{"id":372411,"date":"2026-03-30T04:16:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T04:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/372411\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T04:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T04:16:20","slug":"packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/372411\/","title":{"rendered":"Packie Keeney crowned Donegal Person of the Year at Gala Ball &#8211; Pic Special"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/&amp;display=popup&amp;ref=plugin&amp;src=share_button\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" class=\"shared-counts-button facebook shared-counts-no-count\" data-postid=\"628242\" data-social-network=\"Facebook\" data-social-action=\"Share\" data-social-target=\"https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/\">Facebook<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/&amp;text=Packie%20Keeney%20crowned%20Donegal%20Person%20of%20the%20Year%20at%20Gala%20Ball%20%E2%80%93%20Pic%20Special\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" class=\"shared-counts-button twitter shared-counts-no-count\" data-postid=\"628242\" data-social-network=\"Twitter\" data-social-action=\"Tweet\" data-social-target=\"https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/\">Tweet<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/\" title=\"Share on LinkedIn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" class=\"shared-counts-button linkedin shared-counts-no-count\" data-postid=\"628242\" data-social-network=\"LinkedIn\" data-social-action=\"Share\" data-social-target=\"https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><a href=\"\" title=\"Print this Page\" class=\"shared-counts-button print shared-counts-no-count\" data-postid=\"628242\" data-social-network=\"Print\" data-social-action=\"Printed\" data-social-target=\"https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/\">Print<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Packie Keeney was officially crowned as the 2025 Donegal Person of the Year at last night\u2019s Donegal Association Dublin Gala Ball.<\/p>\n<p>The glamourous Gala Ball was held at the Bonnington Hotel in Dublin, as Donegal diaspora from far and wide descended upon the capital to celebrate the local broadcasting legend.<\/p>\n<p>An Ardara native and a Highland Radio co-founder, Packie was celebrated by the Donegal Association Dublin for his \u201cspirit, ambition, resilience and generosity that define the people of this county,\u201d when he was announced as the 2025 winner of the award earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>2024 recipient John McCarter was on hand to pass the baton to Packie last night as part of proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>All pictures below from the Gala Ball are credited to the Donegal Association Dublin.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628262\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656909742_1371873984971940_9161083202100378945_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628261\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/659708828_1371874164971922_466631455093747332_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"1200\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628260\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657861851_1371874018305270_3454048497298098956_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"1200\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628259\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657462488_1371874231638582_1673848731628174236_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628258\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657240218_1371874388305233_2154923257701514747_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628257\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/658381639_1371874451638560_756187919808906158_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628256\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657256198_1371875648305107_8288018120397611106_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"1200\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628255\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/661431567_1371875828305089_1235356440841849995_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"1200\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628254\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657306603_1371875911638414_889316274393428729_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"1200\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628253\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/658127020_1371874121638593_1814840282033324459_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628252\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657346808_1371879721638033_7284450340023745428_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628251\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657250632_1371879694971369_1085645853727127298_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657177702_1371879824971356_2178239092510491800_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628249\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657449423_1371879848304687_5668692486846003886_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628248\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656963048_1371880161637989_2715971867157676115_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"1200\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628247\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657930506_1371880278304644_5005354751847957122_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"1200\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628245\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657395655_1371880791637926_363295372624215920_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628244\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656975258_1371880964971242_732564787670981403_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-628243\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/657762057_1371880918304580_3018351467303680718_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Packie Keeney crowned Donegal Person of the Year at Gala Ball \u2013 Pic Special was last modified:  March 29th, 2026 by Staff Writer<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/&amp;display=popup&amp;ref=plugin&amp;src=share_button\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" class=\"shared-counts-button facebook shared-counts-no-count\" data-postid=\"628242\" data-social-network=\"Facebook\" data-social-action=\"Share\" data-social-target=\"https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/\">Facebook<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/&amp;text=Packie%20Keeney%20crowned%20Donegal%20Person%20of%20the%20Year%20at%20Gala%20Ball%20%E2%80%93%20Pic%20Special\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" class=\"shared-counts-button twitter shared-counts-no-count\" data-postid=\"628242\" data-social-network=\"Twitter\" data-social-action=\"Tweet\" data-social-target=\"https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/\">Tweet<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/\" title=\"Share on LinkedIn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" class=\"shared-counts-button linkedin shared-counts-no-count\" data-postid=\"628242\" data-social-network=\"LinkedIn\" data-social-action=\"Share\" data-social-target=\"https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><a href=\"\" title=\"Print this Page\" class=\"shared-counts-button print shared-counts-no-count\" data-postid=\"628242\" data-social-network=\"Print\" data-social-action=\"Printed\" data-social-target=\"https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/2026\/03\/29\/packie-keeney-crowned-donegal-person-of-the-year-at-gala-ball-pic-special\/\">Print<\/a><br \/>\n      Tags:<\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/tag\/donegal-association-dublin\/\" rel=\"tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donegal Association Dublin<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/tag\/donegal-person-of-the-year\/\" rel=\"tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donegal Person of the Year<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.donegaldaily.com\/tag\/packie-keeney\/\" rel=\"tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">packie keeney<\/a><br \/>\n                <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FacebookTweetLinkedInPrint Packie Keeney was officially crowned as the 2025 Donegal Person of the Year at last night\u2019s Donegal&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372412,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[167067,167068,61,60,43,167069],"class_list":{"0":"post-372411","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-donegal-association-dublin","9":"tag-donegal-person-of-the-year","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-packie-keeney"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372411\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}