Football legend joins Galway Sports Stars Hall of Fame elite

SOME of the county’s top sporting personalities will be honoured for their achievements over the past 12 months at the 51st annual Galway Sports Stars awards banquet in the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill on Saturday night, January 23.

They will be joined by Hall of Fame recipient Bosco McDermott, who was ever present on the Galway football team which won the All-Ireland three-in-a-row during the sixties and subsequently guided the county to the Connacht title in 1995 during his term as team manager.

It will also be a big night for the Corofin GAA Club as the exploits of their senior footballers in powering their way to the All-Ireland title last March is being recognised with the Team of the Year award, while a mainstay of that side, Gary Sice, will pick up the Gaelic football accolade for the second consecutive year.

A third award for the parish of Corofin goes to Galway Ladies Football star Tracey Leonard.

History will also be made when Kinvara’s Colm Callanan becomes the first goalkeeper to be honoured as the Hurler of the Year, while Liam Mellows clubman Jeffrey Lynskey, who guided the Galway minors to a terrific All-Ireland triumph, claims the Manager of the Year award.

A striking feature of the 2015 awards is the equine theme to three of them as recipients, Leigh Roche (Horse Racing), Michael Duffy (Showjumping) and Cathal Daniels (Eventing), are horsemen of the highest calibre in their respective sports and are all previous Sports Stars award winners.

Irish indoor and outdoor senior shot putt champion Sean Breathnach is also no stranger to these awards and he will be feted for the third time in athletics, with national single sculls title holder Sinead McCrohan, Tribesmen RC, adding to the rowing award she won in 2010.

Moycullen Basketball Club, national champions at U14, U17 and U20 level, along with their senior team regain promotion to the Irish Superleague, will receive the Club of the Year award to celebrate their impressive list of achievements.

Newcomers to the honours list are Niamh McGrath (Camogie), James Cleary (Boxing), Devin Morley (Golf), Ellie Noone (Hockey), Daryl Horgan (Soccer), Andrew Moore (Swimming), Karen Dolphin (Karate) and John Cleary (Rugby.

Another highlight of the presentation banquet promises to be the honouring of Imelda Brennan as the Special Dedication award winner in recognition of her lifetime’s involvement with hockey between playing, coaching and administrating.

The Special Achievement award for 2015 goes to a talented group of young golfers from Galway GC, the club’s Fred Daly team who were crowned Home Nations Inter-club champions in Malaga, Spain last March.

The Sports Stars awards are the definitive benchmark of sporting achievement in the county and special guest at the presentation banquet – the social highlight of the local sporting year – will be Pat Lam, Head Coach of the Connacht rugby team which is currently enjoying its best ever season.

Galway’s biggest private employers and medical devices company, Medtronic, have come on board as sponsors and the panel of local journalists who adjudicate on the awards are indebted to the US multinational for its support.

The selection panel comprised of: John McIntyre, Connacht Tribune; Billy Coss, Tuam Herald; Mártan Ó Ciadhra, Raidio na Gaeltachta; Frank Farragher, Connacht Tribune; Stephen Glennon, Connacht Tribune; Michael Glynn, Connacht Tribune; Seán Bán Breathnach, Raidio na Gaeltachta; Noel Carney, Tuam Herald; Keith Kelly, Connacht Tribune; and Dara Bradley, Connacht Tribune.