THERE aren’t many certainties in life but here’s one: a new West Cork Sports Star of the Year will be crowned this Saturday night.
Back-to-back winners Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy didn’t make the cut in 2023, so that means a new overall winner will be named at the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery this weekend.
It was another sensational year of sport for West Cork’s finest, and their success will be celebrated at the sell-out gala banquet on Saturday.
Also on the night, the achievements of Team of the Year (O’Donovan Rossa Ladies Football), Club of the Year (Castlehaven GAA Club), Special Achievement (Newcestown GAA Club), Paudie Palmer Youth Award (Emma Hurley) and Hall of Fame (Ian Kingston) will all be celebrated.
Here are your West Cork Sports Star Awards monthly winners for 2023:
BRIAN HAYES – The Rosscarbery jockey picked up the first award of 2023 in recognition of his first Cheltenham Festival winner in March. Hayes’ thrilling success on Impervious in the Paddy Power Mares' Chase on St Patrick’s Day is a moment he will never forget. He told the Star afterwards: ‘It was a dream come true to get a Cheltenham winner; it was magic.’
JACK CROWLEY – What a year it turned out to be for another March winner, as Crowley was recognised for his role in Ireland’s victorious Six Nations’ campaign. The former Bandon RFC and Bandon Grammar School went on to play a leading role in Munster’s URC success, and also caught the eye for Ireland at the Rugby World Cup.
DENIS O’DONOVAN – Drinagh motorsport enthusiast O’Donovan picked up a monthly award following his success in clinching the 2022/2023 Motorsport Ireland National Navigation Rally Championship. Indeed, it was his second such victory in three years. He is the first – and so far, the only – West Cork competitor to achieve this feat.
JANE BUCKLEY – The Newcestown athlete (20) raced to the April award after a stunning freshman year at Providence College in the States. Head-turning performances. Big PBs. Her historic Big East Cross-Country Championship win. To cap it all she scooped her college’s Female Athlete of the Year for Individual Sports award.
JOHN HODNETT – The May winner of the award didn’t have to travel far to pick it up as Munster star Hodnett is a Rosscarbery native. One of the rising stars of Irish rugby he was man of the match when Munster won the United Rugby Championship final against the Stormers in Cape Town, scoring a try in a power-packed performance.
SEÁN DALY – The pride of Ballinacarriga was honoured with a June monthly award as Daly was involved on the Cork U20 hurling team that won Munster and All-Ireland honours. Carbery might not be known as a hotbed for hurling, but talented young guns like this Randal Óg clubman is changing that.
NICOLA TUTHILL – For our July winner, 2023 was her best year yet. The Kilbrittain athlete was crowned Irish women’s senior hammer champion again, set several new PBs, caught the eye at the European Team Games where she broke the national U23 record and also set a personal best, and finished fourth at the European U23s in her first year at U23 level.
EDDIE O’DRISCOLL – It was the year of the double, and Plunkett’s got in their first, capturing county junior B hurling and football titles in the space of a magical week in July. Key to that success was stalwart O’Driscoll, who told the Star: ‘This past year and winning two county championships has been the highlight of my career.’
FIONA KEATING – One of the rising stars of Cork camogie, Courcey Rovers clubwoman Keating played a leading role in the Rebels’ All-Ireland senior championship success in August, even scoring a goal in the final against Waterford. Such were her performances she was even shortlisted for an All-Star.
DAVID O’SULLIVAN – The Barryroe junior football captain and his team-mates will never forget their 2023 campaign as this was the season the club won the Carbery Junior A Football Championship title for the first time. Leading them was captain fantastic O’Sullivan who, in October, had the honour of lifting the Mick McCarthy Cup after a thrilling final win against Kilmacabea.
MARK COLLINS – Without doubt, one of the finest club players in Cork over the last decade, Collins led Castlehaven to the club’s first Cork Premier SFC title in a decade, with victory over Nemo Rangers in October, and then the Haven added a first Munster senior football crown since 1997 too. Collins, as always, led by example.
TADGH TWOMEY – If the statue hasn’t been commissioned yet, it’s surely on the cards after the Newcestown man’s role in his club’s county senior A football and hurling championship triumphs. Twomey and Co defied the odds to win both county finals in a magical few weeks to return Newcestown’s hurlers and footballers to the top tier for the 2024 season.
LISA HARTE – The O’Donovan Rossa captain’s legend is assured, as the Skibb woman led her club to county, Munster and All-Ireland junior football titles in a sensational season. Harte and her team-mates are the pride of their hometown after the success, culminating in the All-Ireland success against Claremorris in December.
FIONA EVERARD – The Bandon AC athlete was one of the stories of 2023, as she captured her first national senior cross-country title in November, incredibly this success coming 12 months after winning the national novice title. The Enniskeane woman won in style too, by almost 40 seconds, to record her biggest career win.
GAVIN SHEEHAN – He has described December as the best month of his life, and it’s easy to see why. Having ridden his 700th winner in November, the success continued for the Dunmanway jockey who won three Grade One races in the same month, with the highlight being his triumph in the King George at Kempton. A monthly award was the cherry on top of the cake.
