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.
The Sportswoman of the Year award, sponsored by Gym Plus, honours women who are making waves in the sports industry – whether it’s on the track, in a swimming pool, or on a pitch.
From superstar sprinters to legendary golfers and GAA players, these nominees have made a real impact over the last year, and are great role models for young women.
Take a look at this year’s nominees:
Leona Maguire
Golfer Leona Maguire boasts many achievements throughout her professional career.
She was ranked first in the world on the women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking from May 2015 until May 2016, and then from August 2016 until February 2018; her 135 weeks at the top is the longest in history.
Leona broke the all-time rookie points record in either the Solheim Cup or the Ryder Cup, with a total of 4.5 points, which helped Europe narrowly win the cup 15 – 13.
In June, she made history by becoming the first Irish woman to achieve a second victory on the LPGA Tour; winning the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Rhasidat Adeleke
Rhasidat Adeleke is one to watch in Irish sports.
At just 21 years of age, she has collected some fantastic medals – including five gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze medal since 2017.
The athlete signed a deal with Nike ahead of making her professional debut at the Monaco Diamond League.
The following month, the Tallaght native became the first Irish sprint finalist at the World Athletics Championship in 14 years, since David Gillick and Derval O’Rourke back in 2009.
Hannah Tyrrell
Hannah Tyrrell has been an integral part of not one, but two sports – rugby and GAA.
The mum-of-one is a former member of the Irish Women’s Rugby Squad (7s and 15s). Over the course of eight years, she added 60 international caps to her belt and was part of the team when they won the Six Nations back in 2015.
After announcing her retirement from international rugby in 2021, the history teacher rejoined the Dublin Ladies Football senior team.
Earlier this year, Hannah was awarded Player of the Match in Dublin’s All-Ireland victory over Kerry, just seven weeks after her wife Sorcha gave birth to their daughter Aoife.
Katie McCabe
Katie McCabe made history for Ireland earlier this year.
Prior to signing with Arsenal in 2015, the footballer won the Irish Women’s National League title twice and the FAI Women’s Cup three times with Raheny United.
In 2017, Katie was named the Republic of Ireland’s captain, the youngest captain in the history of the team, having earned her first Ireland cap two years prior.
The Dublin native captained the Republic of Ireland to their first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup earlier this year and historically scored the country’s inaugural goal in the international competition.
In September, Katie made history once again as she became the first Irish woman to be nominated for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award.
Ciara Mageean
Ciara Mageean is a middle-distance runner, specialising in the 1500 metres.
The athlete represented Ireland in both the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2022 Tokyo Olympics.
Last September, Ciara claimed her first Diamond League victory, winning her signature event at the Brussels’ Memorial Van Damme – breaking for the first time the 4-minute barrier and Sonia O’Sullivan’s Irish national record, which was set back in 1995, by more than two seconds.
In August, the 31-year-old finished fourth in the final of the 2023 World Athletics Championships – Women’s 1500 metres.
Thammy Nguyen
Thammy Nguyen is Weightlifting Ireland’s top-ranked female.
At just 4ft 10, the Dubliner, who also owns her own beauty business, Thammy Lash, impressively lifts twice her own body weight.
In April, the 26-year-old won bronze at the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships – securing Ireland’s first major medal in the sport.
Thammy has now set her sights on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Lucy Mulhall
Lucy Mulhall is captain of the Irish women’s rugby sevens team.
In May, the 29-year-old captained her team to a 10-5 win over Fiji – securing them passage to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Their victory coincided with Lucy’s 50th tournament cap for the team.
Amy O’Connor
Amy O’Connor, who chased the dream of a professional soccer career, ended up captain of Cork’s senior camogie team.
The Cork native fell in love with the sport by chance at the young age of nine, after receiving a handed down hurl, helmet and sliotar.
As part of Cork’s senior camogie team, the sportswoman is a five-time All-Ireland winner.
Last December, Amy was announced as captain of the team for 2023. Less than eight months later, she captained the team to their 29th All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship title, scoring three goals and seven points of their total five goals and 13 points.
The Sportswoman of the Year award is sponsored by Gym Plus.
Gym Plus is a family of seven clubs across Ireland, with a diverse membership for those of all fitness abilities, ages, and interests.
Their aim is to create an inviting atmosphere where every person finds their comfort zone within their clubs, and with the help of some of the friendliest faces in the fitness industry, you’re sure to meet your health and fitness goals.
Whether you’re coming for a serious workout, some well-earned rest and relaxation, to learn to swim or simply to enjoy a class with friends, they’re fully equipped to deliver an exceptional gym experience.
In addition to their state-of-the-art facilities and 1:1 support from their helpful trainers, you’ll get all sorts of extras such as special member’s events and recipes from their Gym Plus nutritionist.
