Tipperary advocate for the homeless is presented with Hall of Fame award

Tom Sherlock, the President of the  Tipperary  Association Dublin, presented the Hall of Fame award to Fethard native, Alice Leahy, the renowned social worker and carer of the downtrodden at an an wards ceremony in Dublin.

Mr. Sherlock said the award expressed the pride that all  Tipperary people feel at the success of their own on the national or world stage.

READ MORE: The personal touch has seen a Tipperary business flourish

He said he was delighted to present the award to a tireless worker and campaigner for the less well off in Dublin.

"Alice is a native of Fethard and is a nurse by profession. Clearly, she had a caring instinct from an early age. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Alice Leahy Trust, which provides care and support to homeless people living on the margins of society. The trust was founded in 1975, so 2025 marks the Golden Jubilee of the Trust and Alice has led the organisation throughout that period," said Tom Sherlock.

"The Trust is a highly respected organisation. It carries out its work in a low-profile manner. It is dependent on the goodwill of the public for donations to enable it to carry out that work. This allows the Trust to respond when it encounters need in a timely manner and without some of the restrictions that might accompany Official funding, while at the same time operating within strict rules and regulations.

The Alice Leahy Trust is a non-judgmental organisation and welcomes anyone who has fallen on hard times. It has many clients from all nationalities and all walks of life. All receive comfort, conversation, comradeship, sustenance and perhaps most importantly of all, a sense of belonging and being wanted.

It is impossible in a short Citation to do justice to the work of the Alice Leahy Trust and to the work that Alice has done over the past 50 years and continues to do daily. Alice’s most recent book, Outsiders, gives a very clear picture of the organisation's values and modus operandi and contains several personal stories which illustrate just how much of a difference the Trust makes in the lives of the less fortunate in our society. The Trust is committed to providing a personal, compassionate service for homeless people. It highlights the need for services where they don't exist and tries to partially meet these needs. It supports the further development of existing services and supports the authorities in doing so. It is committed to cooperation and coordination with existing services to make the best use of the skills, resources, goodwill and influence available through these services.

READ NEXT: Tipperary stories that demonstrate love, respect and caring

In addition to working quietly in the Trust, Alice is frequently contacted by the media for expert comment on Social Justice issues. She is also called upon from time to time to contribute to the training of public officials, especially Gardai and Nurses.

For her lifelong service of caregiving, Alice Leahy is a most worthy inductee into the Tipperary Association Dublin Hall of Fame for 2025," said Tom Sherlock.

The Award is kindly sponsored by Willie Ahern, The Palace Bar, Dublin.