Garda Youth Awards launched
By Mary Dennehy
THE GARDA Youth Awards were this week officially launched in local communities, the first time the awards have taken to the rails in Dublin.
The awards will be celebrated by the DMR South division, which includes Tallaght, Crumlin and Terenure and their respective sub-districts of Rathfarnham, Sundrive Road and Rathmines.
Seamus Egan, Kevin Gralton, Damien Woods, Siobhan McGrath, Niall Scully, Ian Lackey, Paul Sargent, Mary McCaffrey
Initiated in West Cork in 1995, the awards are celebrated throughout the country but this is the first time they have been held in the capital.
The awards celebrate outstanding young people between the ages of 13 and 21 years, and will recognise the good work they do throughout the communities of DMR South.
Speaking with The Echo, Tallaght Superintendent Ian Lackey said: “These awards are a great opportunity for gardai to recognise the good work and achievements of young people in our communities.
“Sometimes young people get bad press and these awards give us the opportunity to focus on the good work being done.
“It also gives us a chance to meet with young people from our communities.”
He added: “We’d be asking people to please nominate young people that they think are worthy of an award.”
Dublin footballer Siobhan McGrath with Community Garda Pat Courtney in Tallaght
People are encouraged to nominate young people or groups who make their communities a better place to live – under the categories of Individual Award, Group Award, Special Achievement Award and Community Safety Award.
The nomination process closes at the end of November and application forms and an information booklet can be requested from your community Garda or from your local Garda station.
The official launch of the awards, which are supported by Luas operator Transdev, took place at the Tallaght Luas stop on Tuesday.
An application form can also be downloaded from www.luas.ie.
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