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Armagh GAA have announced the winners of their Club All-Star Awards 2020. The event hosted online by Jimmy Smyth brought the awards to an even larger audience than usual.
Smyth said "In normal times we would have had a celebratory awards night for all our recipients but tonight we get to bring the awards to an even wider audience to recognise our 15 club All-Stars and our individual awards for club and county."
Speaking about the year none of us will forget Smyth continued "At the start of 2020 just before the club season was due to commence the pandemic hit and the country went into lockdown. None of us knew what lay ahead and whether or not we would even have a football or hurling club season. Well our clubs rose to the challenge supporting rural and urban communities across the county delivering food parcels and shopping, working with community pharmacies to deliver prescriptions to the most vulnerable and staying connected to the local people. The response was simply amazing and was something that people will never forget."
Over 70% of County Armagh clubs were involved in community response with 637 volunteers supporting 4,032 local people.
Aidan Forker was awarded County Footballer of the Year. Forker said "The team, we're obviously very close now, being together on this path for a number of years. For them to recognise me as having a good decent year and performing. It means a lot.
"I've worked hard, upped my game, I think over the last couple of years I've started to become a bit more stable in my performances, stable in my temperment a bit too, its helped, but it's a great honour to be recognised and be among the named players that have gone before me"
Nathan Curry was awarded both Senior Hurler of the Year and County Hurler of the Year. Curry said "The personal accolade is just something that goes along with the team effort. That's the way I would see it.
"There is a lot of youth coming through in Armagh and its trying to pull those players through while keeping the experienced there within the squad as well so I think the future is bright within Armagh Hurling. There's quite a lot of young capable players. They will take time to adjust and get up to that standard but you can definitely see that the talent is there within the clubs."
The Middletown Hurler thinks promotion should be the aim within the next number of seasons "I think the main aim is to get out of that division, get promoted to a higher division and play a higher quality of hurling. Again that will pull more players towards the county setup" said Curry.
Armagh GAA Club All-Star Team of the Year
Individual Awards
Underage Referee of the Year: Stephen Murray
Hurling Referee of the Year: Ronan Harte
Football Referee of the Year: Kevin Faloon
Scor Club of the Year: St Patrick’s Cullyhanna
Volunteer of the Year: Sam McClatchey
Junior Hurler of the Year: Tiarnan O’Hare
Senior Hurler of the Year: Nathan Curry
Junior Footballer of the Year: Tony Canning
Intermediate Footballer of the Year: Stefan Campbell
Senior Footballer of the Year: Brian Fox
County Hurler of the Year: Nathan Curry
County Footballer of the Year: Aidan Forker
Chairman’s Award: Paul Heaney and Kevin Fox (Armagh TV)
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Every indication is that there will be some return to sport in the area, when the current Covid restrictions are lifted on April 12.
Training will be permitted but for St Colman’s College Head of PE Cathal Murray, it comes too late for his players, although he says he is committed to helping those students who have struggled in life without sport.
“I think the lack of sport could have an impact on our young people in the long-term. They got a bit of football during the summer but really, they have gone the best part of 12 months with no football,” said Murray.
“For lads that usually are so active and see playing sport as a release because they are doing something they enjoy, sport is more than doing something physical, the challenge that lads have and the discipline they experience from being involved in training at schools, clubs and counties is important.
“They need to get back to it. I had a lad come to me asking could he go out onto the field, he brought his own balls and his boots, so he didn’t have to touch the school footballs, he just needed to get out onto a pitch and have a kickabout and this is what we are dealing with. It is so important and rewarding to their lives.”
Before most of his pupils returned back to the classrooms Murray chose to travel to the College where he gave his online class simply to get out of his house and develop some form of routine.
Murray, who managed St Colman’s to back-to-back Hogan Cups in 2010-2011 and has been involved at inter-county management with Down and Louth as well as at club level with Carryduff this season, admits he is keen for the restrictions to be lifted but he is aware how much more acute the issues are for the youth of today.
“From my point of view there would normally be barely a night where I would have been stuck in the house, if I wasn’t at training, I’d be watching underage football and looking at players and I just can’t wait to get back out to it again because being stuck in the house all the time isn’t good for anyone,” Murray said.
“And as much as us adults can probably deal with that it is the children who struggle to overcome those feelings of being stuck in the same room with the same four walls closing in around them.”
Ulster Schools GAA made the decision in February that there would be no schools GAA this season, with September the target for the ban to be lifted.
Murray said he was disappointed with the decision and he felt that there could be ways to find a solution to allow competitive games to go ahead for those in their final year.
“A lot of these boys are sitting in their bedrooms, looking at four walls, were doing classes online and following the timetable between 9am and 3.30pm,” he said.
