CELEBRATION
small ball game on the field came down to the vision of dedicated mentors and the hurling ability of a band of committed brothers with Robert Lambert epitomising everything that was positive and wholesome about the Granite City’s amazing return season.
JUNIOR B FOOTBALL
Gavin Barton Enniskerry
Enniskerry’s superb achievement in winning the Junior ‘B’ football championship was rewarded with the announcement that the unendingly impressive and constantly competent Gavin Barton was the winner of the Junior B Football award for 2019.
JUNIOR C FOOTBALL
John Connors
St Patrick’s
After shocking red hot favourites Éire Óg in the semi-final and getting the better of Kilcoole in the decider, the men of St Patrick’s Junior ‘C’ team returned home to Dunbur with the championship crown in hand with the performance of club legend John Connors being key to that sweet victory.
UNDER-20 Football
Matthew Ging Kilavaney
Utter dominance might be an accurate way to describe the performances of Kilavaney star Matthew Ging throughout the under-20 football championship that culminated with the amalgamated team defeating Éire Óg in the final.
The Tinahely man will hopefully light up the Senior championship for many years to come as well as donning the Wicklow jersey in a future that looks bright for the Garden County.
MINOR FOOTBALL
Eoin Doyle
Rathnew
Rathnew’s Eoin Doyle was in inspirational form in the Wicklow Minor football championship of 2019.
What a star Wicklow has in the making in the form of this young man who lit up the Minor championship for Rathnew and dazzled in parts for the county side under manager Kevin O’Brien.
Doyle is a very talented attacker who has shown that he can cope with sweepers and incredibly tight-marking defenders and his exploits on the field of play will hopefully entertain Wicklow GAA supporters for many years to come.
MINOR HURLING
Eoin Byrne
Michael Dwyers
It was clear to be seen that there was a hunger in the Michael Dwyers camp to reclaim the Minor hurling crown and in Eoin Byrne that desire and passion was probably best exemplified.
A hurler of significant ability and skill, it is when combined with the passion and energy displayed in the county final that this young man rises above the rest and proves almost unbeatable.
His movement in the county final, his score-taking and his ferocity all over the field are what earned him the man of the match award on the day, but it was his consistency and his dedication throughout the championship that has earned him this award.
CLUB PERSON
Bobby Dignam Rathnew
If you think of Rathnew GAA Club and you can’t help but think of the name Bobby Dignam.
Whether it’s the broad smile and outstretched hand up at Merrymeetings, throwing support behind various ideas or pointing out flaws in others at county board meetings, or supporting club and county at venues all across Wicklow and beyond, the Rathnew official has been a constant driving force for the Village side for decades.
Kilbride’s Tommy Clarke will receive a lifetime acheivement award at Saturday night’s awards in the Arklow Bay Hotel.
Present and to the fore at the club’s forming in 1954, the talented and teak-tough Clarke manned the full-back position for his beloved side and was a key cog in the Kilbride wheel as they surged to Senior glory in 1962 and 1968.
Tommy wore the county colours and was on the team of the millennium.
Tommy also managed numerous club sides in both Wicklow and Kildare and was a massive asset for his club over the years and a worthy lifetime achievement award winner.
John Magee Blessington
Every club needs people like John Magee; people who have given their lives to the club both on and off the field through thick and thin, in good times and bad.
John served his club superbly as a player over the years and has never been found wanting in any other aspect of club life in the years that followed.
A familiar face in the ocunty grounds in Aughrim, John answered a call for stewards in 1986 ahead of that infamous clash with Laois and he has manned the gates there since that time. Infact, Blessington sent seven volunteers down to Aughrim for that game, many of whom, like John, still volunteer to this day.
Whether it’s lotto tickets, fundraising, collecting on gates and any other of the umpteen duties that befall club volunteers, you can rest assured that John Magee played a part at some stage and still does to this day.
LADIES FOOTBALL
Jill Fadian
St Nicholas LGFA
Brave, capable, willing, inspiring - these are just a few of the words used when describing Jill Fadian from St Nicholas LGFA Club who was announced as the ladies football award winner for 2019 at Convention in early December.
A superb servant for the St Nicholas club, Jill can be found playing at either end of the field such is her natural ability and selflessness.
Throw in the fact that the talented footballers is also inspiring the next generation in her role as an underage coach and it’s easy to see why her name was top of the list for 2019.
CAMOGIE
Katie Daynes Donard-The Glen
In the face of adversity in a sunkissed Dunbur Park with a county championship hanging finely in the balance there was no Donard-The Glen player wanting the title more than full-back and captain Katie Daynes.
A few years too many of playing second fiddle to Knockananna had stirred a hunger to right that perceived wrong over in the west and they came with massive intent and desire when the county final got underway in Wicklow town.
Daynes led her side from start to finish and was a natural born leader when it came to the crunch.