09/02/2022
Traditionally the Blarney Person of the Year is announced at a wonderful village get together in The Castle Hotel attended by the nominees, family members and invited guests. However, like many other events, this fell foul of the Covid-19 pandemic and for the second time in the 12 year history of the event the 2021 Person of the Year could not go ahead.
Awards organisers Kate Durrant, John Henchion and Cllr Damian Boylan said “With so many worthy monthly winners during 2021, our panel of judges have once again had a particularly difficult task on their hands to choose an overall winner,” they said, adding that while the nominees come from a wide range of different backgrounds and interests including sport, the arts voluntary and community work, business the environment, they all had one thing in common, “Through their lives and achievements each and every one of them has excelled in their own special way and have made immense contributions to the local community. In that regard, they are all winners.”
After much deliberation the panel of judges commended all the monthly winners for their wonderful efforts for the community and said how lucky we are to have people like this in our community.
The Blarney & District Person of the Year for 2021 is Christine Terry. Christine, and her husband Mark live in Whitechurch and are parents to Sarah and ten-year-old Adam who made the headlines when his four year wait for complex scoliosis surgery story was highlighted by award winning RTE reporter Brian O’Connell who also lives in Blarney. Christine and Mark are intensely private people and their appeal came after many disappointments and broken dates for surgery. During interviews that moved the entire nation Christine outlined how her son’s scheduled surgery has been repeatedly delayed since August 2019, during which time his situation has worsened, and his pain had become more excruciating.
Thanks to Brian’s moving reports, and the bravery of the family, they set the national agenda and put treatment of our most vulnerable right at the heart of our conversations, Christine saying, “I would like to say I am speaking on behalf of every parent in the country’ and her words serve as a bleak reminder of the 2,775 children currently awaiting in-patient treatment at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.”
The person inaugurated into the Hall of Fame for 2021 is Charlie Lynch, the key figure in running the Blarney Community Games throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. Without his efforts, many children would not have been afforded the opportunity to participate in and, for some, to progress to county and national events. Charlie and the local Community Games ensured that both boys and girls got an opportunity to participate in a wide range of sports and during Charlie’s years at the helm, Blarney was a hive of activity with many opportunities with cycling, athletics, tennis, basketball, GAA, volleyball, rounders all part of the local sporting traditions. The lucky ones progressed, but Charlie had an equal interest in each child regardless of athletic ability. During these years, a number of Blarney athletes brought home much coveted gold, silver and bronze national medals in a variety of sports from the National finals in Mosney. Charlie went on to become caretaker in Scoil Iosagain Girls’ School and until his retirement he became a friendly and familiar face for children and parents alike. For his years of service to the people of Blarney it is our pleasure to inaugurate Charlie Lynch into the Blarney Hall of Fame.
This year we have a special award ‘Future of Blarney’. The future of the village lies in the hands of the next generation and we are blessed to count among us Conor Coleman. Michael O’Shea, a close friend and mentor of Conor’s for many years, told us about Conor’s work and commitment to Blarney GAA, their Car Boot sale, and Blarney Tidy Towns. Conor is also a great help at local events and has played a pivotal role in the annual Pieta House Darkness onto Light walk. The Blarney community benefits hugely from Conor’s contribution to the village, a young man far more interested in ‘doing’ than talking and for this we are delighted to name him as the first recipient of the very special 'Future of Blarney' award!
Other monthly award winners included Mags McCarthy from Dripsey; Denise Creedon who retired from Centra Blarney after working in the same location for more than 40 years; elite athlete Aoife Cooke; Padraig Sheehan school principal SMGS; the U15/16 Blarney Camogie coaches and mentors Aileen and Dave Bannon, and Pat O’Connell, mentor Colm Kelleher and Anne Coleman, Blarney Camogie Club Chairperson; Pharmacist John McLaughlin; Jamesie Kelleher, shop owner and Postmaster in Stuake, Donoughmore; and Kevin Hedderman who ran 52 Marathons in 52 Weeks raising considerable funds for Cork Penny Dinners.
