He's played Michael Collins, Oscar Schindler, Ra's Al Ghul and Qui-Gon Jinn but at home in Ballymena, Liam Neeson will always be known as 'the big fella'.
It seemed like pretty much everyone from the town turned out to see him granted the Freedom of the Borough yesterday. Y'know, just in case he noticed they were missing. After all, he'd probably find them...
Neeson enjoys his trips home and even took time to tell eveyone how proud he was to be from Northern Ireland. "Enormous strides have been made in my native Northern Ireland in the past decade, demonstrated by political, social and economic changes that came about through a combination of courage, generosity and persistence" he said.
The town Mayor, P J McAvoy, was only too delighted to welcome the actor back to the place where it all started. "'Liam will find himself very much at home when he steps onto the stage to speak to his Ballymena audience" he said, "for he started his acting career by treading those very boards as a young member of the Slemish Players".
D'aww, at least he hasn't grown too big for his boots eh?
