Stage is set for 30th Mayo People of the Year Awards
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Tom Gillespie, Councillor Ger Deere, Edel Cadden, Minister of State Alan Dillon, Councillor John O’Hara, Councillor Donna Sheridan, cathaoirleach, Castlebar Municipal District, Councillor Harry Barrett and Bernard Hughes at the launch.Image 2 of 2
Pictured at the launch were Bernard Hughes, The Connaught Telegraph, Hugh Feehan, Kilmeena, Minister Alan Dillon, Councillor John O’Hara, Tommy Staunton, Willie Gilger and T.J. McIntyre from Kilmeena.By Tom Gillespie
DETAILS of the 30th annual Mayo People of the Year Awards were announced in Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar, by the cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Councillor John O’Hara.
The event, which is organised by RehabCare, Mayo County Council and The Connaught Telegraph, is one of the highlights of the social calendar in the county.
Nominations are now being accepted and Councillor O’Hara outlined the various categories.
He said: “The Hall of Fame section, which was introduced in 2004 to recognise the work of an individual or group who have given years of unstinting service to their organisation, community, county or country, will again be part of the proceedings.
“In order to recognise the contribution of young people to our society, a young person or youth group of the year will be presented with an award at the gala banquet in Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar, on Friday night, November 15.
“The much sought after Michael Davitt International Award has proven a great boost to emigrants who have excelled in their adopted countries and who, the organisers feel, should be singled out for their achievements.”
He continued: “Likewise, a business community liaison award, initiated some years ago, will also be up for grabs in November.
“In addition to this, a number of Mayo People of the Year Awards will be presented at a banquet.
“The Gradam na Gaeilge award - recognising the positive contribution that is being made by an individual in the promotion and furtherance of the Irish language and culture in Mayo - will also feature.
“This section has proven a tremendous success and we look forward to a large entry for this award.
“Any person or organisation within Mayo who, in the view of the nominating person or organisation, has made an outstanding contribution at local level, can be put forward for an award.
“Their attributes can range from leadership, job creation, youth projects, economic development, professional and cultural development, pioneering or outstanding work, in the education or environmental field.
“Likewise, those who work with the disabled or underprivileged or who have shown courage, persistence and dedication can be nominated.
“Mayo County Council are proud to be involved as a sponsor, and hope to continue that involvement into the future.”
He paid tribute to the organising committee who had played a huge part in keeping the awards going over the 30 years.
In particular he thanked the management team at Breaffy House Hotel for pulling out every stop to make the banquet something special.
Councillor O’Hara added: “Rehab Mayo has done a huge amount of work for the county and through these awards €300,000 has been gained for the organisation over the past 30 years.”
The Minister for State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning, Alan Dillon, said: “The recognition of the strong brand that Rehab have is testament to the 30 years of recognising communities at their best and individuals in the various fields that they continue to achieve great strides within their localities.
“I think without the support of The Connaught Telegraph and Mayo County Council through their sponsorship it would be very difficult to have these events year-on-year.”
Mr. Bernard Hughes, chairman of the organising committee and advertising manager of The Connaught Telegraph, said the Connaught were again delighted to be associated with the awards from the very inception, adding: “It is admirable that those people in our society who voluntarily do what they do should continued to be acknowledged and recognised and that is what we are here for.”
Ms. Edel Cadden of RehabCare thanked the councillors from the Castlebar Municipal District who had steadfastly supported the continuation of the awards function.
She added: “We have 200 service users at our headquarters on the Breaffy Road, Castlebar, who attend daily through educational learning and we are spread across the county providing home supporter services for people with disabilities, especially physical, sensory and brain injury.”
Nomination forms are now available from Edel Cadden at RehabCare Mayo, Breaffy Road, Castlebar, and from the offices of Mayo County Council and The Connaught Telegraph and on the Connaught Telegraph website.
The closing date for the receipt of entries is Friday, October 18.
The successful nominations will be announced on Thursday, October 24.
The awards presentations will take place at the gala banquet in Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar, on Friday, November 15, when the comperes for the night will be Henry McGlade of TV Ireland and Teresa O’Malley of Midwest Radio.