Three Dublin women compete for Mum of the Year accolade

THREE Dublin women are in the running for Mum of the Year.

The three, Joy Sutton (60) from Clondalkin, Esther Kelly-Keating (61) from Dublin 24 and Ann Grassick (52) from Drumcondra, have been revealed as finalists in the Woman’s Way & Beko Mum of the Year competition.

The  judging panel of Norah Casey, Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, Mary Byrne and Alison Canavan chose 15 mums from the hundreds of entries to attend the finals in July with the overall winner receiving €3,000 worth of Beko home appliances. Each finalist will also receive prizes of upwards of €250.

Joy Sutton, a mother of two has been dubbed “mother, wife, sister, aunt, volunteer extraordinaire, florist, baker”, by her daughter Karen.

Joy began volunteering with Barretstown family and bereavement camps and she is involved in the HOP (Hospital Outreach Programme) in Crumlin hospital and the Team Hope shoebox appeal. Joy has also recently been credited as a walking tour guide volunteer for Clondalkin. 

Of her nomination she says she was “absolutely honoured… I enjoy what I’m doing, I don’t see it as being the patron saint of goodness. It all just evolved”.

Mother of four Esther Kelly-Keating was nominated by her daughter Charlotte and currently works as the nursing director in a nursing home. 

In 1999 she returned to university to update her nursing qualification, something she did to help her patients.

Mother to two sons, Ann Grassick was nominated by her eldest, Conor for her exceptional mothering skills.

Her youngest son, Colin, was born with Prader-Willi syndrome – he struggles with never feeling full, behavioural issues and learning difficulties – and has been diagnosed with au-tism.

While looking after Colin, ensuring he has everything he needs, and Conor, Ann was recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.  

“This is my biggest fight to date,” she told Woman’s Way of her diagnosis, “but I’ll give it my best shot for the lads. We battle every day but the three of us just get on with it.”

Full details of the Dublin finalists are revealed in this week’s issue 23 of Woman’s Way, on sale now.