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HIBERNIA • NEWS
NEW WRITING AWARDS
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IRISH HOTELS SCOOP FORBES AWARDS
ight Irish hotels have been recognized as ranking among the world’s best hotels, restaurants, and spas, according to the Forbes Travel Guide. Ashford Castle in Cong, County Mayo, was one of only eight in the world to be awarded five stars in Forbes’ 2020 Star Awards. It was also the first Irish hotel to ever receive the guide’s top rating. Three Irish hotels were each awarded four stars. These were the K Club in County Kildare and the Merrion and Marker Hotels in Dublin City. Dublin also scooped the rest of the awards, with four of its most prestigious hotels appearing on the list as recommended hotels. These were the Westbury, the Shelbourne, the Fitzwilliam, and the InterContinental Dublin. The Forbes Guide lists 1,898 star-rated properties across 73 countries. Being listed is regarded as a huge honor in the industry as all hotels, restaurants, and spas are inspected anonymously.
MS RESEARCH AT TRINITY cientists at Trinity College Dublin have made a discovery that could lead to more effective treatments for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. MS is a disease that affects approximately 2.3 million people worldwide and over 9,000 people in Ireland (this writer is one of them). Its cause is still unknown, but it is suspected that immune cells infiltrate the brain and spinal cord, causing damage to the nerves and leading to neurological disabilities. The researchers at Trinity College have identified a specific immune molecule, known as IL-17, which they believe kickstarts
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IRISH WOMEN’S AWARDS
PHOTO: JAMES HIGGINS
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that immune response. When experimenting with a mouse model of MS, they showed that immune “Tcells,” which secrete IL-17, causes damage to the myelin sheath that surrounds nerves in the central nervous system. “The new research shows that a key role of IL-17 is to mobilize and activate an army of disease-causing immune cells in the lymph nodes that then migrate to the central nervous system to cause nerve damage,” says Professor Kingston Mills, professor of experimental immunology at Trinity College. Early clinical trials with antibody-based drugs that block IL-17 have shown promise in the treatment of relapsing-remitting MS and have already been licensed for the treatment of psoriasis.
reland’s inspiring women were celebrated at the second Irish Women’s Awards on January 29. In a ceremony that took place at the Blanchardstown Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dublin, 32 awards were Niamh presented to women working in business, the professions, the civil O’Sullivan. service, the arts, and philanthropy. The awards were founded by Creative Oceanic, whose CEO Irfan Younis said: “Congratulations to all the winners and finalists at the Irish Women’s Awards 2020. We were delighted to host exceptional finalists who make brilliant role models and are leading a new generation of women and girls to greater success and more open doors.” This year’s winners included Niamh O’Sullivan, the curator of Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University, who was recognized for her contribution to arts and culture. Niamh Muldoon, CEO of the Veterinary Council of Ireland, was presented with the award for CEO of the Year. The founder and CEO of Pharmapod Leonora O’Brien was named Businesswoman of the Year and Caoimhe de Barra, the CEO of Trócaire, was honored for her services to charity.
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ublin’s Dalkey Book Festival is celebrating its second decade by launching two major new annual Irish literary awards worth a total of €30,000. These awards will recognize writers in two categories. One will offer €20,000 for the Novel of the Year, making it the biggest prize that is exclusively available to Irish writers. The other will present €10,000 to the Emerging Writer of the Year. “We understand how difficult it is financially for writers,” says Sian Smyth, director and cofounder of the festival. “We hope this award will serve to provide some financial stability to our most creative minds. These awards are something the festival has always wanted to do, and we are delighted that we are now in a position to do so.” Funded by festival sponsor Zurich Insurance, the awards are for writers who were born or reside in Ireland and whose work was published in Ireland or in the U.K. in the year in question. This year, Northern Ireland television presenter and journalist Andrea Catherwood will chair the Novel of the Year judging panel, with Irish Times journalist Jennifer O’Connell and former director of the Abbey Theatre Fiach Mac Conghail. Radio presenter Rick O’Shea will chair the Emerging Writer award judging panel, with novelist and short story writer Caoilinn Hughes and poet Gary Jermyn. The shortlist will be announced this month and the winners will be announced on June 20.