Nominations sought for Tipperary Peace Award
One of the greatest innovations by any committee in Tipperary has to be the induction of peace makers as recipients of the Tipperary International Peace Award. Introduced in 1983 by a select committee of Tipperary Peace Convention, the Peace Award has achieved national and international recognition, standing closely behind the Nobel Peace Prize.
The 2018 recipient, former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, said the award was a “wonderful example of a local community organising a prize for peace which has achieved wide standing and international recognition.”
Right from the very beginning the committee of Tipperary Peace Convention set a very high standard, with the first recipient in 1984 being the late Seán MacBride, in recognition of his work for human rights worldwide. The selection of MacBride was a very important statement of intent by the committee to recognise those who would fight against injustice and would be champions of the fight for peace, reconciliation, freedom and democracy worldwide.
In the years since the award was instituted, it has been presented on 31 occasions. The list includes world leaders, campaigners, activists, humanitarians, negotiators and brokers, all with the ideal of promoting peace and reconciliation and with endeavouring the make the world a more safer and peaceful place for all of mankind.
From meeting many of the recipients it is obvious that the award means a great deal to everyone that receives it. Those who travel from overseas as recipients always recount the name of the song ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’ on arrival, as evidence of their journey and of the popularity of the song and the name ‘Tipperary’. Throughout the years, the committee has endeavoured to ensure that the recipients travel in person to receive the award in Tipperary. This requirement by the committee ensures that the award receives the recognition that it deserves and that there is the opportunity to showcase Tipperary on a national and world stage.
It is remarkable that a small voluntary committee should be capable of this and this is recognised by President Michael D Higgins, when he paid tribute to Tipperary Peace Convention in 2019.
“Tipperary Peace Convention has been engaged in an admirable programme of work, in promotion and celebration of peace, not only in words, but also through music, song and creativity. This approach has meant that the Peace Award is held in high regard, both at home in Ireland and at international level, and by consequence, its bestowal confers a considerable honour on the recipient,” said President Higgins.
NOMINATIONS SOUGHT
Because of the situation with Covid it has not been possible to have any award presentation in 2020. The last recipient was former President Mary Robinson, who received the 2018 award in November 2019. In the hope that restrictions will ease later this year, it should be possible to have an award presentation sometime in 2021. Therefore, Tipperary Peace Convention is now seeking nominations for the 2019/2020 award.
Nominations can be submitted by e-mail to: martinquinns@eircom.net or alternatively by post to the Hon. Secretary, Tipperary Peace Convention, 18 Father Matthew Street, Tipperary Town, Co. Tipperary.
The aim of the Tipperary Peace Award is to recognise those who work tirelessly in countries around the world to end conflict and war, to facilitate reconciliation and peace making efforts, to provide humanitarian support and to campaign for justice and equality. If you think that you know of someone who should be nominated, then please do so today and include a brief resume to include the reason why you consider the person/s should receive the award.