Worthy monthly winners to be honoured at Limerick Person of the Year Awards

THIS THURSDAY, an individual or group of individuals who, through their noble endeavours, reflected the very best of Limerick in 2023, will be named the Limerick Person of the Year.

The lunchtime event will be hosted at Limerick's Clayton Hotel and will honour the monthly winners for their tireless work and dedication.

There are 12 distinguished candidates in the running for the prestigious honour of Limerick Person of the Year which was last year bestowed on the JP McManus Pro-Am Organising Committee.

Munster and Ireland rugby legend Keith Earls will be given a lifetime achievement award for his incredible 16-year career in professional rugby.

Born in Moyross to Ger and Sandra, Keith earned 202 caps for Munster and 101 for Ireland throughout his inspirational career.

Thursday’s awards ceremony will be compered by RTE's Lorcan Murray. The annual awards are jointly sponsored by the Limerick Leader, media agency Southern, and the Clayton Hotel.

Áine Fitzgerald, managing editor, Limerick Leader said: “The Limerick Leader / Limerick Live team is once again privileged to play a part in the Limerick Person of the Year awards.

“This Thursday's ceremony is all about saluting the accomplishments of each of the monthly winners.

“Their stories are stories of ambition, hope, determination and true selflessness. Limerick is lucky to have people like our 12 monthly winners and it's an honour to be part of their journey”.

Dave O'Hora, managing director, Southern added: “We at Southern are delighted and privileged to support these awards.

“Every year I stress that this is not a competition. Nobody entered, they were nominated, and that the person or persons chosen are chosen as the representative of all of the people and all of their achievements and endeavours.”

Darren Harding, general manager, Clayton Hotel Limerick said: “The Clayton Hotel Limerick is once again delighted to host the Limerick Person of the Year awards.

“It is one of our favourite events here at the hotel and to see the pride and feel the passion and energy in the hotel on awards day is just fantastic.
“It is wonderful to see such passionate, dedicated, and resilient people gathered in one room on one day.”

Follow our website limericklive.ie and our social media channels for more on Thursday

Below are this year's monthly winners and nominees for Limerick Person of The Year 2023

January - Monaleen Intermediate hurlers

The Monaleen Intermediate hurling team who brought home another All-Ireland title for Limerick were named the Persons of the Month for January.

The team booked their place in Limerick GAA history last January by clinching the All-Ireland Intermediate club hurling title after a nail-biting 1-17 to 1-15 win over Mayo team Tooreen at Croke Park.

The club were the first Limerick side to ever win the All-Ireland Intermediate club title.

The club previously won the Limerick Premier Intermediate Championship in October 2022 and returned to senior level for 2023.

The team are currently preparing for their second season back in the senior hurling ranks.

February - Hermitage Green

The February Persons of the Month were Limerick musical heroes Hermitage Green.

The five-piece band said it was “lovely” to get the recognition from their hometown which they see as an important part of their professional and personal lives.

In their 13-year career, the band have built up a loyal fanbase in Limerick and across the world after playing gigs everywhere from Limerick's Big Top to Dubai, Canada, Australia and beyond.

As well as Dolans and the Milk Market, Hermitage Green have sold-out shows at King John's Castle multiple times proving their place in the hearts of their Limerick fans.

Some of their most famous songs include Jenny and Quicksand.

March - Serosep

Serosep, a leading laboratory diagnostics specialists company in Annacotty were named Limerick Persons of the Month for March.

The company was given the award to recognise their work in the surrounding community and further afield.

The business is known to support a variety of educational, sporting and charity organisations in their locality, throughout county Limerick and abroad.

Serosep is a leading provider of medical diagnostic solutions, specialising in the development, manufacture and distribution of medical devices and consumables for use in clinical microbiology laboratories.

The company encourages employee involvement in community initiatives and supports a number of local charities.

April - Molli-Ann O’Halloran

A young woman who is an advocate for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder was named the Person of the Month for April.

Molli-Ann O’Halloran who has Aspergers and ASD, brought International awareness to the disorders as she represented Limerick at the Rose of Tralee Festival in 2023.

Sponsored by ASD Ireland, the Ennis Road native used her time on stage at the festival to bring more awareness to those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Molli-Ann has continued to attend events as the Limerick Rose while raising awareness for a number of causes throughout the city and county.

