Sport Star of the Year nominees
Stephen Murphy
NEWFOUNDWELL FC’s superb 2017/18 season moved into top gear in January, with Stephen - who was also part of the Division 2 FL-winning O Raghallaigh’s GAA side - key to their success.
In the space of 7 days they won penalty shootouts in Kilkenny and Cork to reach the last 16 in the FAI and Leinster Junior Cups, with Murphy - voted NEFL Player of the Season - scoring the decisive spot kick against Knocknaheeny. ‘Well went onto the Leinster quarter-finals before securing a maiden North East League title and the Kilmessan Shield.
Ruarcan O Gibne
RUARCAN, of Boyne AC, is emerging as one of Ireland’s major middle distance prospects after capturing 800m gold in a thrilling Irish Indoor Under-19 Final in Athlone. He was involved in a titanic struggle with chief rival Craig Giles from Clonliffe Harriers and drove hard across the finish line to snatch the National title in a fast time of 1min 57.92sec.
Ruarcan is also the Louth 200, 400, 800 and 1500m champion, while other titles he holds include the North Leinster Schools 800 and 1500m and the Leinster Indoor 800m and Outdoor 1500m.
Mary Leech
A SERIES of race wins on home soil - including the National Masters Indoor 1500m - were eclipsed in Madrid where Drogheda & District AC’s Mary Leech captured silver in the M40 1500m at the European Masters Indoor Track Championships.
She moved into the medal places with just over 200m left and pushed hard in the latter stages to snatch second spot behind the Spanish winner.
Mary was also seventh in the European Masters 3,000m final and went on to finish ninth in the 1500m at the World Masters Championships in Malaga.
Karl Martin
ANOTHER of Boyne RFC’s youth players looks to be heading for the top after Karl Martin’s starring performances at the Under-18 Six Nations Festival.
Having just turned 16, the Drogheda native was one of the youngest on the Ireland Schools panel, and yet he featured in all three games, set up a crucial score in the victory over Italy and finished the competition by scoring his first international try against Scotland.
The St Mary’s DS student was also selected for the Under-18 Leinster Summer Programme and wants to represent the British & Irish Lions in the future!
Niall Craven
DONORE cyclist Niall’s hopes of taking on the iconic Ras Tailteann seemed to have been shattered when he crashed and broke his collarbone in another event just 26 days before the race.
But Niall didn’t give up and somehow he made it to the start in Drogheda along with his Louth teammates Barry Hughes, Cian Delaney, Arek Klus and Paul Smith. He then battled for eight consecutive days, surviving crashes, extreme weather and the toughest of time limits to complete the entire 1,180km.
Dylan Keating
SEAPOINT’S Dylan Keating came from four shots behind the leader on the final day to capture golf’s Irish Boys Under-16 Championship.
The Dundalk Grammar schoolboy had a Spanish exam to contend with before making the 3-hour journey to Sligo, but he shot 72 and 73 before saving his best until last as he carded a final-round 70 to win the title by a threestroke margin.
Dylan also finished top of the pile in the U-16 Irish Order of Merit and trains with the Ireland Under-18 squad.
Cormac Kerr
DROGHEDA 19-year-old Cormac pocketed the biggest success of his career when capturing the World Under-23 8-Ball Pool title in Blackpool.
The 2017 European and World Junior champion stepped up to the next level, competing against the top 64 players on the planet in the Under-23 age group, and he began by knocking out the previous year’s runner-up in the first round.
From there he progressed all the way to the final where he defeated the reigning European Under-23 champion Jack Smithers by eight frames to four.
Daniel Mulligan
LAYTOWN & Bettystown clubman Daniel achieved the golfing equivalent of lapping the entire field when storming to victory in the Irish Boys Under-14 Championship by 11 shots.
The St Mary’s DS student, who plays off 4, hit six birdies in a stunning opening 68 at Mullingar, and followed up with a 73 in tougher conditions. Even that score was better than any other player managed on either day.
Thirteen-year-old Daniel, who has been selected for Ireland’s Under-16 training panel, also won this year’s Under-14 Leinster Order of Merit.
Eoin Rogers
ARDEE schoolboy Eoin Rogers, aged 14, continues to take the sport of angling by storm after landing his fifth Under-15 NCFFI Junior All-Ireland Championship in succession this year.
Indeed, Eoin completed a Grand Slam in that age group by winning the All-Ireland Canal Championship, Float Championship, Feeder Championship and IADA All-Ireland titles.
Further afield, he secured a top-10 finish in sweltering heat at the Under-15 World Coarse Angling Championships in Italy.
Emmet Carolan
VICTORY in the Senior and Under-21 football championships with Newtown Blues capped a memorable year for Emmet Carolan after he emerged as one of Louth’s breakthrough stars at inter-county level.
The full back made an impressive Reds debut in the O’Byrne Cup victory over Kildare and was an ever-present in their NFL and Championship campaigns, while with the Blues he won the Division 1 league, U-21 FC and - most importantly - the Senior Championship at the expense of Naomh Mairtin.
Michael Leddy
DROGHEDA schoolboy Michael wasted no time in making his mark in the Republic of Ireland colours when bagging two goals against hosts Poland in his first start at international level.
The 14-year-old St Joseph’s CBS pupil, from St Laurence’s Park, started out with Drogheda Boys but now plays for Shamrock Rovers who were DDSL U-14 Premier runners-up last season and won a recent tournament in Finland.
Michael is Rovers’ Academy Player of the Year for 2018 across all age groups and has had trials with Manchester United, Everton and Celtic.
Kate Kelly
ST OLIVER’S CC pupil Kate got an early Christmas present this month when captaining her country at an U-16 basketball tournament in Belarus.
Ireland, ranked as a ‘B’ nation in Europe, took on three ‘A’-ranked countries - Poland, Lithuania and the hosts - and Kate (15) bagged 16 points against Poland before being rewarded with the captaincy for the match with Lithuania.
At club level she plays for for Drogheda Sparks who lie second in the U-16 North East League. She also won the Leinster Schools U-16 shot putt this year and scooped All-Ireland bronze.