Olympic Games bronze medallist Daire Lynch heads the list of sports award winners in Tipperary

Olympic Games bronze medallist Daire Lynch is one of the Tipperary amateur sports stars of the year who have been chosen for Annerville awards.

The Clonmel rower’s achievement, along with that of his double sculls partner Philip Doyle, ensured that Tipperary was caught in the grip of Olympics fever during the summer.

Daire Lynch heads the list of award winners who also include a Clonmel man who ran five marathons in five days on five continents, while setting a new world record in the first marathon. William Maunsell, who has also been honoured by the Tipperary United Sports Panel, set a new world record time for running a marathon in Antarctica, the first of that amazing sequence, which he undertook as part of the Great World Race.

The Clonmel AC man also ran a record time for a Tipperary man in the marathon when finishing third in the national championship, held as part of the Dublin Marathon, and he also won the Cork City Half Marathon, as well as finishing in 15th place in the London Marathon.

The Annerville awards, which are sponsored by Bulmers, will be presented by the Tipperary United Sports Panel at a function at the Talbot Hotel Clonmel on Saturday night, January 25.

That will be a big occasion for Loughmore/Castleiney, who will receive the Slievenamon Award for Exceptional Achievement following a year in which they won a county GAA treble of senior hurling, senior football and junior football. The club has also completed a clean sweep of the individual hurling and football awards, with John McGrath winning the former and his cousin Liam McGrath winning the latter.

Elsewhere, the Knocknagow Award, which is presented each year to a famous sportsperson of the past, will be presented to Sean McLoughlin, the Thurles Sarsfields player who is the holder of four senior All-Ireland medals won with Tipperary in 1961, ’62, ’64, and ‘65, as well as the two minor hurling All-Ireland medals won in 1952 and ’53.

Lahorna Handball Club members, brother and sister Hannah Grace and Rory Grace, have been honoured after a year in which they won world titles. European bronze medallist Kaysie Joyce has won the boxing award, while the Cahir Park Pierce Purcell team that won the All-Ireland for the first time in the club’s history will receive the golf award.

Clonmel darts player Aidan O’Hara is recognised after a year during which he was on the Irish Youths team that won gold at the WDF Europe Cup in Latvia.

Jimmy Fennessy, who coached Olympic bronze medallist Daire Lynch during his early career, will receive the Jimmy Cooney Lifetime Achievement award for a coaching career with and service to Clonmel Rowing Club that stretches back over several decades.

It was another year of outstanding success for racing driver Nicole Drought, who won her first UK Championship, as well as retaining the Open Clubman Irish Rallycross Championship.

Paschal Kavanagh, James Harney and Paul Hackett, three Tipperary men who were on the Irish soccer team that played in the very first Transplant World Cup, have been honoured with the Special Achievement award.

The Sean Lyons Sports Executive award, which honours an outstanding administrator, has gone to Jamie Blanchfield, who is the Cycling Ireland (CI) National Paracycling Coach. Under his guidance, the Irish paracycling team secured an impressive haul of medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, including one gold and two silvers across three different cycling events.

All-Star Karen Kennedy has been honoured with the camogie award for the second year running, while Emma Cronin, who helped Moyle Rovers win the county senior championship for the first time, wins the Ladies Football award.

All-Ireland Under 13 doubles badminton champion Simon Setikas; the All-Ireland Rugby League player of the year, Willie Coffey; and the Presentation Secondary School, Thurles team that won the All-Ireland Senior Girls A Schools Soccer Final are also included in the list.

So too is Willie John Fitzgerald, who won the Irish Open pitch and putt crown, while in tennis Aidan Garcia Seeber represented Ireland in Under 12 competitions in the Czech Republic and Birmingham, as well as reaching the national finals in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

The full list of award winners is

Athletics: William Maunsell, Clonmel

Badminton: Simon Setikas, Nenagh

Boxing: Kaysie Joyce, Clonmel

Camogie: Karen Kennedy, Thurles

Darts: Aidan O’Hara, Clonmel

Gaelic Football: Liam McGrath, Loughmore/Castleiney

Golf: Cahir Park Pierce Purcell Shield Team

Handball: Rory Grace and Hannah Grace, Lahorna

Hurling: John McGrath, Loughmore/Castleiney

Ladies football: Emma Cronin, Moyle Rovers

Motor Sport: Nicole Drought, Roscrea

Pitch and Putt: Willie John Fitzgerald, Clonmel

Rowing: Daire Lynch, Clonmel

Rugby: Willie Coffey, Nenagh Rugby Club

Soccer: Presentation Secondary School, Thurles

Sean Lyons Sports Executive: Jamie Blanchfield, Clonmel

Tennis: Aidan Garcia Seeber, Cashel

Special Achievement: Paschal Kavanagh, James Harney, Paul Hackett

Jimmy Cooney Lifetime Achievement Award: Jimmy Fennessy, Clonmel

Knocknagow Award: Sean McLoughlin, Thurles Sarsfields

Slievenamon Award for Exceptional Achievement: Loughmore Castleiney GAA Club.

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