Awards recognise business leaders of the community
JOHN FEERICK, MD OF THE CORKMAN
WHAT started off as an idea mooted to Maura Walsh and Eileen Linehan of IRD Duhallow quickly blossomed into the first every IRD Duhallow Business Awards and, six years later, a room full of 280 people was testament to its success.
That was the opening remarks in a speech by the MD of The Corkman, John Feerick, who said how The Corkman partnered with IRD Duhallow six years ago and since then the awards have duly recognised the business ambassadors in the community.
Mr Feerick, who has met so many business finalists and winners over the last six years, congratulated the finalists and said that the three judges did not have an easy task on their hands, such was the calibre of the shortlist.
Since the inception of the awards in 2013, the overall award winners spread across a host of businesses, from Alucat (now Blackwater Autobreakers) to K& L Deliveries of Millstreet to Banteer Educare, who fling open their doors at the crack of dawn to welcome in nippers from throughout Duhallow, to the 2016 overall winners the Ayrton Group, led by Kieran and Helen Linehan.
Last year’s winners was the very worthy Castlecor Potatoes, overseen by the dynamic Ned English and his family.
Mr Feerick also paid special thanks to Jeremiah Dennehy of Brogeen Crafts, who made the hand-crafted awards for the presentations.
He said in his role as MD he is fortunate that he meets so many in the business community at their business awards ceremonies in Cork, Kerry and in Sligo. He pointed out that as they are such a success, INM (Independent News & Media) has been approached by a number of organisations to roll out the business awards at national level, and it is something which they are “seriously considering” for next year.
He said it would be remiss of him at the awards night to not address the media and its role. He spoke of the “strong need” to protect quality journalism both on a national and local front. Back in July 2018, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar commented on the role of the media and the importance of good independent journalism in Irish democracy.
He pointed out that local newspapers were founded to represent the oppressed and to give a voice to the marginalised in society over 100 years ago. In April 1921, The Kerryman press was destroyed by the Black and Tans as they had refused to run a black border around the obituary of a local major, John McKinnon, who had been shot. The result was The Kerryman did not re-open again for two years.
With a smile, he said, of course, many know a certain man who has coined the phrase ‘Fake News’ and said only in the last number of weeks that people saw democracy at work when Fox News supported CNN on getting the White House credentials reinstated for the reporter Jim Acosta, who had posed some questions that didn’t quite sit well with President Trump.
“Journalism needs to be protected in our democracy,” he said.
He finished by thanking the team at The Corkman for their continuous output and he wished the former chairperson of IRD Duhallow, Anna Maria Bourke, the very best on her retirement as national school principal.