Laois Community & Voluntary Awards Arts, Culture and Heritage Award winner 2024 #laoisawards24

The Irish Steam Preservation Society has won the Arts, Culture and Heritage Award at the Laois Community and Voluntary Awards 2024.

This award recognises groups and organisations who enhance their local areas, by conserving, protecting and promoting the Arts, Culture and Heritage of their local community through collective creative activities.

The Irish Steam Preservation Society has been in existence for almost 60 years. The society is responsible for holding the annual National Steam Rally in Stradbally and is the home to the oldest Narrow Gage Railway. 

Irish Steam Preservation Society Rally Secretary Kim McNamara, Company Secretary Nicola Glynn and Chairman Nigel Glynn were thrilled with their win at the awards.  

“It is great to accept an award on behalf of all of the volunteers because we wouldn’t have got this award without all of their very hard work and dedication that they put into the society. Hours upon hours upon hours of work goes into creating the rally, creating our Santa train experience. There are so many volunteers and none of it would be possible without them,” Nicola said.  

“All their hard work pays off and everyone has such a love for the society. Everyone puts their heart and soul into it and nobody expects anything in return. It’s just to see the joy on kids faces, our elderly patrons who come and visit us every year, the amount of tourism we bring into Laois because of everything we do, it is phenomenal,” she added.  

The group received a Galway Crystal Trophy and prize money of €500 which was presented by the Interim Chief Executive of Laois County Council Mr Simon Walton.

The Runner-up in this category was Timahoe Male Choir which received prize-money of €250. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Ms Grainne Fleming of Kildare Public Participation Network said the standard was exceptionally high in this category. She said that all the community groups and projects within the county are a credit to the outstanding commitment to volunteerism in Laois and wishes you all continued success in the years to come.

This award is sponsored jointly by the Arts and Heritage offices of Laois County Council.

The other nominees for the Arts, Culture and Heritage Award were:

• Crafty Dreams Studio
• Ukrainian Laois Support Association
• Suiamhneas Community Childcare Services
• Midlands Ukrainian Association
• Portlaoise Musical Society
• My Brat Bhríde Community Project
• Labras
• Tonduff Cillín.

The award was presented with the award at a gala reception in the Midlands Park Hotel on Friday, November 8. 

This is the 15th year of the awards which were hosted by Laois County Council in association with Laois Public Participation Network and sponsored by People First Credit Union.

Here are the profiles of the Arts, Culture & Heritage nominees: 

Crafty Dreams Studio: Crafty Dreams collective goal is the use of Irish fleece in crafts and to keep the heritage crafts alive in Ireland by spreading this knowledge both near and far. Crafty Dreams Studio has achieved so much in such a short time since they began. They have brought a lot of joy to the group, connected similarly interested people nationwide.

Ukrainian Laois Support Association: What started as a cultural and social space for Ukrainians has grown into a choir performing both Ukrainian and Irish songs. The group have participated in numerous events in Laois and throughout Ireland. The choir aims to promote both Ukrainian and Irish cultures as act to facilitate and integrate Ukrainians into Irish society.

Suiamhneas Community Childcare Service:  Suaimhneas Community Childcare provides childcare with an early learning experience that supports them with their developmental stages in partnership with parents. They include learning about all the different nations in the service (currently 16 nationalities). The community and families benefit through the children being well prepared for school and learning inclusivity, love, caring and equality from an early age.
Midlands Ukrainian Association

Midlands Ukrainian Association:  The Association's main objectives are to support the cultural, humanitarian, educational needs of Ukrainians living in Ireland and abroad. MUA unites Ukrainians and promotes their development in Irish society. The group also seeks to retain Ukrainian traditions, language and culture.

My Brat Bhríde Community Project: My Brat Bhride works tirelessly with the local community and communities all over Ireland to bring this innovative reinvented sustainable and authentic project to as many as possible. The group use upcycled and embroidered preloved scarves with spirals of colourful wool, gifting them to friends and family as Brigid healing shawls. This tradition of the Brat Bhride was quite normal in rural Ireland many years ago, when access to doctors was not as easy as it is today. The group have donated/gifted over 150 of our upcycled Brat Bhride scarves to famous faces and many requests by members of the public for unwell family members.

Portlaoise Musical Society: This year Portlaoise Musical Society celebrates its 25th Anniversary. For 25 years Portlaoise Musical Society have been an active and inclusive society in the heart of Portlaoise. The society is fully voluntary and every year a committee are nominated to prepare and select the show for that year. This year the group will be staging Guys and Dolls. Portlaoise Musical Society provides an outlet for those not involved in other activities/sports clubs and aims to engage people of all ages. Members can get involved onstage, or by assisting backstage, with props, front of house, etc.

LABRAS: LABRAS was founded in 2020 by a small group with connections to the Brazilian community in Laois, with a vision to unite the growing number of people in Laois from Brazil. LABRAS aims to offer support in day-to-day matters, help those new to the area to settle in, and organise events and activities to give opportunities to connect socially, while promoting Brazilian culture to the wider community and fostering an inclusive attitude towards migrant families.

Tonduff Cillín: The aim of this project is in creatively marking the burial site at Tonduff with a memorial stone is to commemorate the innumerable infants buried there in the past and to honour them. By remembering the babies in this way, it is hoped to provide some peace and closure for those affected.

Timahoe Male Choir: Having formed in 2023 Timahoe Male Choir brings together men from different backgrounds and family dynamics to sing and promote the cultural aspects of Timahoe. Some members are retired, others working different jobs and others are just passionate about songs. The group meet up weekly and collectively together unite in song.

Irish Steam Preservation Society: The Irish Steam Preservation Society have been in existence for almost 60 years. The society is responsible for holding the annual National Steam Rally in Stradbally and is the home to the oldest Narrow Gage Railway. More recently the group launched the first Steam Train Santa Experience in Ireland.

The Leinster Express / LAOIS LIVE is honoured to be the media partner.