Awards Presented to Ireland’s 2025 ‘Breastfeeding Champions’

April 25, 2025

Ireland’s heroes of breastfeeding support recognised at a gala awards ceremony in Tullamore on 29th March

Visual Notetaker Leah O’Donoghue

The prestigious Friends of Breastfeeding Awards were presented to thirteen of Ireland’s ‘breastfeeding champions’ at a ceremony on Saturday 29th March 2025 at the Tullamore Court Hotel.

Over 200 people attended a gala lunch and awards presentation ceremony to recognise and celebrate excellence in breastfeeding promotion, advocacy, and support across both the professional and voluntary sectors on the island of Ireland.

More than 1,300 nominations submitted from the public were narrowed down to just 72 shortlisted nominees in thirteen categories. Among the shortlisted nominees this year were former Senator Pauline O’Reilly, Dublin Zoo, and well known mural artist Friz.

FoBF CEO Dr. Edel Quirke

Speaking at the event, Chairperson of Friends of Breastfeeding, Edel Quirke, said that “the Friends of Breastfeeding Awards are a truly special opportunity to celebrate all of the positive things happening in the breastfeeding promotion and support space in Ireland, and to recognise and reward all of the many unsung individuals, businesses and groups going above and beyond to ensure breastfeeding is valued, welcomed, and supported.”

Friends of Breastfeeding Advocate of the Year 2024 Dr. Jennifer Hanratty, founder of the hugely successful Breastival festival, told the gathering that the event was “a day of celebration and acknowledgment” for “a room of change makers rejoicing in helping others.” Dr. Hanratty also said that “With every small action, smile of encouragement, words of reassurance, space held for lamenting the frustration and labour… every action is a ripple on the pond of our culture, and together we are making waves.”

HSE National Breastfeeding Coordinator Laura McHugh

HSE National Breastfeeding Coordinator Laura McHugh said that “The HSE are delighted to be partners at this year’s Friends of Breastfeeding awards and wish to congratulate all nominees and award winners, including HSE colleagues nominated. These awards acknowledge and highlight the important role various people and organisations have within our communities and health services to support mothers to breastfeed for as long as they wish.”

The winner of Support Group of the Year was the Mothers’ Village Whats App group. The award recognises and celebrates an outstanding group which supports and facilitates breastfeeding parents to meet in their communities or virtually. The Mothers’ Village support group is a WhatsApp group started by Helen Hancock, a Cuidiú trained breastfeeding counselor. The group has over 300 participants from all over the world, with the majority of members based in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Mothers are added to the group by invitation link, through contact with existing members or through interactions with Helen’s social media account. Helen offers breastfeeding one to one assessments via video call, and other members often add in with their own experience and expertise to the many varied breastfeeding and mothering queries posted in the group by members. While the discussion usually centers on breastfeeding related issues other mothering questions are often dealt with too, providing a virtual village for its members. Accepting the award, group facilitator Helen Hancock said that she was “totally shocked, the village is an amazing place, we’re an online group we’ve been running for 9 years.” She also said that the group has mothers from all over the world, and that there were probably a few in attendance at the event and “I probably helped them but I don’t know their face I know their babies and their boobs!”

Members of LLL including Volunteer of the Year 2025 Aislinn O’Moore Cunningham (front row in blue)

The award for Breastfeeding Friendly Health Care Provider of the Year honours an outstanding breastfeeding related care delivered by licensed health care professionals. It was taken home by Professor Gabrielle Colleran, who is a Consultant Radiologist in the National Maternity Hospital and the president of the Irish Hospital Consultant Association, who has published research into the safety of MRI scans with contrast dye in breastfeeding women. Prof. Colleran, accepting the trophy, told the gathering that she really didn’t expect the award and that she was “very very chuffed.” She also said ”It’s that ripple effect – everybody here is here because breastfeeding is important and we care about it and that work is having ripple effects in communities all around the country.”

The award for Breastfeeding Friendly Business of the Year recognises an exceptional business or establishment that protects, promotes and supports breastfeeding. The winner this year was the Rock Bakery in Skerries. The Rock Bakery is a family-run bakery located in Skerries known for its exceptional quality and huge variety of freshly baked bread, pastries, and delicious coffee, all made with care and attention to detail. Testimonials sent in to Friends of Breastfeeding said that the bakery is ‘a wonderful example of progressive support for breastfeeding mothers’ and that in ‘a growing town of new moms that know noone, how beautiful is it for a popular coffee shop to open its doors to breastfeeding moms, provide them with free coffee and enable them to make friends.’

FoBF Skerries Organisers L-R Jennifer Ferguson, Stephanie Galvin and Tríona Dennis accept the award for FoBF Mum2Mum Group of the Year 2025

Rock Bakery owner Cian Carty Heffernan wasn’t able to attend the awards gala in person but Skerries Mum2Mum breastfeeding support group organiser Jennifer Ferguson, who was one of the people who nominated the Rock Bakery, accepted the trophy on his behalf and told the room why she nominated his cafe: ”What can we say about the Rock bakery, they have been so supportive. Cian is a 28 year old man who doesn’t have to do all that he does for us, they move tables they reserve tables, they hold our babies when we want to drink our coffee and I suppose one of the things that they do is they make us feel welcome and accommodate up to twenty or more mams every single week, we are so so delighted to have their support in town so well done to the Rock Bakery.”

The winner of Lactation Consultant of the Year was Patricia Marteinsson IBCLC from Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Patricia is a public health nurse and the HSE Community Lactation Consultant for Offaly. Patricia runs the Banagher Breastfeeding Support Group and supports the Tullamore Cuidiú group by attending its meetings regularly. Prior to becoming a HSE IBCLC Patricia provided a consultancy breastfeeding support service to all the women in the region working with individual mums in their own home at their own pace, seeing hundreds of women in person and supporting over a thousand by telephone annually. Patricia accepted the trophy and told the room that she “wasn’t expecting this at all” and that she is “very thankful for all the women of Offaly and surrounding counties, who allow me to help them on their journey.”

