Who will be the 2023 Offaly Person of the Year?

The search for the 2023 Offaly (Association) Dublin 2023 Person of the Year and Unsung Hero of Offaly was launched on Wednesday evening last in the Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore.

The 2023 winner of the Person of the Year will be the 35th recipient of this prestigious award which has been generously sponsored for a long number of years by The Celt, Talbot Street, Dublin.

The award is to be presented in the Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore in April of 2024.

Master of Ceremonies for the launch, Ger Scully, committee Secretary/ PRO, extended a warm welcome to al present. Among those present were Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick (Cathaoirleach Offaly County Council), Cllr. Declan Harvey (Cathaoirleach Tullamore Municipal Council), Cllr Tony McCormack, Cllr Neil Feighery and Cllr Sean O'Brien. Previous winners of the award Dr Philip Brady and Noel Tynan were also present.

Apologies were received from Offaly County Council CE Ms Anna Marie Delaney, Deputy Barry Cowen, Deputy Carol Nolan and Senator Pippa Hackett.

Getting proceedings underway Mr Scully welcomed all the public representatives present, former winners and all other present. He then called on chairperson of the Offaly (Association) Dublin, Liam Fleury to speak.

Mr Fleury announced that the winner of the 2023 Offaly Person of the Year award will be the 35th recipient of the award since it was first presented in 1988. He added that at the awards ceremony in April 2024 the Unsung Hero award,which was introduced just a few years, ago will also be presented.

He announced that Ms Jennifer Guinan, who had been chairperson of the Association for the last four years, had stepped down from the position and he thanked her for her dedication and hard work over those years.

"Members of the public will be able to vote for the person who they believe should be the 2023 Person of the Year via nomination forms which will be published in the local papers over the coming weeks. I would encourage all members of the public in Offaly to nominate who they think would be a deserving winner of the award.

"I would like to thank Noel Tynan, The Celt, Talbot Street, Dublin for his loyal sponsorship of the award of a long number of years.

"I would like to thank the local media for their coverage of the awards and the members of the selection committee for all their work.

"My thanks also goes to Noel McCann and the Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore for hosting the launch and for hosting the awards night over the last number of years since it was decided to move the awards night to Tullamore.

"The Offaly Association Dublin hosted a golf classic to raise funds for Offaly County Board. It was a resounding success and recently we presented a cheque for €30,000 to Offaly County Board, the proceeds of the golf classic.

"As I said earlier Jennifer Guinan has stepped down from the position of chairperson of the Offaly Association and I hope we will see her back again in the not too distant future," said Mr Fleury.

Mr Scully praised Mr Fleury for all his work with the Offaly Association over a long. long number of years.

Winner of the 2022 Offaly Person of the Year, Noel Tynan said he was honoured to have received the award for 2022 and thanked all who were involved in bestowing the award on him.

"I never expected to be selected and it was only after I received the award, I realised how important it is to the people of Offaly. I remember the late Pat Smullen saying: "there is no greater award, than an award you have been selected for by the people of your own county."

"That statement by Pat is very true and I am delighted to see the Person of the Year continue to grow since the awards night was moved down here to Tullamore.

"Every one of the award winners was fully deserving of the award," said Mr Tynan.

Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick thanked the committee for inviting him to the launch.

"I have many wonderful memories of attending the Offaly Association (Dublin) Person of the Year awards night and I would like to congratulate Noel Tynan on winning the 2022 award and also Philip Brady on winning the award some years ago.

"It is also wonderful that you have included the Unsung Hero award as this gives recognition to people who work behind the scenes in different clubs and organisations for the benefit of those involved in those groups.

"Offaly is a great county and will always be a great county and the presentation of the Person of the Year award allows the people of the county to honour a person who they feel has done a lot to help promote and develop the county.

"Recently Offaly County Council acknowledged the work of the Offaly Association in New York. The council has a very good relationship with both the Offaly Association Dublin and the Offaly Association New York and long may that continue.

"I am looking forward to the presentation of the 2023 Offaly Person of the Year and the Unsung Hero of 2023 at the awards ceremony in April 2024 and would like to wish the selection committee every success in the tough task of selecting the eventual winners," said Cllr Fitzpatrick.

The closing date for the receipt of nominations for the 2023 Person of the Year and 2023 Unsung Hero 2023 will be Wednesday, 31 January.

The launch night concluded with Philip Brady reciting a special poem written for the occasion.