Special achievement
Mike Finnerty
THIS year’s historic Mayo Junior ‘B’ football championship title success for Ballycastle is to be acknowledged at The Mayo News/O’Neills Club Stars awards next month with a ‘Special Achievement’ award.
The famous North Mayo club collected their first adult championship silverware since 1939 when they beat Breaffy in the County Final back in October, a huge milestone for a GAA club that has been hit hard by emigration and depopulation in recent years.
Ballycastle GAA chairman, Martin Heffernan, one of the driving forces behind their success will accept the award on behalf of his colleagues in the club at the gala banquet.
The ‘Special Achievement’ trophy will be presented on Friday, December 11 at the charity fund-raising event in Knockranny House Hotel, Westport.
All proceeds from this year’s Club Stars ceremony are being donated to Cystic Fibrosis West and the Mayo Rape Crisis Centre, two charities that continue to provide vital support services in the West of Ireland.
Ballycastle’s county title success was achieved despite the fact that numbers in the local national schools over the last 30 years had fallen from 350 to just 70 pupils.
However, under the management of Bonniconlon native, Donie Tuohy, and with five players commuting from the UK, Ballycastle managed to capture silverware again in 2015.
Martin Heffernan told The Mayo News last month that the celebrations after the final were ‘fantastic’, adding that the players were already looking towards next year’s Junior ‘A’ Championship.
Club officials are also aiming to improve their pitch surface and extend their dressing-rooms at Tom Langan Park between now and the start of next season.
Personality of the Year
MEANWHILE, Westport and Mayo footballer, Lee Keegan, will also be honoured for his achievements with both his county and his country at next month’s function.
The Club Stars judging panel have singled Keegan out for the ‘Personality of the Year’ award to mark the 26 year-old’s positive promotion of Gaelic Games in Mayo and beyond over the last twelve months.
Keegan won his third All Star award recently for his outstanding displays for Mayo during the 2015 championship, becoming only the second player from the county to achieve such an accolade.
He has also been appointed as the vice-captain of the Ireland International Rules team for next weekend’s Test against Australia at Croke Park.
Ireland manager Joe Kernan selected Keegan for the role due to his leadership qualities, consistent excellence on a national stage with Mayo in recent years, and experience against the Australians in the hybrid game.
A native of Westport, Keegan’s rise from talented underage prospect to established senior inter-county footballer is a shining example of what can be achieved through hard work, application and a positive attitude.
The former Rice College, Westport pupil sets a shining example to aspiring young footballers and is a worthy winner of the ‘Personality of the Year’ award, following in the footsteps of the likes of last year’s recipient, Keith Higgins.
