Freemount Macra have been named overall Macra Club of the Year 2024 for the second year in a row. The long-standing award is sponsored by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) and held annually on the October bank holiday weekend at the Macra Rally, which took place this year in Lawlor’s of Naas, County Kildare and was hosted by Kildare Macra.

The Club of the Year competition is designed to encourage clubs to be dynamic and active, rewarding their achievements and contributions at both a local and national level. This year’s competition featured regional awards, as well as an award for best emerging club. As part of the Club of the Year Competition, awards for Best New Macra Member are presented to an individual Macra member in each region.

This year’s winners include:

2024 Overall Club of the Year Winner: Freemount Macra

Leinster Club of the Year Winner: Callan Macra

Munster Club of the Year Winner: Freemount Macra

Northwest Club of the Year Winner: Three Parishes Macra

Best Emerging Club: Broomfield Macra

Leinster Best New Member: Rebecca Banville, Ramsgrange Macra

Munster Best New Member: Olive Linehan, Clonakilty Macra

North West Best New Member: Gavin Finn, Broomfield Macra

The Best New Member awards are given to members who joined the organisation between 1st March 2023 and 29th February 2024, and who are deemed by his/her club to have made a significant contribution to the development of the club during his or her first year of membership.

Niall Beirne, Head of Corporate Communications at National Broadband Ireland, commented: “A massive congratulations to all the finalists and especially the very worthy winners in the NBI sponsored Club of the Year awards. The competition gave the clubs a platform to show how integrated Macra is in local communities; and how much work each club puts into making their community an attractive place to live and work. At NBI, we believe delivering Ireland’s new high-speed fibre network under the National Broadband Plan, will assist Macra’s efforts and that high-speed connectivity will drive sustainable development in rural Ireland.”

Macra National President, Elaine Houlihan, said “The highlight of our national rally is the Club of the Year and Best New Member competitions, this year was no different with entries from all over the country. The rally is a once-a-year showcase where clubs demonstrate the difference that they are making to people’s lives and communities. Our clubs and our people are our greatest asset, to see them display what they are capable of gives me great hope for Macra as we celebrate our 80th year. Well done to all our winners and thank you to our sponsor NBI for making this year’s competition possible.”