The second Goss.ie Women of the Year Awards will take place on Sunday, October 1st, at The Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, with well-known broadcaster and entrepreneur Gráinne Seoige as host.
The star-studded event will honour women across multiple genres, including business, sports, the arts, social justice and more.
We have also launched two people’s choice awards, including a ‘Local Hero’ category, where Goss.ie readers can nominate local women in their area who have contributed to their communities; as well as ‘Local Businesswoman’ where readers can vote for women in business in their locality.
This year the awards are in partnership with Google, Catrice Cosmetics, Gym Plus, Local Enterprise Office and Xin Gin.
Women’s Aid is our official charity partner for 2023 once again, and we will also be running a charity raffle on the day to raise funds for the charity.
Our highly esteemed and all-female judging panel will decide the winners of each category.
This year we have brought back our special ‘Local Hero’ category, sponsored by Xin Gin, where Goss.ie readers have nominated inspiring women in their life.
Whether they’ve made a big impact in their community or inspired others by overcoming a personal trauma, we want to shine a light on Ireland’s unsung heroes.
We have shortlisted five nominees, after receiving applications from family members, loved ones, and members of their community who all felt these women deserve to be honoured.
The winner, chosen by our esteemed panel of judges, will be announced at the awards ceremony on October 1st.
See our nominees below:
Ciara Jones
Branded an “unsung hero in the autism community”, Ciara Jones is truly a force to be reckoned with.
Nominated by a fellow parent in the autism community, the mother-of-three has been advocating for autistic people since her son Gavin was diagnosed with autism back in 2011 when he was almost two years old.
Ciara is currently in the process of organising her annual Sparkle for Autism Ball, founded in 2016, which raises much needed funds for AsIAm, Ireland’s national autism charity.
Alongside her stepson Michael, she also founded Ireland’s largest family 5km run, called Run4Autism, to fundraise for AsIAm – and together they have raised over €224,000 for the community so far.
If that wasn’t enough, she also opened the Autism Support Hub in 2020, which she created to support families and parents of autistic people.
Destiny Ayo Vaughan
Destiny, who was raised in the foster care system, is a survivor of child abuse and wants to inspire other survivors to fight through fears of their past.
In 2019 she founded Mind The Gap Ireland, a charity organisation dedicated to raising awareness about sexual abuse in Ireland and providing support for survivors.
The organisation has given survivors of sexual violence a platform to share their stories anonymously, the first of its kind in Ireland.
After being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, she has spent much of her career focused on advocating for victims of sexual abuse who are also suffering from PTSD.
Despite her traumatic upbringing, Destiny has achieved so much by helping other people, and currently has three degrees – including level five early childhood education, a bachelors in social science and master of science degree in psychological studies at the University of Aberdeen.
She was previously named Activist of the Year at the Black And Irish Gala Awards, and was named one of 50 ones to watch in 2023 by the Irish Independent.
Ciára Dalton, Sorcha Killian and Rosie McDonagh
Ciára Dalton, Sorcha Killian and Rosie McDonagh came up with the idea for Hygiene Hub after recognising a critical issue in their local community – hygiene poverty.
Their initiative directly targets this problem by providing essential hygiene and household cleaning products to those in need.
Since launching in 2019, Ciára, Sorcha and Rosie have made a significant impact on their community, and have supplied local food banks, family resource centres, school, and charities with over 48,000kg of essential products, helping individuals and families who may otherwise struggle to afford these basic necessities.
They have also created a network of drop-off points in local businesses, allowing the general public to conveniently donate hygiene products. This strategic approach has not only increased the quantity of donations but has also engaged the wider community in their cause.
Ciára, Sorcha and Rosie have grown what was a local community group of 3 people who wanted to make a difference into a national charity of more than 50 volunteers across 7 counties – all whilst working and studying full time.
Tammy Darcy
Tammy Darcy is the founder of The Shona Project, an award-winning organisation that provides support, advice and mentorship to young women.
The organisation was named after her sister Shona, who was diagnosed with an acquired brain injury that rendered her physically and mentally disabled when she was 15.
After being told she would probably pass away within a year, Shona defied the odds and went on to live for another 30 years, before she passed away surrounded by her family on February 1st, 2023.
After going through significant trauma as a teen – including her sister’s illness, family separation, and bullying at school – Tammy founded The Shona Project in 2016, which has since reached over 30,000 girls in schools across Ireland, 60,000 girls through their annual SHINE Festival, and 60,000 1st year girls through the delivery of free copies of the organisation’s Survival Handbook for Girls.
Tammy feels that had she had the right support, information, and guidance, she may have been better equipped to overcome the challenges she encountered as a teen.
With that being said, Tammy hopes The Shona Project can provide young girls with the support she didn’t have growing up, and is passionate about eradicating bullying and rivalry amongst young women.
Nominated by her colleague, Tammy has received many awards for her work, including the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year, and published her first book, You’ve Got This, in 2021.
Sharon Felton
Sharon Felton has been helping people in her community of Greystones in Co. Wicklow for as long as she can remember.
Over the years, she has organised and participated in numerous events that support local charities, including fundraising for various causes and putting together a touching Remembrance evening in her hometown.
The 43-year-old has also completed the mini marathon for many different charities over the years, and collects for the Irish Cancer Society each year, as well as her local cancer support team in Greystones.
Back in June, Sharon was diagnosed with breast cancer and is now spreading awareness by sharing her cancer journey on social media.
Shortly after her diagnosis, the mother-of-two donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust, and raised almost 5,000 euro for the Laura Lynn Foundation.
Nominated by members of her community, Sharon has always put others first and is doing so once again by highlighting her cancer journey and spreading awareness of breast cancer for both men and women.
The Local Hero category is sponsored by our drinks partner Xin Gin.
From Ahascragh Distillery in County Galway, Xin Gin was designed to be at the heart of gatherings. After spending many years in Asia, Founders, Michelle and Gareth McAllister wanted to merge what they loved about their two homes. The word itself means ‘heart’ in Mandarin.
The bottle’s design, with ancient Celtic swirls contrasted with a modern Eastern aesthetic, reflects the liquid inside – a perfect balance of European and Oriental botanicals. The cross-shaped label represents a promise to stay connected and a crossing point between the two cultures they love.
This is a juniper-led dry gin with fresh citrus notes of persimmon, orange zest and lemongrass, held by an earthy, herbaceous undertone of dill and cinnamon spice.
Xin Gin was recently awarded a Masters Medal at The Global Gin Masters 2023; a gold at The New York Spirits Competition; and “Best in Ireland” at The Gin Guide Awards for the second year in a row.
Visit xingin.ie for more information.
