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Call for nominations for the Lee Strand/Kerry Garda Youth Achievement Awards 2023
Lee Strand and Kerry Garda are delighted to launch the Lee Strand Kerry Garda Youth Achievement Awards 2023.
The awards are held for youths between the ages of thirteen and twenty-one years and recognise the great contribution young people have made and continue to make to their communities in Kerry. The awards will be presented at a celebratory dinner awards ceremony in the Ballyroe Heights Hotel, Tralee on Friday, September 29.
This year twenty Merit Awards will be presented to individuals who have made a positive contribution to their community and make it a better place to live. A Group Award will also be presented to groups of two or more people who have made an impact to their community.
The Special Achievement Award will be presented to an individual who has overcome difficult circumstances, has defied all the odds and whose commitment deserves recognition. A Community Safety Award will be presented to an individual who through crime prevention or a safety initiative/innovation has made their community a safer place to live. The Overall Winner of the Lee Strand/Kerry Garda Youth Achievement 2023 will also be presented.
Chief Superintendent Padraic Powell stated ”It is fundamental that the youth of this country are recognised for the crucial role they play in the future of our Society. An Garda Síochána is committed to ensuring this is reinforced via the Garda Youth Achievement Awards in collaboration with Lee Strand. It is essential that we recognise their excellent contribution to society in areas of sports, arts, culture & charity and also in the way they may selflessly and lovingly care for a relative or friend. These awards have a positive impact on our wider community in celebrating the achievements of such outstanding young people and I would like to extend our appreciation and thanks to Lee Strand for their continued sponsorship and support.”
Gearoid Linnane, CEO, Lee Strand stated “Lee Strand has a strong commitment to supporting initiatives within the local community and we are delighted to support the Kerry Garda Youth Achievement Awards for 26 years since its commencement in 1998. The awards provide a great opportunity to celebrate and recognise the achievements of the young people of Kerry, who have made a positive impact within their local community.”
The closing date for receipt of nominations is Friday, May 26. Nominations are available from any Garda Station in Kerry or are also available to download on www.leestrand.ie/garda-awards/
Any member of the public can nominate a young person whom they feel has made a contribution to their local area. Nominations are accepted from individuals, community and voluntary groups, schools and youth clubs/organisation. The winners will be selected by a panel of judges who are community volunteers from around the county under the chairmanship of Chief Superintendent Padraic Powell, An Garda Síochána. For further information contact: 066 7102300
News
Fassbender ready for second Le Mans appearance
Local Hollywood A-lister Michael Fassbender is in the final preparation stages for his second appearance at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. The iconic endurance race is celebrating its […]
Local Hollywood A-lister Michael Fassbender is in the final preparation stages for his second appearance at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The iconic endurance race is celebrating its 100th edition next weekend.
The Fossa star has already arrived in the famous French twon where he is involved in a week-long series of engagements including drivers’ parades, autograph sessions and more serious appointments like car safety checks, practice and qualifying.
Like last year, when he finished 16th in the LMGTE Am class, Fassbender has been entered in to the event by the German Proton Competition team with Estonian Martin Rump and the Austrian Richard Lietz.
Fassbender dreams of following the trajectory of fellow Hollywood actors Patrick Dempsey who was second in LMGTE Am class in 2016 and Paul Newman who finished second overall in 1979.
News
Ireland’s oldest citizen has Killarney connections
Ireland’s oldest woman met with President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin this week. Máirín Hughes, who turned 109 on May 22 has strong Killarney connections. The previous record […]
Ireland’s oldest woman met with President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin this week.
Máirín Hughes, who turned 109 on May 22 has strong Killarney connections.
The previous record was held by 107-year-old Nancy Stewart who died on September 10 2021.
Although born in Belfast, Máirín went to school in the Mercy Convent. Her father was a customs and excise officer and the family moved around a lot eventually coming to Killarney after spells in County Down and Dublin.
Her mother came from the Rathmore area and her father was from Newmarket in County Cork.
She attended the Mercy Convent and has, in previous interviews, recalled growing up on the shores of Lough Lein.
“Neighbours who had three children were given the job of taking me to school,” she said. “They were annoyed because the children were going to school for two or three years but I was put in to the same class as them – my mother had taught me.”
In 2021 she featured in the book ‘Independence Memories: A People’s Portrait of the Early Days of the Irish Nation’, sharing stories of being kept in school in Killarney during an attack on the RIC barracks down the road.
In 1924 she started a degree in science and a diploma in education at University College Cork, before working in the pathology lab in University College Cork’s Department of Medicine for 16 years.
last year she recalled her story on the podcast: ‘Living History – Irish Life and Lore’.
During the broadcast she talked about her parents’ membership of the Gaelic League in 1910; the Spanish Flu in Ireland in 1918; The Black and Tans in Killarney in 1921; the early days of the new Free State; Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in 1932, visiting the Basket Islands in 1929; and working in the UCC medical laboratory from 1932 until 1948.
This week President Michael D. Higgins hosted an afternoon tea event to celebrate the important role that a variety of people have and can play in different communities and Máirín was among the guests of honour.
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