THE LONG READ: Paralympic silver medallist and traditional music stalwart honoured at Offaly Person of the Year Awards

Paralympic silver medallist Nicole Turner, Garryhinch and Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann stalwart, Pádraig O Dufaigh, Birr were honoured at the presentation of the 36th Offaly Person of the Year award and fifth Unsung Hero of Offaly awards in The Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore last Saturday.

The event, which is organised by the Offaly Association (Dubin), saw both Nicole and Pádraig honoured after they were nominated by the people of Offaly and selected by a special committee comprising of Liam Fleury, Ger Scully (Tullamore/ Midland Tribune/ Offaly Live), Peter Carter (Offaly Topic), Pat Teehan and Noel McCann.

Over 100 people gathered for the gala occasion with large numbers of friends and family of both award winners present.

Cllr Audrey Kennedy, Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council spoke of her immense pride to be at a function during which two wonderful people were honoured.

"All those who were nominated have contributed in a big way to the county of Offaly and have played a major role in developing the image of the county.

"I want to congratulate Nicole on her selection as Person of the Year and Pádraig on his selection as Unsung Hero. Nicole's great success is inspirational to a

us all. She showed great determination in her efforts to be a success and I want to wish her well for the future.

"Pádraig has worked a lifetime in Comhaltas and has made a major contribution to Comhaltas both locally and nationally and his work has left a lasting legacy with our young people.

"I want to acknowledge the great work done by the Offaly Association in establishing these awards and wish them continued success," said Cllr Kennedy.

Former Person of the Year and present chairman of Offaly County Board, Tom Parlon said he was delighted to be present at the ward and added that having looked at the list of those nominated he was delighted they were not nominated when he won the award in 1998 as he believed he would not have stood a chance of winning the award.

"It is great to see out threes TDs and so many elected members of Offaly County Council here tonight and to see such a large crowd present for the event.

"Nicole Turner is a gorgeous and very dedicated young person and to have won the award when so many other wonderful people were nominated was a wonderful achievement and I congratulate you on all your achievements over the years.

"Pádraig Ó Dufaigh has done so much over a long number of years to promote our culture and he is a deserving winner of the Unsung Hero award. I also want to pay tribute to Pat Teehan and Liam Fleury for their work with the Offaly Association.

"It was a great honour for me to be elected as Chairman of Offaly County Board and I want to thank the Offaly Association for the recent presentation of a cheque for €30,000, the proceeds of the Golf Classic to Offaly County Board.

"Once again my congratulations to Nicole and Pádraig on their selection as Person of the Year and Unsung Hero," said Mr Parlon.

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Awards sponsor Noel Tynan of The Celt Bar, Talbot Street, Dublin said he was delighted to be present for such a special evening and thanked the large crowd present for attending on the night.

"I want to thank the three TDs - Carol Nolan, tony McCormack and John Clendennen - for coming tonight and also the elected members of Offaly County Council for attending the function.

"Thanks also goes to previous award winners Matt Connor, Philip Brady and Tom Parlon for coming along here tonight.

"All those who were nominated were winners in their own right as they were nominated by the people of their won county," said Mr Tynan.

2023 Unsung Hero award winner Tony Bergin was unable to attend last Saturday night but sent a letter which was read by Ger Scully.

In his letter Mr Bergin said: "Unfortunately I cannot be with you all tonight as old age is catching up on me. I did not feel I deserved to win the award for 2023, but was honoured to have received it and I had a hell of a good time celebrating it. My thanks to the committee for selecting me and I want to congratulate Nicole and Pádraig on winning their awards."

UNSUNG HERO CITATION

Prior to reading out the Unsung Hero citation, Pat Teehan said: "It was a great honour for me to read the citation for the Unsung Hero, Pádraig Ó Dufaigh who has been a friend of mine for a very long time, I want to thank Pádraig for all his support and help when we honoured successful Offaly teams when they came back to the county.

"I also want to thank him for all the support he has given me over the years and the encouragement he has given me during my involvement with Offaly GAA."

"It gives me great pleasure to present to you this evening the 2024 Unsung Hero of Offaly recipient.

"The award goes to a man who has given a lifetime of service championing traditional Irish music through Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann at local, county and national level.

"Despite his advancing years, the 2024 Unsung Hero is still involved with Comhaltas locally and is also an active member of the Parish Pastoral Council in Birr.

"A multi-talented individual, he is a veteran radio presenter who has fronted the popular Coppers and Brass traditional musical programme on Midlands 103 for over three decades.

"Born in Ballywilliam, Eglish, in Drumcullen parish, our 2024 award recipient grew up with his siblings on a small farm. He was educated at the Presentation Brothers in Birr.

"Shortly after completing his secondary education, he secured a position with Woods Textile Manufacturing in Birr, later Birr Fabrics, where he worked for 25 years, advancing to the role of sales manager

"Following that he spent another quarter century working at Erin Peats where he was logistics manager at the time of his retirement.

