DNG awards bring 82 Irish offices together at The Curragh

DNG’s Irish franchise community gathered at The Curragh Racecourse in Co Kildare on 15 October for its 2026 National Awards, bringing together more than 150 delegates representing 82 offices. Laois-based DNG Paul Kelly received the Midlands Regional Branch of the Year award at an event that combined recognition with discussion of business and technology challenges.

Laois business takes Midlands recognition

DNG Paul Kelly, which focuses on properties in Portlaoise and Portarlington, was named DNG Branch of the Year 2026 – Midlands Region. Paul Kelly, the business’s managing director, received the award from Marguerite Stafford of The Irish Times.

Kelly established the business in 2005. Its recognition at the national gathering puts a local office and its client relationships at the centre of a wider network event.

Speaking after receiving the award, Kelly said: “We're absolutely delighted to receive the Midlands Regional Branch of the Year award. It's a great recognition of the hard work and dedication of our team and of the relationships we've built with our clients across Laois and the wider Midlands.”

He added: “We're very proud to represent DNG in the region and to have our efforts recognised in this way.”

The award was a regional distinction within DNG’s national programme. For the Laois business, Kelly’s comments placed the emphasis on the team’s work and its relationships with clients, rather than on individual achievement alone.

A gathering across the Irish network

According to the event statement, more than 150 delegates attended, representing 82 DNG offices from across Ireland. That made the occasion a gathering of the wider network as well as an awards presentation for individual branches.

The organisers described the National Awards as a platform to showcase individuals and offices that had demonstrated excellence in their roles, driving innovation and success throughout the company’s franchise business.

For Ireland’s franchise community, the event illustrates the relationship between local business identity and participation in a shared brand. DNG Paul Kelly’s award recognised a business serving particular Laois towns, while the ceremony placed that achievement alongside colleagues from offices around the country.

The attendance figures also give a clear picture of the event’s reach. They describe participation at the gathering, rather than a measure of property transactions, business growth or the performance of the network as a whole.

Property, cybersecurity and AI on the agenda

Before the awards ceremony, delegates heard from speakers on the Irish property market and the wider business landscape. Topics included emerging technology, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, and their impact on how businesses operate and grow.

This gave the gathering a business-learning dimension alongside its celebratory purpose. The programme brought market conditions and operational questions into the same event, rather than limiting the occasion to the presentation of awards.

For franchise owners considering their own network events, that combination offers a useful model: recognise local teams while also making time for issues that affect day-to-day business decisions.

The subjects covered were broad, however. Their inclusion should not be read as an announcement of a new DNG technology system, cybersecurity policy or AI service. The reported news concerns the programme of discussion and the awards themselves.

The Curragh connection continues

The gathering also highlighted DNG’s association with The Curragh. In the event statement, DNG said it was continuing its long-standing role as title sponsor of the venue’s October race day.

The statement emphasised the importance of being part of the communities served by its offices. It also cited The Curragh’s accessibility from across Ireland as a reason the venue suited a network gathering.

That local-community emphasis echoed Kelly’s response to his award: both focused on relationships, whether between an office and its clients or between the wider brand and the places in which it operates.

Practical takeaway: Franchise owners planning network gatherings can use recognition and learning together: celebrate specific local achievements, then give teams space to discuss shared business challenges.