Olympian Hooper wins top award

LORD Mayor of Dublin Críona Ní Dhálaigh presented eight Good Citizen Awards and one Lifetime Volunteer Award to local community figures at a reception held in the Mansion House.

Pat Hooper of Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club received one of the awards in the Sport & Recreation category.

Hooper, who enjoyed a hugely succcessful career as a long distance runner, represented Ireland at the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980.

In 1985 he founded the AXA Raheny 5 Road Race, which takes place on the last Sunday of January every year. It is now rated as one of the country’s leading road races and is promoted by Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club. 

The Good Citizen Award aims to acknowledge and celebrate the contribution made to Dublin city by innumerable hidden heroes in our communities.

Over 300 nominations were received from the public and they were shortlisted down to nine winners by the independent adjudication panel. The other category winners were: Age Friendly – Esther McGrath, Arts & Culture – Jimmy Bolger, Children & Youth – Elizabeth O’Connor, Community & Neighbourhood – Eileen Adams, Disability – Sandra Dillon, New Communities – Marius Marosan, Social Inclusion – JP Swaine, and Lifetime Volunteer – Gerry Fay.

Lord Mayor Ní Dhalaigh said: “I am delighted to present these awards which acknowledge and celebrate Dublin’s Hidden Heroes and the extraordinary work they do in the communities where they live.” 

Also speaking on the night, Cllr Mary Freehill (Lab), said: “I proposed and initiated the Dublin City Good Citizen Award because I see every day through my political work as a councillor, the impact the goodness of volunteers has on our communities which adds so much to the social capital of our city.

 “This is my way of saying thank you to these volunteers.” Keith Duffy, who was MC at the awards ceremony, congratulated Dublin City Council for acknowledging the great work that each of these winners does in their own community. The winners were presented with a specially commissioned Good Citizen Award pin, which was designed by Seamus Gill, one of Ireland’s foremost jewellery designers.