Part Two: It’s also been a great year for...

Actor Siobhán McSweeney

The Cork woman won the first Bafta TV award for best female performance in a comedy programme.

The 43-year-old actress won the award for her role as Sister Michael, the eye-rolling principal of Our Lady Immaculate College, in Channel 4 programme Derry Girls.

Valerie O’Sullivan, CE, County Council

Cork County Council welcomed its first female chief executive following Tim Lucey’s departure in October.

Valerie O’Sullivan formerly served as a director of services in the city council. Her career saw her fill a number of roles relating to everything from recreation and amenity to housing and corporate affairs.

It is the first time in history that Cork’s two local authorities have female chief executives at the helm. Ann Doherty is the current chief executive of Cork City Council after becoming the first female to take on the position in 2014.

Hazel Johnston,

Apprentice of the Year

Hazel Johnston, a Year 3 Manufacturing Engineering student in MTU, beat more than 200 apprentices to become Apprentice of the Year for 2023.

Hazel, originally from County Longford, is the first ever female apprentice of the year and has been working at DePuy Synthes while studying at MTU’s Bishopstown Campus.

Dr Tanya Mulcahy,

Director of the Health Innovation Hub Ireland

In this role, she is responsible for leading HIHI.

Her key priority is to ensure that the objectives of HIHI - supporting companies as they navigate the healthcare system, supporting healthcare innovators to assess and develop their ideas, and delivering education programmes to encourage innovation - are achieved across all partner sites of HIHI.

Dr Mulcahy is a huge advocate of Femtech - a growing industry in Cork and globally.

Holly Cairns TD, Social Democrats Leader

The only female Cork TD took on the role of leader of Social Democrats in March, 2023. She outlined her goals in a big interview in WoW! this year.

In 2024, Holly has a busy year ahead, trying to strengthen the party’s role within local politics, as we face into local elections.

Joanne Treacy, CIF

The new Head of the Southern Region Services for the Construction Industry Federation is Joanne Treacy - the first woman to be appointed to the role.

In WoW! this year, Linda Kenny caught up with her to talk about her goals.

Editor of The Echo Gráinne McGuinness

For the first time in this newspaper’s 131-year history, there’s a female editor at the helm.

Gráinne McGuinness took over the role from Maurice Gubbins, who retired in May after 40 years with the Examiner group - 20 of which were as editor of The Echo.

It’s an exciting time to be leading The Echo and EchoLive.ie - a six-day print operation and a 24/7 online offering of local news, views, sport, features and entertainment.

Author and teacher Leona Forde

The Cork author made her memorable children’s fiction debut with a charismatic, catastrophe-prone character, called Milly – in her first book Milly McCarthy is a Complete Catastrophe.

She has since followed up with book two, Milly McCarthy And The Irish Dancing Disaster, by Leona Forde (Gill Books). And we can’t wait to see what other adventures Milly gets up to.

Cork-based chef, Shauna Murphy

Shauna Murphy is a young woman on the rise. Kate Ryan interviewed the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year winner in WoW!, who works at Michelin star Terre restaurant in Cork.

Cork Rose, Kate Shaughnessy

Kate, from Ballincollig, representing Norwood Grange, where she works, was our Cork Rose this year and did us proud in Tralee.

Her parents actually met during a past Rose of Tralee, and Kate recounted how she used to collect all the Roses’ autographs when she was a young girl.

Maeve Dennehy, Love Cherish,

boutique owner

Vogue Williams helped launch an exciting new collection by Cork boutique owner Maeve Dennehy of Love Cherish, along with Hope & Ivy.

Throughout the year, Maeve also continued her outstanding charity work, in memory of her sister and mother, who were both cared for at Marymount.

Donna O’Driscoll, Roots Kitchen

Donna is the founder of the boutique catering company, Roots Kitchen. She was awarded the overall Female Founder Award by The Club, for her work.

She was also named Owner of the Year at The Club’s second annual awards.

The recognition is testament to Donna’s hard work and the challenges she’s overcome in the past eight years to grow the business to what it is today.

Born in Plymouth in the UK, she moved to Cork when she was eight and now lives in Glanmire with her husband Ian and their two children Elsie (10) and Louis (4).

Chef, Ali Honour

Ali has featured in our Echo feature pages and in our Christmas Food Special recently, so hopefully many of you will be familiar with her work!

She is a leading voice for Zero Waste in her role as a chef-activist with the ‘Beans Is How’ campaign for the international advocacy group, Chef’s Manifesto.

“As a committed conscious chef, I champion a Zero Waste approach and prioritise sustainable goals that extend beyond the kitchen,” says Ali.

Madge Fogarty, founder of Post Natal Depression Ireland

The organisation founded by Madge, following her own struggles with PND, marked 30 years in operation this year. It was a significant milestone, one that was recognised by the city with a reception by the Lord Mayor.

Aisling Vaughan, Lifestyle Coach

Aisling Vaughan of Ayrie won the Network Ireland West Cork Businesswoman of the year award.

She was announced as the winner in the Emerging Business category.

A spokeswoman said: “Her exceptional achievements and entrepreneurial spirit have made her a true inspiration for aspiring businesswomen.”

Prof Maggie O’Neill, UCC

During 2023, Professor Maggie O’Neill, pf the Department of Sociology and Criminology, and Director of UCC Futures - Collective Social Futures and ISS21, has had many achievements.

She was elected to the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), the highest academic honour in Ireland, and received an IRC Advanced Laureate Award of €999,159 for her groundbreaking research in social sciences.

Prof O’Neill also earned a Traveller Ally award this year which was presented at Traveller Pride 2023.

See tomorrow for more.