Mark Cummins volunteered at the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival during St. Patrick's Weekend 2017. The day began in earnest with the volunteers meeting on the green where the festival was set up – this was my second ever event as…

International Volunteer Day is a global day that takes place every year on 5th December. It gives us a chance to recognise, thank and celebrate volunteers across the world. Over 1 million people in Ireland volunteer. They are the backbone…

Jill Lyons, Communications and Marketing Manager with Breakthrough Cancer Research, tells us about mother and daughter volunteering duo Trish Larkin and Eimear Tynan and how the Volunteer Ireland Awards help charities give back to their volunteers. In December of last…

Matt Cullen, Volunteer with Swords Tidy Towns has volunteered for over 40 years. Last year, he was named Volunteer of the Year 2015. He tells us what winning the award meant to him and why he thinks volunteering is so…

Mary O'Leary was one of a handful of Irish volunteers at last month's Rio Olympics. Having volunteered as a Games Maker at London 2012 she wasn't going to miss the opportunity to have another unique experience. Here, she shares her…

The Fairtrade movement in Carlow has been one that first found its roots back in 2004 with Carlow becoming a recognised Fair Trade Town in 2007. Actively creating awareness around the benefits of supporting Fairtrade and how the people of…

I started volunteering because I wanted to give back! I have always had a deep interest in people and my own personal experiences drove me to look for volunteering opportunities that would have a direct impact on the lives of…