Carlow Chamber’s celebrating following a record number of nominations for the annual business awards.
500 organisations suggested have been shortlisted to 128 finalists with 94 separate entities in 26 categories.
The event takes place this evening at Visual Centre of Contemporary Art & The George Bernard Shaw Theatre.
But three recipients are already known.
The Lifetime Achievement Award, given to a local person who has made a positive impact on a business and or society, this year will be given to Fr John Dunphy.
One of the driving forces behind St. Clare’s Hospitality Kitchen, he’s been parish priest in Graiguecullen/Killeshin for two decades, becoming during that time a vital and much loved integral part of the community.
The Carlow Ambassador Award goes to an individual or a business that has promoted and raised the profile of brand Carlow in a positive and impactful way and this year’s winner is a worthy recipient.
Tom Ryan is a native of Carlow and was educated at St Mary’s CBS in the town. A graduate of UCD, he trained as a Chartered Accountant with PWC and held senior finance roles in a number of technology companies before joining the Brown Thomas retail group as Financial Controller.
He joined the GAA as Finance Director in 2007 and was appointed Director General of the Association in 2018, becoming the sixth person to hold that position since the early 1900’s, and the first Carlow person to do so. He is a passionate advocate for the positive role that Gaelic Games can play in community life and the benefits of active GAA participation at all levels and in all guises.
Quite apart from his role at Croke Park, Tom has enjoyed a lifelong involvement in Gaelic games. A regular visitor to Netwatch Cullen Park to support all Carlow teams, he is also a long standing member and officer of Faughs GAA Club in Dublin, where his family all play.
The Outstanding Contribution to Business Award aims to recognise Carlovians who have flown the nest and have gone out into the world and achieved outstanding success in their respective area or field. Patricia Lawlor stood out as the ideal recipient of this award, for her international work on malaria and travel-related infection with the WHO, as well as her commitment to her community-based Pharmacy in Rathvilly.
Patricia, a native of Rathvilly, moved to Switzerland in 1988 to follow an academic career.
She is currently a Professor at the University of Zürich and Head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Travellers’ Health, Switzerland. She is also the Director of the European network, EuroTravNet, which monitors travel-related infections imported to Europe.
She serves the WHO as Head of the Collaborating Centre for Travellers’ Health and as a member and Chair of various WHO advisory committees. And she is widely published with more than 250 peer reviewed papers and 3 books.
Other winners will be outlined at this evening’s gathering and Chamber CEO Nicola Doran has been telling KCLR News Martin Quilty that excitement is building;
