Back row: Paul Devine, Siofra Grant, Thomas Lyons, Cormac Geoghegan Sandra Rabbitte, Jennifer Meehan, Claire Vaughan, Mary McGuigan, Rory Fagan and Paul Martin. Front row: Damien Maher, Cllr Bill Collentine, Brian O’Loughlin and Barry Kehoe.

Launch of 2026 Westmeath Examiner Community and Sports Awards

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The launch of the 2026 Westmeath Examiner Community and Sports Awards took place in the Mullingar Park Hotel last Wednesday. The annual event is coordinated in partnership with Westmeath County Council.

The awards celebrate local volunteers, club achievements, and sporting excellence in this area and acknowledge the work done by both individuals and groups.

The ability to recognise those who contribute to sporting development is made possible thanks to the sponsors who back the awards. At the launch Rory Fagan, who oversees Business Development and Marketing at Dovida Midlands, and Cormac Geoghegan, commercial director at ORS, (two of the sponsors) spoke about the importance of the awards.

“Dovida are a healthcare company, so we're heavily involved in the community,” Rory said. “We are very supportive of the community aspects of the Awards. We have hundreds of caregivers around the midlands, and even more clients.”

The fact that sports clubs bring together communities is something Rory feels reflects the ethos of Dovida: “It's nice to be part of something like this. Take the community reach of GAA clubs, or indeed any other sports club, they provide a vital framework that community is built around.

“We are quite closely related to a lot of GAA clubs, for example St Loman's here in Mullingar, where we're heavily involved in. We are also part of the communities of Longford and Offaly as well.”

Based in Mullingar, ORS is a leading Irish multidisciplinary building consultancy founded in 1991. They provide integrated services including civil and structural engineering, project management, and building surveying across nationwide locations.

“We've got offices right across Ireland and Europe,” Cormac Geoghegan said at the launch of the awards. “We offer a number of services within our business line, everything from professional consultancy to project management and technical engineering services.”

ORS have supported Westmeath Examiner Community and Sports Awards for a number of years now: “We're very focused on supporting local communities, supporting local sports teams and community groups as well,” Cormac said.

“Many of our staff come from sporting backgrounds, some at elite level. A couple of local heroes around here would have worked with ORS; currently and in the past. We feel that is important in the type of industry we work in and the type of business we have.

“Teamwork is a key component of what we do. We see that people from sporting and community backgrounds collaborate very strongly in teams. We like to encourage that as much as possible.”

Cormac said the awards provides a platform to nurture talent, particularly among young people: “Many young people are inclined to work in online environments. Encouraging teamwork is important in a business setting. Sport plays a big part in that.”

Nominations for the 2026 Westmeath Examiner Community and Sports Awards are now open and any reader can enter or nominate those deserving of an award for their contribution to the community.

Speaking at the launch, Cllr Bill Collentine, An Cathaoirleach Westmeath County Council, said the awards “are a wonderful opportunity to recognise and celebrate the many individuals, the clubs, the volunteers and community groups across Westmeath who give so much of their time and energy in making our communities stronger”.

“It’s important that we acknowledge their commitment and achievement and I’m delighted to be here to support and celebrate this special occasion. And as you all know, we’re doing well this year. We have two Leinster titles, the men and the ladies, so that’s a big achievement for us.

“And also I think sports have a wider significance – the amount you use in business that comes from sport, keeping an eye on someone or knowing their strength – it’s certainly preparation for business later in life; and the second thing I always look at is, it’s not all about winning. We learn a lot from losing as well. And we have to lose sometimes to win sometimes. Thank you all.”

Jennifer Meehan, marketing manager at Mullingar Park Hotel, reminded those gathered that the hotel has been a sponsor partner as host venue since the first Examiner awards, and the team there remain committed to the event and look forward to hosting it again in September.

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