Bord na Mona’s Catherine Swaine took the overall award at the inaugural Irish wind Oscars for her work coordinating public visits and recreation activities at the company’s Mount Lucas wind farm in County Offaly.
Swaine (pictured), who also landed the champion of renewables prize on the night, said she accepted the gongs on behalf of the local community.
“I love my job and I love welcoming people to the wind farm, many seeing wind energy in operation for the first time,” she said.
“It is a real honour to accept this award on behalf of Mount Lucas wind farm and Bord na Mona. It is also on behalf of the community there, if it wasn’t for their support it wouldn’t have been the success that it is.
It is a great facility to have and they really make use of it.”
Daivd Connolly, chief executive of industry group and organiser IWEA, said the work of Swaine and those like here is “invaluable” to the wind industry.
“Her enthusiasm for making the wind farm a real and vital part of the local community has brought more than a hundred thousand visitors to Mount Lucas since 2016,” he said.
Ionic Consulting operations director Brendan Heneghan, meanwhile, received the person of the year at the bash, which was held in Dublin on Friday, 25 January.
“Brendan is a powerhouse in Irish wind energy. There isn’t a company or person among our members that hasn’t worked with him in some capacity,” said Connolly.
“He was a very popular choice for his industry knowledge, his passion for promoting a green, renewable future and his generosity of spirit and time.”
Heneghan, a native of Mayo, added that the sector has given him the opportunity to work throughout rural Ireland.
“In the 15 years I have been working in wind I have seen it grow to a point where we now have 30% of our electricity generated from wind. I honestly wouldn’t want to do anything else.”
Other winners included SSE and Coillte’s Galway wind farm for the best community project and project of the year, as well as Ionic Consulting for consultant of the year.
ElectroRoute took home the outstanding contribution gong, MKO the planning and permitting prize and Roadbridge secured the health and safety performance award.
Here is the full list of winners.
Connolly added: “These awards showcase the great work being done in the wind industry in Ireland. As leaders in renewable energy we have a great responsibility to do all we can to drive Ireland’s energy transition.
“I am proud that our industry has really risen to this challenge and delighted that initial figures indicate that wind energy provided over 30% of Ireland’s annual electricity demand for the first time in 2018.
“Our winners tonight highlight the amazing work going on to reach this milestone with a wealth of cutting-edge innovation, excellence in operation and maintenance, and an impressive record in health and safety in the industry.”
Energy minister Richard Bruton, who opened the night, said “Ireland must become a leader not a follower in wind energy and each winner of these awards is a leader”.
He added: “We are at a crucial moment in terms of climate disruption and it is imperative that we take decisions now that will define the next generation. Wind energy both onshore and offshore are and will be crucial to how we respond to our responsibilities in this area.”