Volunteers recognised as society celebrates 5th annual ball

The Coventry Irish Society’s 5th Annual Ball was a fantastic evening celebrating Irish culture and heritage, during which some of the charity’s dedicated volunteers were honoured.

The occasion was the perfect opportunity to present volunteers with awards for long-standing service and dedication to the charity. Certificates of Achievement were also presented to work experience students.

A special tribute was paid to Kate McCarthy, Trustee of the Coventry Irish Society, who has dedicated more than 20 years’ voluntary service to the charity. In a very moving speech, Kate paid tribute to her own mother and the values she taught her, in particular to look out for others.

The charity was delighted to be joined by a senior delegation from Cork City Council; Cllr Honore Kamegni (Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork), Viviane Kamegni, Cllr Kieran McCarthy (Former Lord Mayor of Cork 2023/2024), and Ciarán Kelleher Byrne (International Relations Officer at Cork City Council).

The highlight of the evening was a formal presentation of the prestigious Cork City Gift by the Deputy Lord Mayor to Trustee Kay Forrest for a lifetime of service to the Irish community in Coventry. Special recognition was given to Kay for her longterm service to the Coventry Irish Society and her ongoing commitment over the past 31 years.

The charity also appreciated the opportunity, before the ball, to host the Deputy Lord Mayor and his team at their offices where they enjoyed meeting the Irish in Coventry and seeing first-hand all the vital work that goes on to support the community. Coventry was the first city in the world to be twinned with another city and is currently twinned with 26 other cities across the world, including Cork. The charity values and cherishes the special friendship with Cork and looks forward to continuing to work together.