Dundalk Eurovision singer receives Distinguished Service Award from president

A former Eurovision contestant originally from Dundalk and now living in France has been awarded the Presidential Distinguished Service Award by President Michael D. Higgins.

At a ceremony in Áras an Uachtaráin President Higgins presented the award to Ms Maria Doyle for her work on equality and inclusion.

The Awards are presented by the President every year, in recognition of the service given to this country, or to Irish communities abroad, by those who live outside Ireland.

The Awards were created in 2011, as a means to recognise the contribution of members of the Irish diaspora, and the first awards were presented by President Higgins in 2012. 

Ms. Doyle started life as a Magdalene Baby, received little formal education and from the age of nine had to cope with sudden blindness. 

She went on her first international singing tour to the US at 13 years of age. 

She represented Ireland in the Eurovision at 19, when she felt obliged to hide her blindness. She has since become an ambassador for both the visually impaired and people dealt a difficult hand.

In 2022, Ms Doyle was appointed an ambassador for “Voir Ensemble” and visits institutions for blind children and shares her story. 

In September 2023, she was one of four key speakers at a French Ministry of Culture meeting to prepare including the learning and use of Braille in the intangible cultural heritage of humanity at UNESCO. 

She feels the visually impaired, the world over, should have the advantage of learning how to use Braille and for artists, like herself, reading music in Braille is also essential.