Unity Flag presented to first Tallaght Person of the Year
By Aideen O'Flaherty
THE Tallaght Unity Flag was presented to Bridie Sweeney, the first ever Tallaght Person of the Year and a volunteer at the St Vincent de Paul shop in Tallaght Village, on Sunday, in recognition of her work in the community, and the flag will have pride of place in the local charity shop, reports Aideen O’Flaherty.
Tallaght Community Council (TCC) presented the flag to Bridie, who was crowned Tallaght Person of the Year in 1984 at the inaugural celebration of the awards ceremony, which has gone on to be a highlight in the Tallaght social calendar.
Bridie receives the flag from Thomas, Lynn, Ann, Tara, Ali, Jim, Annette, Gerry, Liam and Colm outside the St Vincent’s shop in Tallaght Village
Explaining why TCC chose to present the Tallaght flag to Bridie, TCC’s volunteer PRO, Tara De Buitléar, told The Echo: “Bridie Sweeney is a community stalwart and was our first ever Tallaght Person of the Year in 1984 for her community volunteering.
“Her energy and community focus have not wavered in the decades since.
“TCC wanted to acknowledge her, and her deep association with St Vincent De Paul.
“She is a well-known volunteer in the Tallaght Village shop and, along with the shop manager, Ali, we wanted to acknowledge their contribution to the community.”
The flag will now take pride of place in the Vincent’s shop, and will join the growing number of businesses and groups in the area who proudly fly the Tallaght flag.
“It is very pleasing that another Tallaght group want to show their value for the community-designed flag,” said Ms De Buitléar.
“It brings us a sense of great pride as each business, institution and team embrace the flag and commit to flying it with pride.”
The Tallaght Unity Flag was launched in August 2017, after it was created and designed over a ten-year period.
Springfield man Seos Ó Colla, who is also a member of the Tallaght Historical Society, designed the flag, and the historical society has previously said that the flag “is intended to be a symbol of identity for the Tallaght area and is a true cross-community effort”.
