Katie Taylor – Holyoke Ambassador Award Honoree
March 21 @ 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm
The St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke announced that celebrated Irish professional boxer and Olympic gold medalist Katie Taylor has been selected as the 33rd Ambassador Award recipient. This prestigious honor is presented annually to an individual or group that has worked to strengthen the relationship between the people of Ireland and the people of the United States.
Born and raised in Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, Taylor is widely regarded as one of the greatest female athletes of her generation. As an amateur boxer, she made history by winning multiple world and European championships and capturing Olympic gold at the London 2012 Games, the first year women’s boxing was included in the Olympics.
Her professional career has further cemented her legacy, with Taylor becoming an undisputed world champion across multiple weight divisions and earning worldwide acclaim for her skill, resilience, and sportsmanship. Her achievements have propelled women’s boxing to new levels of global recognition and inspired countless athletes around the world.
Establishing the Ambassador’s Award in 1992, Dermont A. Gallagher, then Ambassador to the United States from Ireland, designated that the award would be presented through the St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke. The Holyoke Parade is the only St. Patrick’s Day parade in the country to have been selected by the Republic of Ireland to hold this distinct award. The Ambassador Award has since become a symbol of mutual respect, cultural enrichment, and goodwill celebrated by diplomats, cultural leaders, and policymakers alike. The prestigious international award is presented annually by a representative of the Republic of Ireland on the day of the Parade. The award itself is a medallion resembling that of the medallion worn by the Lord Mayor of Dublin. Fred’s work to create this award is a tribute to not only honor his Irish heritage but to promote the relations between the United States and Ireland. It highlights the importance of collaborating in not only government but in culture and society as well.
The award has historically recognized a diverse and prestigious group, a veritable “Who’s Who” of Irish-American luminaries from sectors including politics, sports, law, industry, philanthropy, media, the arts, finance, among others.
