Senator George Mitchell, former Intel CEO Craig Barrett and Dr Anne Merriman are among the recipients of the 2013 Presidential Distinguished Service Awards announced today.
Recipients of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad are honoured for their distinguished service to the nation in the fields of peace-building, charitable work, business, education and arts culture and sport, among others.
The Presidential Awards were established by the Government after the 2011 Global Irish Economic Forum.
The 2013 awards will be presented by President Higgins in November at a ceremony in Áras an Uachtaráin.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Eamon Gilmore T.D., paid tribute to the recipients:
“All of these people have rendered distinguished service to our nation and helped to build our reputation around the globe. Their contribution is immeasurable.
“Ireland is fortunate to have ambassadors and advocates of the calibre of Dr. Anne Merriman in Africa and Sister Cyril Mooney in India, who have helped hundreds of thousands of the world’s poorest people, and Craig Barrett, whose leadership in the fields of technology and education is second to none.
“The Irish diaspora has been central to our efforts to build a lasting peace on this island. Senator George Mitchell lent his skill, his reputation and his time to this endeavour and I am delighted that he will be honoured for his vision and his tenacity next month.
“These awards also recognise the tireless and crucial work of those like Rodney Walsh in New Zealand and Seamus McGarry in the UK who have looked after Irish citizens abroad. On behalf of the Irish people, I would like to express our gratitude for their hard work and commitment to Ireland over many decades. ”
The recipients of the Presidential Distinguished Service Awards in 2013 are:
Peace, Reconciliation and Development
Senator George Mitchell (US)
Ambassador Dan Rooney
Business and Education
Craig Barrett (US)
John Martin (France - OECD)
Arts, Culture and Sport
Mick Moloney (US)
Charitable Works
Anne Merriman (Uganda)
Sr Cyril Mooney (India)
Irish Community Support
Mary Tilki (UK)
Seamus McGarry (UK)
Rodney Walshe (New Zealand)
Press Office
13 October
Notes for Editors
· The Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad is managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
· Nominations are made by Irish communities abroad through Ireland’s network of Diplomatic Missions
· A High Level Panel was established to make recommendations to Government. This Panel includes: Mr David Cooney, Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Chair), Mr Martin Fraser, Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach; Mr Adrian O’Neill, Secretary General to the President; and four representatives from the non-Government sector- Ms Sally O’Neill Sanchez, Prof Declan Kiberd, Mr Kingsley Aikins and Fr Bobby Gilmore.
· The first awards were presented in 2012.
· In order to be eligible for consideration, nominees must be habitually resident outside the island of Ireland and are required to satisfy the following additional requirements:
Ø have rendered distinguished service to the nation and/or its reputation abroad
Ø have actively and demonstrably contributed to Ireland and/or its international reputation and/or Irish communities abroad in at least one of the categories listed above;
Ø have a track record of sustained support and engagement with Ireland and/or its international reputation and/or Irish communities abroad over a period of not less than 5 years.
· The Distinguished Service Awards is not an honours system nor does it confer any legal entitlements upon the recipients.
2013 Recipients
Peace, Reconciliation and Development
George Mitchell (US)
Senator George Mitchell is a politician, lawyer and businessman, serving his State of Maine from 1980 to 1995. He was majority Leader in the US Senate from 1989-1995. He is of Irish/Lebanese background. He worked as a trial attorney in the United States Department of Justice in Washington before becoming the Assistant Attorney for Cumberland County, Maine. He has been a visionary for peace around the world, but most notably in Northern Ireland.
Appointed as United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland from 1995-2001, he helped to bring enduring peace to all people on the island of Ireland. In his capacity as Chair of the all-party peace negotiations, he led both sides to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. On July 4th of the same year, he was awarded the prestigious Liberty Medal for ‘The Pursuit of Freedom’.
He was Chancellor of Queens University Belfast from 1999-2009 as well as serving as Honorary Co-Chair with the ‘World Justice Project’.
In 2009, Sen. Mitchell was named US Special Envoy for Middle East Peace by President Obama and continued his fight for peace. In addition to political triumphs, he has been exceptionally successful in the business world as past Chairman of The Walt Disney Company and a director in many global companies like Xerox and Federal Express. He is a partner in the law firm of DLA Piper.
