PÁDRAIG McGillicuddy, Anthony O’Gara, Dr Mary McCaffrey, Caroline McEnery, Peter Harty and Kevin McCarthy have been announced as the recipients of Tralee Business People Awards for the months of July to December.
Each of the individuals was recognised for their extraordinary commitment to their customers and the town of Tralee through their business and working lives.
The President of Tralee Chamber Alliance, Aidan Kelly, said: “Our latest monthly winners deserves to be recognised for the work they do to improve and enhance life the lives of those around them every day. We are delighted to shine a light on them for contributing to the economic and community development of the town over the course of their careers.”
Pádraig McGillicuddy (July), is the proprietor of Ballygarry House Hotel and Spa. He took over the family-run hotel in 2002. He has more than 20 years’ experience in various management roles both internationally and in Ireland. Raised in a family-run hotel business in Tralee, he went on to study Hotel Management at Galway Mayo institute of Technology. His international hotel management experiences include roles in Lausanne, Switzerland and Sydney, Australia.
After an investment of over six million euro, Ballygarry is now considered one of Munster’s most successful hotels, and employs 140 staff, 95 of which are full time. In 2017 the hotel undertook a further €4.5 million development to enhance the ground floor Food & Beverage offering with the addition of The Brasserie, Restaurant 58 & extended ground floor services & a new entrance to the hotel with extensive landscaping. Pádraig is extremely active and passionate about the development of the tourism industry in Tralee and throughout Kerry. He was Chairperson of Holiday Tralee from 2006 to 2012, and was a founding member & President of Tralee Chamber Alliance. Pádraig has also served as a voluntary Chairperson of Fatima home for five years. He is an avid hiker and aviation enthusiast & has flown as far north as the Arctic Circle by helicopter. He also enjoys collecting and driving Classic cars.
Anthony O’Gara (August), is the Managing Director of the Rose of Tralee International Festival. A Roscommon-native, he moved to Tralee in the early 1980s. He is married to Oonagh and they have four adult children. Anthony previously worked in the food industry for 25 years before moving to Tralee to take up a position in Kerry Group. He went on to become the Group Personnel Director before leaving to start his own consultancy business in 1996. In the 2000s, the Rose of Tralee International Festival, Ireland’s flagship family festival, fell on hard times and its future was under serious threat. Anthony, together with some investors, took over the running of the event from 2004.
Since then, he has developed the Festival from 28 Rose Centres in Ireland and abroad to 70 in 2017 with up to 64 taking part in the event each year. Founded by local business people with a view to boosting tourism, he has maintained that tradition while embracing the spirit of volunteerism.
Dr Mary McCaffrey (September), a graduate of University College Cork, was appointed to Kerry as Consultant Obstetrician / Gynaecologist in 1998. Prior to coming to Kerry, she worked as Assistant Master at the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin; Europe’s oldest maternity hospital and as Lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
In developing the Maternity Services in Kerry, she worked diligently to bring modern standards of care to women, such as developing the epidural service, family focussed care in labour and fertility services. In 2002 The Scotia Clinic opened its doors as a private clinic providing maternity, paediatric and women’s health care. Over the years the Clinic has evolved and developed to now provide a wide range of healthcare services including Ireland’s first Satellite IVF service. The Scotia Clinic has also developed a series of links with highly specialist medical services in Ireland and Europe so that patients can be fast tracked to more specialist services without protracted waiting times. She is married to Senator Colm Burke and in her spare time she looks after her Saint Bernards and this leads to lots of long walks. Over the years her areas of support for voluntary services tended to centre around women’s health – CURA which supports women with unplanned pregnancy, Kerry Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre.
Caroline McEnery (October), Managing Director of The HR Suite and HR and Employment Law Expert, is a member on the Low Pay Commission and is also an adjudicator in the Work Place Relations Commission.
