Meet Kildare's final three community volunteers to be honoured tomorrow night at the Keadeen Hotel at Kildare People of the Year Awards.

Here we conclude our coverage of this year's line-up of community award winners to be honoured tomorrow night at the Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge. Eight individual community volunteers will be presented with an award, with St John's Ambulance for North Kildare the sole group in this year's awards ceremony.

Pa Monahan of Caragh will recieve a standalone presentation the Inspirational Award 2016 and the late Michael Fitzpatrick TD will be honoured with a posthumous award.   Matt Browne will be MC for the night with Mayor of Kildare, Cllr Ivan Keatley on hand to present the overall award at the end of the night.  Kildare County Council sponsor the awards with generous support from Naas Printing, Business Excellence, the Keadeen Hotel, Lily O'Brien Chocolates and sponsor Joe Mallon Motors Ltd.

Joann Keenahan

HUMANITARIAN/FEMAL SPORT VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2016

Joann Keenahan has packed a huge amount into her relatively young life! Having studied Social Science in UCD, she diverted into teaching, which some might say is another form of social work! Joann works in a DEIS school in Dublin 15, St Philip’s SNS and admits it has its challenges but the pride she feels when pupils climb their own little mountains make it all worthwhile. Joann hopes eventually to become a Principal and completed a Masters in Education in 2015.

Teaching allows Joann to travel widely, and she has used her travels to view different education systems in Russia, Siberia, Mongolia and China before continuing to South-East Asia and Australia. Here she worked in an Autistic unit in a primary school before travelling to New Zealand, Fiji and South/Central America. Along with her sister, she volunteered on a build with the Niall Mellon Township Trust and taught for a year in a teaching college in Ethiopia with Voluntary Services Overseas.

Having grown up in a GAA-mad household, it was inevitable Joann would become immersed in the local GAA club on her return. She is now Chairperson of Confey GAA with committees to sit on, day to day tasks to be done, social media and promotion, etc. Joann also cycles for charity and has raised funds for suicide-support, and is planning to pedal next year for Maynooth University students.

One of the few female Chairpersons of a senior GAA club in Ireland, she was invited to be Grand Marshal of Leixlip St Patrick’s Day Parade in 2015. Through Confey GAA, Joann has been heavily involved with a plethora of events to support the physical and mental well-being of non-GAA members, amongst them the Arch Club.  Space prevents us from covering the full extent of her work but it is extensive and ongoing. Joann Keenahan, truly deserving of the title Humanitarian / Female Sport Volunteer of the Year Award 2016.

North Kildare Division of St John Ambulance

VOLUNTEER GROUP OF THE YEAR 2016

Under the charge of A/Supt Juliette Smith. St John’s Ambulance, North Kildare Division is a young group in terms of the overall 113 years history of St John’s nationally. Started in 2010. It comprises a  cadet division of some 50 members,  aged from 11-17 years with an adult division of over 20 members. The objects of the adult division, made up mostly of young adults, are to train members to a high standard in pre-hospital emergency care from first aider to emergency medical technician.

The North Kildare Division also has paramedics, advanced paramedics, nurses and doctors in our membership and it’s all voluntary.  They provides pre- hospital emergency cover at many local events such as local school sports/blitz challenges, Celbridge town FC, Celbridge GAA, St Patrick's Day Parade and the recent Celbridge Festival to name but a few. They also partake in the many duties covered by St John Ireland in places such as Aviva, Croke Park, RDS Horseshow; Leinster, Iron Man Dublin Race Series, the Dublin Marathon, Dublin Zoo and various concerts.

This is all done voluntarily with an individual member likely to cover an average of 240 hours per annum, roughly 20 hours a month but some volunteers do much more. Regular weekly training (minimum 2 hours) is also undertaken to update skills and training.

The Cadet Division’s objectives are similar in relation to emergency services but also include duties such as caring in the home, animal welfare, etc. The cadets make an annual camping trip with 34 cadets taking part this year. The Cadet Division has proven to be quite a force on the national first aid competition scene, winning many national trophies. Many of these cadets will eventually filter up to the adult membership and continue their great voluntary service. St John’s Ambulance North Kildare Division – every event and emergency covered!

John Joe Walsh

NATIONAL SPORT VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR 2016

“Leave it with me; I’ll see what I can Do!” is the phrase most attributed to John Joe, who is plagued every year during championship time. A member of Croke Park Management Committee, the highest committee in national GAA, pressure on John Joe to work magic for everyone! Born in Mayo in 1940, his family came to Kildare in 1956 to Blackhall, Claverstown.  With St Nathy’s in Ballaghdereen, John Joe was on the panel in two All-Ireland College finals in his youth, winning in 1957 and beaten finalists in ’59. Married to Rita in 1964, they raised their four children in Co Kildare and John Joe dedicated himself to his local club, St Laurence’s.

1957 was the year he joined, also the year Narraghmore and Ballitore clubs united, with each club finding it impossible to field a team at the time. John Joe has the distinction of playing senior county football with Kildare, Mayo and Westmeath. Currently the President of St Laurence’s, he played for four decades with the club, and coached many good teams. He has served as Club Chairman, and as Senior County Selector with managers Mick O’Dwyer, Eamonn O’Donoghue and Dermot Earley RIP. His GAA CV is impressive:  a Railway Cup selector with Leinster for 5 years; elected to GAA Leinster Council in 2000 and Leinster Council PRO in 2009. He is currently a member of Kildare County BOM and sits on the GAA Central Council since 2013, plus the Croke Park Management Committee for the past two years.

He is the current Chairperson of Ballitore Tidy Towns Committee and is a Liturgy and Eucharistic Minister, having further served as a member of Crookstown NS Board of Management for 12 years and is involved weekly with Crookstown and Kilmead schools. In 2013, St Laurence’s NS Principal, Nuala Costello, presented him with the John Joe Walsh Perpetual Trophy on Grandparents Day, for his tireless work in promoting Gaelic games in the schools and the community. An incredible worker for the parish, for GAA, locally and nationally, John Joe Walshe, National Sport Volunteer of the Year 2016.

 Our featured photo shows Dave Maher, 2014 winner with sponsor Joe Mallon Motors Ltd

All photos Dessie Boland