Ten more Offaly People of the Year nominees

MARY KELLY Hugely involved in ladies football in Offaly over a long number of years. She has served as chairperson for the St Rynagh's club in Banagher and Offaly as well as managing several teams within her club to championship success. SHANE LOWRY Brought the country to a standstill with his magnificent success at the Irish Open at Baltray last May in what was his first appearance as a professional golfer while still playing as an amateur. It was only the third time and amateur had won on the European tour and his round of 62 on the second day equalled the lowest ever by an amateur on the circuit. Having turned professional shortly afterwards, his steady improvement since has seen him enter the world's top 100 ranked golfers. STEPHEN McNEILL A Tullamore resident who has contributed richly to the local historical society, safeguarding data which maintains the pride of the people in the where and who they come from. MATT MERRICK Has raised money in aid of the Ballyboy fire disaster since his early days in Macra and had a long career in the IFA and various other organisations including the Offaly Enterprise Board. An Edenderry resident, he is currently a director at Glanbia. PAT MINNOCK Devotes large amounts of his spare time to taking the elderly on holidays in organising the Lions Club Trabolgan holiday for a group of 18 people annually. Spends a week in Lourdes with the diocesan invalids and is a tireless community and civic worker. PADDY MOLLOY Renowned as a top class hurler well beyond Offaly during an era when success at inter-county level was extremely limited. He starred for several years with the Leinster Railway Cup team and was selected at centre-forward on the Offaly Team of the Millennium, the only player without an All-Ireland medal to achieve this feat. Was also inspsirational for his club Drumcullen and was the first man to receive the Seán Robbins Cup back in 1960 when they won their most recent county title. MONICA PHELAN A central character in the Edenderry Lourdes Fund since first joining in 1971, she has worked tirelessly in raising funds to send hundreds of people to the shrine in the near four decades since. As numbers dwindled she has been the sole fundraiser for the 12 years though her efforts have never waned. KIERAN O'DRISCOLL Director of ENT for Zambia Trust Fund in association CBM (Christian Blind Mission) and gorta. The charity is Tullamore-based with the people of Offaly its lifeblood. A consultant ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon in the Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore, Dr O'Driscoll has selflessly brought his expertise to bear in Zambia, a country of 12 million people with no more than a few doctors with ENT knowledge. Since 2006 he has been the driving force behind a project to build a mobile ENT clinic in the country with his efforts saving the lives of many who were dying of complications from ear infections. RONAN AND RICEY SCULLY The well-known father and son combination have spearheaded numerous fundraising campaigns in aid of the poorest regions in the world to great effect over a number of years. Ronan has helped to raise more than €19 million through his involvement with GOAL, with his GOAL GAA Jersey Day a huge success. Ricey has joined forces with his son in many of his fundraising drives for the poorest of the poor at home and abroad and his show on Midlands Radio 3 each day is used as a vehicle to drive this. In GAA, both men represented Offaly at all grades. FIONA STEPHENS Part of the Offaly camogie team that brought the first All-Ireland junir title to the county in 2009 with a comfortable win over Waterford in the final at Croke Park last September which earned her an All Star. She also received a soaring All Star award as well as claiming a county title with her club Drumcullen.