GAA Annual awards
January 28, 2011As well as the presentation of the GAA Annual Awards for 2010 last Saturday night's presentation dinner turned into something of a marathon affair as it also doubled as a medals presentation for the successful Monaghan senior and U21 hurlers, the Ulster championship winning Monaghan County Vocational Schools team, the presentations to the various referees who had officiated at the various championship finals last year, presentations to a number of retiring officers and former team managers and mentors and a 25th anniversary reunion for the Monaghan team of 1985 who won the double of National Football League and Ulster championship back those 25 years ago.
PLAYER AWARDS.
SENIOR FOOTBALLER:
Gavan DOOGAN, the senior footballer of the year for 2010 was cited as being the driving force behind Magheracloone's drive to the final of the senior football championship with his pacy play being an element in Magheracloone's march to the final. He partnered his brother Francie in midfield but his only reward for all that effort was picking up the man of the match award in the senior football championship final replay.
INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALLER.
Ciaran McManus who picked up the intermediate footballer of the year award was cited as playing a key role in Doohamlet's first ever intermediate football championship success last year and their subsequent march to the final of the Ulster intermediate club championship where they lost out narrowly to Fermanagh champions, Lisnaskea. McManus has been playing senior football for Doohamlet since he was 16 and has also picked up experience at county level.
JUNIOR FOOTBALLER.
Declan Larkin, Corduff, was awarded the Junior Footballer of the year for his central role in Corduff winning the Monaghan junior football championship last year. Playing in the pivotal role of centre back he liked nothing better than driving forward and his goal in the quarter-final of the Ulster club championship was crucial to Corduff's progress. His prowess also saw him pick up two man of the match awards, the first in the replay of the Monaghan junior football championship final and he also picked up the player accolade in the final of the Ulster junior club championship.
YOUNG FOOTBALLER.
With Colin Walshe of Doohamlet picking up the Young Footballer of the year award it made for two playing awards going to the club which is also a first for them. Colin captained Monaghan to the All Ireland Vocational Schools title in 2009 and was called onto the county panel last year where he played at both senior and under 21 level, coming into the senior team for the vital National Football League victory over Tyrone. He was also central to Doohamlet winning the Monaghan intermediate championship and reaching the final of the Ulster club series while at colleges level he has won an All Ireland Freshers title with DIT and is a member of their Sigerson Cup team for this year.
HURLING.
SENIOR HURLER.
It was almost inevitable and that the two playing awards in hurling would go to Inniskeen given the phenomenal success they enjoyed last year. Senior Hurler of the year, Seamus Loftus captained Inniskeen to three senior hurling trophies last year as well as playing a vital role in Monaghan's successful National Hurling League division 4 campaign. He scored four points in the final of the senior hurling championship and as well as his three hurling medals he also picked up an intermediate football league gong when Inniskeen defeated Doohamlet in the long delayed final of the intermediate football league to make for a remarkable year.
YOUNG HURLER.
The award for Young Hurler of the Year also went to Inniskeen with Martin Murphy picking up the accolade for the contribution that he made to Inniskeen's success with his pace and energy in their attack. He registered a total of one goal and eight points, (1-8), in the Monaghan and Ulster championships and as well as his two championship medals he also picked up senior and reserve hurling league titles to make for a memorable year.
HANDBALL AWARD.
Terry Kiernan: Carrickmacross.
Terry started to play handball at the age of 9 and won almost every underage title in the county and represented Monaghan in several under-age Ulster finals.
He was also the first Carrickmacross man to win a Monaghan senior handball championship in 2004 and he has played in 7 Monaghan Senior finals, winning 4 in all and wining six Senior Doubles titles also. With his club Carrickmacross, he won 3 Ulster club Championships.
2010 saw Terry winning the Senior League and Championships in the county once again, the Junior Ulster 40 x 20, but unfortunately having reached the All Ireland final for the second year in a row, he once again came out as runner-up.
LADIES FOOTBALL. Lavina Connolly (Latton).
The Ladies Footballer of the Year, Lavina Connolly, played with the Rockorry ladies team until Latton formed their own team in the year 2000. Among a host of honours she is the holder of Monaghan and Ulster junior championships, Monaghan junior league, Ulster and Ireland titles at U14 with Monaghan, and an Ulster title at U16 with the county as well as an All Ireland Junior B league and three Ulster seniors as well as being a runner-up on two occasions at All Ireland level.
CAMOGIE AWARD. Shauna Finnegan (Clontibret).
The winner of the camogie player of the year award, Shauna Finnegan from the Clontibret club began her career at the local National School joining the club's first team at the tender age of 14 and in 2006 she first appeared in a county jersey and later she picked up her first national title in the year where she was also awarded U16 player of the year at club level. In total Shauna has amassed six Monaghan senior championship titles, Monaghan and Armagh senior league medals, a division five National League medal as well as the senior player of the year for 2009 with her club. However it was last year when she really shone making an outstanding contribution to the Monaghan county team as they picked up their first all Ireland Junior championship title, the Maire Ni Chinneide Cup, and she was also chosen as the player of the match in the Monaghan senior championship final.
