Mayo sweep football awards at Dublin gala

Mayo claimed four spots on the football All-Star team at a ceremony held at the RDS in Dublin on Thursday. The black-tie event ran from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm and recognized the top performers in Gaelic games.

Kobe McDonald earned the 15th spot on the list. At 18 years old, he became the youngest player to receive a football All Star. McDonald plans to play Australian rules football for St Kilda next year, which will keep him away from intercounty matches in Ireland.

Darragh Beirne won the Young Footballer of the Year award. The Claremorris native credited manager Andy Moran for allowing forwards to express themselves. Beirne also noted that his teammates were stronger players, which helped elevate his own performance.

Ronan Wallace received the award for Westmeath. He told the audience that it was a proud day for the parish of Multyfarnham. Stephen O’Hanlon from Monaghan paid tribute to the late Stephen Gollogly, who passed away earlier this year.

The full football team included Shane Murphy and Jason Foley from Kerry. David Clifford from Kerry joined them, adding to his six previous awards. Mayo represented Sam Callinan, Enda Hession, Jack Carney, Ryan O’Donoghue, and Darragh Beirne.

Other recipients included Dara McDonnell from Louth, Jarlath Óg Burns from Armagh, and Conn Kilpatrick from Tyrone. Niall Scully from Dublin and Stephen O’Hanlon from Monaghan rounded out the list. The team was selected by a panel of Gaelic games correspondents chaired by GAA president Jarlath Burns.

TJ Reid announced his retirement from intercounty hurling during the event. The seven-time All Star winner stepped back after a long career. Nickie Quaid from Limerick was named goalkeeper, marking his fourth award in that position. The hurling team and player of the year winners were still pending as the night progressed.