Kathleen Walsh D’Arcy and Brendan Fay. Photo by Garry Rissman.
By Irish Echo Staff
The 2016 Presidential Distinguished Service Awards for the Irish Abroad list includes six new world winners, four of them in the U.S. and one each in Canada and one in Colombia.
Gay rights activists Brendan Fay and Kathleen Walsh D’Arcy are the best known U.S. names on the list which was by Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charles Flanagan.
The Presidential Distinguished Service Award was established by the government following the 2011 Global Irish Economic Forum as a means to recognize the contribution of members of the Irish diaspora.
The first awards were made in 2012.
Nominations are made by Irish communities abroad through Ireland’s network of diplomatic missions.
Announcing the recipients of the 2016 Awards, Minister Flanagan said: “I am delighted that once again we have the opportunity to recognize some of the finest members of our diaspora for their contribution to Ireland, the Irish community abroad and Ireland’s reputation.
“In the ever changing world we live in, this remarkable group of individuals have been a constant beacon for Ireland and the values we hold dear.
“This year, for the first time Awards will be presented in the category of Science, Technology and Innovation, reflecting both the important place of this sector in our dynamic economy and Ireland’s track record of achievement in this area.
“Receiving an Award in this category is Garret FitzGerald who, in his role as a globally recognized research physician and scientist, has continued to be an active member of our diaspora and is closely engaged in facilitating scientific endeavor in Ireland.”
Minister for Diaspora Affairs and International Development, Joe McHugh T.D, added: “This year’s Presidential Distinguished Service Award recipients signify the breadth and richness of our diaspora. They include those working with the most marginalized and vulnerable, those who have become the voice for those who have none.
“Through their work as community activists for many years in New York, Brendan Fay and Kathleen Walsh D’Arcy have secured rights and recognition for LGBT members of the Irish community.
“And, in the very challenging environment of Sierra Leone, Sr. Mary Sweeney has worked tirelessly for local communities and most recently she has played a significant role in coordinating a response to the Ebola epidemic.”
The full list of awards winners is: Arts, Culture and Sport: Angela Brady (UK); Terry Wogan (Deceased - UK) - presented posthumously.
Business and Education: Robert Kearns (Canada); Gerald Lawless (UAE)
Charitable Works: Norman McClelland (US)
Irish Community Support: Nora Higgins (UK); Brendan Fay (US): Kathleen Walsh D’Arcy (US)
Peace, Reconciliation and Development: Martin Von Hildebrand (Colombia); Sr. Mary Sweeney (Sierra Leone).
Science, Technology and Innovation: Garret FitzGerald (US)
The release announcing the award recipients includes brief biographies of the recipients and in the case of the U.S. and Canadian winners they state: Brendan Fay (US) “Brendan Fay, a community activist, theologian, filmmaker and public speaker, is Co-Founder of the LGBT group, Lavender and Green Alliance. He was also a founding member of the Irish AIDS Outreach organisation in 1996 which sought to break the silence around AIDS in the Irish community in New York. He has been active on immigration reform (UAFA), civil marriage, AIDS awareness and human rights.
“Brendan has been an activist for LGBT rights, and in particular Irish LGBT rights, in New York for several decades, forming the inclusive St. Pat’s For All Parade in 1999 as an alternative to the 5th Avenue Parade. Along with Kathleen Walsh D’Arcy, he worked for years to secure the right of Irish gay groups to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in NYC, a right which was finally won in 2016.”
Kathleen Walsh D’Arcy (US) “Kathleen Walsh D’Arcy is Co-Founder of the LGBT group, Lavender and Green Alliance. She is a writer, social worker, community activist and formed the inclusive St. Pat’s For All Parade in 1999 as an alternative to the 5th Avenue Parade. Along with Brendan Fay, she worked for years to secure the right of Irish gay groups to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in NYC, a right which was finally won in 2016.”
Garret FitzGerald (US): “UCD graduate, Professor FitzGerald is a globally recognized research physician scientist at the University of Pennsylvania. His research has contributed substantially to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease by low dose aspirin and has benefitted millions worldwide. He has also won several major international awards for his work on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and is widely published in leading medical journals.
“He is closely engaged in facilitating scientific endeavor in Ireland, establishing a successful Center for Cardiovascular Science at UCD and was a founding advisor of Science Foundation Ireland. He has contributed significantly to the training and mentoring of many Irish researchers, several of whom hold senior positions within Irish academia and industry today. Amongst the more than 100 postdoctoral and doctoral students who have trained in his lab, more than 20 are Irish and remain active in research.
“In 2014, Science Foundation Ireland awarded Professor FitzGerald with the inaugural SFI St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to his field of expertise and to his ongoing support of the research community in Ireland.”
Norman McClelland (US) “The son of Irish emigrants, Norman McClelland, is a businessman and philanthropist based in Phoenix, Arizona. His philanthropic endeavors have spanned the creation of one of the largest urban parks in the world; through sustained support for the St. Mary’s food bank, to whom he gives 80,000 pounds of food per month; and donating the college of management to Arizona State University; to the building of the Phoenix Irish Centre, Library and Genealogical Centre.
“A member of the Global Irish Network, Mr. McClelland is proud of his Scots Irish heritage, with roots in Newry, and works hard to support an open and accepting Irish identity, inclusive of all the traditions of the island.”
Robert Kearns (Canada): “Robert Kearns is a key figure within the Irish community in Toronto and has been instrumental in creating the Ireland Park Famine Memorial Park along the quayside in Canada’s largest city. He is now engaged in creation of a new memorial in Toronto, Grasset Park, to commemorate the Canadian medical staff who died administering to the Famine Irish.
“Mr. Kearns is a successful business man and member of the Global Irish Network. He has assisted a number of Irish firms enter the Canadian market, including providing free office space for one such company. He chaired the Ireland Fund of Canada for six years and helped raise funds for integrated education in Ireland.”
The awards will be presented to the award winners by President Michael D. Higgins before the end of this year.