Molli-Ann is currently studying Voice in the Irish World Academy at the University of Limerick as she continues her advocacy work.

May - Fr Seamus Enright

Our Person of the Month for May was a man known throughout the city and county for his Trojan work in the community.

Originally from Mulgrave Street in Limerick, Fr Seamus Enright was the Rector at Mount St Alphonsus Church for 14 of the last 20 years.

He has been known for spearheading a number of initiatives, both within the church, and the community. Fr Enright was instrumental to the success of the Redemptorist Christmas Hamper Appeal,

His time in Limerick sadly came to an end in July as he moved to Dundalk to serve a new parish.

The Limerick man was praised during his time as Rector for his open-mindedness and modern approach to the world and religion.

June - Munster Rugby

The Limerick Persons of the Month in June were the Munster rugby team who brought the United Rugby Championship trophy home to Thomond Park.

The squad were given the honour to mark their success in winning the URC - their first trophy since 2011.

In May, the team ended their 12-year trophy drought after beating the Stormers 19-14 in an exhilarating match in Cape Town.

Following their big win in May, the team returned to Limerick to a jubilant reception from supporters.

More than 9,000 delighted red-clad fans turned out at Thomond Park to welcome the players and backroom team members home.

July - Limerick Senior Hurlers

The Limerick senior hurling team who secured the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the fourth year in-a-row were named as the Persons of the Month in July.

On July 23 last, Limerick were crowned All-Ireland champions for the fifth time since 2018 after beating Kilkenny on a scoreline of 0-30 to 2-15 in Croke Park.

The men in green were down at half-time but made a thrilling comeback to be crowned All-Ireland champions.

That night they returned to Limerick and celebrated their win at the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare where fans congregated.

The next day, they enjoyed a rousing homecoming in Pery Square that saw thousands of people take to the streets to welcome home their heroes.

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 August - Milford Care Centre

Milford Care Centre were named Persons of the Month in August for their incredible work with some of the most vulnerable people in the community.

Milford Care Centre provides specialist palliative care services and older persons services in the Mid-West.

In 1928, the Little Company of Mary established a nursing home at the Georgian Milford House in Castletroy.

In 1977, the Sisters provided nine hospice beds at the house which, at that time, was a radical approach to caring for the needs of people with life-limiting illness.

Six years later, the first standalone hospice was built at Milford.

 September - Limerick Youth Service

The September Person of the Month honour went to Limerick Youth Service.

The service strives to help young people by providing them with opportunities to grow, learn and develop personally.

It was founded in 1973 by Sr Joan Bowles who set about looking at how they could support young people from a variety of different communities from across the city and county.

The service has developed over the years and they now have a fully-developed youth training centre.

Limerick Youth Service has 500 volunteers and nearly 100 employees across the service.

The service celebrated its golden jubilee last September.

 October - Ben Holland

A six year-old boy who directed an ambulance to his home when his mother fell unconscious was named Person of the Month in October.

Ben Holland called an ambulance for his mother after she collapsed at their home and fell unconscious.

The little boy jumped into action after his mother did not regain consciousness and dialled 999 with an ambulance arriving at the house just 12 minutes later.

Ben gave his full address to the emergency operator but as the house has no number, he told them the colour of the front door instead.

He let the guards in when they arrived and calmly told them what happened and that the doctors were on their way.

November - Croom Community Development Association

Croom Community Development Association were the recipients of the November Limerick Persons of the Month award.

Since 1988 the association has worked in the town and its surrounding area to encourage and support the development of Croom.

The group created the Community Hall as well as Croom Sports Centre which is the home to a number of clubs.

They were also instrumental in the development of the Well Meadow into the much loved Croom Town Park.

The voluntary group was also heavily involved in the creation of the Civic Centre and Riverside Restaurant.

December - Dermot Whelan

The December recipient of the Person of the Month award was Dermot Whelan.

The former Today FM presenter was recognised for his work raising awareness around mental health and mindfulness.

The broadcaster has had a wide-ranging career from radio, TV hosting and podcasting to becoming a best-selling author and mindfulness coach.

In 2021, he released his first book, Mind Full, which is a funny and accessible guide to the world of meditation.

He now travels around Ireland giving talks to companies, community groups and organisations on how to manage anxiety and de-stress.