The Breastfeeding Initiative of the Year was the North West BAPS project in Derry, a signposting resource on Facebook and Instagram founded in 2022 by Dr. Maria Herron, Noella Gormley and Sinead O’Kane. A parent-led initiative to increase awareness, visibility & support for Breastfeeding & Perinatal Support in Derry City & Strabane District Council area, it provides accessible information about the wide range of local and online breastfeeding support that is available. The Derry & Strabane District has the lowest breastfeeding rates in Northern Ireland and North West BAPS are working to provide the information and practical support needed to encourage women in the region to try to breastfeed, and to continue breastfeeding. The group provides regular educational and community building on its social media pages and WhatsApp group, and is involved in creative initiatives to promote and normalise breastfeeding in the Derry and Strabane area. In 2024 the group secured funding and commissioned local artist Peaboy to install a breastfeeding mural in Derry. They also organise buggy walk and talk events, held an event at the Guidlhall Derry to celebrate National Breastfeeding Week, and have contributed to media discussions on their activities and on the need for support for breastfeeding mothers in Derry. Accepting the award on behalf of the project, Dr. Maria Herron said that it was “definitely worth travelling from derry to come down here today!:” Dr. Herron spoke about the low breastfeeding rates in Derry & Strabane District and how through the North West BAPS initiative and all the work being showcased at the Awards gala it is possible to “see the opportunities and collaborations with others to try and change this around and start with the community and reclaiming breastfeeding for the community.”

Geraldine Cahill IBCLC, Fiona Rea IBCLC, Helen Hancock (Mother’s Village Support Group – Support Group of the Year 2025) and Dr. Maria Heron (North West BAPS – Breastfeeding Initiative of the Year 2025)

Finally, the award for Breastfeeding Advocate of the Year 2025 went to former TD and Senator Pauline O’Reilly. Pauline is a Green Party politician who served as a Senator from 2020 to 2025. She is Chairperson of the party and its spokesperson for education. She has also been a board member of the University of Galway, chairperson of the Home Education Network Ireland, and founder of Cuan na Gaillimhe National School. Pauline has advocated for better education on breastfeeding in schools and brought a motion before the Seanad floor calling for full implementation of the WHO Code in Irish law, and for the enactment in full of the Online Media and Safety Regulations Bill 2021. She also chaired a subcommittee of the Oireachtas Women’s Caucus to garner cross party support for breastfeeding policies and initiatives in government. She has attended many breastfeeding events and spoken in the media frequently about breastfeeding and the need to protect families from predatory marketing of breast milk substitutes and food products aimed at infants and young children.

Pauline O’Reilly, winner of Advocate of the Year 2025

Accepting the award, Pauline told the gathering that she was “overwhelmed” and described how the work showcased on the day is “a patchwork that we’ve all created here that is bringing about a better society for our children and for ourselves as mothers.” She also described breastfeeding as a political act “because politics at its best is about making society better generation after generation and if we can create a society where we are connected, loving care towards each other tolerant all of those things that underpin breastfeeding then we can bring about the kind of change we want to achieve.”

The full list of Friends of Breastfeeding Awards 2025 winners is:

Breastfeeding Advocate of the Year – Pauline O’Reilly
Breastfeeding Initiative of the Year – North West BAPS
Lactation Consultant of the Year – Patricia Marteinsson IBCLC
Midwife or Public Health Nurse of the Year – Siobhán Bruton
Breastfeeding Friendly Health Care Provider of the Year – Prof. Gabrielle Colleran
Breastfeeding Social Media Supporter of the Year – Niamh Cassidy (@mybabybeginnings)
Breastfeeding Media Feature of the Year – Tullamore Lions Club & Cuidiú Offaly ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting A New Grandchild’, Tullamore Lions Club Annual 2025
Breastfeeding Volunteer of the Year – Aislinn O’Moore Cunningham
Breastfeeding Support Group of the Year – Mother’s Village
Mum of the Year – Annmarie Gallagher and Darina Slowey
Breastfeeding Friendly Business of the Year – The Rock Bakery
Friends of Breastfeeding Mum2Mum Group of the Year – Skerries
Friends of Breastfeeding Buddy of the Year – Niamh Eustice
Friends of Breastfeeding Special Recognition Award – Mairead Coughlan

Event MC Deirdre O’Shaughnessy (Acting Opinion Editor – Irish Examiner) welcomes guests to the event

The event was hosted by MC multi award-winning journalist and Irish Examiner News Editor Deirdre O’Shaughnessy who described the event as “the antidote to today’s world.” Attendees enjoyed music provided by Army Band saxophonist and Friends of Breastfeeding volunteer Natalia Gough, and a presentation from FoBF Midwife of the Year 2204 Claire Ferris, Infant Feeding Coordinator at Tipperary University Hospital Clonmel, on her breastfeeding art outreach project.

Saxophonist and FoBF Breastfeeding Buddy Natalia Gough

Friends of Breastfeeding is a registered charity in Ireland that exists to support women and families to have the breastfeeding journey they desire by providing peer support, signposting information, and raising awareness about breastfeeding support options.

FoBF is run entirely by volunteers, providing its flagship services of the peer-led Breastfeeding Buddy System and the Mum2Mum Groups.

FoBF’s mission statement is: “Friends of Breastfeeding is a community that provides excellence in breastfeeding support, and which advocates for a society that values and supports breastfeeding.”

Photographs (c) Paulina Kusa Photography http://www.paulinakusaphotography.com