Local and National Heroes To Be Celebrated At The Cork Person Of The Year Gala Awards Lunch
On Friday January 26th next (2024) the Cork Person(s) of the Year for 2023 will be announced at the 31st Gala Awards Lunch at the Metropole Hotel, Cork City.
In addition to the announcement of the overall Cork Person(s) of the Year, from a strong lineup of monthly winners, the awards organisers revealed that several others will receive awards and be celebrated for their contribution to Cork and Ireland.
Cork’s literary luminary, Alice Taylor, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Renowned for her transformative work, ‘To School Through the Fields,’ which became the best-selling Irish published book, Taylor continues to capture the essence of rural Ireland through her prolific writing. Having authored over 20 books, Alice Taylor’s impact on literature is unparalleled. Past Hall of Fame inductees are Ted Crosbie (2018), Fergal Keane OBE (2019), Tom Cavanagh (2020), Caitriona Twomey (2021) and Mary Crilly (2022).
“Alice Taylor joins an esteemed group of past Hall of Fame inductees, each leaving an indelible mark on Cork’s history and culture. It is with great honour that we celebrate Alice Taylor’s literary legacy at the 31st Gala Awards Lunch on Friday (Jan 26th) next, at the Metropole Hotel in Cork City”, said Awards Organiser Manus O’Callaghan.
The Honorary Cork Person Award will be presented to broadcaster Dáithí Ó Sé who has presented the Today afternoon TV programme from the RTÉ Cork Studios over many years. The award organisers wish to mark his work over the decades too in broadcasting.
Celebrating its 31st year, the Cork Person of the Year Awards have garnered national recognition, thanks to the dedication of our sponsors, our Judges Ann Doherty, Chief Executive of Cork City Council and Valerie O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Cork County Council, and the City Lord Mayor and County Mayor who play a vital role in presenting the awards on behalf of Cork City and County.
The Lord Mayor of Cork City, Cllr Kieran McCarthy and the Mayor of Cork County, Cllr Frank O’Flynn, will present the recipients with their awards to mark their achievements to date. They will receive their awards in front of an invited audience of people representing all sectors of Cork society.
Masters of Ceremony for the occasion will be RTÉ’s Anne Cassin and Marty Morrissey.
Guests of Honour speakers at the event will include Minister for Finance Michael McGrath; Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney; the new Director-General of RTÉ, Kevin Bakhurst; radio and TV star Mike Murphy; awards founder & organiser Manus O’Callaghan; and Ann-Marie O’Sullivan of AM O’Sullivan PR.
The nominees for the Cork Person(s) of the Year award are the following:
JANUARY: Denise O’Sullivan, star player on the Republic of Ireland Women’s Soccer Team.
FEBRUARY: Tadhg Curtis, Mallow community activist and Chairman of Mallow Arts Collective.
MARCH: Donal Lenihan and Greg Barrett, promoters of rugby through media and IRFU administration.
APRIL: The Frank and Walters band, musical ambassadors for Cork.
MAY: Joe Hartnett, Director of Cork City Sports International Athletics Meeting.
JUNE: Jacqui Hurley, leading Irish sports broadcaster and author of “Girls Play Too”.
JULY: Katherine Dolphin Griffin & Linda Goggin-James, leading cancer charity workers.
AUGUST: Maureen Forrest, founder of the Hope Foundation for helping street children in Kolkata.
SEPTEMBER: Chris Kent, top Cork stand-up comedian in Ireland and the U.K.
OCTOBER: Marie Barry and John Arnold, city and county community activists in urban and rural projects.
NOVEMBER: Sr. Josephine McCarthy, missionary work with Presentation Sisters and community development at Nano Nagle Place.
DECEMBER: Mark O’Donoghue, founder of Cycling for All Cork, which aims to make cycling accessible to those with a disability.
Full details and interviews with the nominees can be found on www.corkpersonoftheyear.ie.
The organisers’ mission is to inspire others by honouring achievements and celebrating success, reinforcing that Cork’s greatest asset will always be its people.
Award judges are Ann Doherty, Chief Executive of Cork City Council, and Valerie O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Cork County Council. Award partners are RTÉ, The Metropole Hotel/Trigon Hotels, Tony O’Connell Photography, AM O’Sullivan PR, Cork Crystal, Masterkabin, Musgrave MarketPlace, Vondago Productions, CAVS, Robert Stephens Display, Manus O’Callaghan, Cork City Council, and Cork County Council. Award organisers are Manus O’Callaghan and Ann-Marie O’Sullivan.
