Rugby star Brian O'Driscoll and homeless campaigner Fr Peter McVerry are to be both awarded the Freedom of the City of Dublin.
The Lord Mayor's nomination was ratified this evening at the monthly city council meeting and both men will receive the honour in early 2014.
Previous recipients include former US presidents John F Kennedy and Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, the four members of U2, Kevin Heffernan and Aung San Suu Kyi.
Lord Mayor of Dublin Oisín Quinn said it was a great honour to be able to propose O'Driscoll and Fr McVerry for the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin.
"They set a remarkable example to us all by the way they apply themselves to their challenges.
"They are people who lead by the example they set. In their own way and in their own fields, they are both individuals who walk the walk," he said.
Among the ancient privileges afforded to a Freeman or Freewoman is the right to bring goods into Dublin through the city gates, without paying customs duties, the right to pasture sheep on common ground within the city boundaries and the right to vote in municipal and parliamentary elections.
Louis Le Broquy and Thomas Kinsella were the last people to be awarded the Freedom of the City of Dublin in 2007.
