Nominees announced for prestigious Canon Hayes Awards
The short list of nominees for the 2005 Canon Hayes National Sports Awards were announced at a Press Reception in the Canon Hayes Sports Centre on Friday evening last. This is the 10th year of the Awards and as in other years there is intense interest in the final destination of the bronze statuettes, which will be announced at a Gala Black Tie Banquet in Aherlow House Hotel on Saturday December 10th, 2005. In announcing the nominees Mr. Martin Quinn said that the Canon Hayes Awards are very unique in that they recognise sporting achievement and excellence at various levels and across a wide range of sporting disciplines. He said that they have grown in prestige with each passing year and that a look through the recipients over the years is testament to its place in the national sporting and social calendar. Chairman of the Centre’s Management Committee, Mr. John Hughes, congratulated all the nominees and said that they were indeed worthy of selection in the final shortlist. He referred to the important role played by the Centre in the development of sport in the region and he spoke about the recent addition to the Centre’s facilities of an Astra Turf Development incorporating 3 x 7-a-side soccer pitches and a full hockey/soccer pitch. John went on to say that there were further development plans in place and that they would shortly be embarking on a fund-raising draw campaign to raise funds towards this project.
Many national sporting figures will be present in Aherlow House Hotel on December 10th for the announcement of the 2005 Award winners. The C.E.O. of the Irish Sports Council, Mr. John Treacy along with athlete Catherina McKiernan, John Delaney & Noel O’Reilly from the F.A.I., Mary Davis from Special Olympics Ireland and former rugby star Moss Keane have all confirmed their attendance at this gala event. As there are only a limited number of tickets available for the event early booking is advisable. Tickets are priced at €65 each and can be reserved by calling the Sports Centre on 062-52022.
The following are the 2004 nominees;
Local Award
Timmy Kiely from Tipperary Town has come up through the ranks of schoolboy soccer with the St. Michael’s Club and was in fact the first schoolboy international in 30 yrs of the clubs existence. He attracted the interest of many cross channel clubs and after a year of trials he signed with Glasgow Celtic earlier this year. He picked up an injury with the Irish U.17 side which ruled him out for most of his first season but following surgery is now on the way to full recovery.
Pa Morrissey from Galtee Rovers Bansha is a dual player who has featured prominently for the Tipperary Senior Football and Hurling Teams in 2005. He won a national title with the footballers in the Tommy Murphy Cup Competition and he won his second Dublin Senior Hurling Title this year with U.C.D. He is hoping for further success as UCD progress to the Final of the Leinster Club Senior Hurling Championship.
James Walsh from Cashel has won numerous honours with St. Michael’s A.F.C. at youth and senior level. He progressed to junior international level and was selected as International Junior Player of the Year for 2004. He has been capped 27 times at Junior International level and this year he finished as top scorer in the pre-qualifying tournament of the European Regions Cup and scored 2 goals in the game against England. He has also just been named as the new Captain of the Irish side.
County Award
The Clonmel Rowing Club Ladies U.18 Team made history during the summer with the row of their lives at the National Championships on Inniscarra Lake. They shocked the rowing community by winning the Women’s Junior (18) Eights in wonderful style to record the club’s first eights national title since 1920. The relatively unknown eight overcame very stiff opposition to win gold in thrilling fashion.
Con Marnane & Kevin Ryan are a Bansha/Golden racing partnership that took the racing world by storm this year. They took on the might of the oil wells and stud farms and came out on top when they claimed two Group 1 races - the Group 1 Middle Park & Group 1 Racing Post trophy races. ‘Palace Episode’ and ‘Amadeous Wolf’ were the names of the horses that upset all the odds by claiming two of the biggest prizes in sport for this very successful local partnership.
The Tipperary Senior Football Team went from making headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2004 to making the news for the right reasons in 2005. After losing to Kerry in the Munster championship the team re-focussed and found new form in the All-Ireland qualifiers when they were unlucky to loose out to Westmeath. They maintained this form in the Tommy Murphy Cup with victories over Leitrim and Roscommon before fully restoring pride in the county colours by defeating hot favourites Wexford in the final of the competition. Winning a national title at Croke Park was a fitting reward for Manager Seamus McCarthy and for Captain Declan Browne.
National
The Irish Cricket Team will look back on 2005 as being a momentous year for them and for all those involved in the sport in the country. Not only did Ireland reach the 2007 World Cup Finals but they also won the Intercontinental Cup, a first World trophy in its history. Recent times have seen notable successes being chalked up for Irish cricket including a record breaking run of 10 victories (‘03-’04), success over two test nations Zimbabwe and West Indies and success over a leading English county, Surrey CCC.
David Gillick made a sensational breakthrough to top class athletics when he won the European Indoor Championships over 400 metres in Madrid last March in a time of 46.30 secs. He won his heat in that competition in a personal best time of 46.17 secs. Leading up to the championships David had an unbeaten run from events in Glasgow, Birmingham and especially the AAA’s in Sheffield where he ran three exceptional races to win the title.
The Tyrone Senior Football Team notched up a second All–Ireland Title in 3 years when they defeated Kerry in a thrilling final in Croke Park. They certainly did it the hard way as they drew three times during the year and lost out to Armagh (following a replay) in the Ulster Final. Mickey Harte however had his sights set on another All-Ireland for the Red Hands and they had to overcome Monaghan and Dublin (at the second attempt) before gaining revenge on Armagh in the semi-final. They displayed a super level of intensity and skill to gain victory over Munster champions Kerry in the All-Ireland Final and claim a poignant and emotional victory without their former inspirational captain the late Cormac McAnallen.
Outstanding Achievement Award
The Outstanding Achievement Award for 2005 is being awarded to Mary O’Connor from Cork, a lady who is widely regarded in sporting circles as being a player of outstanding skill and ability. A dual player she has appeared in no less than ten All-Irelands in Croke Park and has tasted victory on 6 occasions. Her first All-Ireland victory was with the Junior Football Team ten years ago. Since then she has added 4 senior camogie titles and a senior football title, the latter being recorded this year when she was one of four players to achieve the historic double for Cork in Camogie and Ladies Football. Her performances throughout the year in camogie earned her a much sought after All-Star Award. She also played a key role with her club Donoughmore in the All-Ireland Ladies Football Club Championship only going out in the semi-final following a replay to Ballyboden St. Enda’s.
Mick Doyle Golden Memory Award
The Mick Doyle Golden Memory Award is a special presentation made to recapture a golden sporting memory. Members of the public were invited to submit letters outlining their sporting memory and from those submitted one recounting a victory of cyclist Sean Kelly was chosen.
Sean Kelly conquered the world of cycling in spectacular fashion and recorded over 200 wins in his career. Known as ‘King of the Classics’, he was one of the greatest sprinters in the sport and was rated No. 1 in the world from 1983 – 1988. The Golden Memory submitted is of a victory in a time trial in his native Carrick-on-Suir in the Nissan Classic. Some commentators have suggested that this performance was the best that they had ever seen from Kelly.
The Mick Doyle Award will be presented to Sean Kelly along with the presentation of Awards for the Local, County, National & Outstanding Achievement categories, at a Gala Black Tie Banquet in Aherlow House Hotel on Saturday December 10th, 2005.
