Inaugural Offaly Community & Sports Awards officially launched

Entries and nominations are now being accepted for the inaugural Offaly Community & Sports Awards which will take place on Friday, May 8.

The new awards scheme, a partnership between Offaly Independent and Offaly County Council, will see 17 awards given out in categories including Community Volunteer, Team of the Year, Children and Youth Project, Sports Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement to Sport, as well as an Overall Person/Group of the Year.
A large crowd gathered to officially launch the first year of the awards in Aras an Chontae in Tullamore on Tuesday last, with Michael Duignan, Chairperson of Offaly County Board acting as MC for the event,
Thanking Offaly County Council for coming on board, Mary McGuigan, Group Commercial Manager in Celtic Media Group, owners of Offaly Independent, said the awards will honour the “hidden figures” that so many clubs and groups depend on to keep going and sustain excellence, who are the “building blocks of every community.”
She thanked the local businesses who have come on board as sponsors to honour those people; Specsavers, Ace Braces, St Brigid's Credit Union, Hugo Loonam Motors and the Tullamore Court Hotel,
Offaly Independent editor Tadhg Carey, said the paper was proud to join in partnership with Offaly County Council, the county's premier body, in hosting these awards for the first time.
He acknowledged the fantastic sense of togetherness and kinship that existed in Offaly and said that it's appropriate and timely that the awards were being initiated in 2020, the 100th anniversary of the paper becoming known as Offaly Independent. Although in existence since 1894, it had previously been known as the Tullamore and King's County Independent.
Appealing to people to spread the word about the awards, set to be hosted by RTE star Eamonn Horan on May 8 in the Tullamore Court Hotel, MC Michael Michael Duignan said he welcomed any initiative where volunteers and the community are to the fore, without whom clubs and groups like the GAA just wouldn't be able to keep going.
“It's going to be recognition of people very much in the background, and while they are happy to be there, it's important they are recognised,” the former Offaly hurling star, now Chairperson of Offaly County Board commented.
Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, Cllr Peter Ormond, said that the ethos of community development is to empower and enhance the lives of those it works with, and this new awards scheme is a perfect example of doing just that by honouring “significant contribution” of people in our clubs and communities.
Wishing the judges well, Cllr Ormond said he was proud of this new initiative, a partnership between Offaly County Council and Offaly Independent, which is a new chapter for the local authority and he hoped it promotes a sense of pride in Offaly going forward.
“I have no doubt the standards will be very high and I look forward to May 8 and meeting all of the winners,” he added.
Addressing the attendees on Tuesday, Anna Marie Delaney, Chief Executive of Offaly County Council, said she is delighted to be involved in the new awards which will recognise volunteers involved in groups from Men's Sheds to Tidy Towns and sports clubs all over the county.
She thanked Director of Services for Housing, Community, Culture, Sharon Kennedy, the community section of the local authority, and Offaly Sports Partnership, for their assistance and joked that she doesn't believe there will be a problem with nominations, but narrowing them down could be the difficulty!
Each finalist in the community and sports awards will receive two free tickets to the awards and all three will be presented with a framed certificate – the winner will receive €1,000 bursary from Offaly County Council.
The 2020 Pride of Place representatives and 2019 Tidy Towns Merit Awards recipients will also be honoured on the night.
Closing date for entries is Friday, April 3. 
 

See Pages 10 and 11 for full details and nomination form.
Entries can also be submitted online at www.offalyindependent.ie/communitysportsawards