Clare Association Dublin Announces 2026 Award Recipients

0:00But we are starting with, I suppose, notable Claire people have been recognised by the Claire Association Dublin. It's celebrating 45 years of its annual awards, recognising people from the Banner County who have made an outstanding contribution in their professions, communities and beyond this year's recipients. Clue Dr. John Hilary, Tony Griffin and the inaugural Claire Young person of the year, Mark Shady, well two special customers, legacy awards, Willanna Jo Vaughan and Dermat Hayes and Dr. John Hilary, is the recipient of the much-covided Claire person of the year award and a very good morning to John and to Mark. We're also joined by Kearon O'Connell, the Claire Association Dublin chairperson as well and the three of you. Very welcome to the show and Kearon, as I mentioned, this is the 45th Claire Association awards dinner. What does that milestone mean to the Association to have come this far and recognise so many great people from this county? Good morning and thanks for having us on yet.

1:0045 is a big milestone, I suppose, for the Association itself. It's shown the strengths that have been there over the years and they continue to bring us this far. Obviously Ireland and there's a much smaller place in some parts, 45 years ago and the associations were set up originally across the different major cities to try and bring care people together and to act as a network when there wasn't a time of social media or just tapping in the car and heading home. It could have been a six hour drive or a four hour flight from London to get back. It was a source of information for people to look out for each other but also to mind each other, spread news and I suppose just have a bit of fun and crack along the way as well as support and the Claire traditions and the awards came in on the back about then in the recognition of distinguished people that have really gone over and above for their county,

2:02not just at home but nationally and internationally as well, I suppose. Our association in Dublin has really kept that like going for those 45 years with some very distinguished people being chosen as the care person dear or the whole of them or as well. I guess it's a testament, Karen, to the quality of people coming from this county that each year. It's a tough process to choose winners. How do you go about choosing the recipients of these awards and obviously with the extra one now with the first care young person, the award? What qualities were you looking for this year? Yeah, so to start with the young person, we personally was trying to bring a new youth protest into it. Obviously we do try and endorse and reach out to as many care people in Dublin as we can and we entice them to come join us for our monthly meetings to connect. And what the process itself I suppose is really open to the public. We accept nominations

3:06from the first quarter of the year, so from about February to April. We asked for people to nominate and this year alone we had over 14 nominations for the care person of the year and at our 11th for the Hall of Fame award and we also had six for the young person of the year award. So once those names are chosen, we have a structure within the committee that there's a private vote in the system that goes on in turning the meetings and then it's whittled down from there on the highest majority from that and obviously we take into consideration the workload that the individual has done or the good work that they've done as well as their input that they'd like to give back to the community as well but it's done true to vote. Yeah. Okay and were the recipients once again this year and the care person of the year and young person of the year awards will be heading to a Spanish point and six mile bridge respectively

4:07and Dr. John Hilary. Congratulations on being named care person of the year. What was your reaction when you received the news? Well thanks thanks very much and thanks for having us on and it was one of total surprise. Karen texted me to say that he had news for me and it was good news and I actually didn't couldn't think what it might be. This is something that wasn't on my mind at all so it's really a wonderful honor and it comforts my feelings of being a clear nature of an a clear person that's been acknowledged by other people too. Those of us who move between care and other places sometimes feel as if we're considered lesser of clear people so something like this gives the light of that which I'm delighted with it and as I say I'd never have thought that I'd be in the running for something like this so it's really wonderful. Yeah, interesting you mentioned the you know the thing would be to think of lesser clear people it kind

5:07of strikes me as similar to the you know you're never more Irish than when you're living away from Ireland and you know you've had a distinguished career in medicine and public service you've served as president of the Medical Council chairperson of the Mental Health Commission regardless of where you've been and what you've gone on to do it sounds like your clear roots have you've never forgotten them. No and I've been here most of my life when I haven't been at school or in university any any free time has spent here and I had a family and grew up they grew up same for them and now that they're older they're they want to be here too so and as you know my daughter is married to Michael McNamara the the MAP from sterif and that connection gets stronger rather than weaker as the years go on I'm sitting in Spanish point this morning in the sun is out so where else could you be when I find that happens especially the way the weather has been but I think it's one's roots that dictates how one's life develops and many people will know that my family

