Monthly winner citations as read out by Sean O’Rourke
January – Liam Hallihan.
“This is the man who created the internet sensation Martin’s Life, the cartoon series which has racked up millions of views over the years. Up until this year his identity has remained a secret but the winner is Mallow Man Liam Hallihan.”
February - Eoghan Ryan and Alasdair Fitzpatrick.
“These young professional who established a movement called Reimagine Cork, with the sole aim of making Cork beautiful by rejuvenating derelict buildings, laneways and urban greenscapes. They have led a ‘flying column’ of volunteers with paintbrushes in hand and they have transformed many old parts of the city with murals celebrating that areas history and heritage with a bit of creativity, Colour and humour.”
March - Daire Hickey.
“This is a young man from Ballincollig who co-founded the hugely successful Global Technology Web Summit along with his friend Paddy Cosgrave. Also he and actress Saoirse Ronan were named by Forbes Magazine as being among the top 30 people in the world ages under 30. This Forbes business star is now organising web summits in new locations around the world, most recently in Lisbon.”
April - Jennifer Dowler.
“For some 10-years Jennifer has been supplying dogs to children and adults with physical disabilities. These dog assistants a specially trained by this lady to carry out a range of everyday tasks like opening doors, picking up dropped items and helping children with walking difficulties. Her charity ‘Dogs for the Disabled’ relies completely on the generosity of sponsorship, donations and fundraising and her dogs are then partnered with disabled people at no cost to them.”
May – Noreen Murphy.
“Noreen Murphy founded a suicide prevention service after she lost her husband to suicide 10-years ago. At the time there was no such service in West Cork so she established Lisheen’s House Suicide Prevention service so that others would not have to face the lack of support she did. She supplies free counselling to people at risk of suicide, self-harm and mental health illness and she now has accredited councillors in every town in West Cork.”
June - Christina Chalmers:
“On a cold winter’s night this young mother posted on her Facebook page the following message. ‘Please join me in helping Cork’s homeless’. Some 60 volunteers responded and since then on an ongoing basis they help people sleeping rough around the city with hot food, blankets/clothing, medical attention and most importantly of all – human contact and friendships.. Now Christina and her growing army of supporters intend to put a night support bus on the streets of Cork.”
July – Conor Hourihane.
“This Bandon man was the first West Cork person ever to captian an English professional soccer team to their first cup final victory at Wembley. In doing so, he made history for himself and his Barnsley club. Since then Martin O’Neill has called him up to be a full member of the Irish senior team, who are now well on their way to qualifying fro World Cup 2018.”
August - Pat Kiernan.
“Founder and director of the Corcadorca Theatre, which is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. This is the theatrical company that launched global film start Cillian Murphy and has pioneered the art of theatre performances in unusual venues such as Patrick’s Hill, Elizabeth Fort and Fitzgerald’s Park.”
September - Tomás and Terry McCarthy.
“In September, Cork celebrated its Youth Orchestras and this married couple who have been responsible for producing thousands of young musicians in Cork through their leadership of youth and junior orchestras. This couple spend many hours each weeks preparing and rehearsing with hundreds of young musicians in five orchestras and present many concerts for a long list of Cork charities.”
October - Paul and Gary O’Donovan.
“These two Olympic silver medallists caused quite a stir and brought the country to a standstill, almost as much for their endearing personalities as their rowing achievements. President Michael D Higgins summed up the feeling s of the entire country when he said that these brothers had captured the entire nation’s imagination. He also said their skill, determination and positive outlook made them outstanding ambassadors for their sport and their community.”
November - Dr Seamus O’Mahony.
“This man is a medical doctor who made a brave call for the de-medicalisation of death and dying. He wrote a book called ‘ The Way We Die Now’, which told how the majority of us will die in a bust hospital in the care of strangers and over medication. This will rob us of a dignified death. His book explores the ways in which western society has lost the ability to speak about and to deal with death. Too often the truth has been denied by well intentioned relatives and doctors.”
December – Karen O’Mahony.
“This lady founded the Rainbow Club at Mahon Community Centre. She provides therapeutic support for children with autism and Aspergers syndrome and provides a much-need space for parents and families. As the mother of two children with autism, she found Cork lacked in services so decided to set up her own organisation. Her Rainbow Club, run on a voluntary bases now provides services to more than 220 children.