The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Eibhlin Byrne will present Dublin City Council’s Unsung Heroes awards in the Round Room of the Mansion House on Tuesday 2nd December at 8pm. Over 350 unsung heroes have been nominated by their peers for an award.
Unsung Heroes are people of all ages from every community in Dublin, who give their time, energy and skills for free, to lend a helping hand to others in the community. Unsung Heroes are those who contribute formally though voluntary organisations in their community or those who contribute informally through simply being a good neighbour or friend, to someone needing a helping hand, or a listening ear.
According to Lord Mayor Eibhlin Byrne, “ All the Unsung Heroes have one thing in common – they have put others first. They make a hugely important contribution to the life of this city and its communities. It is a privilege to present these awards and recognise all 350 Unsung Heroes. We often hear that in today’s society people aren’t as community-minded as they were in the past but the Unsung Heroes have set a wonderful example and shown us what is possible. With citizens like our Unsung Heroes Dublin's future is bright.”
The awards, which are now in their fourth year, are organised and run by Dublin City Council, and all Unsung Heroes are nominated by the public. In all, over 350 Unsung Heroes were nominated this year, once again highlighting the great success of the scheme as well as the good will and great giving spirit of the Dublin people.
This year will also see 20 ‘Super Heroes’ recognised. These Super Heroes are those nominees that are an outstanding example to the community as a whole, ranging from young to old, including both men and women; they are a shining example to all of Dublin. These ‘Super Heroes’ were selected by a committee comprising of the Council’s Community Development Officer, a representative from Garda Síochana and two members of the Dublin City Community Forum.
One Super Hero is Marie Connelly who works tirelessly on behalf of the community of Ringsend. She has been a fantastic community activist for almost 30 years. Her community involvement has covered many areas for both young and old. Most recently she was part of the committee that organised the Midsummer Music Festival which took place in July 2008.
Another great example of community spirit is Sean McGuiness, who plays saxophone voluntarily every Wednesday at the Friends of the Elderly Social Club in Ballymun. He is 90 years old and has been a musician since he was 14. Sean is a founder of the Bolton Street Band, Ireland's oldest boy band! He refuses to accept money for his time, even though he plays to around 90 - 100 people every Wednesday.
- ENDS -