Nominations sought for Mayo People of the Year Awards

Tom Gillespie

DETAILS of the 31st annual Mayo People of the Year Awards were announced in Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar, by the cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Councillor Séan Carey.

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 Carey 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 21.

“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 31 years.

In particular he thanked the management team at Breaffy House Hotel for pulling out every stop to make the banquet something special.

Councillor Carey added: “Rehab Mayo has done a huge amount of work for the county and through these awards over €300,000 has been gained for the organisation over the past 31 years”

Mr. Bernard Hughes, chairman of the organising committee and advertising manager of The Connaught Telegraph, said the newspaper, part of the Celtic Media Group, is 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.

“The awards are going from strength to strength and getting stronger. The format of the awards we have kept the same because I don’t think there is any reason to change.”

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: “The money that is raised from the awards goes in to the Rehab Centre in Castlebar where we support 200 individuals with disabilities that come into that centre on a daily basis through educational learning and we are spread across the county providing home support services for people with disabilities, especially physical, sensory, and brain injury.

“We can see where the money goes - there is transport provided, kitchens are opened and there are special services provided for people.

“Our funding is getting shorter and shorter every year with the result that we might be down one bus down or one service. But these awards make all the difference and I say a heartfelt thanks to the councillors who have backed this event which has been running for 31 years.”

The 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 24, and the successful nominations will be announced in The Connaught Telegraph on Tuesday, October 28.

The presentations will take place at the gala banquet in Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar on Friday, November 21, when the comperes for the night will be Henry McGlade of TV Ireland and Teresa O’Malley of Midwest Radio.