After a two and a half year hiatus, Oíche Chiarraí, the flagship event of the Kerry Association in Dublin, finally took place in The Green Isle Hotel in Dublin on Saturday night.

COMMITTEE: Kerry Association committee members: Mark Kennelly (Vice-president) Leonie Kelly Michael O’Regan (President) Keelin Kissane (Chairperson) Maurice Moynihan Liz Gaire John Horgan and Seán O Donnchú.

PAINTING: Vice-president of the Kerry Association Mark Kennelly presenting a John Hurley painting to Kerry Person of the Year Dr Patricia Sheahan.

FAMILY: Some of the Sheahan family in attendance on the night.

TEAM: Listowel Tidy Towns committee representatives with some Listowel friends on the night from l-r were: Marion Walsh Jimmy Moloney (Chairman Listowel Tidy Towns) Breda McGrath Julie Gleeson Mary Hanlon Norita Killeen Imelda Murphy Jenny Tarrant and Mary O’Connor.

A great crowd was in attendance as well as the Sam Maguire Cup and entertainment provided by Kerry band, No Strings Attached.

President of the Kerry Association in Dublin, Michael O’Regan, presented the Listowel Tidy Towns Committee with the Laochra Chiarraí award on the night while Dr Patricia Sheahan, received the Kerry Person of the Year award.

In 2016, the Kerry Association in Dublin introduced the Laochra Chiarraí or Kerry Heroes award. The purpose of this award is to recognise exemplary leadership in community activity in the county.

The public are invited to submit nominations in November each year and the ultimate winners are selected by the Committee of the Kerry Association.

Back in 2020, the Kerry Association selected Listowel Tidy Towns as the Laochra Chiarraí recipients, a group of people that are exemplary leaders in community activity.

Listowel has been a gold medal winner in the Tidy Towns awards every year since 2008 and won the coveted overall national title in 2018. Chairman of the Listowel Tidy Towns Committee, Jimmy Moloney, accepted the award on behalf of the group.

Since its introduction in 1979, the Kerry Person of the Year award recognises an individual who has shown leadership, brought honour and performed services for the county to such an extent that could be described as being beyond the norm of everyday life.

SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION

Listowel native Patricia Sheahan qualified as a doctor in 1989 and has since made a significant contribution to Kerry life. She has worked as the palliative medicine consultant in Kerry for the past 20 years. Alongside Kerry Hospice Foundation, she has helped develop a fully integrated palliative care service for the people of Kerry.

She has touched the lives of most families in the county and those families, some of whom were in attendance on Saturday, attest to her extraordinary sensitivity and compassion and going above and beyond the call of duty. She provides a special comfort at such a very difficult and emotional time and that’s something that the families of those in her care never forget.

A large crowd of Patricia’s family and friends were in attendance on the night to see this remarkable woman collect the Kerry Person of the Year perpetual trophy as well as a gift from the Kerry Association, a painting by Tralee artist, John Hurley.

Accepting the award, Patricia thanked her family, the Kerry Hospice Foundation volunteers and the staff of the Palliative Care unit for all their support.