“They would have been so active at school and any inkling or hope that there might be MacRory Cup being taken away from them hit a lot of the boys really hard. A lot of the boys struggled with the decision and while all the boys are coming back at our school, I have heard stories of boys from other schools deciding that if there is no football then they are not going back to school, because the grades are going to be based on the teachers’ opinion.”
One solution may have been to play the games in May and June as there are no exams in the six counties, but exams will take place in Monaghan, Cavan and Donegal during those months and of course no-one knows how the virus will be affecting our lives in a few months’ time. But with no sign of school sport returning before the end of the school year, it won’t be an easy time for many children and Murray insists that the student’s mental wellbeing is a top priority.
“We at the school will be there for the boys who need support and show them that we care and that we are more than just teachers and managers, but people who will look out for their welfare and care about how they are feeling,” Murray said.
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Ulster GAA has been awarded nearly £6M from the Sport NI Sports Sustainability Fund programme.
The Sports Sustainability Fund programme award of £5.93m will support GAA clubs and units in the six counties.
The Sports Sustainability Fund is designed to help governing bodies of sport and clubs who have been financially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. This funding has been administered by Sport NI with Ulster GAA collating a submission on behalf of affected units.
In all, 180 GAA clubs and units, including Ladies Football, Camogie and Handball, will share in this new funding that results in a total award of £7.38m to Ulster GAA from the Sports Sustainability Fund.
In the first wave of funding announced earlier this month, Ulster GAA, as the governing body for Gaelic games in Ulster, received £1.44m to help the organisation recover from the financial impacts of the pandemic.
The successful clubs and units will be notified of their awards today and all funding will be distributed by 31 March.
Welcoming the latest announcement, Ulster GAA Chief Executive Officer and Provincial Secretary Brian McAvoy said “On behalf of our Clubs and units, I again wish to sincerely thank the Executive, the Department for Communities and Sport NI for their overall management of this funding process that will help greatly to sustain the sports sector at this difficult time”
“Ulster GAA staff have worked closely with our Clubs and units over the last few months to ensure their applications and supporting documentation met the Fund criteria, so we are delighted with this level of successful applicants.”
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November’s Ulster Rally will bring the curtain down on the 2021 British Rally Championship, with the Newry-based event acting as the sixth, and final, round of the mixed surface series. The event takes place 19 and 20 November 2021.
After an enforced delay, the British Rally Championship moves into gear in early July, with registered crews having to negotiate a total of five rounds in England, Scotland and Wales before they can begin to make plans for the short trip across the Irish Sea to the Ulster Rally.
The British Rally Championship was called off in June of last year after just one round due to the coronavirus health pandemic, with this also leading to the Ulster Rally being cancelled.
However, all stakeholders are confident a full campaign will take place this season given the speed at which the vaccine programme is currently being rolled out across the four nations.
Promoted by Northern Ireland Motor Club Limited, the Ulster Rally has been a mainstay of the British Rally Championship for many years – and organisers are pleased the tie-up is continuing. “The Ulster Rally is delighted to welcome the British Rally Championship back to Northern Ireland, and to our event, later in the year,” said Event Director Richard Swanston. “Hopefully, the fight for the many titles will come down to the last round and where better for the drivers to battle it out for the overall British Rally title than the tricky roads of Ulster?
“The weather has always played a big part – and had a big say – in our event, and with the Ulster Rally taking place in mid-November this year, I am confident that theme will continue.
“Plans are progressing well for the 2021 instalment of the Ulster Rally and I am sure it will provide a dynamic and exciting twist for all involved with the British Rally Championship.”
This is the first time the Ulster Rally is being held outside of its traditional August slot, and the British Rally Championship’s Manager believes the unpredictable climate in Northern Ireland in early winter will add another layer of intrigue to the UK’s blue riband rally series.
“The Ulster Rally is always a tough event that succeeds in serving up a short, sharp, shock of intense competition,” said Iain Campbell. “Just how the challenge will change with the November date, we will have to wait and see.
“But as a constant on the British Rally Championship calendar, we look forward to this being our final 2021 round – something that is also new for the Ulster Rally,” he added.
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Former Armagh, Monaghan and Tyrone hurling boss Mattie Lennon has been confirmed as new manager of the Armagh Camogie Senior Team.
Lennon's appointment was ratified at a special meeting of the Armagh county board with strong support from club delegates. Mattie will be joined by his background team to take charge of the panel and will succeed Michaél Murphy & Pauric Dowdall, who historically managed the Armagh camogs to an All Ireland Junior win in 2020.
Lennon, an illustrious sportsman from St Mochua’s Derrynoose, served as Orchard & Monaghan hurling manager before spending the last 6 seasons with neighbours Tyrone.