She had worked across various areas of HR for over 20 years in Kerry Group and in the retail and hospitality sector where she was the Operations and HR Director of the Garvey Group prior to setting up the HR Suite in 2009. The HR Suite offer specialist tailored and effective human resources and business solutions to clients throughout Ireland.
Caroline is also the author of “The Art of Asking the Right Questions” a tool kit for people managers to ensure they maximise the talent of their people. She is also a lead mentor on the ACORNS programme which is promoting entrepreneurship for women and is a member of the going for growth entrepreneurship programme and continuing the momentum programme. Caroline’s colleague, Mary Stapleton, accepted the award on her behalf.
Peter Harty (November). CH Tralee was founded by Patricia Chute and Fionán Harty in 1967. Chute Harty Chemists subsequently became C.H Chemists. Patricia was the Tralee Rose in the International Rose of Tralee Festival and she caught the eye of a young Fionàn Harty who operated a pharmacy in Rock Street. After the couple married they began to develop Patricia’s own family business Chute’s Chemists (in The Mall). Patricia, a qualified beautician developed the beauty side of the business while Fionán concentrated on the pharmacy side.
The business developed over the years with the addition of their daughter Claire, an ophthalmic optician and their son Peter, a pharmacist. Today Peter and Claire continue their parents’ ethos along with a talented team of people – at Christmas, the team swells to 94 to help look after our customers! The CH philosophy is to think ahead to stay ahead, hence in living by this philosophy we endeavour to stock the most current and innovative products and services. We are committed to providing exceptional customer and patient care and invest heavily in training our team to the highest level to ensure the best possible service.
C.H. is committed to working with and supporting the local community through sponsorship, employment and events and initiatives such as “The CH Annual Santa Parade” and the CH Santa Grotto each year – Christmas begins at C.H! On his own and his sister Claire’s behalf, he dedicated this award to the memory of their parents who founded C.H. and whose memory inspires them to keep progressing.
Kevin McCarthy (December), was born in Riverstick, Co Cork and went to school in Kinsale. He joined Quinnsworth in 1982 as a retail trainee manager and worked with them for eight years which included stints as Assistant manager in Kilarney, Tralee, Ennis and Douglas and as Store manager in Mallow and Tullamore.
Kevin joined Tomás Garvey in 1990 as store manager in Castleisland, opened the new Garveys store in Tralee in 1992, went on to become regional manager in 1996, joined the Board of Directors in 1998 and became a shareholder in the business. He was appointed Managing Director in 2006.
When he joined the Garvey Group in 1990 the Company had two stores (Castleisland & Dingle) and four butchers shops in Tralee. It had a retail turnover of seven million euro and employed about 80 people. Today, Garveys are one of the largest independent retailers in the country with a retail turnover in excess of 100 million euro, employing over 800 people in nine stores throughout Munster and two hotels in Dingle. Their ethos has always been on having the best customer experience with the best quality fresh foods sourced locally where possible, supporting the local communities with employment, but also supporting local voluntary organisations – donating over 100,000 euros every year to local organisations/festivals /charities).
Pádraig, Anthony, Mary, Caroline, Peter and Kevin were presented with specially commissioned handmade glass pieces and wooden bowls from local craft makers, Terence MacSweeney and David Condon, while Tralee-based photographer, Pauline Dennigen, will photograph each of the 12 monthly winners and their portraits will be featured in an exhibition and 2018 Tralee calendar.
The calendar will be available to buy in December and the profits from the sale of the calendar will be donated to Tralee charities.
The 12 monthly winners are: Breeda Hurley (January), Dan Horan (February), Billy Nolan (March), Fiona Kirby/Cotter (April), Don Nolan (May), Mike McDonnell (June), Pádraig McGillicuddy (July), Anthony O’Gara (August), Dr Mary McCaffrey (September), Caroline McEnery (October), Peter Harty (November) and Kevin McCarthy (December).
For more information, please contact Tralee Chamber Alliance on 066 7121472 or email info@Tralee.ie.
