Tipperary amateur sports stars have been honoured with Annerville awards

Hurler Ronan Maher and Gaelic footballer Jack Kennedy are among the Tipperary amateur sports stars of the year who have been chosen for the annual Annerville awards.

Stars across a variety of sports, and throughout the length and breadth of the county have been chosen by the members of the Tipperary United Sports Panel for the annual awards, sponsored by Bulmers, which will be presented at a function at the Talbot Hotel Clonmel on Saturday night January 27.

The award recipients include boxer Shauna O’Keeffe, who had a stellar year, including winning the National Senior Elite title, before turning professional.

Each year the Sports Panel members present the Knocknagow Award to a sportsperson of the past. This year the choice is John Cleary, from Tipperary Town, who represented the county in handball for a long number of years, beginning in the late 1950s.

He won an All-Ireland Minor Hardball Doubles title with Connie Cleere from Nenagh in 1959, and two years later won an All-Ireland Junior Hardball Singles title.

In hurling, the performances of Ronan Maher were one of the few highlights of a disappointing year for Tipperary hurling, while Jack Kennedy played a key role as Clonmel Commercials won their 21st County Senior Football Championship.

Hockey winner Caoimhe Perdue is now an established member of the Irish international squad hoping to qualify for next year’s Olympics. Rower Daire Lynch has already ensured that Ireland will be represented in the Double Sculls event at the Paris Olympics, after he and Philip Doyle won a bronze medal at the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade.

Young golfer Donnacha Cleary enjoyed another successful year, playing for the Great Britain and Ireland Under 18s against Continental Europe in France, while Aoife McCormack was on the Irish team that won the World Darts Federation World Cup in Denmark.

Declan Foley also returned from a world event with medals in his possession, after winning silver and bronze at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.

Karen Kennedy impressed throughout the year for the Tipperary camogie team, while Newcastle footballer Lauren Fitzpatrick helped the Ballymacarbry ladies footballers to win their 42nd consecutive Waterford Senior Championship, and retained their Munster title.

Sean Mockler won the Men’s Hammer Throw title for the third year running at the National Track and Field Senior Championships, while Aoife Hanrahan made history when winning Ireland’s first-ever women’s Euro Cup gold at the Euro Cup Freestyle Kayak event.

Stephen O’Reilly from Clonmel and Stephen Shoer from Nenagh won All-Ireland senior titles in pitch and putt. In racquetball Aisling Hickey was crowned European Singles champion for the second time, and followed up with three more European golds in women’s doubles, mixed doubles and the team event.

Brian Gleeson starred on the Irish Under 20 rugby team that blazed a trail at the World Cup in France. Brendan O’Donoghue won the Irish amateur snooker title for the sixth time, while completing the three in a row.

In a year when the Irish women’s soccer team played at the World Cup for the first time, Méabh Russell played three games with the Irish Under 19 team in European qualifiers, and she also won a national title with Wexford Youths.

Another woman making a name for herself was rally driver Nicole Drought, who became the first woman to win a UK EnduroKA race.

Eileen Ryan, the long standing secretary of the Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill GAA club, has won the Jimmy Cooney Lifetime Achievement award while Geraldine Kinane, a tireless worker for camogie in the county, has won the Sean Lyons Sports Executive award.

The full list of award winners is -

Athletics: Sean Mockler Moycarkey Coolcroo AC

Boxing: Shauna O’Keeffe Clonmel

Camogie: Karen Kennedy Thurles Sarsfields

Darts: Aoife McCormack Ballingarry

Gaelic football: Jack Kennedy Clonmel Commercials

Golf: Donnacha Cleary Tipperary

Hockey: Caoimhe Perdue Cashel

Hurling: Ronan Maher Thurles Sarsfields

Kayaking: Aoife Hanrahan Clonmel

Ladies Football: Lauren Fitzpatrick Ballymacarbry

Motorsport: Nicole Drought Roscrea

Pitch and Putt: Stephen O’Reilly Clonmel and Stephen Shoer Nenagh

Racquetball: Aisling Hickey Rossmore

Rowing: Daire Lynch Clonmel

Rugby: Brian Gleeson Loughmore

Snooker: Brendan O’Donoghue Nenagh

Soccer: Méabh Russell Clonmel

Special Achievement: Declan Foley Carrick-on-Suir

Sean Lyons Sports Executive: Geraldine Kinane Drom/Inch

Jimmy Cooney Lifetime Achievement: Eileen Ryan Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill

Knocknagow: John Cleary Tipperary Town.

The members of the Tipperary United Sports Panel are Chairman, Eamonn Wynne; Secretary, Seamus King; Treasurer, Ken Conway; Committee - Johnny O’Loughlin, Davy Hallinan, Liam O'Donnchú, Seamus McCarthy, Muiris Walsh, Connie Carroll, Tommy Looby and Liam Hogan.