Working with our sponsor, the Aviva Stadium, and our media partner NewsFour, we were delighted to host the Sean Moore Community Awards – after a hiatus of two years. It was really great to be back. The Sean Moore Awards for “exceptional community service” were inaugurated during the 1988 Dublin Millennium to honour the memory of the late Sean Moore, former Dáil Deputy, Minister of State and Lord Mayor of Dublin, who represented the area with distinction for so long. The 2020 awards, which had to be postponed, were presented in March this year at a ceremony in Clanna Gael Fontenoy, GAA Club.
Michael Murphy, Aviva Stadium Community Fund, and John Mitchel, Clanna Gael Chairman got proceedings underway with opening speeches. The event itself was hosted by Cllr Dermot Lacey and author and Irish Times journalist Roisin Ingle, and the awards presented by Alison Gilliland, Lord Mayor of Dublin.
In her presentation Sandymount native (who now describes herself as a refugee on the Northside), and daughter of Ann Ingle, who also has a long association with NewsFour, Roisin Ingle said: “When we gathered here back in March 2019 we had no clue what was in store for all of us. We didn’t know about social distancing, we thought zoom was the noise a fast car made, most of us had never worn a face mask and we were not aware of the importance in challenging times of sourdough loaves and banana bread. It’s been a time of great loss, of great sacrifice but also a time when we stood together in solidarity and that’s what community is about, it’s what the Sean Moore awards are about.”
Among those in attendance on the night were TDs Jim O’Callaghan, Chris Andrews, and Ivana Bacik; Cllrs Danny Byrne, Claire Byrne, and former local representative Kevin Humphreys.
We would also like to thank Pat Kane (Clanna Gael) and Joe Donnelly (Fair Play Cafe) for food on the night, and to Kevin Morrow for providing the music.
There were 12 awards in all, including the Jack Torpey. former Independent Councillor and member of SAMRA (Sandymount & Merrion Residents Association set up in 1962) Award. All recipients are pictured below.
