomas Clarke, niece of Mayor John Daly) – Mayor Alphonsus M. O’Mara (conferred Dec 1921 by Deputy Mayor Maire O’Donovan)
- September 5, 1918 – Eoin MacNeill (1867-1945), Sinn Féin politician – Mayor Alphonsus M. O’Mara (conferred Nov 1918)
- September 5, 1918 – Eamon de Valera (1882-1975), President of Ireland (1959–1973) – Mayor Alphonsus M. O’Mara (conferred Dec 1921)
- May 7, 1919 – Michael P. Ryan (1862–1943), Irish-American Diplomat, born Philadelphia – Mayor Alphonsus M. O’Mara
- May 7, 1919 – Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne (1853-1937), Irish-American Diplomat, Governor of Illinois – Mayor Alphonsus M. O’Mara
- May 7, 1919 – Frank P. Walsh (1864-1939), Irish-American Diplomat, born in Iowa – Mayor Alphonsus M. O’Mara
- August 5, 1925 – Rev Dr. Mannix (1964-1963), Archbishop of Melbourne, Australia – Mayor Paul A. O’Brien
- July 21, 1928 – Cardinal Van Rossum (1854-1932), Rome – Mayor M.J. Keyes
- July 21, 1928 – Rev Dr. Patrick Murray (1865-1959), Rome – Mayor M.J. Keyes
- July 21, 1928 – Monsignor Paschal Robinson (1870-1948), Nuncio Apostolic – Mayor M.J. Keyes
- April 21, 1932 – Rev Dr. Richard Downey (1881-1953), Archbishop of Liverpool – Mayor P. Donnellan
- February 27, 1936 – Dermod O’Brien (1865-1945), President Royal Hibernian Academy – Mayor M. Casey
- January 14, 1937 – William Griffin (1897-1949), Editor of New York Enquirer – Mayor Dan Bourke
- March 22, 1948 – Joseph Mary Flood (1882-1970), B.L. – Mayor Patrick O’Connell
- March 22, 1948 – Sean Keating (1889-1977), Artist. – Mayor Patrick O’Connell
- March 24, 1948 – Sean T. O’Ceallaigh (1882-1966), President of Ireland – Mayor Patrick O’Connell
- September 25, 1953 – Cardinal John Dalton (1882-1963), Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of Ireland – Mayor John Carew
- June 25, 1954 – Rev Gerald Patrick O’Hara (1895-1963), Bishop of Savannah, Atlanta, U.S.A. – Mayor John Carew
- August 15, 1962 – Cardinal Michael Browne (1887-1971) – Mayor Frances Condell
- June 29, 1963 – John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963), President of U.S.A – Mayor Frances Condell
- November 25, 1964 – Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda (b.1924), President of Zambia – Mayor John Danagher
- April 12, 1966 – Cardinal William Conway (1913-1977), Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of Ireland – Mayor Frank Leddin
- April 2, 1970 – Rev Joseph B. Whelan (1909-1990), Bishop of Owerri, Nigeria – Mayor Stephen Coughlan
- August 18, 1970 – Rev Robert Wyse-Jackson (1908-1976), Bishop of Limerick – Mayor Joseph P. Liddy
- October 1, 1979 – Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) – Mayor Bobby Byrne
- October 1, 1979 – Cardinal Tomas O’Fiaich (1923-1990), Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland – Mayor Bobby Byrne
- October 1, 1979 – Rev Gaetano Alibrandi (1914-2003), Archbishop of Binda – Mayor Bobby Byrne
- October 1, 1979 – Rev Jeremiah Newman (1926–1995), Bishop of Limerick – Mayor Bobby Byrne
- June 30, 1995 – Edward M. Walsh (b.1939), founder of the University of Limerick – Mayor Jim Kemmy
- June 30, 1995 – Ted Russell (1912-2004), Mayor of Limerick – Mayor Jim Kemmy
- June 30, 1995 – Brendan O’Regan (1917–2008), pioneer of the duty-free shop concept – Mayor Jim Kemmy
- July 11, 1997 – John Hunt (1957-2004) and Trudy Hunt (b. 1958), Hunt museum (siblings) – Mayor Kieran O’Hanlon
- September 1998 – Bill Clinton (b.1946), US President – Mayor Frank Leddin
Honorary Freedom of Limerick, 2000 to 2022
- May 11, 2001 – J. P. McManus (b.1951), racehorse owner – Mayor John Ryan
- May 11, 2001 – Bill Whelan (b.1950), composer and musician – Mayor John Ryan
- May 24, 2002 – Pat Cox (b.1952), European Parliament president – Mayor Dick Sadlier
- June 21, 2005 – Ciarán Mac Mathúna (1925–2009), Broadcaster – Mayor Michael Hourigan
- June 21, 2005 – Fr Aengus Finucane (1932-2009) and Fr Jack Finucane (1937-2017), founders of Concern (brothers) – Mayor Michael Hourigan
- July 15, 2007 – Terry Wogan (1938-2016), Broadcaster – Mayor Joe Leddin
- July 15, 2007 – Dr. Tom Ryan (1929-2021), Artist & President of the Royal Hibernian Academy – Mayor Joe Leddin
- April 22, 2012 – Paul O’Connell (b.1979), Rugby Player – Mayor Long
- September 29, 2014 – Michael D Higgins (b.1941), President of Ireland – Mayor (Cathaoirleach) Kevin Sheahan
- June 28, 2018 – Jerry McCabe (1943-1996), Garda – Mayor Stephen Keary
- June 28, 2018 – Ben O’Sullivan, Garda – Mayor Stephen Keary
- December 21, 2021 – Vicky Phelan, Activist, (to be conferred in 2022) – Mayor Daniel Butler
There was a push in 2008 to have the names of 6 men involved in the Boer War re-instated to the Freedom of Limerick list. These men never signed the register and were not officially recognised. These were
- December 13, 1900 – Paul Kruger (1825-1904), South African Republican – Mayor John Daly
- September 4, 1902 – President Stein, Boer War
- September 4, 1902 – General Botha, Boer War
- September 4, 1902 – General La Rey, Boer War
- September 4, 1902 – General De Wet, Boer War
- October 2, 1902 – Captian O’Donnell, Boer War
Others who turned down the offer of the Honorary Freedom of Limerick include Mother Teresa.