Ambassador Dan Rooney
Dan Rooney was born in Pittsburgh, USA to an Irish family and throughout his life has shown a pride in his Irish heritage and a commitment to support Ireland.
Amongst his most important contributions was the setting up, together with Tony O’ Reilly, of the American Ireland Fund (AIF) in 1976. With a trinity of goals - peace, culture and charity - the Ireland Fund appealed for support for Ireland and its people from all Americans, but especially those of Irish descent.
The Worldwide Ireland Funds have expanded to include 12 countries, raising close to $500 million for more than 1,200 outstanding organizations, mainly in Ireland. The Ireland Funds have made a particularly important contribution to the development and support of groups working in the areas of peace and reconciliation in Ireland.
Mr. Rooney served as Ambassador to Ireland from July 3, 2009 until 2012. He played a pivotal role in developing relations between Ireland and the US . At a special ceremony to mark his retirement, then Secretary of State Clinton, referred specifically to Mr. Rooney’s outreach to all 32 counties in Ireland.
Mr. Rooney has received many awards and honours, including an MBE in 2008.
Since his retirement as Ambassador to Ireland, Mr. Rooney has returned as Chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Business and Education
Craig Barrett (US)
Dr. Barrett has been a key supporter and guide to Ireland in our efforts to attract and retain high-tech foreign direct investment in Ireland as CEO/Chairman of Intel and more recently as Chairman of the Irish Technology Leadership Group.
Craig Barrett is a leading advocate for improving education worldwide and is a vocal spokesman for the value of technology in raising social and economic standards globally. Born in San Francisco, he holds Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science from Stanford University. He was Associate Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering until 1974. Craig joined Intel Corporation in 1974, becoming company's chief operating officer in 1993. He became Intel's fourth President in May 1997, Chief Executive Officer in 1998 and Chairman of the Board in 2005. He retired from this position in May 2009. Craig has served on numerous boards, policy and government panels, and has been an appointee of the US President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and to the American Health Information Community.
John Martin (France - OECD)
John Martin is a graduate of University College Dublin and Nuffield College Oxford. He devoted his early career to teaching at university and working at the ESRI. In 1977 John moved to France to take up a highly sought after position in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, where he joined other luminaries in the field of economics. In 2002 he was appointed Director for Employment Labour and Social Affairs at the OECD. He retired from the OECD in April 2013.
John’s most significant and abiding contribution was his success in bringing social policy to the centre of economic analysis and policy work at the OECD. He has been the driving influence in the OECD’s Employment Outlook since 1982. His ground breaking research and policy prescriptions in the area of social inclusion most notably in the area of employment, equality including gender equality, has influenced governments within the OECD and far beyond.
Charitable Works
Dr Anne Merriman (Uganda)
Dr Anne
Merriman has spent 30 years working in Africa, including 10 as a Missionary Doctor in Nigeria and 20 in Uganda. She has also worked in South East Asia and in the UK and Ireland.
She founded Hospice Africa, introducing palliative care to Uganda in 1993. She has since led Hospice Africa’s International initiatives in Nigeria, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Sudan and Rwanda.
Dr Anne Merriman is Founder and Director of Hospice Africa and a Teaching Fellow, International Observatory on End of Life Care in the Institute for Health Research, Lancaster University.
However, Dr Merriman’s true vocation is working among the poorest and most vulnerable in Africa. Her concern is the relief of suffering and provision of holistic care to millions of patients and families in Africa suffering from cancer and/or AIDS.
Her contribution to health and relief of pain is recognised with many awards, including an MBE for health in Uganda and an individual award for spread of palliative care in the world by the International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care.
Sr Cyril Mooney (India)
After Sr Cyril Mooney was professed as a Loreto Sister she travelled to India in 1956. Since then she has been living and working there and worked tirelessly in the areas of social justice and education. She is the only Irish citizen to have been awarded the Padma Shri Award, one of India’s highest awards. The only other foreign citizen to have been granted this award is Mother Teresa.
