Gorey’s top community and sporting stars honoured at civic awards

Individuals and groups who have made significant contributions to the Gorey community were honored at the Civic Awards recently organized by the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District at the Ashdown Park Hotel.

10 individuals and groups were recognized at the event, which aims to highlight the contributions that successful individuals and groups have made to the economic, social and cultural life of the North Wexford region. This year, the awards ceremonies were held in Gorey for the first time since the pre-pandemic era.

Some of Gorey’s sports stars were recognized that night, including the Gorey Community School Senior B Football Team, who won the All-Ireland Championship in March 2022. Gorey Rangers Senior Men’s Soccer Team, winners of the Wexford Cup in May 2022, also received an award on the night. Meanwhile, Castletown’s Liam Mellows Senior Football Team received recognition for winning the Senior Inter-County Football Championship in 2022.

Several talents were also recognized for their sporting successes. These included Sean Hehir, who won a bronze medal at the 2022 Dublin City Marathon and is the 2022 Irish National 50K Champion Individual Gold and Team Silver at the 2022 Wexford Senior Cross Country Championships.

All-Ireland U17 Handball Champion (March 2022) Conor Horan also received an award that night, as did kickboxing champion TJ Redmond, who finished first in his category at the WKC World Kickboxing Championships last November. Recently retired Gorey boxer Niall Kennedy also received an award that night. He was also given the “Hero of the World” award by the World Boxing Council.

Disability rights activist Dr. Vivian Rath, has been recognized for his commitment to inclusion at local, national and international levels. Vivian strives to ensure that access to public buildings, tourism services and disabled parking is improved throughout the county whilst also having extensive experience in assisting people with disabilities to access education and employment opportunities. Vivian recently appeared on The Tommy Tiernan Show where he spoke about the importance of everyone playing a role in creating a more inclusive society. Gorey Tidy Towns community activist Billy Halford was honored that evening for the huge part he played in the success of Gorey Tidy Towns. Thanks to his efforts, the group improved Gorey’s ratings in the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) poll, in which Gorey placed tenth.

Members of Blackwater Tidy Towns, winners of Wexford’s Tidiest Town from 2020 to 2022, also received an award that evening.