Tip O’Neill Irish
Diaspora Awards in Buncrana
10.07.23
THE Tip O’Neill Irish
Diaspora Awards will return on Saturday, 16th September
2023, to the Inishowen Gateway Hotel in Buncrana. The
award, presented by Donegal County Council, seeks to
recognise those who have excelled in their chosen field
whilst honouring their contribution to Ireland and its
diaspora.
The award was first initiated in 2012 as a means of
commemorating the centenary of the birth of the late Tip
O’Neill who was a liberal Democrat and an influential
member of the US House of Representatives. His maternal
grandparents were native to County Donegal. Tip’s son
Tommy O’Neill, alongside his wife Shelly O’Neill, return
home to Donegal each year for the awards ceremony. |
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Pictured L-R: Professor
William C. Campbell, Caroline McLaughlin and John T.
Fries |
This year sees three
distinguished individuals honoured with the Tip O’Neill
Irish Diaspora Award.
• Professor William C. Campbell
Hailing from Ramelton, Professor Campbell is perhaps
most well known for receiving the Nobel Prize for
Medicine in 2015. The distinguished list of honours,
awards and achievements is a testament to the sheer
amount of work, time and effort that Professor Campbell
has invested in veterinary science throughout his life.
Even now, at 93 years of age, Professor Campbell keeps
busy as a university lecturer at Drew University in
Madison, New Jersey, and is an avid painter, regularly
donating his work to auctions in aid of student
scholarship fundraisers.
• Caroline McLaughlin
Originally from Buncrana and an Irish emigrant since
1996, Caroline has lived in the Channel Islands, San
Francisco, Australia and London. For almost 30 years
Caroline has been an exceptional builder of both
individual and community relationships, and a strong
influencer in improving the lives and experiences of
diverse and disadvantaged groups including women and
students. She is a leading representative of the Irish
diaspora community in the UK, and has been active in
leading networks and supporting programmes for the
betterment of fellow emigrants.
• John T. Fries
John is a first-generation Irish-American whose father
was born and raised in Kilmacrenan. John credits his
Irish-American heritage with teaching him the
'life-skills necessary to build a successful business
career and, more importantly, the values critical to
giving back to the people and communities in need.' John
had a successful business career spanning 24 years in
the tech industry, working with leading hardware and
software companies. John’s focus in recent years has
been on philanthropic activities, board level roles and
senior leadership positions with start-up firms. John
currently serves as President of Managed Care
Connections in Moorestown, New Jersey, and as Managing
Partner at Germantown Ventures, a philadelphia-based
venture capital firm.
Chairman of the Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award
Committee Cllr. Nicholas Crossan said: “It gives me
great pride to once again be announcing the winners for
the prestigious Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award. We, in
Buncrana, continue to see the benefits of this fantastic
initiative as we continue to forge and maintain the
strong links between ourselves and our diaspora, no
matter where they are located and regardless of the
generations that may have passed since.”
Tickets for the Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Awards 2023
will go on sale on Monday, 10th July, via EventBrite. |
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