O'Rourke pays tribute to overall winner of Athlone People of the Year award

Mary O’Rourke has paid tribute to this year’s Athlone Person of the Year Award, John Butler, saying the award was well deserved.
Ms O’Rourke said she was unable to attend Friday’s award ceremony due a prior engagement as one of the judges at the Strictly Fun Dancing event.
She said John Butler was always working for the community and this was the reason he had become involved in politics in the first place.
“That was his purpose in his political life and also now. It shows that there is life after politics,” he said.
She paid tribute to John, in particular, for his work with Athlone Tidy Towns and the Portlick Scout Development, which she said had visited recently for the official opening of the campsite.
Ms O’Rourke said John Butler canvassed with her during her very first election campaign for Athlone Town Council and he had remained a true friend of hers, both in politics and in real life, since then.

Check out Wednesday's Westmeath Independent for two pages of coverage of the glittering Athlone People of the Year Awards.