Lifetime Achievement Award
The Irish Red Cross will present The Lifetime Achievement award to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional humanitarian achievement throughout their career and/or personal life. This Award is not open for public nominations. The winner will be selected by the Irish Red Cross’ Board of Directors from a list of candidates proposed by the Irish Red Cross’ Humanitarian Award Committee. Previous award winners include Tony Geoghegan; Mary Lawlor; Catherine Corless; Dr Michael Ryan; John Lonergan and Pat Hume.
Learn more about our 2024 Award winner below.
Tony Geoghan has worked in the addiction arena for the past thirty years both in Ireland and in Britain. Tony was CEO of Merchants Quay Ireland, Drugs and Homeless Services for 28 years. MQI was founded by the Franciscans in 1989 as a response to the growing issues of problem drug use and homelessness in Ireland.
Tony was chosen for his foresight in cofounding Merchants Quay Ireland in 1989 and his many subsequent years dedicated to working with the homeless and people who had serious issues with drug use.
Tony has constantly highlighted the growing issues of drug use, the lack of addiction centres and treatments as well as homelessness in Ireland. He has worked across a range of treatment settings from crisis intervention including needle exchange, to day counselling services and on to residential drug-free therapeutic communities and aftercare, prison counselling and resettlement programmes.
Tony’s tireless work as advocate of some of the most vulnerable people in society is an inspiration.
Tony is an accredited addiction counsellor and clinical supervisor and is a former Chairman of the A.C. I. (Addiction Counsellors of Ireland).
He is currently the Irish representative on the Council of Europe’s, Pompidou Group’s Expert Group on Drug Policies and Human Rights: self-assessment tool. He holds a Diploma in Addiction Studies from Trinity College and an M.A. in Social Policy.