Lifeline’s Mary Doherty is a true community hero

A Carndonagh woman has been named as one of four AXA Community Heroes from around the country following a nationwide search for people making a meaningful difference in their neighbourhoods.

Mary Doherty was awarded the title of Community Hero in the Women’s Safety and Wellbeing category, thanks to her work at Lifeline Inishowen over the past 30 years.

Lifeline supports people affected by domestic abuse through services including a helpline, a drop-in service, advocacy, court accompaniment, professional counselling and campaigning. It helped 184 adults and 61 children across Inishowen in 2024.

Mary is vital to these operations, whether she is answering the helpline, training volunteers, arranging professional counselling or guiding the management board. Much of Lifeline Inishowen’s achievements would not be possible without Mary Doherty’s unwavering commitment, energy and determination.

Mary says she’s thrilled with the award, and the €20,000 prize fund will be going to Lifeline Inishowen: “I’m very humbled, I’m accepting this award on behalf of all the great volunteers who have worked with me over the years, without whom the service would never have survived. These funds mean so much, Lifeline Inishowen will be able to put it to use for example in their awareness programme in schools, which is such an important part of what they do.”

Read more: Lifeline organise vigil in memory of murder victim Amy Doherty

Hundreds of nominations were submitted across four categories, highlighting individuals who show leadership, innovation and creativity in helping others.

The other winners and their chosen charities were: Road Safety: Donna Price, Westmeath - Irish Road Victims Association; Mental Health: Leona O’Callaghan, Limerick - The Haven Hub; Sustainability: Scott Bryan, Dublin - Community Roots.

“The AXA Community Hero Awards are about honouring the work of remarkable people across Ireland who are going the extra mile to help others,” Marguerite Brosnan, CEO of AXA Ireland said. “It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase their achievements for the wider public, who might otherwise never hear about them.

“Donna, Leona, Mary and Scott are wonderful examples of the type of person we want to recognise. Their devotion to helping improve the lives and experiences of others is inspirational and they are truly deserving of the title Community Hero. I would like to sincerely congratulate them for their win and commend them for all their work”.

Each of the AXA Community Heroes was nominated by someone close to them and the company has decided to recognise their efforts too, as Elizabeth Arnett from AXA Ireland explained.

“The success of the Community Hero programme relies on people putting others’ names forward and explaining why they deserve the title,” she said. “At a time when we are all living very busy lives, we wanted to show our appreciation for those who took the time to tell us their story.

“That’s why each person behind the nominations for our winning AXA Community Heroes will also receive €3,000, as a token of our appreciation.”