Nine-year-old Dory Hudson is Tallaght’s Greatest Character

“Fantastic” nine-year-old Dory Hudson was crowned Tallaght’s Greatest Character at the highly anticipated event of the Moll Rooney Festival in Priory Market last week.

Tiktok star and Late Late Toy Show icon Dory Hudson took home the big prize, winning over the star-studded judging panel after she displayed her quick wit and held her own alongside comedian and host on the evening, Al Porter.

There was no age limit set to the search for Tallaght’s Greatest Character, with members of the community both young and old receiving nominations.

Dory picked up a €1,000 prize thanks to her triumph, coming out on top out of the seven nominees on the night.

Partas Enterprise and Project Manager Amy Keatinge noted that the young character blew the crowd away with her charisma.

Keatinge said: “From the moment Dory sat on that stage, my God, she blew us away.

‘She was fantastic… Al really kind of went back and forth with Dory on the questions he was asking her about her mom’s love life and everything, and she was coming back with saying, ‘my mam’s an independent woman’, and ‘she’s an icon, and ‘my mam’s a snack’, and things like this.

“I just thought how a nine-year-old has that level of not just wit but also confidence to just pull back off Al Porter was fantastic – she really was a deserving winner.”

The event set out to recognise the local area’s strong sense of community and the larger-than-life personalities that stand out.

97 people were put forward for the title as the search was launched, and the team whittled it down to seven to stand before the judges on the night and make their case.

These also included musician Bobby Keeley, ‘Happy Feet’ Raymond Joyce, Joe Lavelle, Marie Mulligan, Paul Redmond and ‘Nanny’ Mary Kelly.

All of them got a piece of the limelight on the night, with music from Bobby Keeley, dancing from Jobstown’s ‘Happy Feet’ Raymond Joyce, jokes from Joe Lavelle, magic from Paul Remond, who was on The Den back in the day, among part of the highlights of the evening.

Marie Mulligan brought her grandchildren up on stage and discussed the importance of kindness, while Mary Kelly had the crowd in stitches with her humour, told of the medal she received from the Pope and her skydive at 77.

“They were all absolutely fantastic, they really were…to see the talent on the stage and to go on into Tallaght’s Greatest Character and see the humour and personality of the people that we live in a community with just made me very proud to be from Tallaght.”