‘Person of the Year Awards are special to me and our family’
By Aideen O'Flaherty
AS THE Tallaght Person of the Year Awards draw ever closer, one of last year’s winners described receiving the Maurice McConnell Youth Award as “an honour”.
Over 160 people have been nominated for this year’s awards across eight award categories, including the Arts and Culture Award, the Business Award, the Sgt Andrew Callinan Community Award, the Heart of Gold Award and the Special Needs and Carers Award.
Codie Preston picked up the Maurice McConnell Youth Award last year
The Maurice McConnell Youth Award is named after one of the founders of Tallaght Community Council, who played a key role in setting up community organisations and amenities in the 70s and 80s, including the Old Bawn Residents’ Association, and Old Bawn Youth Club.
Codie Preston was last year’s winner of the Maurice McConnell Youth Award, and speaking about that experience, he told The Echo: “It was an honour for me to receive the Maurice McConnell Youth Award.
“It was in recognition of my work over the years with Citywise Education, so I felt I was receiving it on their behalf.
“I am just one of a huge number of volunteers who work all the time to help young people achieve their potential.
“As a young person growing up in Jobstown, I myself got a lot of support from Citywise so it feels only right to give back.
“Volunteering is very important to me and I get as much, and more, from the young people than they do from me.
“Although I didn’t know Maurice McConnell personally, I knew of the fantastic work he did with TCC so it was special to receive an award in his name.”
The awards also have a particular resonance for Codie, as his late brother Philip Preston was Tallaght Person of the Year in 2016, and the awards’ sports award is named after him.
The TPOTY Awards are particularly special to me and our family
“My late brother Philip Preston was the overall Tallaght Person of the Year in 2016 so the TPOTY Awards are particularly special to me and our family.”
Reflecting on the impact the TPOTY Awards have on the community, Codie said: “The TPOTY awards is an amazing initiative and rightly acknowledges all the fantastic people that work day in and day out to make Tallaght the special place that it is.
“I’d like to thank TCC for organising it and for their tireless work in promoting Tallaght.”
Tara DeBuitlear, the PRO of TCC, said: “These awards are run by the community for the community, so they are a real litmus test of the strength of community here in Tallaght.
“This is the 35th year of these awards and they are a real show of confidence and self-belief from the community of ourselves.
“We are our own champions in these awards. It gives everyone an opportunity to stand tall and recognise the unsung heroes around them, who give of their talent, their time and themselves into their communities – and usually do so without seeking any recognition or thanks.”
The Tallaght Person of the Year Awards will be held in the Red Cow Moran Hotel on Friday, November 16.
