Tullamore native receives Presidential award

A Tullamore native was yesterday among the recipients of the first ever Presidential Distinguished Service Awards for the Irish abroad. Fr Michael Kelly, who is based in Zambia, was awarded the honour for his contribution to peace, reconciliation and development abroad. The President Michael D. Higgins, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore all participated in the awards ceremony which saw ten people from a range of categories honoured. Michael Kelly, a Jesuit priest, was born in Tullamore in 1929. He was one of seven children. He and two of his siblings became Jesuit priests. He has lived and worked in Zambia for over 50 years, becoming a Zambian citizen and a professor in the University of Zambia (UNZA) in 1989. In the past ten years Professor Kelly has spent considerable time researching the devastating impact of HIV and AIDS in Africa and in particular its impact on education. He has been to the forefront of research on the interconnection between education and HIV and AIDS.