Claire Egan
BLACKSOD native Noel Conroy has been named Mayo Person of the Year for 2007. The announcement was made on Monday night last by Muintir Mhaigh Eo Átha Cliath, while the Meitheal Award for 2007 went to Hope House, Foxford.
Mr Conroy, who is the current Commissioner of An Garda Síochána, was selected by an independent panel of adjudicators for the prestigious award, which commemorates the memory of Mrs Virginia Gallagher, a former president of Muintir Mhaigh Eo Átha Cliath.
Speaking to The Mayo News, Mr Noel Howley, PRO of Muintir Mhaigh Eo, said that Noel Conroy was selected for the ‘tremendous honour and glory he has brought to Mayo over the past number of years’.
“We have had such a positive feedback concerning the recipients of this year’s awards and both are equally deserving. Hope House has been doing fantastic work down through the years and we are delighted to be able to reward them with this accolade,” said Mr Howley.
Commissioner Conroy joined the force in 1963 and served in numerous stations throughout Dublin city, including Store Street, Kevin Street, Cabra and Finglas before moving to Garda Headquarters.
He spent the majority of his career in the Detective Branch before graduating to the higher echelons of the police force, operating as a Deputy Commissioner from 1996 to 2003 before being appointed to the highest policing office in July, 2003.