Irish dancer Morgan Bullock, Paralympic cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy and scientist Teresa Lambe are among those named in the 2022 Presidential Distinguished Service Awards for the Irish Abroad.
The awards are presented to those who have given distinguished service in the fields of peace-building, charitable work, business, education, arts, sport and beyond.
It was established by the Government following the 2011 Global Irish Economic Forum as a means to recognise the contribution of members of the Irish diaspora and was first awarded in 2012.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney on Tuesday announced the 10 recipients of this year’s awards.
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Morgan Bullock, an American-Irish Irish dancer who went viral on TikTok and Instagram in 2020, Katie-George Dunlevy, who has medalled at multiple world and Paralympic Games, and author and academic Joseph M Hassett were among the recipients.
Other recipients include festival director Fergus Linehan, Prof Wang Zhanpeng and Prof Chen Li, Ciarán and Orlaith Staunton, who set up a charity in the name of their son Rory who died, and Josephine O’Driscoll for her work in Irish community support.
Mary Ellen McGroarty, who works for the World Food Programme in Afghanistan, Fr Richard (Dick) O’Riordan, a missionary in South Africa, and Teresa Lambe, one of the co-developers of the Oxford — AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, were also recipients.
Mr Coveney said he is “delighted” to have the opportunity to “formally recognise the achievements” of members of the country’s diaspora.
“Their service and commitment is a shining example to us all and I am delighted that they have been selected to be honoured by President Michael D Higgins in such a fitting manner,” he said.
“This is the 11th year of these distinguished and much-cherished awards and it is an opportunity each year to acknowledge those who have, through their work, helped in different ways to burnish Ireland’s reputation across the globe.”
Minister of State for Overseas Development and Diaspora Colm Brophy said the President’s Awards highlight and celebrate “in a very special way” the achievements and diversity of the “global Irish family”.
“We are very proud of the impact our global family continues to have all over the world and the recipients of this award demonstrate between them the remarkable diversity and richness of Ireland’s diaspora,” he said.
