Star-studded nigh
IT was all glitz and glamour last Saturday evening as the region’s top sportsmen and women packed into the beautifully appointed Westcourt Hotel for the 2017 Drogheda Independent Coca-Cola Sports Awards.
As has become the norm at this renowned black-tie bash, the guests were treated to a sumptuous four-course dinner before the main business of the evening kicked off, directed by the ever-popular RTE Sport presenter Michael Lyster who compered the evening.
In all, 12 monthly winners received awards before the climax of the evening saw the identities of the four main award recipients declared.
And you could hear a pin drop as the overall and Young Sport Star prizes were conferred on top athlete Mark O’Shea and basketball ace Padraig McGroggan respectively.
Self-confessed sport fanatic Seamus Briscoe was a hugely popular addition to the Hall of Fame and Louth Senior champions Newtown Blues were declared the Team of the Year, beating off some stiff competition in the process.
As it turned out the Young Sport Star elect was up first and after confirming that he wasn’t being impersonated by his twin brother, the Duleek man revealed how it meant so much to lift the All-Ireland U-19 ‘B’ National Cup with his schoolmates at St Mary’s DS.
‘It was an unbelievable year with the lads. I don’t get to see them much anymore, but we were together for six years.’
The DkIT student has joined the senior basketball ranks and he hopes to reach the highest level of the game in Ireland with Drogheda Bullets.
The February winner, Paraic Smith, has been at the highest level of the Gaelic football world for some years and he played a starring role as Louth clinched promotion last spring.
But the Dreadnots man will not be chasing a third consecutive promotion this season, as he explained to Michael Lyster: ‘I’ve had to step away this year, I’m actually getting married in a couple of weeks, so it was one or the other. I’m under strict instructions to keep the football to a minimum.’
‘Don’t tell me, you’re starting to listen to strict instructions already,’ the RTE presenter shot back.
Snith said he would for the next couple of weeks anyway, but Michael warned: ‘That’s what I said to myself and I’m still listening to strict instructions!’
By his own admission, it really was a blessing that Mark O’Shea would eventually be named the overall Sport Star of 2017. In his first interview he mixed up Drogheda & District AC coach Ian O’Reilly with Irish Times correspondent and keen runner Ian O’Riordan.
But he got the chance to correct the mistake later in the evening and Mark insisted his double gold at the World Masters Indoor Championships in South Korea would not have been possible without Ian - O’Reilly that is!
‘He’s been our coach for the last couple of years and this wouldn’t have been possible without him. He’s been phenonemal for our club and he’s brought it a long way in two years.’
Unfortunately, Mark has been struck down by injury since bagging those 800 and 1500m titles, but he’s on the road to revovery.
‘March seems a long time ago now and I haven’t run since, I’ve been injured, so it cost me a couple of seasons. So I’ve been living off it for an entire year. It’s nice to look back on something like that - not that I do, they’re not all my views on YouTube!
‘I started back today and my legs are wrecked, but that’s just old age.’
April winner Gavin Rafferty admitted that being the first Duleek boxer to win a National title was a bit special, but he revealed that they now run in the family!
‘It was brilliant to be the first one and my brother has won one since, so he was the second.’
It was actually Gavin’s brother Wayne that got him into the sport and he also has two uncles who used to box, so neither of them licked it off the street.
With the Leinster Championships coming up in a couple of weeks Gavin is hoping to retain his provincial title and defend his National crown in due course.
May winner Megan Campbell was unable to attend the awards bash, and she’s also currently sitting out Manchester City’s campaign as she begins her recovery from a cruciate ligament tear. The Ireland star suffered the injury in Champions League action, no less, as her dad Eamon explained.
‘She did her ACL in the Champions League last 16, second leg. She just went in to make a tackle and the knee went, so she won’t be back ‘til August.
‘She’s had a very unfortunate time since she signed for Man City. Last season she had two bad ankle injuries that kept her our for 12 weeks at a time. She was only back and then she did this, but she’ll keep fighting, she’s very strong spirited.’
Familiar with her famous long throw-ins (see YouTube), Michael Lyster quipped: ‘As long as she doesn’t injure her arms, she’ll be okay!’
Michael was in that kind of mood, as minutes later he pointed out to Daire Rowe that after lifting a trophy in Croke Park he was a rare breed among Meath footballers of recent times, before quickly adding: ‘Don’t tell Colm O’Rourke I said that!’
Nevertheless, the Syddan attacker agreed it was a special moment.