Gaisce Awardee and Youth Ambassador, Aoibhinn Coffey, joined Talkabout with Deirdre Walsh on Radio Kerry to share her incredible Gaisce Gold journey, what it was like meeting President Michael D. Higgins and embarking on her new role as a Gaisce Youth Ambassador!
Aoibhinn’s story is one of dedication and inspiration. As Deirdre put it, a proud personal achievement – and a proud moment for Kerry! 💛
Transcript
Deirdre: Before we go any further, it’s time to meet our next guest. She is a very special person because she has been chosen to be on the President’s first-ever Gaisce Youth Ambassador panel. I’m delighted to welcome her to the program. Her name is Aoibhinn Coffey from Beaufort, and she’s on the line now. Good afternoon, Aoibhinn!
Aoibhinn: Hi, how are you?
Deirdre: I’m good. Lovely to have you joining us on the program, and thanks so much for taking the call. Tell me how all this came about, Aoibhinn.
Aoibhinn: So, I achieved my Gaisce Gold Award back in 2024. Since then, I’ve been involved with Gaisce since I was in TY in secondary school, which was back in 2022. Last August, they sent me an email about launching this first-ever Ambassador panel and asked if I wanted to do an interview. At first, I wasn’t sure, but after talking to my mom and dad, they encouraged me to go for it. So, I went for the interview, had an online Zoom interview, and then they told me I made the panel.
Deirdre: Oh, fantastic! What kind of questions did they ask you? Can you remember?
Aoibhinn: They asked about what I wanted to bring to the panel and what I wanted to get out of it myself. They also asked about my award, what I had done, my personal skills, and all the things I’ve achieved through the award.
Deirdre: Well, let’s go back to the award. I know you have to do a lot of work, like voluntary work, charity work, and community work, to get the Gold Award. Can you tell us a little bit about how you achieved that?
Aoibhinn: Yes, there are three different aspects of the award: personal skill, community involvement, and physical recreation. For my personal skill, I did a strength and conditioning course online with Setanta College. To complete the 52 weeks required for each aspect, I used my qualification to teach younger rowers at my local rowing club in Killarney. For community involvement, I worked with the coaching staff at the rowing club, helping crews training on the water. For physical recreation, I chose rowing since I was already rowing 5 or 6 days a week at the time.
Deirdre: You’re obviously very passionate about rowing, Aoibhinn. Is it your big passion in life?
Aoibhinn: Yes, I’ve been rowing for eight years now.
Deirdre: When you received the award, did you go to Áras an Uachtaráin to receive it?
Aoibhinn: Yes, I achieved the award in 2024, and the ceremony was in November. I was there with 74 other recipients due to the backlog from COVID. We met the President, had lunch, and it was an incredible experience.
Deirdre: I bet it was. Áras an Uachtaráin is an amazing building, isn’t it?
Aoibhinn: Yes, it’s unreal. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.
Deirdre: Did you get to exchange a few words with President Higgins?
Aoibhinn: Yes, after the ceremony, he spoke to us about the importance of what we had achieved. It was a very special memory.
Deirdre: Now that you’re on the Youth Ambassador panel, what exactly does that involve, and what will you be doing?
Aoibhinn: As part of the panel, we share our experiences with young people who are either doing the award or considering it. We do public speaking, meet every few weeks in Dublin at Ratra House in Phoenix Park, and come up with ideas to promote the award, especially on social media. We also aim to give back to our communities by encouraging secondary school students and young people to participate in the award.
Deirdre: Will this take up a lot of your time?
Aoibhinn: Not too much. We meet every few weeks in Dublin and have monthly Zoom calls.
Deirdre: It’s a great honor, and you’re the only Kerry person on the panel. You must have felt very honored when you were chosen.
Aoibhinn: Yes, definitely. I wasn’t expecting it, and it’s a great privilege.
Deirdre: I’m reading here that as Gaisce celebrates its 40th anniversary, this panel of accomplished and enthusiastic young people will advocate for the award among their peers. It’s nice to be called accomplished and enthusiastic, Aoibhinn. Fair play to you! Before we let you go, I believe you’re in college now in Kerry. Is that right?
Aoibhinn: Yes, I’m studying Health and Exercise Sciences with Massage at MTU in Tralee.
Deirdre: Very good. I had a feeling it would be something related to sports and physical activity. How is that going?
Aoibhinn: It’s going well, thank God.
Deirdre: Well done! This is an incredible honour and achievement for you and for Kerry. Fair play to you for being chosen, and congratulations to you and your family, Aoibhinn. Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon.
Aoibhinn: Thank you!