Armagh Camogie spokesperson, Breda Cunningham commented, “We are delighted to welcome both Mattie and his background team to Armagh Camogie. Mattie’s passion & professional approach to the game is renowned and exactly what our county needs to spark future success given the momentous year that was 2020 with our All Ireland Junior win.
“We also wish to thank our outgoing management, Michaél Murphy & Pauric Dowdall along with their support team for the excellent service to Armagh Camogie.
“We look forward now with great hope to our games recommencing over the coming months”.
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There was no-one more surprised than Blaithin Mackin when she was announced as the centre half back in the 2020 AIG Ladies Gaelic Football Team of the Year, but that only speaks volumes of how unassuming the 22-year-old Armagh footballer is.
Mackin had an outstanding campaign in her new role at half-back under manager Ronan Murphy as the Orchard ladies won the Ulster championship title and pushed Dublin all the way in an exciting All-Ireland championship semi-final. She was a worthy award winner, even if it still hasn’t sunk in for the young footballer.
“When my name was announced I was in complete shock, never in a million years did I expect it because the calibre of players is so high, there are just some amazing footballers in the ladies’ game,” Mackin said.
“I really would not have thought I was up with those players, but it is nice that somebody thinks I am. It was a big shock and obviously my family was delighted, and I was just sitting there and didn’t know what to do and then there was tears of joy of course.”
Fast, powerful, with silky skills and an eye for goal, Blaithin has grown into a key player for the Orchard team. The younger sister of Player of Year Aimee, the awards were a memorable occasion for the Mackin family and wider Camlough community.
“I was proud of Aimee and I was delighted for her and you couldn’t say she wasn’t deserved of it because she was more than deserving, especially after the year she had,” Blaithin said.
The Covid pandemic has left an unpredictable GAA season ahead but given how well Blaithin and her Orchard team-mates reacted after the last lockdown, the Shane O’Neill’s star is confident on building on last year’s successes.
“Training has gotten easier for me this year because Aimee does the runs with me compared to last year, “said Blaithin.
“We were on different programs last year, with Aimee’s injury. This year I am definitely enjoying the company in the runs rather that have to talk to myself to get through it. Even doing the gyms session with her has been a boost.
“I wouldn’t have been great at the gyms sessions but now Aimee has got me paying more attention to the strength side of things. Beforehand I didn’t do it much, I would have focused on the skills and running side of things in training and I love that. And it can only help my game, when you see how Aimee came out of that injury and all she could do was gym work, I knew I had to do more gym work and of course I have time due to lockdown.”
Blaithin is studying a master’s degree and it is online, which Mackin doesn’t mind because it fits into her lockdown lifestyle as it gives her more time to train. The Camlough woman stays in touch with her team-mates and believes it was the first lockdown last year that allowed so many footballers to become full-time athletes, with training twice a day not unusual. She believes the club season should come first and looking forward to playing with Shane O’Neill’s but Mackin also has high hopes for Armagh in 2021.
“My aim would be to get out of division two and into division one where we would be playing the best teams every week,” said Blaithin.
“Hopefully, we can win another Ulster title and then push on and go further in the All-Ireland championship and reach the final. We can’t look too far ahead and once the season starts; we will take it one game at a time but before the season starts, I like to aim to go further that we did last year.”
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Newry born boxer Danny McAlinden passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer. Danny made his home in Coventry in the early 1960's and became a Heavyweight British and Commonwealth Champion in 1972 with his defeat of Jack Bodell in two rounds.
In his book A Shared Home Place the late Seamus Mallon recalls teaching him at St Joseph's School in Newry and even sparring with him - although McAlinden always won!
Danny was the recipient of the Hall of Fame Award at the 2009 Newry and Mourne Sports Awards.
Mayor at the time, John Feehan nominated him for the award and recalls presenting him with it. On the night they put his 1972 heavyweight championship fight on the big screen. Commenting the former Mayor recalls "You would have thought it was a live fight. The crowd in the Canal Court were going mad cheering"
Danny was always loud in his praise of the Newry men who gave him a start in Boxing. Bosco men like John Fearon, RIP and Tom Tumilty. Remembering them in 2010 Danny said "They gave their time willingly, without thought of payment. The salt of the earth. There are few people like those today. Apart that is from Seamus McCormick who is a latter day Fearon"
"John Fearon was the man who taught me how to box. He put the first gloves on me. I had never thrown a punch until I met him"
Danny died 50 years to the day after he out-pointed Rahman Ali over six rounds in the chief support for Muhammad Ali’s legendary ‘Fight of the Century’ rumble with Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden, New York.
Wins for McAlinden and Frazier that night in ‘the Garden’ meant that both Ali brothers lost and the county Down native – who was involved in some legendary slugfests throughout his 12-year as a pro - went on to headline the bill at Villa Park, Birmingham the following year when he knocked out Jack Bodell to win those British and Commonwealth titles.
