Three Midlands Women Honoured At EBS Volunteer In Sport Awards

A live stream of the event took place earlier.

Three women from the region are being recognised for their commitment to their local clubs and organisations this evening. 

Nicola Lalor of Shinrone-Coolderry community games Karen Goldrick from Ringtown Camogie Club and Maggie Murphy of Timahoe Ladies Gaelic football club have been selected for their tremendous work in a variety of areas. 

Nicola Lalor

Nicola has dedicated 27 years to the Community Games in her area. She has introduced children from across the Shinrone and Coolderry areas to a host of different sports and activities that they can take part in other than the traditional sports. Throughout her time, she has ensured every single child has been offered equal opportunity to engage in the various sports and cultural activities with emphasis placed on the importance of sportsmanship, enjoyment, confidence, developing friendships and creating lasting memories.

Nicola dedicates hours of her time into being a teacher, trainer, mentor, costumes and wardrobe organiser and - especially during the last 18 months - an IT expert, to ensure the Community Games experience is a fun and enjoyable one for all involved.

Karen Goldrick

As a founding member of Ringtown Camogie Club, Karen Goldrick’s positive contribution to her community and the club players is immeasurable. Despite never having played camogie herself, Karen was eager to provide this opportunity to her children and the wider community and so spent every spare minute researching what was necessary for the club’s success.

Karen acts as Club Secretary as well as being involved in all underage coaching and over the years, she has secured vital sponsorships and donations to keep the club running. She covers many roles from organising club tournaments to refereeing matches and researching new drills for young players.

Since the club’s formation, Karen has worked day and night to provide an invaluable opportunity for young girls and women in Ringtown to learn a new skill and become involved in the community. 

Maggie Murphy

Maggie Murphy is a fantastic ambassador for Timahoe Ladies Football Club, having spent her adult years giving back to the club by enabling young girls to get involved and feel part of the Timahoe club family. She brings positivity, enthusiasm and hard work regardless of the role she undertakes as a volunteer and holds many positions within Timahoe; from coaching the under 8 girls to being part of the development committee.

She previously served as chairperson for seven years and is incredibly passionate about Ladies Football. Her experience enables the club to be proactive and progressive and her work and dedication has had a lasting impact on every one who has come through Timahoe for many years.

The Volunteers in Sport Awards celebrate the contributions of the band of volunteers across the country who give their time to Irish sport and physical activity every year. This equates to approximately 37.3 million hours of volunteering across Ireland’s 13,000 registered sports clubs and associations and, according to Sport Ireland's 2021 'Researching the Value of Sport in Ireland' report, is worth an estimated €1.5bn to the exchequer.

Commenting on the awards, Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers, TD, said:

“It is an honour for me to support this year’s Volunteers in Sport Awards and help recognise so many fantastic volunteers in our community. These awards have a special place in the sporting calendar as they recognise those who have given an incredible amount of time throughout the year who have ensured that sport can takes place in our communities, and they do so without the expectation of gratitude or reward. The amount of hard work and dedication that these volunteers give to sport in Ireland is quite truly astonishing and I am privileged to support both the volunteers and these awards.  I would also like to thank the Federation of Irish Sport and EBS, and all who will help make these virtual ceremonies a memorable occasion for all.”

Speaking about the awards, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, Mary O’Connor said:

“Despite another very challenging year for sport, we have once again seen how important volunteering has been to communities across Ireland. We have an enormous amount of gratitude for the army of volunteers who have ensured that sport could take place in a safe and controlled manner. Whether it be on pitches, courts, tracks, pools or even community halls across the country, the volunteers are always there to make sure sport and physical activity continues to take place around Ireland. It gives me immense pride to be able to recognise so many of these volunteers at next week’s virtual Volunteers in Sport Awards and I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to all of this year’s recipients. I would like to also thank EBS for their continued support in bringing wider recognition of volunteers in sport in Ireland to life. I would also like to express my gratitude to Minister Jack Chambers who will be taking the time out of his schedule to attend our virtual ceremonies next week and helping us to champion and celebrate the recipients.”

Managing Director of EBS, Paul Butler, commented:

“EBS is delighted to partner with the Federation of Irish Sport once more to honour and recognise the everyday heroes around Ireland who make sure sport happens every day. EBS has been involved in local communities around Ireland for over 80 years and we are delighted to showcase the tremendous work these volunteers do for sport throughout their communities.  These volunteers truly are the backbone of Irish sport, and we are proud to support them. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the recipients of the 2021 Volunteers in Sports Awards and thank them for all of the tireless work they do to ensure sport in Ireland continues to flourish.”