"Despite his busy working life and commitment to Comhaltas, our award winner found time to woo and wed his beloved wife, the late Virginia Magee, from Borris-in -Ossory, and the happy couple reared three children, Sinead, Ciaran and Nollaig.

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"Nollaig, who lives and works in the United States, has flown over from Chicago to attend tonight's awards ceremony and we give her a special welcome. Our award winner also delights in his five grandchildren.

It was a twist of fate that the 2024 Unsung Hero of Offaly, became involved in Comhaltas in the late 1950s.

"In 1958, the celebrated Marian Hall has just opened in Birr and various fund-raising efforts were being organised to finance the development.

One of the ventures suggested was the organising of a fleadh cheoil and our award winner was nominated to help organise the fund-raiser as he had previously attended a fleadh cheoil. At the time Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann was in its infancy and not many were familiar with fleadh cheoileanna.

The subsequent fleadh cheoil proved an enormous success and in the following year the Offaly County Board of Comhaltas was formed with the first ever county fleadh being held in Birr.

"Our award winner was secretary of the first fleadh and the first county board and he has remained in administrative roles in Comhaltas up to this day.

Originally there were just three Comhaltas branches in Offaly, though Clonaslee was affiliated for a time as there was no Laois county organisation. Offaly now boasts seven branches – Birr, Ballyboy, Kilcormac, Rahan, Tullamore, Daingean and Edenderry.

"In due course, the 2024 Unsung Hero was elected to the Provinical Council and to the National Executive of Comhaltas in the early 1970s.

"He filled the onerous role of national competitions co-ordinator and was also elected National Treasurer, a post he remained in for 35 years until stepping down last year. Our award winner remains a National Trustee of Comhaltas.

He has attended every Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann since 1958 and was a key member of the ogranising committee which brought the event to Tullamore in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

"Incidentally, the Offaly Person of the Year award was bestowed on that committee in 2009 Sso our Unsung Hero has the distinction of being also the holder of an Offaly Person of the Year award.

"Our award recipient also became involved in parish affairs in his adopted home of Birr in the late 1950s and remains a member of the Pastoral Council to this day.

"He has served in the role of Secretary and Chairman of the body but now describes himself as "ordinary foot soldier."

"He was recently awarded the St Brendan's Medal for his work for the parish for over six decades.

"Now aged 87, the 2024 Unsung Hero retains his zest for life and his commitment to all things Gaelic and Irish, both language and music.

"Tonight we salute the recipient of the Unsung Hero of Offaly award.

Ladies and gentlemen please be upstanding for the 2024 Unsung Hero of Offaly, Padraig O Dufaigh."

In accepting the award, Mr Duffaigh said: "I want to thank those members of the selection committee for considering me for an award which I appreciate.

I accept it on behalf of all the voluntary workers who contribute to Comhaltas and to many different organisations in the county. The work of those volunteers is very important for the continued viability of those organisations.

"I am delighted tonight by my many Comhaltas friends, by Labhras Ó Murchú and his wife Una, our TDs, elected members of Offaly County Council and members of my family. I want o to thank you all for coming to support Nicole and myself.

"I want to thank Pat Teehan for the citation and Ger Scully for al his work with this event."

PERSON OF THE YEAR

The citation for the Person of the Year was read by Peter Carter.

"It gives me great pleasure to present to you this evening the 2024 Offaly Person of the Year award recipient.

"The award goes to a young woman who has represented her county and her country in international competitive swimming and who last year announced her retirement, bringing an extraordinary career to a close.

"A Paralympic silver medallist and multiple-time international medallist, the 2024 Offaly Person of the Year leaves the sport as one of Ireland's most celebrated athletes.
"From Garryhinch, she initially took up swimming to follow in the footsteps of her two older brothers, but her exceptional talent quickly became evident. Encouraged by her family and coaches, who recognised her potential, she pursued the sport more seriously.

"Our award winner grew up just outside Portarlington, with parents Bernie and Jason, and brothers Daniel and Ciaran.

"The 22-year-old was educated locally at Cloneyhurke National School and Colaiste Iosagain in Portarlington.
"Taking up swimming at the tender age of five she got her first taste of success when she won eight medals in 2009, aged just seven, in Belfast.

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"Her career began with Portarlington Piranhas before moving to Laois Marlins in Portlaoise. She then trained with Ireland’s top swimmers at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin starting in 2017.
"In 2015, she made her senior international debut at the British Internationals, winning a silver medal in the youth category. She followed this with six finals and personal bests at that year’s World Championships in Glasgow.
"Our Offaly Person of the Year 2024 represented Ireland at the 2016 IPC Swimming European Open Championships, where she swam in six finals, bringing home silver in both the 200m Individual Medley and the 100m Breaststroke, as well as a bronze in the 50m Butterfly. She also set nine new PB times.
"At just 14 years old, she made her Paralympic debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The Offaly Person of the Year 2024 competed in five events, qualifying for the final in each one, and set personal bests in six out of her ten races. Her best finish was fifth in the 50m Butterfly.

