Sports
Galway Sports Stars of the Year
SOME of the county’s top sporting personalities will be honoured for their achievements over the past 12 months at the 49th annual Galway Sports Stars awards banquet in the Ardilaun Hotel on Saturday night, January 18.
They will be joined by Hall of Fame recipient, Jimmy Duggan, who won an All-Ireland senior football medal with Galway as a teenager in 1966 and also captained St. Jarlath’s College, Tuam to the Hogan Cup during an outstanding playing career.
It will also be a big night for Galway camogie on the back of the county’s greatest ever season. Therese Maher wins the individual Player of the Year award for the fourth time; double winning All-Ireland supremo Tony Ward is honoured as Manager of the Year; while the Galway seniors will pick up the Team of the Year award.
New Galway captain Joe Canning, a huge influence in Portumna’s return to the top of the local championship scene, is chosen as the Hurler of the Year, with the Gaelic Football accolade going to the county’s lone All Star nominee, St. James’ Paul Conroy.
Another highlight of the presentation banquet will be the honouring of St. Thomas’ as Club of the Year after their memorable All-Ireland hurling triumph last March, while the Special Merit award is bestowed on the Galway U-21 footballers who produced a series of great displays, especially against Kildare and Cork, on their way to ultimate championship glory.
World Colleges champion Martin Mulkerrins is a popular choice for the handball honour, with the golfing award going to Portumna GC’s Suzanne Corcoran, who won the Irish Senior Women’s Close Championship and played a starring role in helping Ireland to win the European title at the same level.
Though the achievements of Irish Age Groups swimming champion, David O’Sullivan, are being recognised for the second time, there are a number of individuals earning their first Sports Stars award as Greenfields goalkeeper Sinead Collins (Hockey); Connacht full back Robbie Henshaw (Rugby); Republic of Ireland goalkeeper David Forde; and colourful trainer John Monroe (Horse Racing) will all be new names on the roll of honour.
Previous award winners who are being feted again are Alanna Lally (Athletics); Kieran Molloy (Boxing); Annette Clarke (Ladies Football); Claire Molloy (Women’s Rugby); and the Bish Junior 18 eights who have completed an historic All-Ireland three-in-a-row at both club and schools level
The Special Achievement award will be presented to the remarkably versatile Ciana Ní Churraoin, who captured All-Ireland medals in three different sports – handball, camogie and ladies football – during 2013.
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 Billy Walsh, seven times Irish senior boxing champion and Head Coach of the IABA’s High Performance Unit.
One of Ireland’s most successful companies, Supermac’s, remain on board as Sports Stars sponsors and the panel of local journalists who adjudicate on the awards are indebted to Pat and Una McDonagh for their continued support.
The selection panel comprised of: John McIntyre, Connacht Tribune; Jim Carney, 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; Ciaran Tierney, Connacht Tribune; Noel Carney, Tuam Herald; Keith Kelly, Connacht Tribune; and Dara Bradley, Connacht Tribune. Full details of the 2013 Galway Sports Stars in this week’s Connacht Tribune.