Mayo People of the Year Award recipients for 2024 revealed
A total of 21 individuals and groups will be honoured at the Mayo People of the Year Awards, which will take place at Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar, on Friday, November 15.
Now in its 30th year, the event is organised by Mayo Rehab, Mayo County Council and The Connaught Telegraph.
The proceeds from the night go directly to Mayo Rehab for the development of facilities for service users.
The recipients are as follows.
MAYO AWARDS WINNERS
Helen Heneghan and Siobhan Dravins
Helen Heneghan and Siobhan Dravins are the founding members of the Breaffy Wanderers Group which was initiated in 2017 and they now have 84 members, many from the community of Breaffy, but members from surrounding areas are also encouraged to become part of this dynamic group.
Cathal Kelly
Cathal Kelly from Swinford has recently completed a mammoth 2,200km fundraising 118 day walk from Canterbury in the UK to the Vatican City in which he raised €50,000 for the Mayo Parkinson’s Association, and Children’s Health Research, Crumlin, Dublin.
Lynda Huxley
While working at ATU Mayo in Castlebar, Lynda Huxley noticed that a number of swifts nested in the building.
With approval from management and support from Mayo County Council she installed swift nesting boxes with cameras therein whereby the activities of the nesting pairs and their chicks can be viewed.
Lynda’s swift activities have now spread throughout Co. Mayo and from Co. Wexford to Co. Donegal.
Crossmolina Parish Community First Responders
The Crossmolina Parish Community First Responders first came about in May 2023 when chairperson, Annmarie Haran, a certified trainer, who works as a cardiac specialist nurse in Mayo University Hospital, brought the idea to the people of Crossmolina.
A meeting was held, to which 40 interested people who turned up.
Training began and now they have 26 members of the community registered as active Community First Responders that attend calls.
St. Joseph’s Robotics team, Ballinrobe
THE fifth class of St. Joseph’s P.S. VEX Robotics team, Ballinrobe, have been nominated for their success at world level by winning the Innovate Award in Dallas, Texas - the first team in Ireland to get this far and win an award,
Westport Women on Wheels
Westport Women on Wheels undertook the Mizen to Malin Cycle which raised €54,000 for the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation and the Mayo Rape Crisis Centre.
The group of 17 women embarked on the 605km track on September 3 and they completed the challenge in four stages.
Geraldine Joyce
Geraldine Joyce is the core of the community in Facefield, Mayo Abbey and Claremorris.
She organises the choir and pastoral council and is involved in Community Housing in Mayo Abbey and secretary of Facefield Committee Community Group.
Geraldine has been at the helm of Claremorris Athletics Club for over 20 years. She goes in several times a week training young people in all aspects of athletics.
Joe Butler
Joe Butler has been a cornerstone of Castlebar’s voluntary community for over four decades.
In 1994 Joe co-founded Castlebar Tidy Towns and, through his continued guidance, it has won five consecutive Gold Medals in the national Tidy Towns competition.
His years of involvement with the local community saw him being honoured by being appointed Chief Marshal for this year’s parade.
Paddy and Marilyn McTigue
Paddy and Marilyn McTigue from Ballinrobe started a social dance at the crossroad in Cong in October 2022.
This was launched as a five week experiment to see how it would go.
On October 11 last they celebrated their second anniversary and the five week experiment has gone from strength to strength with the number of dancers increasing.
Westport Order of Malta
Westport Order of Malta was nominated in recognition of their unwavering dedication and commitment of the unit for 81 years, to providing first aid services and compassionate care to those in need.
The unit was set up in Westport on October 10, 1943, with the intention of providing a first aid service to pilgrims on Croagh Patrick.
Judy Casey
Jusy Casey is the founder of Cairde Nua - a group open to all women in Westport and surrounding areas, who meet once a month for a meal.
Along with her friend, Mary O’Malley, they established Westport Welcome Ukraine.
