Civic reception marks 25 years of Cork Person of the Year

The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Tony Fitzgerald, hosted a civic reception at City Hall last week to mark the 25th anniversary of the Cork Person of the Year award.

Established in 1993 by Manus O’Callaghan to celebrate the good of the people of Cork, it has seen more than 300 Cork Persons of the Month honoured, and 27 Cork Persons of the Year.

The list of winners includes some of the biggest names in film, sports, the arts and philanthropy along with less well-known people who have done stellar work in the charity and voluntary sectors.

Manus set up the awards because of a lack of a state honours system, which operates in many other countries. In fact, Manus has called for a state backed honours system to be established in Ireland to pay tribute to Irish citizens who make outstanding contributions to their communities and the country.

“It is important that we celebrate and honour great Irish men and women and their achievements. It is also an important marketing opportunity to promote Ireland and its people at home and abroad.”

In the absence of such an awards system, Manus will continue to operate the Cork Person of the Year Award and honour the best of what Cork has to offer.

The awards would not be possible without the support of sponsors AM O’Sullivan PR, the Irish Examiner, Lexus Cork, Tony O’Connell photography, Cork Crystal and Musgrave MarketPlace.

At the Civic Reception, the Lord Mayor praised the work of Manus O’Callaghan over the past 25 years and the way the awards market all that’s good in Cork. He said he looked forward to another 25 years of the awards.

Many past winners of the Cork Person of the Month award, as well as representatives from business groups all over Cork, attended the civic reception at City Hall where Manus O’Callaghan was presented with a souvenir silver plate by the Lord Mayor.

The 2017 Cork Person of the Year will be announced at a gala luncheon on Friday, January 19th.