Her service to the poor, destitute and socially excluded children of Kolkata, West Bengal, India spans over 50 years. Her list of achievements is immense from her work with Loreto Day School, Sealdah, The Rainbow Programme, Barefoot Teachers Training Programme and Shikshalaya Prakalpa.
The Rainbow Programme she managed provides critical educational and rehabilitation for formerly street-dwelling children and was highly regarded by social work professionals and most importantly the children themselves.
At the moment, she is working with the Government of West Bengal to widen their education system.
Irish Community Support
Mary Tilki (UK)
Dr. Mary Tilki, MSc, PhD, BA, DipN Ed, RNin, went to England from her native Sligo in the early 1970s. Over her career Mary was not content to just focus on her career, but had an equal ambition to address the inequalities relating to Irish people’s health in the UK. She is now regarded by the Irish community, as well as mainstream services, as the voice for the Irish in Britain in relation to health. She is widely- published and continues to lobby policy makers to address the inequalities relating to health not only with the Irish and Traveller community but for other disadvantaged ethnic groups.
This year her tireless and relentless efforts led her to being invited by the House of Commons, as an expert witness on the issue of dementia within the Irish community. Her recent work on Cuimhne – The Irish Memory Loss Alliance received recognition in the form of a supporting letter from David Cameron.
Dr Tilki’s leadership and vision as Chairperson of the Federation of Irish Societies, a position she has held since 2002, has impacted very positively on the profile of the Irish and Irish Traveller communities both in terms of culture, heritage, the arts and health and social care.
Seamus McGarry (UK)
For the last 40 years, Mr. McGarry has been one of the most prominent and well respected members of the Irish community in Britain and has founded or supported numerous Irish welfare and cultural organisations in the country.
He was involved in establishing the Federation of Irish Societies and chaired the organisation for 10 years during some of the most politically difficult times for the Irish in Britain. An outspoken critic of the bombing campaigns, he was a tireless defender of the rights of the Irish community in Britain and a campaigner against miscarriages of justice.
Mr. McGarry continues to be involved in a vast array of Irish organisations throughout Britain including the Ireland Fund, the Safe Start Foundation, the Irish Cultural Centre, the Irish World Heritage Centre in Manchester, the GAA and Irish Heritage. He is a regular attendee and supporter of Irish events throughout Britain.
Rodney Walshe (NZ)
Rodney Walshe has served Ireland with distinction as Honorary Consul General in New Zealand for 37 years. He is a dedicated supporter of Irish interests and has built up a busy Consulate which has provided comprehensive support to the Irish community.
At various times he has supported the interests of Tourism Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. He is an active member of the Global Irish Network. He has devoted time and energy, often at personal expense, to promoting the interests and reputation of Ireland in New Zealand.
He has organised and funded the prize for an annual Ireland Essay Competition for New Zealand school children as well as a scholarship for Irish Dancing New Zealand. He also represents Ireland on the Antarctic Heritage Trust, is active in the Rose of Tralee Festival and the Saint Patrick’s Festival Trust. He represents Ireland with energy, creativity and integrity in numerous other capacities.
Mr Walshe is highly regarded in New Zealand, enjoying excellent relations with senior political, business and cultural figures, which he has leveraged to great effect for Ireland over the years. He has received the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Arts, Culture and Sport
Mick Moloney (US)
Mick Moloney is the author of “Far From the Shamrock Shore: The story of Irish American History Through Song”. He holds a Ph.D. in folklore and folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught ethnomusicology, folklore and Irish studies courses at the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, and Villanova Universities, and currently teaches at New York University in the Irish Studies program.
He has recorded and produced over forty albums of traditional music and acted as advisor for scores of festivals and concerts all over America. Mick also served as the artistic director for several major arts tours including The Green Fields of America, an ensemble of Irish musicians, singers and dancers which toured across the United States on several occasions.
He has hosted three nationally syndicated series of folk music on American Public Television; was a consultant, performer and interviewee on the Irish Television special “Bringing It All Back Home”; a participant, consultant and music arranger of the PBS documentary film “Out of Ireland”; and a performer on the PBS special “The Irish in America: Long Journey Home.” In 1999 he was awarded the National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts - the highest official honour a traditional artist can receive in the United States.