Last year Finbar Cafferkey, a native of Achill, lost his life in the war fighting for Ukraine. Judy immediately ralled all Ukrainians in Westport and organised a bus to take them to Achill to attend Finbar’s memorial service.
Marie Crowe
Marie Crowe, Claremorris, has been involved in many projects over the years in Claremorris including the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Agricultural Show, Christmas lights switching on and the Claremorris Pink Day, which was a first for the town and raised €60,000 for breast cancer research.
Ann Leydon, her students and the Mayo Genealogy Group
Last November the students of St. Joseph’s Community College, Charlestown, and their history teacher, Ann Leydon, together with the Mayo Genealogy Group, published ‘The Revolutionary Women of East Mayo and South Sligo 1918-1923’.
Using the recently unveiled records of Military Archives, the students identified a total of 10 local women who had played a prominent part in the War of Independence and the Civil War 1918-1923.
Annemarie Cunningham - Posthumous Award
Annmarie Cunningham, a mother of three sons, passed away earlier this year after a battle witth cancer.
She was closely associated with Castlebar Celtic, Castlebar Mitchel’s and Castlebar Mitchels Ladies Club as a supporter, volunteer, mammy and a go-to woman.
Mayo Diaspora Award - Judge Vera Scanlon
Vera M. Scanlon is a magistrate judge for the United States District Court of the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, New York.
Born in Brooklyn, Judge Scanlon is the daughter of the late Dennis Scanlon, a NYC firefighter whose mother, Mary (Mamie) Fahey-Scanlon, emigrated to New York from Belcarra. Mary Fahey married Dennis Scanlon from Co. Kerry.
The court in which Judge Scanlon now serves is the same court where these grandparents became naturalised American citizens in the 1930s.
Sports Club Award: Mayo girls Under 15 All-Ireland Cup winners
The Mayo Girls Under 15 team and management were nominated on winning the All-Ireland Inter-League Cup last May.
This was a huge effort by all involved. Coaches and players alike, put in a lot of time on the pitch and made lot of sacrifices in order to win the tournament.
This was a massive achievement for the Mayo team and the dedication and hard work put in to this endeavour was second to none and in the end all the hard work paid off.
Lauren Mullaney - Gradam na Gaeilge Award
Lauren Mullaney, Bohola, was nominated by the Irish language conversation group in Foxford, which she funded.
From this arose the Foxford Irish language conversation circle and it was Lauren who started it and got it up and running and she keeps things going with the help of WhatsApp with the ‘talk to Lauren group chat’.
Oisin Joyce - Young Person Award
Oisin Joyce from Glebe Street, Ballinrobe, achieved national and international recognition when he won a bronze medal in the javelin event at the world Under-20 athletics championships in Peru in August thereby winning Ireland’s first ever medal at that level in the sport.
Luke Gibbons - Young Person Award
Luke's journey from Claremorris to Harvard Law School, and to the global stage of climate policy and legal scholarship, is nothing short of extraordinary.
From his early education at Meelickmore National School, St. Colman’s College, Claremorris, Luke’s path was always destined for greatness.
Yet what sets him apart is not just his stellar academic achievements, but his tireless work to ensure that Mayo remains at the forefront of innovation, sustainability, and community empowerment.
Business Community Liaison Award - Coyne’s of Bofeenaun
Celebrating 100 years of trading this year, Coyne’s of Bofeenaun has been a cornerstone of life in the community, not only as a business but as a vital hub for social interaction, support and local connection.
Under the stewardship of Brendan and Enda and all the Coyne family, the shop has gone beyond the role of a simple retailer, fostering a deep sense of community and belonging.
Castlebar Celtic Football Club - Hall of Fame
Since 1924 Castlebar Celtic has played a central role in Mayo soccer and the community as a whole.
They are Mayo Football League founding members and celebrated their centenary this year.
With over 600 members from 32 different nationalities, Castlebar Celtic is the most diverse club in Co. Mayo.
Additionally, the club count more than 250 non-playing members among its ranks.
On the field of play, the club's level of success was one of the greatest in its history.