Dublin Port launches inaugural Community Hero Award to celebrate 25 years of Scholarship Programme

Dublin Port launches inaugural Community Hero Award to celebrate 25 years of Scholarship Programme

10 September 2026

  • Nominations open to recognise local heroes across Ringsend, Irishtown, Pearse St, East Wall, Clontarf and surrounding areas 
  • Community Hero will receive €1,000 prize and €2,000 to donate to good cause 
  • Nominations open until September 23rd

Dublin Port has today launched a new Community Hero Award, calling on people across the port community to nominate someone who has made a significant contribution to the area. 

The Community Hero will receive €1,000 for themselves and €2,000 to donate to a good cause of their choice. 

The award is being launched to mark the 25th anniversary of Dublin Port’s Scholarship Programme and to recognise someone who has made a positive contribution to the Docklands community. 

Established in 2001, Dublin Port’s Scholarship Programme is the longest-running education bursary in the Dublin Docklands. Over the past 25 years, it has provided €1.5million in funding to 1,500 recipients living in Dublin 1, 2, 3 and 4, including areas such as Ringsend, Irishtown, Pearse Street, East Wall and Clontarf. 

Scholarship recipients have gone on to pursue a wide range of third-level courses, including Business Studies, Law, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Chemistry, Architecture, Music and Sociology. Alumni are now working across a diverse range of professions, including as neuroscientists, airline captains and paramedics. Feeder schools for the programme have included St Joseph’s CBS/Secondary School in Fairview, Ringsend College and Marian College, among others.  

 

Community Hero nomination process 

To mark the programme’s 25th anniversary, Dublin Port is asking members of the public to nominate a Community Hero, someone who has made a meaningful contribution to people living and working in the Docklands community. 

Nominations can be submitted through Dublin Port’s website, with members of the public asked to explain why their nominee deserves recognition and the difference they have made in the community. 

Nominate your Community Hero 

Entries will be reviewed by Dublin Port’s Scholarship Programme panel, with the winner selected based on the impact their work has had on people living and working in the Docklands area. 

The successful nominee must be active in the port community and available to receive their award at an event marking the 25th anniversary of Dublin Port’s Scholarship Programme on October 15th in the Gibson Hotel. 

Edel Currie, Community Engagement Manager at Dublin Port, said:  “Dublin Port is a strong partner to the local community, providing a host of amenities, events, and support for many community organisations. 

 

“We have also been backing individual potential for more than 25 years. The Dublin Port Scholarship is the longest-running education bursary of its kind in the Docklands, and we wanted to do something special to mark its 25th anniversary. 

 

“The Community Hero Award gives us an opportunity to recognise someone who is making a real difference. The winner will receive a personal award, along with €2,000 for their local community initiative. 

 

“We are encouraging people in the port neighbourhoods to put forward nominations and tell us about the individuals who make a difference in our community.”