Coming together for the launch of this year’s Awards were previous award winners Ruairi de Barra, Óglaigh na hÉireann (2015), Ade & Marty Stack (2015), Fadhila Hajji (2015), John Evoy (2015), Aoibheann Mangan and Padraig Godwin (2015) and Louise O’Keeffe (2014), who gathered at Clarke Square in Collins Barracks to call on people to vote for their 2016 People of the Year!
The People of the Year Awards will once again be celebrated this year, and over the next month the public will be able to cast their votes.
The Awards are organised by Rehab and are broadcast on RTÉ One television annually, acknowledging the country’s unsung heroes and their good deeds. But in order for there to be nominations, names need to be put forward by the public.
The organizers of the Awards are encouraging people to nominate anyone whom they feel “has made a real difference, who has gone above and beyond the call of duty and whom you feel deserves a People of the Year Award”. There are also specific categories accepting nominations such as Young Person of the Year, International Person of the Year, Sports Person of the Year and Community Group of the Year.
The process of nominating someone is very quick and easy, with the only requirement being the filling out of a short nomination form at this webpage or through the Facebook app.
The People of the Year Awards will take place on Saturday, December 3rd and the closing date for nominations is Monday, September 12th.
John Evoy (founder of Men’s Sheds) won a People of the Year Award in 2015 for his insight, energy and due to the impact his vision has had in creating a network of support across Ireland for men in their communities.
Rory O’Neill aka Panti Bliss won an Award in 2014 for fighting for equality in Ireland.
By Kevin Carney
Pictures courtesy of Rehab Ireland
