Young Limerick woman honoured by President with Gold Gaisce Award

AN INSPIRATIONAL woman from Limerick was one of 79 young people from across Ireland who have been commended for their outstanding commitment to personal development and contribution to society.

The first in-person Gaisce Gold Award ceremony since Covid took place, earlier this week at Áras an Uachtaráin with President Michael D Higgins presenting Awards to each recipient

Grainne Ní Dhuinnin, who undertook the Gaisce Gold Award with Ballyhoura Macra na Feirme, represented Limerick at the ceremony. 

At the height of Covid, over 40,000 young people aged between 14 and 25 answered the President’s call to pursue a Gaisce Award, supported by over 1,200 President’s Award Leaders in 750 organisations Nationwide.

The Gaisce Gold Award is the nation’s highest recognition of a young person’s initiative, achievement, and voluntary contribution to society.

In order to complete a Gold Gaisce Award, each of today’s recipients set and achieved their own goals across challenge areas that include personal skill, physical activity, community involvement, team adventure journey and a residential project.

The Gaisce Awards, founded in 1985, recognise young people's commitment to personal development and community action.

At the heart of Gaisce is a wide network of trained adult mentors, the President’s Award Leaders (or PALs) many of them Gaisce Awardees themselves.

PALs are instrumental in providing mentorship to young people across a wide variety of organisations including community, education, sport, disability and justice.

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CEO of Gaisce, Yvonne McKenna said ‘Gaisce – The President’s Award is unique in the sense that it encourages young people to set their own personal development goals within a framework that allows them to achieve them and contribute to their communities in their own way. 

"Every single day, I am inspired by the courage, the energy and the commitment of young people doing their Gaisce Award, and I am so thrilled we are getting to celebrate the breath of their achievements, from tackling global challenges like biodiversity to local supports for neighbours in need, young people are consistently push themselves for others," she said.

With over 250,000 Awards achieved since 1985, there is an enormous community of like-minded awardees who we encourage to continue their involvement with Gaisce and inspire generations to come.’