Café Aon Scéal ‘very proud’ of Appreciation Cert from TCC

THE manager of an Irish language café in Tallaght village said she was “very proud” of receiving a Certificate of Appreciation from Tallaght Community Council (TCC) this week.

Café Aon Scéal is located in a former house on Main Street. Since opening in December 2019, it has become a hub of activity for people in the area who want to practice their cúpla focal.

The positive impact of the café has not gone unnoticed by local voluntary community group TCC, who have awarded Dawn McKeever, the manager of the café, with a Certificate of Appreciation.

The certificate is being awarded as part of TCC’s ‘Our Heroes Your Choice’ initiative, which is being held this year instead of the annual in-person Tallaght Person of the Year Awards.

Ms McKeever found out that she was receiving the certificate under the arts and culture category on Tuesday morning.

Speaking to The Echo, Ms McKeever said: “I’m so proud of me and of the staff, because I wouldn’t have got this certificate without the staff – they helped to create this space.

“It means a lot to me that we got that recognition. I love speaking as gaeilge and helping people in the café.

“I think sometimes when people think of Tallaght they think of disadvantage, but I think the café is a good focal point for culture and heritage in the area.

“Sometimes Tallaght gets a bad rap and I think that having a space like this for people with different levels of gaeilge . . . it’s great for people who have the language to have this space and to be able to communicate with the staff and other customers.”

There are currently six staff employed in the café, including Ms McKeever, and Irish speakers of all levels are welcome in the café.

Ms McKeever added that she’s particularly proud of the fact that the café offers work experience to secondary school students, as it gives them an opportunity to use the language while they’re working.

Six teenagers from local schools have completed work experience in the café, with two more work experience students expected in the coming weeks.

TCC praised Ms McKeever for helping to keep the Irish language alive in Tallaght, and it was Albert Perris, TCC heritage officer, who nominated her for the Certificate of Appreciation.

Explaining why he nominated Ms McKeever, Mr Perris said: “For keeping the light of the Irish language lit in the village of Tallaght, and for driving the Irish cultural hub that is Café Aon Scéal.

“Her energy in creating a cultural focal point in the village is surpassed only by her vision and ambition for the centre. And her coffee is excellent too!”

The ‘Our Heroes Your Choice’ initiative will enable anyone in Tallaght to access the official TCC 2021 Certificate of Appreciation from The Echo’s website and post, hand-deliver or formally present their unsung community hero with it from now until the end of December.

For the next few weeks, The Echo and TCC will be spotlighting some heroes in each category who deserve recognition in print and on social media.

To download a certificate go to  https://www.echo.ie/certificateofappreciation-pdf/