Nominations are now open for the 2020 Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Awards. The awards recognise groups or individuals that have excelled in their field, while honouring their contribution to Ireland and its Diaspora.
Donegal County Council continues to celebrate and forge links with the Irish Diaspora with a unique awards ceremony which takes place in Donegal every year.
Last year the prestigious award was presented to four notable members of the diaspora: author and playwright Frank McGuinness; Dublin based businessman Pat Doherty; US based attorney Patrick C. Dunican Jr, and; US based businessman Daniel J. Hilferty.
Tip O’Neill Awards 2019: Recipients of the Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award 2019 with Tom O’Neill (son of the late Tip O’Neill) and his wife Shelley O’Neill, Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr. Nicholas Crossan, Cathaoirleach of Inishowen MD Cllr. Martin McDermott, Cllr Rena Donaghey, Chief Executive of Donegal County Council Seamus Neely with members of the Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Committee at the Awards Ceremony in the Inishowen Gateway Hotel on Friday night. Recipients include Daniel Hilferty, Frank McGuinness, Pat Doherty and Patrick Dunican.
Now in its ninth year, the Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award is presented to a chosen member of the Irish diaspora in recognition of their achievements. Nominations are welcome from across a range of sectors, including business, commerce, industry, education, politics, finance and sport. The awards ceremony is an initiative of the broader Donegal Diaspora project and has become a highlight of Donegal County Council’s calendar of events.
Councillor Nicholas Crossan, Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council and Chairman of the Tip O’ Neill advisory group says it’s a great opportunity to recognise the achievements of our Diaspora around the world.
“There are so many people of Irish and Donegal ancestry in the worldwide Diaspora who deserve to be recognised in the country of their ancestors and this award is about acknowledging the achievements of those individuals. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate exemplary individuals or groups who have made a significant difference in Irish communities around the world and I would like to encourage people to nominate someone who has achieved something special so we can acknowledge their hard work and dedication, which may otherwise go unnoticed.”
Adding to this, Michael Tunney, Head of Enterprise said: “The Tip O‘Neill Irish Diaspora Award is a great way of fostering relationships with our Diaspora around the world. The Donegal Diaspora Project works to promote and engage Donegal’s global community and the project links people from all parts of the world to Donegal and to each other, creating networks of mutual interest and benefit. Not only does the Tip O‘Neill Irish Diaspora Award recognise and honour people who have excelled in their field, it also gives us the opportunity to highlight to our Diaspora the ongoing opportunities and investments in the county.
The Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award was initiated in 2012 as a means of commemorating the centenary of the birth of the late Tip O’Neill who was a liberal Democrat and an influential member of the US House of Representatives. His maternal grandparents were native to county Donegal.
Nominations can be made at http://www.donegaldiaspora.ie and the closing date for nominations is Wednesday 1st April 2020.
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