Katie strikes gold with prized President’s award

IT WAS a golden moment for Katie Ryan and her family in Dublin yesterday.

The pretty 21-year-old trainee teacher from Riverstick in Co Cork was among dozens of young people who were awarded gold Gaisce awards by President Mary McAleese at a ceremony in Dublin Castle.

Gaisce, the President’s Award, is Ireland’s National Challenge Award — the country’s most prestigious and respected individual award programme for young people between 15 and 25. Katie, who has already completed the bronze and silver Gaisce awards, had to complete four separate challenges for the gold award.

She completed a physical task in the form of an aerobics course and the personal development task by taking a GAA coaching course to train under 10s and 11s at Riverstick GAA. For her community involvement task she helped her disabled aunt, and for the exploration task she spent two weeks working with her sister, Joanne, in an orphanage in Armenia.

“I was overwhelmed by that part,” she said. “It was a really good experience, but a tough two weeks in terms of what I saw and dealt with. It is hard to believe that those children have just been abandoned.”

Overall, she said the Gaisce award is well worth doing.

“I’m glad I did it. And you have the option of continuing. I will probably do the trek through the Slovenian Alps this summer,” she said.

She was watched by her proud parents Agnes and Denis, and her siblings, Denis, 22, Joanne, 17, and Jack, 10. She is due to qualify from Mary Immaculate teacher training college in Limerick in September.