6:11has been involved in the community here for generations with my grandfather being the local GP and then my father and my aunt being general practitioner is here too it was very pleasing for me in 2011 when I ran for the doll that I heard so much positivity about my grandfather and my aunt and my father but it was about their medical practice wasn't about my father's political career so the community remembers what people did for them and we're all projects of our own community and I think a lot of the things I've done in my life have sprung from that and you mentioned your father's political life of course he was formerly president of Ireland as well I just wonder John did growing up in in your family did it influence your own sense of of public service of a sense of duty definitely because the discussions around the dinner table and my father was very good at spending time with me and my my late sister which is not all was easy in a political life

7:12and my mother too was conscious of everyone's needs so we grew up hearing about what should happen and how individuals should be put first and things that are now have sincere names like human rights they weren't called such may be back then so definitely that had a long term effect on the way my life developed when opportunities came up to be involved in activities that would have a greater effect than just the individual one I had in my everyday work I took them and we're also joined as I mentioned earlier on by Mark Sheety six-mile bridge and Mark congratulations on not just being the recipient of the Clare Young person of the award but you're the very first ever recipient of it what was the news being broken to you like what what tree your head thanks very much and thanks very much for me and it was what kind of my true my head was I was as well as the chapter kind of take it back when the first hard news

8:13I hear on and just it was it's such a nice act to be received as my age and just just I might saw a youngster now who can just live my life as an armament be recognized for the year was it was very nice it was not going to be a mess and it's only hard to receive has it capped off what's already been an incredible year for you know it was success with the Clare under twenties progression into the the senior panel do you kind of are you the kind of guy who takes all that kind of thing in your stride or as you pass each kind of staging post of your your your sporting career you know can you are you able to kind of go god this is this is a big step up now this is fantastic um I'd like to think so anyway as well um yeah like the campaign with general twenties was sorry like I followed them two years previous and we were just kind of tipped at the finish line and it was a skill of redis here and away with as well it was very it was managed to free you under the smallest while it's really hard with them like and I think

9:14anyway then could have got the same or they got the or our brilliance put in move not to the senior panel as well I suppose it's such a big jump as well from under twenties to senior because you're not hardly would let your own age anymore you're hardly would let your a lot older stronger and fit for and faster enough so it's just trying to adjust your level and kind of mixing there and don't be shy because I think you want to be you don't want to be a fellow under wall either in ten kind of um dress rooms like you want to be out there try learn as much off the older players like John Kanland, Tony Kelly, Dave McInerney so I just thought it was going and just I kind of took took too well I think you know as and hopefully in a few years come no clone to us yeah I mean look clear fans know all about you but after the monster final I think the rest of the world found out about you and you know remember seeing is pn sports center they have that kind of highlights of sporting moments you know from around the us and the world and generally speaking it's a lot of us stuff and maybe you know a soccer and things like that and seeing your remarkable monster final performance not just saving one penalty but saving three in them

10:16and then scoring one to boot as well um what and you weren't just on those sporting highlights it was the number one sporting highlight how did you hear about that or how did you see it and could you believe you'd made it onto a big US sporting network highlights package yeah I remember um straight up from what's the point like just takes back everyone who was taking graduation and I just kind of put on the phone for a day or two and then for the only delays were a corn two cheese you made a TSP and I was like I had heard of it before but I wasn't aware of it was number one or anything and I just had to or just having a bit of a joke with me and when they showed with me I first had it with me I had to or just fool me know about when I looked at my own phone I thought I was at the moment at that time I was I just kind of took with my stride was tomorrow to back in the 10 I was like Jesus I was pretty mad no to be recognized over there now and it was it was it was quite more than I was down the yeah I'm not sure you know if you're on extra

