Buncrana man named
Donegal Person of the Year
11.02.25
BUNCRANA man John McCarter
has been named the Donegal Person of the Year for 2024.
The announcement took place in Leo’s Tavern, Crolly last
Saturday, 8th of February 2025.
It is difficult to put into several paragraphs the work
John has carried out to promote Donegal on so many
different levels through his involvement in business and
in many different organisations. He is a respected and
highly successful businessman.
His family name is synonymous with the clothing and
textile industry in the North West of Ireland. As Sales
Director of the family business, William P McCarter and
Co Ltd he was centrally involved in merging that
business with the mighty Fruit of the Loom Inc. in 1987.
With his Co Directors he was pivotal in expanding that
commercial entity which developed into the largest
employer in the Northwest and the largest clothing
manufacturer in Ireland.
Alongside his business career John has served in a
voluntary capacity in many community organisations which
have a strong influence in tourism, culture and economic
life of Donegal.
John McCarter is the chairperson of the Board of Fort
Dunree, a national heritage site and a tourist
attraction which preserves and celebrates the unique
shared history between Britain and Ireland. As
chairperson he has driven the transformation of Fort
Dunree from a part time seasonal offering into a major
national tourist attraction. The Fort is currently
undergoing a €12.5m redevelopment, the largest tourism
funding ever awarded to a Donegal project. This
development will see the Fort become a world class
visitor attraction generating economic growth and
employment in the area.
In 1987 John was a founder director of Donegal County
Enterprise Fund and was its chairman from 1997 to 2008.
He was director and vice chairperson of Donegal County
Enterprise Board until its cessation in April 2014 as
well as being a member of the Donegal County Development
Board. He was elected as a community director to the
newly formed Inishowen Development Partnership (IDP) and
served as its first chairperson from 2008 to 2011. In
2003 John was a founder member of Inishowen Friends of
Messines. In that role he is totally committed to
extending the work and ethos of the International School
for Peace Studies. Under the auspices of ISPS, Fort
Dunree and IDP he has delivered conflict transformation
courses to a diverse audience from all sides of the
political and religious divides in NI and RoI.
In 2006 he joined Lough Swilly RNLI as a Deputy
Launching Authority, then from 2011 to 2024 he was its
Lifeboat Operations Manager and is currently its
chairman.
John’s dedication to the tourism industry in Donegal has
seen him recently appointed as Joint Chairperson of the
Inishowen Destination Experience Development Plan. In
this role he promotes a collaborative approach to
driving growth in tourism in Inishowen with an emphasis
on promoting sustainable economic growth.
Internationally John has been instrumental in the
development of strong and lasting relationships between
Donegal, Canada and the USA through his involvement with
the Laurentic Forum, the Ulster Canada initiative and
the New York Irish Centre. Further, John is a member of
the Tip O’Neill Diaspora Awards Committee. |
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John McCarter, Donegal
Person of the Year for 2024. |
On the announcement of the
award, John said that it came as a huge surprise, and it
is a great honour as it is an award from his own people
who he has worked with and lived with, and this makes it
of special significance. He said it is quite humbling,
and he is delighted to be awarded Donegal Person of the
Year having seen many of the people who have received
the accolade over the years. He also said that out of
all the things he has ever done his aim was to see the
community grow and prosper in a way that would benefit
the most people, and not for personal recognition. He
told us that from his business involvement he developed
an interest in the community and in turn to building a
better Donegal for all. He spoke about the can-do
attitude of Donegal people in all the organisations he
has been a part of and the great people he has worked
with down through the years.
Outgoing 2023 Donegal Person of the Year, Moya Brennan
had this to say:
"Being awarded 'Donegal Person of the Year' last April
2024 was amazing. The night itself was memorable with
nearly 500 people there, family, extended family, many
many friends from Donegal and lots of wonderful
musicians. A night of fun music and craic was had and
that was the beginning of my year.
"I’ve opened festivals all over Donegal, launched a
wonderful art exhibition and a RNLI Lifeboat Station in
Aranmore. I received lots of invitations to special
events, particularly in Donegal. I always champion
Donegal wherever I go but with being called Donegal
Person of the Year made it special. It’s wonderful that
Donegal honours people from the county in all walks of
life. I have received many accolades around the world as
a singer and musician in my lifetime, but I would say
that being acknowledged in my own county is special and
one of the nicest things that has happened in my career.
Míle buíochas Dún na nGall."
John McCarter will be inaugurated as the Donegal Person
of the Year 2024 at the Donegal Person of the Year Gala
Ball on Saturday, 29th of March in The Bonnington Hotel,
Dublin. For more information visit
www.donegalassociation.ie . |
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