Meet the Southside’s three ‘supermum’ Dublin finalists

THREE Southside

‘supermums’ are among the Dublin finalists of the Woman’s Way & Lidl Mum of the Year competition.

Hundreds of nominations from across the country poured in and of the entries received from families in Dublin, the judging panel of well-known Irish personalities had the daunting task of whittling them down to just three.

Judges Norah Casey, Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, Lisa Duffy, Nuala Carey, Edward Hayden and Emma Hannigan have now chosen 15 mums to attend the finals at a gala luncheon in the Intercontinental, Dublin on July 6.

The first of the three Dublin finalists in the running for the Woman’s Way & Lidl Mum of the Year Award is Sharon Keating (48) of Dundrum.

Sharon’s humble reaction to her teenage daughter Sophie’s nomination proves why she stood out.

“It’s easy being a mam when you’ve a child like her,

? she stated.

Sophie nominated her mum for taking on the role of both of her parents through her father’s depression while supporting her and her three siblings.

Sharon’s compassionate outlook highlights one of the reasons she made it to the final to be in the running for the title of Ireland’s No 1 mum.

“You have to sort of put yourself on the back burner when something like that hits,

? she explained.

But remaining positive and putting her family first was always Sharon’s primary concern despite suffering from panic attacks throughout the year and ill health due to spondylitis.

“The bones just grow into each other because there’s nothing to support them any longer,

? she revealed.

“I don’t dwell on it that much, I’m lucky.

?

And it is clear how much her mum’s nomination means to Sophie:

“There are millions of words in our world but not one of them can explain how much she means to me. As a teenage girl I can safely say Sharon is not only my ma, she is also my best friend.

?

Next up is Patricia McCann (56) from Rialto.

Nominated by her daughter Dawn, the single mum of four has always put her family first, and even returned to work in St James’s Hospital just six months after having a triple bypass.

This was mainly due to the fact that she was determined to fund her daughter’s dream scholarship.

She endlessly inspires her children that they are to follow their dreams no matter what happens in life.

Despite leaving school at 12, self-taught Patricia now writes plays specifically on issues that affect people which have been performed in community groups across Dublin and have led to her achieving recognition from the Ringsend Community Forum and the South West inner City Network

“The dream would be that I’ve helped so many people and have helped save lives,

? she declared.

And last, but not least, is Maud McGuckin (39) from Tallaght.

“Compassionate and caring, and professional with an entrepreneurial spirit

?

?¦these are the affectionate words of 17-year-old Panache McGuckin, son of 2015 finalist Maud, on why she deserves to be crowned Ireland’s No 1 mum.

Panache nominated his mum as her unconditional love, support and protection for both him and his family has been endless while she tirelessly builds a life for them in Ireland.

Originally from Zimbabwe, Maud eventually moved her family over to Ireland while juggling a complete culture shock and new lifestyle herself.

“I had to work two jobs to also be able to bring my sister with Panache,

? she revealed. But she showed no signs of slowing down and proved that she wanted to make a difference for more than just her family. She set up Housecleaning.ie, a professional maid service which led to her being awarded Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 at the African Leadership and Excellence Awards.

She also won a Chambers Ireland CSR Award for setting up Bellarose Foundation, offering discounted cleaning services for women who had cancer.

She was inspired to do so after receiving a call from a woman recovering from cancer who could not afford the service.