'I believe he saved my life': Hero garda named Blarney Person of the Year

A Cork garda, who was repeatedly stabbed when attending a domestic incident, has been named the 2024 Blarney Person of the Year, while a brother and sister have been honoured for their work in Africa.

Garda Timothy McSweeney, a Blarney native, was stabbed during an incident at a house in Douglas in March 2022.

After entering the house he was confronted by a man who was drunk and behaving aggressively in front of a woman, who was in fear for her life and those of her children.

During the incident, Gda McSweeney received stab wounds to his hand and arm, and tore his knee.

A woman who was present in the house that night said in court: “I want to thank Garda Tim McSweeney. I believe he saved my life.” Last September, Gda McSweeney was awarded the Scott medal by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.

The Scott medal is the highest award that can be bestowed by the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána, and is awarded for “most exceptional bravery and heroism involving the risk of life in the execution of duty”.

At a ceremony at the Castle Hotel in Blarney last weekend, Gda McSweeney was named as 2024 Blarney Person of the Year.

At the same ceremony, brother and sister John Mitchell and Bernice O’Brien were inaugurated into the Blarney Hall of Fame for their work since 2010 in building schools and teachers’ quarters, and providing thousands of educational scholarships in Africa.

Masters of ceremonies at the event were Fine Gael city councillor Damian Boylan and local solicitor John Henchion who, along with local businesswoman Kate Durrant, founded the awards 15 years ago.

Ms Durrant said it was lovely to be in a room full of people who, through their actions, demonstrate that there is good and right in the world.

She paid tribute to “people who put others first, who care about their neighbours, their community, and those they have never met on the other side of the world. People who make the world a better place.”

Mr Boylan described the awards as “a way for us to shine a light on the talents and hard work of people who work tirelessly under the cloak of invisibility, with humility and for the common good”.

The award winners were chosen from a panel of monthly recipients that included Jacqui O’Brien from Gaelscoil Mhuscraí, Mary Cronin, leader of the Whitechurch Swimming Group, and award-winning cheese maker Dan Hegarty.