Lily Mangan named Athboy Community Person of the Year

Lily Mangan, treasurer of the Athboy Tidy Towns Committee and a dedicated member of numerous voluntary groups, has been named Athboy Community Person of the Year 2026.

The announcement was made during the St Patrick’s Day Parade Awards Ceremony over the weekend, where outgoing Community Person Assumpta Kelly passed the chain of office to Lily.

In the weeks leading up to the event, the people of Athboy nominated individuals who have made significant contributions to the community. Lily’s selection was met with enthusiastic approval from the crowd, as well as from her family, many of whom were in attendance.

The youngest member of the Holland family from Athboy, Lily follows in a proud tradition of community service. Her late eldest brother, Frank Holland, received the same honour in 1989.

While Lily is currently very active with Tidy Towns, her commitment to volunteering spans more than 50 years. She has been a key figure in the local GAA community for many years and has also been involved with the Badminton Club and the Bowls Club. From its early days, she has played an active role in the 'Santa Sunday' committee and is also a member of the local St Vincent de Paul.

A consistent theme among those who nominated Lily was her strong sense of community and her willingness to go above and beyond in service to the town. Indeed, as recently as last week, she was volunteering with the Irish Cancer Society for Daffodil Day.

Lily takes immense pride in Athboy, and this is reflected in everything she does — whether selling daffodils or picking up the paper they were wrapped in.

Other awards presented at the event were to winners of the successful St Patrick’s Day Parade, with the following recipients recognised:

Best Overall Float: Athboy Special Hands Group; Most Creative Youth/Community Group: Reel Deal Dance Academy, second, Athboy Community School, Rebloom (Junk Kouture); Best Interpretation of this Year’s Theme: Athboy Tidy Towns, second, Athboy High Nelly Club; Best Showcase of a Sporting Club: Clann na nGael, second, Fr Murphy Athletic Club; Most Entertaining Traditional Entry: Athboy Sean Nós Dancers; second– Athboy ICA; Best Window Display: Tracey’s Gift Shop; Best use of the Irish language in a Window; Display: DGSL (part of the DG group); Best Large Commercial: Larry Cusack; Best Small Commercial: McGuinness Auto.