Former President Barack Obama has formally received the Freedom of Dublin City.

The 44th President of the United States is in Dublin for his show at the 3Arena tomorrow night. He was invited by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ray McAdam, to be conferred with the honour that he was awarded in 2017.

Mr Obama’s wife, Michelle, was also honoured with the Freedom of Dublin City in 2017. Only 88 people have received the honour since it was first given in 1876.

Other former Presidents of the United States that received the honour include Ulysses S. Grant, John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton, as well as international leaders Nelson Mandela and Mikhail Gorbachev. Irish sporting heroes who have also received the award include Jack Charlton, Ronnie Delany and Kellie Harrington.

Speaking in Dublin today, Mr Obama said: “To Lord Mayor McAdam, Former Lord Mayor Carr, the Dublin City Council, and the citizens of Dublin: on behalf of Michelle and myself, I accept this honor with deep humility. These are, undoubtedly, times of great challenge and great change. But it is in moments like these that we are reminded of who we truly are.

“We are people, the Irish and Americans, who never stop imagining a brighter future for us all. That defiant, enduring hope has always been an unshakeable bond that connects our two countries, and so many others around the world. May we continue to strengthen those ties, and keep working to make our world a little more just, more equal, more prosperous, and more free.”

Lord Mayor Ray McAdam said: “It is my great honour, on behalf of the citizens of Dublin, to confer the Freedom of the City upon President Barack Obama. This award recognises not only his remarkable achievements as President of the United States, but also his steadfast commitment to democracy, equality, and the power of community. President Obama has inspired millions around the world with his leadership and his vision for a fairer, more compassionate society. It is fitting that Dublin now welcomes him as a Freeman of our city.”

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An Garda Síochána is to significantly increase resources devoted to national security in light of the worsening geopolitical situation.

This will include additional resources for the Special Detective Unit, which deals with State security, and the Emergency Response Unit.

There will also be additional resources for surveillance and interception technology, said new Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, warning this may mean fewer resources for other policing areas.

Tasers are also to be rolled out to gardaí on a pilot basis in early 2026, while all frontline members will likely be issued with body cameras in the second half of the year.

Mr Kelly laid out the plans in his first appearance as commissioner before the Police and Community Safety Authority (PCSA), previously known as the Policing Authority.

The commissioner took the unusual step of addressing national security matters with the PCSA, a body that typically deals exclusively with traditional policing matters.

“Everybody knows we’re in a particularly volatile time at the moment, geopolitically,” he said. “We are absolutely not immune to some of the effects here in Ireland. We have already seen some of the ripple effects.”

He said the Garda has to increase its capabilities and equipment in the area of national security. “Obviously, with that, there may be some other areas that we’re not able to give as much focus to.”

Mr Kelly, who previously headed the Special Detective Unit, said national security is a priority for him.

Activities such as cyberattacks and drone incursions, seen in other EU countries recently, are “absolutely” affecting the State, said the commissioner.

Referring to the threats from drones, he mentioned a recent incident where gangland criminals attempted to use a drone to drop a pipe bomb on a rival’s home.

He said he is limited as to what he can discuss publicly, but “in the background we’re building our capabilities to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to keep people safe from these type of hybrid threats”.

The commissioner declined to say if hostile states are targeting the Republic, but he said it is not immune to such threats as well as threats from extremists and terrorists.

“We need to look at our technology, our training, our people, our resourcing and the amount of people that we assign to this type of work.”

He said Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan is very supportive of the Garda’s work in this area.

Mr Kelly told the PCSA there is a need to equip gardaí with Tasers to deal with knife-wielding suspects. He cited “some absolutely horrific incidents” involving armed suspects, including a recent knife attack on a garda on Capel Street in Dublin.

“We’ve had a number of incidents where assailants had swords or long weapons. And unfortunately, we have had situations where officers had to retreat out of the area, retreat into their vehicles.”

Assistant Commissioner Paul Cleary said he is “cautiously optimistic” that a pilot , of Tasers will be ready for early 2026. These will only be issued to gardaí equipped with body cameras, the authority was told.

The full rollout of body cameras to all frontline gardaí will likely take place in the second half of next year, said Mr Cleary. This follows a successful pilot programme in several areas.

Separately, the new commissioner said he was shocked and disappointed by parts of the Crowe report, which recently found that a minority of roads policing gardaí were neglecting their duties and had little interest in the work.

“We’re expecting people to come in and do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. That’s the least we expect people to do.”

Mr Kelly said he is “deeply, deeply sorry that some of that behaviour is out there. Obviously, as the Garda Commissioner, it’s something that we have to rectify”.