But the local council has prepared for several thousand wellwishers to hit the streets for one of the outstanding boxers at London 2012.

Peter Burke, the outgoing mayor of Mullingar, said Nevin should be publicly praised.

"To be fair to him his achievements have been amazing. He was just 19 years old in Beijing and he fought some great fighters. Now look where he is," he said.

Nevin's homecoming celebrations will include an open top bus tour led by the town band from where he grew up in the Patrick Street area of the town at 6.30pm on Monday before a reception in the Westmeath GAA grounds of Cusack Park.

The county council have been in touch with those close to Nevin in Team Ireland to make preparations.

Mr Burke said that locals were now looking to Nevin as a hero alongside showband great Joe Dolan and One Direction's Niall Horan.

"The unfortunate thing in Mullingar is that we have not got a boxing ring especially now when you consider that now Mullingar is better known for its boxing that its music," he said.

Any question that Nevin is likely to face a similar sort of passive discrimination that befell Olympian Francie Barrett, also from a Traveller background, were knocked back. The boxer was refused entry to nightclubs in Galway in occasions, despite being hailed for representing the country.

Mr Burke added that businesses had already taken the initiative to get locals out on the streets in support of Nevin in his semi-final bout.

"If one was being realistic and you were in the market square there was the big screen, the gloves on the statue of Joe Dolan, flags, bunting, the businesses all got behind it. If you were here to experience it, you'd see the goodwill. It's immeasurable he added.

The council agreed a motion two months ago to have an address of recognition for Nevin - a special civic reception, a "rare accolade", as one official put it.

The event will also see equestrian Olympian Joseph Murphy and paralympians Damien Shaw and Mark Rohan celebrated.

Officials said the council could not do anything sooner to mark their achievements as the budget for the last year had been spent celebrating the achievements on Gerry Duffy, a winning ironman triathlete.

Barry Kehoe, acting County Manager in Westmeath, said a celebration of Nevin's success was never in doubt, despite the boxer's own concerns.

"That was all resolved," he said.

"It might have been a bit rash talk out of various people. One way or the other we would be doing it."

In an interview Nevin before the games Nevin had expressed anger that he was not appreciated in his home town and that he felt he had been snubbed because of his background.

His success at Beijing was marked in 2008 but he claimed the London 2012 qualification was not acknowledged.