Mayo nominees at Outsider Awards 2024
Outsider.ie has announced a list of more then 90 nominees for its annual People of the Year Awards.
The awards celebrate ordinary, yet extraordinary, people that have achieved amazing feats on the Irish outdoor and adventure scene in 2024.
Mayo nominees in the running for awards include Rachel Nolan, Women of the Year nominee; Cathal Kelly, who is nominated for the Olly O’Neill Most Inspiring Person Award; Maura Kiely, Most Devoted to the Outdoor Scene category, while nominees in the Eco-Hero Professional category include Matt McConway, path manager on the sustainable access and habitat restoration project on Croagh Patrick.
Rachel Nolan (39), from Ballina, put in an inspired performance at the Pan Celtic Race. She was the first woman to cross the finish line and came seventh overall - after almost seven days of gruelling self-supported bike-packing.
Cathal Kelly (46), from Swinford, walked a gruelling 2,200km from Canterbury in England to Rome last summer, raising over €70,000 for the Mayo Parkinson’s Association and the Children’s Health Foundation Crumlin (CHFC) - a mind-blowing figure from one individual.
Maura Kiely - an experienced outdoor guide, environmental advocate, and Chief Executive Officer of Leave No Trace Ireland - completed an impressive 5.3km open water swim from Roonagh Pier to Clare Island this year, raising over €5,000 for Westport Autism Friendly Town and inspiring her community along the way.
Beyond the swim, Maura’s impact on Ireland’s outdoors is profound. As the founding employee of Leave No Trace Ireland, she has grown the organisation into a national leader in outdoor ethics, fostering partnerships with government bodies and communities.
Matt McConway, since 2020, has led a dedicated team in developing a 4km stone pathway from the base to the summit of Croagh Patrick.
This initiative, commissioned by the Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group, aims to enhance climber safety, preserve the mountain’s delicate ecosystem, and ensure the sustainability of the pilgrimage route for future generations.
Also among the nominees is Dr. Kevin Lynch, a coastal geomorphologist at the University of Galway, who leads the Beaches and Dunes for Climate Adaptation: Training for Communities project This initiative, in collaboration with Leave No Trace Ireland, the Atlantic Seaboard North Climate Action Regional Office, and Mayo, Sligo, and Leitrim Education and Training Board, aims to empower local communities along Ireland’s coastline to actively engage in coastal protection and climate adaptation strategies.
The project focuses on training community groups and leaders to utilise beaches and dunes as natural coastal defences. Through hands-on workshops, participants learn to enhance and maintain their local beach-dune habitats, promoting resilience against coastal flooding and erosion.
The awards ceremony takes place on February 27 in the Sugar Club, Dublin. The awards are supported by title sponsor Sport Ireland.