Aid worker Sharon Commins and her colleague Hilda Kawuki, who were kidnapped and held for more than 100 days in Darfur, have been given a humanitarian award for their "brave and selfless" work.
Ms Commins, from Clontarf in Dublin, were presented with the first Hugh O’Flaherty International Humanitarian Award in Killarney yesterday.
Jerry O’Grady of Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, who is a member of the Hugh O’Flaherty memorial committee said: “We cannot overstate our delight at the news that Sharon and Hilda are safe and well and on the way to their respective families and homes.
"Thankfully, some stories do have happy endings. They were still in captivity when we initially short listed six organisations for final consideration and when arriving at our final decision last week. At the time, our thoughts were greatly influenced not only by the shining example shown to us all by the brave and selfless work of Sharon and Hilda but also by the solidarity shown by other NGOs when they decided to nominate them in the place of colleagues from their own organisations."
Last year Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty (1898-1963) was awarded a posthumous Killarney International Humanitarian Award in recognition of his humanitarian work in Italy during the second World War, which saved the lives of over 6,500 people.
It was decided that it would be an annual award and that it would be re-named in honour of Mgr O'Flaherty.
Over the past few months Irish non-governmental organisations were invited to nominate a colleague or colleagues working overseas, who they felt had displayed the same ideals and principles and who would be deserving of the award.
Six of these agencies were shortlisted - Goal, Trócaire, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Plan Ireland, Hope Foundation and Children in Crossfire.
Out of these six agencies, four had independently nominated Sharon Commins and her fellow hostage Hilda Kawuki. They were Goal, Concern, Plan Ireland and Trocaire.
The women were still in captivity at the time of the selection.