Footballer Seamus Coleman, designer Orla Kiely and playwright Rosalind Scanlon have been named among this year’s recipients of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad.
The writer Aduke Gomez; Prof Enrico Terrinoni, an English literature academic; Sr Teresa McKeon, a Sierre Leon-based teacher; and Irish American Democrats founder Stella O’Leary were also honoured.
Mary O’Neil and Patrick Leahy in the US, and Pam O’Mahony in Australia, completed the list of 10 recipients announced by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin.
The awards will be presented by President Michael D Higgins at a ceremony in Áras an Uachtaráin in January 2025.
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“Irish people overseas continue to make vital contributions to their communities and on the international stage. I am always very honoured when I get to see first-hand the impact they make locally and globally,” Mr Martin said.
The 10 2024 recipients are said to represent various areas in which the “global Irish” are making a difference, including the arts, culture, sport, charitable and community works, business, peace, inclusion and equality.
“The Presidential Distinguished Service Award acknowledges the connection between the work of the recipients and our values as a nation, strengthening the ties between Ireland and the Diaspora,” Mr Martin said.
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