Athlone woman wins prestigious business award
Athlone woman Tanya Cannon has said she felt “happy” and “very valued” after winning the Business Person of the Year award at the Outstanding Achievement Awards in Dublin recently.
Tanya is the owner of A1 Cleaning Services which provides first-class cleaning services to retail premises, offices and schools.
The awards ceremony was held in Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel in Killiney, Dublin and Tanya said that she felt nervous when the cameras were on her following the win. “I'm not used to receiving an award.”
Tanya added that it was a “very proud moment” for her and that she felt “very valued.”
She said that it was a dream come true: “To say I’m over the moon and proud is an understatement, I’m still pinching myself to make sure it’s real”
“I am deeply grateful for this incredible honour and want to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who played a part in this journey. This award is a testament to the power of connections, collaboration and the amazing community that I am fortunate to be a part of.”
The Outstanding Achievement awards took place in conjunction with a two-day Make it Happen seminar event. The Make it Happen annual event has been described as a one-of-a-kind experience which provides exclusive access to some of the world's best minds and thought leaders. The awards honour people who've demonstrated dedication, innovation, and impact in their respective fields.
Tanya also thanked the A1 Cleaning Ltd team, supporters, clients and customers for their support.
Tanya has dyslexia but said that it didn't hold her back from writing a chapter in the book BELIFE or BELIEF which is a collection of empowering stories for life transformation.. She explained that she has “overcome it (dyslexia) from learning.”
The book was published in 2020 and features personal stories from 20 different authors who have embraced their own challenges but all have gained a huge amount of valuable wisdom along the way.
Tanya has run her own successful business in town for 17 years and has sponsored football clubs including Athlone Town, Willow Park and also St Peter’s, where she has recently been invited on to its committee. She was also the Grand Marshal for the 2023 St Patrick's Day parade.
Tanya went to school in Athlone Technical School and worked in many places after leaving school including the former supermarket; DH Burke’s on Magazine Road, Athlone and also with Noonan’s cleaning company.
Tanya’s family have an interesting football history going back almost 100 years. Her great grandfather, Harry Cannon joined Bohemians in 1923, and in 1926 became an international goalkeeper for Ireland.
In 1927/28 he was captain of Bohemians ‘All-Conquering’ team, which won the FAI cup and the Leinster Senior Cup. Her maternal grandfather Dennis O’Callaghan was from Donegal, and he worked painting ships in Harland and Wolff shipyard, Belfast, and joined the Irish Army in 1922 and was a boxer there.