3 April 2006 - 500 People gathered to pay Tribute to the Award Winners of the Donegal County Council / Rehab People of the Year Awards
One of the highlights of the social year in the county took place on Saturday, when 500 people gathered to pay tribute to the Award winners of the Donegal County Council/Rehab “People of the Year Awards”, supported by the Donegal Democrat/Derry Journal. At a glittering ceremony, the 10 award winners, who reflect a broad spectrum of life in the county and were nominated for contributions to cancer care, sport, tourism, Irish culture, the fishing industry and community and charity work among others.
The Mayor of Donegal County Council, who are the primary sponsors of the Awards Scheme, Cllr. Dessie Larkin said “All of the those nominated on an annual basis have given up so much of their own time to work and contribute in a voluntary capacity to a range of endeavours that ultimately benefit both the local community and the county as a whole. The Donegal County Council/REHAB People of the Year Awards is an important way of recognising and acknowledging the spirit of volunteerism that is so important in our community”.
Congratulating the winners, Cllr. Larkin also acknowledged the work of the organisers of this event in particular Amanda Crawford, Rehab’s NW Regional Coordinator and Aideen Doherty, of Community, Culture and Enterprise Dept of Donegal County Council.
In commenting on the Council’s fourth year as primary sponsor of the event Mr.Michael O’hEanaigh, Director of Community Culture and Enterprise outlined the Council’s commitment and support for the event. “The Council is committed to supporting all forms of community, social and economic development in the County. It is fitting that the elected members of the Council acknowledge, through the corporate sponsorship of the “Rehab People of the Year Awards”, the importance of the people who have made and continue to make a positive contribution to their community”.
Awards winners for this year were Noelle Duddy, originally from Belfast and now living in Culdaff, Inishowen, who is a tireless campaigner for cancer sufferers in the North West, many of whom have to spend long hours travelling to Dublin for treatment. She is the Chairperson of Donegal Action for Cancer Care, which she helped set up and, despite recovering from cancer herself, she has put immense time and effort into galvanising support for nearer, and better, treatment for those in the North West.
Hugo Duggan of Milford, a founder member of Milford Athletic Club, veteran Hugo has won championships too numerous to mention, is still undisputed Donegal and Ulster champion in the long jump, but it is for his coaching and encouragement of young people, firstly as coach to over one hundred young athletes in the Milford Athletic Club and his devotion to the Donegal Community Games that he won his award.
Maxi McCreary, of The Cross, Killygordon, who was nominated by numerous community groups in the Killygordon/Cross area, for the work he has done throughout his life to improve the quality of life in the area and improve community relation. He has been instrumental in revitalising the two villages with the building of the Oak Tree Business Park and Community Centre, and providing support for the local playgroup, the elderly, sporting groups, churches and residents committees.
Jimmy Begley, of Ballylar, Fanad, Jimmy has been involved in community work for a long number of years. He has been the at the forefront of every local initiative and has always given of his time freely in promoting the Fanad area, having helped to set up the Fanad Festival, the Tri-Locha Community Centre, Community Alert and Fanad Development Association to name but a few.
Kathleen Murray, of Ramelton, won her award because of her work as one of the founders of Donegal Pet Rescue, who with a dedicated group of fellow volunteers are to be found frequently out and about in all weathers, rescuing abused and abandoned animals.
James McLeod, of Killybegs. James, though Scottish by birth, moved as a young man to Ireland, and since the 1930’s has been involved in the fishing industry in Killybegs. He won his award because he has always been at the forefront of fishing development and new technology, improving the lot for the fishing community of his adopted port, Killybegs and giving of his time and knowledge, since retirement, to coaching many young fishermen with their studies to pass their skipper certification.
Mary McAuliffe, of Dunfanaghy, has been described as the very epitome of “unsung hero” that the People of the Year Awards are all about, and won her award because of her dream of having a Community Centre in Dunfanaghy, to provide a place for the young people, and the elderly, to meet, to participate in drama, music games, etc. Her dream was realised, after many years of hard work and fundraising, and in June of 2005, the doors of the “Ozanam Community Centre” were opened, and the Centre is now a hub of activity for the area.
Sean Boyle, Letterkenny, originally from Lifford, has for over forty years been quietly and unassumingly devoting his life to sport and the community of Donegal through his involvement in various sporting bodies and activities”, these include his lifelong involvement with the GAA, through his membership of Lifford GAA Club, St.Eunan’s and in 1995 he was elected as PRO for the Donegal County Board. A founder member of Lifford and Letterkenny Athletic Club and a member and captain in 2001 of Letterkenny Golf Club. He helped found the local Credit Union in his native Lifford and was involved with the setting up of the first Rehabilitation Institute there in the late 1960’s. He has been very active with national and secondary school committees throughout his life.
Richard McCafferty, of Glenties has an exceptional record of voluntary community work divning almost 40 years, not just in one particular achievement or one single activity, but in many community activities, involvements and contributions of unpaid voluntary work that was repeated many times and were of enormous benefit to the local community and beyond. Co-founder of the Community Centre Committee, Glenties Development Association, Glenties Piped TV Co-op, Glenties Community TV Channel, and Glenties Tidy Towns Committee, which have consistently won Tidy Towns Awards since 1982, including the Overall National Winner category in 1995. He has also been a major contributor to the cultural, social and sporting activities of the Glenties Comprehensive School, where he has taught for over 30 years.
Joseph Gallagher, of Malin Town, was nominated for his tremendous community work in the Malin are, for his foresight in setting up the Malin Credit Union, his concern for the environment and the aesthetic beauty of the area, his compassion in being responsible for bringing into existence the Malin St.Vincent de Paul, and his love of traditional music helped to set up the Craobh Inish Eoghain of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and the first Donegal County Fleadh. Hon. President of the Malin GAA Club, he was also deeply involved with the promotion of tourism in the Inishowen area.
Amanda Crawford, Rehab also made an eleventh award when she presented Mountcharles woman, Peggy Cleary with a special presentation for “her many years of supporting not just REHAB, but every charity operating in the county, through her work in organising Church Gate collections in her area”.
Amanda also paid tribute to volunteers throughout Donegal, who have helped over decades to collect much-needed funds to help Rehab – and other charities -running their projects. Thanking the Master of Ceremonies Art Kavanagh, “who devotes much time and thought to his work, particularly the writing of the moving citations read prior to each Award winner being presented, and is Chairman of the organising Committee, and the Board of Adjudicators who perform their onerous task superbly each year when the tremendous amount of nominations flood in for the Awards. I would also like to thank the volunteers who help me out each year with the final preparations for the event, too numerous to mention! – and of course Donegal County Council and the Corporate sponsors for their tremendous support, AIB, Udras na Gaeltachta, McEniff Group, Blaney Group, Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation and Ballymagan Celtic, without them the event would not be possible, they show great community responsibility by supporting a local charity such as REHAB as well as great local support for their own community participants in the Awards. The Donegal Democrat/Derry Journal group of newspapers deserve a special word of praise, because they are the life’s blood of the Awards, the special care and attention that editor Michael Daly and journalist Declan Magee have paid to the publicity before and after the events is tremendous”.