"She had the honour of serving as the flagbearer for Team Ireland during the Rio Paralympics' closing ceremony.
"She shone at the 2018 European Championships in Dublin, winning silver in the 50m Butterfly. In 2019, she won bronze in the 50m Butterfly at the World Championships in London.

"Following her brilliant performances that year, the 2024 Offaly Person of the Year was nominated for both the RTÉ Sport Awards 2019 Sportsperson of the Year and the Young Sportsperson of the Year award.
"At the 2021 European Championships in Madeira, she won medals in all four of her events: silver in the 50m Butterfly and 100m Breaststroke, and bronze in the 50m Freestyle and 200m Individual Medley.
"The 2024 Offaly Person of the Year competed in her second Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2021, which had been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Despite the challenges posed by the global situation, she delivered stellar performances, culminating in the crowning moment of her career – winning a silver medal in the S6 50m Butterfly final with a time of 36.30 seconds.
"Competing against world-class athletes, including her Chinese rival Yuyan Jiang, who set a world record in their heat, she demonstrated exceptional skill and determination to claim her spot on the podium. Her silver medal cemented her status as one of the top Paralympic swimmers in the world.
"The 2024 Offaly Person of the Year was a key member of the Irish team at the 2023 Para Swimming World Championships in Manchester. At the 2024 Para Swimming European Championships in Madeira, she won four medals: one gold, one silver, and two bronze.
"At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, marking her third and final appearance, she competed in two events. She advanced to the final of the S6 50m Freestyle, finishing 6th with a time of 35.65 seconds and she also finished 6th in the S6 50m Butterfly final.

"While the award recipient did not secure a podium finish, her performances reflected her continued dedication to her sport and her status as one of the top para-swimmers on the global stage.
"Speaking about her retirement announcement, Paralympics Ireland CEO Stephen McNamara said: "Her contribution to Irish sport and her exceptional performances will leave a lasting legacy. While we will miss seeing her compete, we congratulate her on everything she has accomplished throughout her career and wish her all the best in the next chapter of her life.”

"Tonight we salute the 36th recipient of the Offaly Person of the Year award who is a person who has shown that if you believe you will succeed, you will.

"Ladies and gentlemen please be upstanding for the 2024 Offaly Person of the Year, Nicole Turner."

In accepting the award, Nicole said: I want to thank the committee for organising such a wonderful night, my family, in particular my parents who have helped me so much.

"MY parents and my brothers have always given me great support and wonderful encouragement. I also want to thank everyone who has helped me to achieve what I achieved over the years. I want to thank Joanne Brown, Senior Consultant Sports Psychologist for all here support.

"I want to thank you all for coming here to be with me on this special night.

"I have had a wonderful career in swimming and thank everyone who has helped me in any way.

"I was always proud to represent my county and my country and I will always remember the commitment my family gave to me.

"Winning in Tokyo was very special for me and I do not regret any of the sacrifices I had to make during my swimming career because I always wanted to succeed.

"Thanks again to the committee for selecting me and to you all for coming tonight. I hope you all enjoy the rest of the evening."

TOAST

In raising a toast to the 2024 Person of the Year, the 2023 Person of the Year and Unsung Hero, Seamus Dooley said: "Cathaoirleach, distinguished guests, friends 

It is with joy and humility that I offer the toast to Nicole and Pádraig as your honourees tonight.

"The Offaly Person of Year award is a wonderful honour.

"Nicole, I know you will, like me, will receive many messages of congratulations, letters, cards, phone calls - I even receive the much-appreciated gift of a painting from the ever-generous Fergal McCabe. 

"That response is a tribute to the spirit  of the people of Offaly but it is also a measure of the significance which is attached to the award. - and a reflection of the esteem in which the Offaly Association is held. 

"Many similar awards are made on the basis of time served. That's never been the approach in Offaly and Nicole joins 1994 Young Scientist of the Year Jane Feehan in being selected as a young woman whose outstanding achievements have been recognised in real time! 

"I just hope that the people of Laois don't seek to claim the Turner prize amd I'd ask Ger Scully to use his influence to correct the record on Wiklopedia, where Nicola is described as being from Queen's County. Well, we want our Queen back!

"Pádraig is an outstanding ambassador for Comhtas and for Offaly. I have known him since I was a child, meeting him with my father at county and Leinster FLeadhs.

When the first Offaly Fleadh was held in Ferbane I  volu teeter  as a 16 year old student at St Saran's and recall Paddy being supportive and encouraging. 

It was through those Fleadhs I developed a deep appreciation of Irish music and song.

"CCÉ is built on the contribution of men like Pádraig but his contribution, as you heard, goes beyond  CCÉ and through my journalism I  witnessed his contribution to his community in Birr.

"He is a byword for commitment, the personification of community service delivered with modesty and perseverance. 

"I also know that if there was an Olympic category for treasurers  Pádraig  be a multiple gold medal winner.

"Friends, please charge your glasses and join me in a toast to Nicole, to Pádraig and to the spirit which they embody." 

The formalities of the evening came to a conclusion with a rendition of 'The Offaly Rover' by Tullamore man, Michael Scully.