SUPPORTERS CLUB PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dick Clerkin (Currin).
This much coveted award went to Dick Clerkin for his his consistently strong performances against Derry, Mayo and Tyrone in the league that were vital to Monaghan maintaining division one status that gave him the edge. His citation went on to mention his high fielding, passing, boundless energy and constant movement as key qualities that set him apart last year.
HALL OF FAME.
Two former greats of the game in the county, Benny Mone, Clontibret, and Jim O'Hanlon, Ballybay, were inducted into the Monaghan GAA Hall of Fame at last Saturday nights Northern Standard sponsored awards ceremony in the Hill Grove Hotel. It was fitting perhaps that these two men were jointly inducted on the same night as they were part and parcel of a great era in Monaghan club football in particular when Ballybay and Clontibret were the dominant forces.
BENNY MONE : made his championship debut with Clontibret in1953 although that was a disappointing year as Clontibret surrendered their championship title after completing a record-breaking four in a row in 1952. Championship success came however in 1955, 1956 and 1958 with a team that is regarded as one of the greatest of all time in the county. He went on to captain Clontibret to further championship success in 1968, his fourth championship medal although he did appear in 11 senior county finals. He was not long in the Clontibret jersey until he came to the notice of the county selectors and was a regular on the county team for over a decade although no Ulster championship title came to Monaghan in that time. As well as representing Monaghan he also represent Ulster in the Railway Cup a phase of his career that began with a winners medal in 1960 and he was also a member of the team in 1962 along with such illustrious names as Dan McCarten of Down and Jim McDonnaell, Cavan. When his playing career ended he continued serving the association as a referee and took charge of games from U12 level in Monaghan to inter-county championship matches in Ulster as well as games in the National Football League. He also served as chairman of the Monaghan referees committee for over 12 years and in that time helped to further the cause of referees and refereeing.
JIM O'HANLON, Ballybay.
captained Ballybay to the minor football championship in 1956, the first time ever that the club had taken this title, and his outstanding work as a defender was central to that victory. The following year he began to establish himself on the club's senior team and featured in Ballybay's victory over Clontibret in both the drawn and replayed senior football championship final. The following year he won a senior league medal and was first selected on the county senior team where he played against Cavan in the Ulster semi-final of 1958. 1959 saw him pick up his second Monaghan senior football championship medal, again after a drawn and replayed county final with Clontibret. He was a regular on the Monaghan senior football team until 1967 while at club level the highlight of his career came in 1962 when he captained Ballybay to the senior football championship title, then going on to add a fourth medal in 1969 when Ballybay defeated Castleblayney in the final.
LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Liam McGrath (C'Blayney).
As a player Liam McGrath came on the scene in the early 1940s along with his brother Charlie who was a forward of exceptional ability. Liam's first experience of the county final was on the Castleblayney team that lost in 1936 Schools League final to Aghabog but he played on the winning team in 1937. At senior level with Castleblayney he won his only senior championship medal as a player in 1946 but continued to play at the heart of the Castleblayney defence until he retired as a player in 1957. His first success as a team manager was at minor level when Castleblayney won 4 minor championships and three minor leagues between 1957 and 1961 and he went on to build on that success at senior level. Success didn't come easy though and he was in charge in three losing finals before Castleblayney went on to achieve a five in a row between 1963 and 1967. The 1970's though was to be his most successful period as a manager as Castleblayney won 6 senior titles, 1970 to 1973 and 1975 to 1976. He achieved his 12th county senior championship as a manager in 1982 making for an outstanding record of managing teams to 20 county finals in 23 years.
PRESENTATIONS TO CLUB OFFICIALS.
SENIOR CLUB OFFICIAL: Carl Laverty (Oram).
The contribution that Carl Laverty has made to the Oram club, that has seen him complete 50 years of unbroken, dedicated service saw him pick up the Club Official of the year at last Saturday night's awards ceremony. As a player Carl Laverty represented Oram for 30 years and also played in goals for Monaghan at both junior and senior level. As an official of the club he has held office in a variety of capacities since 1960 right up to the present-day when he is currently Club Treasurer and played a major role in developing the facilities the club now boasts. As an official he has acted as Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, PRO, county board delegate, club referee, team manager and selector and in the early days there were times when he was combining all of those roles including that of goalkeeper. As a player he won a Hackett Cup medal in 1968 and was still in goals when Oram won the junior football championship in 1980.
YOUTH OFFICIAL: Dermot Maguire (Scotstown).
Mol and Oige agus tiocfaidh se could well be the theme for Dermot Maguire's involvement with his club Scotstown and it was for that work with the youth of the club and parish that he was awarded the Youth Official of the year at last Saturday night's presentation function. Dermot devotes an inordinate amount of time to the coaching and player development side of games in the club and has taken charge of numerous teams and with considerable success but it is the infectious enthusiasm that he brings to the work that saw him honoured as the Youth Official of the Year for 2010.
YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS.
Two further additions to the list of awards this year saw the introduction of Youth Achievement Awards in football and in hurling. The inaugural football award was won by the Killanny club for the work that has been done in completely restructuring the underage side of the club's activities to the extent that they have now recovered from a position where it was feared they would go out of existence to being one of the clubs in the county that is building in momentum based on the work that has been done by so many people at underage level.
HURLING.
The inaugural Hurling Award went to the Castleblayney Hurling Club who has over the years established a great reputation as the leading light in the development of young players. The club continues to do tremendous work not only with the juveniles in the club but also with young players in the schools in the surrounding area of Castleblayney and it was fitting that the award was picked up by Jarlath Denny who along with Noel McGuigan has spearheaded a lot of this work.
CLUB OF THE YEAR: Scotstown.
As well as picking up one of the Club Official of the Year awards the Scotstown club was also named as the outright winner of the Club of the Year award, ticking most of the boxes on the list of criteria that was drawn up earlier in the year for this particular award. The club was cited for their work at underage level where they are catering for the needs of over 200 children, the club is deeply involved in Scor through Pauline and Mackie Rooney and over the years has taken five All Ireland Scor titles and numerous provincial honours. They are actively involved in ladies football wine away from the playing end of things they have undertaken a major upgrading of the facilities at the St Mary Sports Complex and tribute was paid to all of those who work so unselfishly to keep Scotstown right up there at the top. The award was accepted on behalf of the club by club chairman Kevin Connolly.
COUNTY FINALS REFEREES PRESENTATIONS.
Last Saturday night also saw presentations to the referees who had taken charge of the county championship finals in football and hurling last year as well as a special presentation by the Youth Board to a referee for outstanding service at that level.
Dermot Boylan was taking charge of his first senior football championship final last year, the drawn game between Clontibret and Magheracloone which he described as the biggest game to date in the 10 years he has been acting as a referee.
Darren McQuillan took charge of the replay to make for his second senior football championship final as he was also in charge in the 2005 final between Latton and Magheracloone.
Brian Finnegan of Donaghmoyne took charge of the intermediate football championship final, a grade where he is also the holder of an intermediate football championship medal that he won with Donaghmoyne in 1996.
Gerard Treanor from the Truagh club who took up refereeing in the year 2000 was in charge of the junior football championship decider between Corduff and Cremartin which ended in a draw.
Martin McMahon of Aughnamullen took charge of the replay for his third major championship final as he was also in charge of the junior championship final in 2008 and the intermediate football championship final in 1999.
County Hurling Officer, Noel Mullaney doubles his duties as he also acts as a hurling referee and was in charge of a thrilling senior hurling championship final last year that saw Inniskeen take their first ever senior hurling championship title.
The Youth Referee of the year was awarded to Stephen Hagan from the Sean McDermott's club who was recognised for his outstanding service at underage level, where he took charge of the minor football championship division 3 final and the U16 championship division 1 final as well as refereeing a number of reserve games and acting as linesman and 4th official on many occasions.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS.
A number of special presentations were also made on the night to mark service in a variety of capacities. Outgoing senior and minor team managers Seamus McEnaney and Bernie Murray were acknowledged for their service although Seamus McEnaney was in absentia. Dr Michael McGinnity received a special presentation to mark his 20 years of service as doctor to Monaghan teams. Sean Murphyy who stepped down as assistant secretary of the county board and Pauline Rooney who stepped down as Language and Cultural Officer were also both acknowledged as was Annie McSkeane who had helped maintain the playing gear for the 1979 and 1985 teams.
PARAIC DUFFY.
Ard Stiurthoir Cumann Luthchleas Gael, Paraic.Duffy who was a special guest on the night spoke of the privilege it was to be at the function and was doubly delighted to be present he said because it was a reunion of the 1985 team a team he was involved with as chairman of Monaghan county board at that time but that was a period when friendships that were formed lasted the test of time and he went on to pay tribute to the two winners of the Hall of Fame, Benny Mone and Jim O'Hanlon who had both given "wonderful service". In referring to Liam McGrath he paid tribute to him for his contribution to Castleblayney referring in particular to "the inspirational speeches in dressing rooms prior to championship matches particularly county finals", speeches he said that "turned ordinary players into giants of men" and he was delighted to see Liam's service recognised.
1985 RE-UNION.
One of the highlights of the night of course was the special presentation to the members of the 1985 team who were all present bar Eamonn Murphy who was unavoidably absent due to work commitments abroad. During their meal prior to the presentations guests were treated to a viewing of the 1985 National Football League final between Monaghan and Armagh in Croke Park and highlights from the 1985 Ulster senior football championship final between Monaghan and Derry in Clones. Each player was then presented with a copy of the DVD by Michael O'Muircheartaigh.
RAFFLE.
The fundraising raffle for 2 sets of National Football League tickets and tickets to the first round of the Ulster senior football championship were won by Kathleen Smith, R & S Printers and Eileen Keenan, Corduff. Tweet
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