Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson arrived back in Ballymena to a jubilant welcome as he accepted the freedom of his home town. <\/p>\n
The star of Schindler's List and Taken was welcomed by cheers from a large crowd of well-wishers as he arrived at the reception in the Northern Ireland town. <\/p>\n
'It is great to be back,' he said. <\/p>\n
This was the second time Neeson had been offered the freedom of the borough - he refused the County Antrim council's recognition in 2000 amid controversy over alleged derogatory remarks. <\/p>\n
He was quoted as saying in a US magazine that he felt 'second class' as a Catholic growing up in the mainly Protestant town and felt he had to stay indoors during the loyalist July 12 commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne. <\/p>\n
But after the ceremony he said: 'I'm aware of the work the borough's been doing in the past few years ... coming out of the darkness as we all have, and hopefully left all that behind us. <\/p>\n
'These are new days, new times and I'm just privileged to receive this.' <\/p>\n
Only three people have been awarded the freedom of Ballymena: Ian Paisley, Dr Syd Millar and Sandy Spence. <\/p>\n
Neeson started his career in Belfast's Lyric Theatre and later joined the Abbey Theatre in Dublin before moving to London, then Hollywood. <\/p>\n
He was spotted by film director John Boorman while at the Abbey, subsequently appearing in Boorman's film Excalibur in 1981. <\/p>\n
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