Eileen Irwin from Ballina will fly the flag for County Mayo at the All Ireland grand final of the 2009 Granny of the Year Competition in aid of Special Olympics Ireland.
TV3’s Martin King will be the master of ceremony at this event which will see 12 of the most special grannies in Ireland take to the stage with a chance to win the title of 2009 Granny of the Year. The winning granny will be presented with a specially designed trophy from Dublin Crystal and a Mediterranean cruise courtesy of Abbey Travel.
The difficult task of selecting the 2009 Granny of the Year will be the responsibility of the judging panel which will include well-known UTV personality Gerry Kelly, Ray Foley and Louise Heraghty from Today FM’s Ray Foley Show, representatives from eircom, premier sponsors of Special Olympics Ireland, and the Sunday World.
Eileen who is from Ballina was nominated by her grandchildren because they believe she is simply the best and has just what it takes to be the 2009 Granny of the Year. She won a very competitive Mayo heat which took place in the Cill Aodan Hotel, Kiltimagh, where judges James Kilbane, Angelina Nugent, and Toni Bourke thought Eileen epitomised all that a granny should be.
More than 200 fabulous grannies from all over Ireland were involved in the competition’s county regional and semi-final heats. All the grannies were sponsored by friends and family to raise funds in aid of Special Olympics Ireland to help change the lives of the 35,000 people in Ireland with an intellectual disability.
Money raised will go towards providing sports training and competition for the 11,105 athletes already involved and to reach out to those 23,895 people in Ireland not already involved. It will also be used to recruit volunteers and to develop new clubs in communities throughout Ireland north and south.
The final will take place at 5pm on Sunday May 24 in the Red Cow Hotel in Dublin and all are welcome to attend.