Over two savage rounds, McAlinden blasted Bodell into defeat and retirement. It was a typical full-blooded performance from McAlinden and was his 25th contest in slightly over three years as a professional, mostly fighting on the fast and furious London circuit of the early 1970s. He was 21-2-2 at that stage and boxed on home soil just twice, with the first of those bouts in Derry in July 1977 when he beat Sean McKenna on a Charlie Nash undercard to win the Northern Ireland Area heavyweight title. At the end of his career, 36 of his 45 fights finished inside the distance.
Danny passed away yesterday aged 73 after a long battle with cancer.
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A player for St Brenda's Camogie Club in Ballymacnab has won the Translink and Ulster GAA Young Volunteer of the Year Award.
19-year-old Niamh Rafferty, from St Brenda’s Camogie Club, Ballymacnab, Co. Armagh was presented with the prestigious award remotely due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The Young Volunteer Award celebrates the outstanding contribution made by young members of the Association aged 14-24 to their clubs and communities in the last season and throughout the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. A panel of experts met virtually to select one overall winner of the year and Niamh came out on top; she impressed the judging panel for her dedication and hard work that best represented the volunteering ethos and community spirit of the Association over the last 12 months.
Congratulating Niamh on her award, David Curry, General Manager Bus Services at Translink said “This award was developed to celebrate the outstanding contribution made by young members of Ulster GAA to their clubs and communities in the last season and throughout the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. It was incredible to see the level of commitment Niamh has given especially during such a challenging year. From underage coaching to organising lockdown activities for younger club members, Niamh’s work during the last 12 months has no doubt been invaluable.”
Ulster GAA President, Oliver Galligan added “Niamh embodies what the GAA is all about – she is a self-motivated volunteer with a love for the game and a willingness to help and encourage others. Through her work as a support coach, committee member and co-ordinator of the club’s lockdown videos, Niamh has shown a fantastic passion for her club which has been recognised in the club’s appointment of her as Social Media Officer. She demonstrates GAA integration at its best – the GAA for all! We are delighted to present this prestigious award to this outstanding young volunteer from St. Brenda’s.”
St Brenda’s Club Secretary Kathleen O’Hare also commended Niamh on her award “Niamh has shown herself to be an enthusiastic, up-and-coming volunteer, who has made an outstanding contribution to the development of sport within our club. She has done this both on the playing field via her role as support coach, at the committee table via her role as committee member and on her mobile phone via her role as initiator and co-ordinator of the ‘lock-down’ club videos.”
14-year-old Étain Devlin, of Sean Treacy’s Hurling Club in Lurgan, was also highly commended for the breadth of volunteering and commitment to her club and wider community over the last year.
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A total of £1,448,122 has been allocated to the Ulster GAA from the government's Sports Sustainability Fund. It was part of £10M that has been awarded from the fund with £15M still left to be awarded.
The funding allocated to Ulster GAA will help the organisation in its quest to rebound from the financial hardships posed by Covid-19 and will be vital to the re-establishment of delivery programmes that have been severely curtailed over the past year.
Welcoming the announcement Ulster GAA Chief Executive Officer and Provincial Secretary Brian McAvoy said “I wish to sincerely thank the Executive, the Communities Minister and her Department and the team at Sport NI for the establishment and administration of this Fund which is a welcome boost for the sporting community.
“Ulster GAA has worked closely with Sport NI in relation to our submission and we are pleased to learn that our application for £1.44m has been successful. This is a welcome development following a year in which we have been financially challenged and where our revenue streams will continue to be severely dented for a considerable period to come.
“I thank the staff at Ulster GAA who prepared our submission and who worked diligently with our counties and clubs in ensuring that their applications and accompanying documentation were consistent with the criteria of the Fund.
“The applications of our constituent units remain under consideration and we anticipate that Sport NI will be in a position to allocate a further tranche of funding to successful applicants before the end of this month. We will advise our units accordingly when further detail is made available to us."
Commenting on the awards Antoinette McKeown, Sport NI CEO, said “The sports sector has played a critical role in supporting communities throughout this pandemic and our sector is needed now, more than ever, to help our communities emerge from this pandemic. The Sports Sustainability Fund along with our other Covid 19 responses has enabled our local sports clubs, governing bodies and sports organisations to survive and prepare for a safe return to sport”.
Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey welcomed the awards saying “I am delighted that the sports sector is to receive more financial support through the Sports Sustainability Fund. I know that the £25m fund is a critical to the sector and that the Governing Bodies and clubs urgently need it.
"The sector has shown outstanding resilience over the past year particularly when the Covid restrictions decimated their ability to generate their own income through ticket sales, sponsorship, running competitions and hospitality."
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