Get all the very latest news in Ireland straight to your email every single day Sign up! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A business owner from Kerry has won the Freedom of the City of London - and plans to walk 100 sheep across the London Bridge.

Danny O'Sullivan, 64, from Gleesk, Glenbeigh, Co Kerry was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in October.

He received the prestigious award in honour of the important contributions he has made to the business and economic life of the city of London.

The award - which dates back to the 13th Century - permits recipients to drive their sheep over London Bridge.

And now Mr O'Sullivan, founder and chairman of the Danny Sullivan Group, is planning to walk 100 sheep across the bridge.

The auspicious event will take place on 27 September.

(Image: Google Maps)

Many family members will be travelling from Kerry to take part in the event, Mr O'Sullivan said.

The successful businessman told the Irish Mirror: “I won the Freedom of London, I’m one of the few Irish people to get it.

“I just thought, we’re big sheep farmers in Ireland so I thought we’re going to do it.

“All my family will be there. There’s going to be a massive crowd from Ireland.”

Mr O'Sullivan said they plan to buy 100 sheep from Scotland and transport them down to London in a wagon.

After they walk across London Bridge, the sheep will then travel to Kerry.

“We’ll walk them across the bridge,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

“It’s a big honour to win this award for me and my family. It’s a massive, massive honour.

“I’m very proud of my achievements.”

The successful businessman moved to London in 1971 when he was 16 years old and began working for John Murphy & Sons.

In 1986, he founded the Danny Sullivan Group, which now employs over 1,500 people and is one of the biggest suppliers of skilled labour to the construction, civil engineering and rail and transportation sectors in the UK.

Mr O'Sullivan is no stranger to awards - in 2004, he was named Kerry Person of the Year in London and in 2015, he received the same accolade in Dublin from the Kerry Association.

Danny might be the first Kerryman to walk his sheep across London Bridge - but it’s become a bit of a tradition amongst recent recipients of the Freedom of London.

In September 2015, 800 freemen of the City of London took it in turns to herd a group of sheep back and forth over the iconic London Bridge.

They were led by EastEnders actress Barbara Windsor, 78, who was given the freedom of the city in 2010.

The tradition of walking one’s sheep across the bridge dates back to the 12th Century when traders were allowed to enter London with the tools of their trade without paying a toll.

They were given the status of “freeman”, which meant they worked for themselves and not for someone else under the feudal system.