Tallaght man wins Person of the Year award

A Tallaght man who faces charges over an anti-water charges protest targeting Tánaiste Joan Burton last November has won his local community’s 32nd Person of the Year award for his work with youth rugby.

Philip Preston (36) was given the award at a ceremony in Dublin on Friday night.

Mr Preston said he was “amazed and over the moon” to receive the award for his role as youth development worker with Tallaght Rugby Club.

The annual event, organised by Tallaght Community Council, is held "to recognise and celebrate unsung heroes, volunteers and active members of the community across various walks of life in Tallaght".

Mr Preston said the Tallaght club had grown from small beginnings and now has six teams at youth and minor level, as well as a men’s and a ladies’ team.

Mr Preston trains young teams on a Wednesday night, to help promote the sport among young people in the community.

His daughter Kayleigh plays with the club’s under-15s girls’ team.

The community council had nominated him for the award in the sports category, but on Friday night he discovered his wife Aoife had also nominated him for the overall award.

“I wrote a small speech because the worst thing you can be is unprepared,” he said.

When he failed to win the sports award, he told his wife to put the speech in her bag.

However, at the end of the night, the speech was hastily retrieved after Mr Preston’s was announced as the overall winner.

He said he was delighted with the award and with the acknowledgment of his work for the community.

‘False imprisonment’

Mr Preston is one of 32 people charged in relation to the alleged “false imprisonment” of the Tánaiste in her car in Jobstown last year.

During the incident the car was surrounded by protesters and Ms Burton was delayed for about two hours.

He faces two charges of false imprisonment.

His next court appearance is in December.

Asked if he was concerned about the charges and the possible outcome, Mr Preston said: “It’s always on my mind. Hopefully if it goes all the way to court we will be found not guilty.”

The Tallaght Person of the Year awards were founded by Charles and Mary Morton in 1984.

The first awards were held in the Belgard Inn, with former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald as guest of honour.

Tallaght Community Council took the event over in 1986.