11:18Instagram but I'd say your your follower count increased exponentially after that goalkeeping as you well know mark it can be an unforgiving position at times you know you can make mistakes elsewhere on the pitch and you know it can be still disappointing but it's maybe a bit easier to kind of cover it up but one mistake from a keeper can be very visible so how do you develop the composure to deal with that kind of pressure I suppose that I'm just kind of like I suppose I will feel you can drop while and there'll be nothing really to say to you but I still I can go keep the decision if you drop by internet the whole on is a new straight away and I remember the month of five and three years ago with KTB Rary and I got no hurley to any penalty boss each or then the role is to reverse really quickly and you can get a hurley to the tree I got to and score one I was just kind of to take it and stride and don't kind of fog down on mistakes you

12:24may have just kind of move on from the crux of 10 and I think that's what I kind of did in with racing off on a zonger you've seen really bug down on the stage boss I think as a no way just kind of whatever happened happens that's a great way to be and particularly as you go forward you know you major league debut the the senior side you're a clear young person of the year you're your only 20 what are your ambitions for the next few years um well I'm currently doing an apprenticeship with the espionet work for I think for some for most keep them water happy no keep myself happy just the skater that know you qualify and then regarding the hurley know which is try progress on thinner level obviously where's number one jersey for clear but that's going to be no easy fee obviously so just kind of kind of try to be doing what I've been doing now I kind of enjoy watching my I'm enjoying my work I'm enjoying training and just kind of go as far as I can with the hurlin and we're working kind of see or lamp in the end of the year same

13:24well hopefully it all works out if it works out for you in a sporting sphere I think the clare public are going to be very happy um kieran just to finish with you two very worthy recipients there and uh obviously tony griffin as well uh receiving the hall of fame award but um I have to give a mention to the two special posthumous clare legacy awards joe vahan and dermat haze we knew very well here uh from uh clare fam and morning focus um can you talk to us a bit about their contribution to to clare in the wider communities in which they lived and worked and why it was so important to recognise them yes 100% and and and tony has sent on his apologies obviously he'd loved to have joined you as well um I suppose tony himself stepping away from the the geysercle and and uh everything that he's done outside of us including raising so much money over 1.5 million um farry cyclocross canada but also co-found and the sore foundation as well so really stepping up and I think that's a good lead in light from martyre as well as the the porous and the confidence that you get from the the hurl and pitch that you can take

14:27that forward and and in life and and bring it forward onto business as well and and back to the community and I suppose two better men uh no better men than uh joe vahan and and dermat haze for for being shining lights of that as well um joe obviously had lived in uh between moy and Dublin was 40 years of teacher in in claustadolique and he ought to found the the west thing the Spock's and tub and he was an honorary life president of my g as well um and also um we had numerous nominations for for for joe of how he affected so many people in Dublin and given back to them also as well and equally of course um everyone knew dermis haze for he's he's tireless work and is able to people are clear um and also helping others across uh to into to try and influence change and also to try and stand up for for the quieter people as well um which is is phenomenal so uh

15:27we we agree across the community that the the legacy ward is is a nice touch to to remember people that have passed in in 2026 uh i'm really strong care people as well and try and pass on their their memory and legacy uh two others that will hopefully help drive um the people are clear to to take that step to give back to the community and back to the county um but also maybe give them the little uh promotion or our encouragement to step up and and do something also as well so we'll be marking uh and honoring them on the night also as well uh to deserve uh post-germis recipients and indeed all the recipients well deserved uh thanks to you Karon for joining us Karon O'Connell Clare Association Dublin Chairperson and uh thanks also to Mark Gidey the Clare Young Person of the Year and Dr John Hilary the Clare person of the year for being with us on morning focus