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Ulster GAA Writers Awards 2009
The Ulster GAA Writers’ Association was formed in May 1988 with the purpose of increasing public interest in Gaelic Games within Ulster.
All members of the Association are full-time working journalists dealing with GAA matters at local or national level.
The QUINN-Insurance/UGAAWA Monthly Merit Award is made to persons within the GAA whom the Association feel have done something special during the month. This award can go to anyone within the GAA – football (male & female), hurling, camogie, handball, Scor, etc.
The Ulster GAA Writers’ Association meets monthly and various items are discussed and the Monthly Merit Award winner is chosen. The award carries a prize of a Sports Voucher, a specially designed and engraved Belleek China Vase and other gifts. The awards are presented at a monthly function.
Annual awards are presented at the Annual Banquet and are not disclosed until the moment of presentation.
A feature of the banquet is The Ballot of Prizes, with up to ten sponsored prizes, raising thousands of pounds annually and the money collected goes to a nominated charity every year - GOAL, St Vincent de Paul, the Omagh Disaster Fund, the Quinn Family Appeal, The Children's Hospice Appeal and The Leukaemia Research Fund have all benefited in the past.
March 2010
(Chris Breen (Quinn-Insurance) presents UGAAWA/Quinn-Insurance Monthly Merit Award to St Gall's SFC winning manager Liam Harbinson with UGAAWA chairman Jerry Quinn (right) keeping a watching brief.)
All-Ireland victories are always special and they don't come much sweeter than St Gall's win in the Club SFC decider during the month of March 2010. It takes a good team, with a good manager behind it, to collect the title.
LENNY HARBINSON more than adequately fulfils that managerial role with St Gall’s and for the big part that he played in last month's national success we honour him with our UGAAWA/Quinn-Insurance Merit Award for March.
"I am pleasantly surprised and delighted at hearing this news and I accept it on behalf of the club and the panel. I'll use the old cliché - you cannot win any award without the help of the team but I’m delighted that I am the one to get the award," enthused Lenny, a sales manager with Vodafone.
Of course, he knows what it takes to be successful as he played football with Antrim for 12 years and he also wore the saffron hurling jersey at U18 and U21 level before deciding to concentrate on football.
March was a busy month with the closing stages of the National Football and Hurling Leagues, the All-Ireland club finals, the closing stages of various college competitions, camogie, ladies' football, handball and even Scor finals taking place but St Gall's All-Ireland triumph overshadowed the lot.
Apart from Lenny Harbinson, performances from Paul Veronica (St Gall's), Brendan Coulter (Down), Colm Cavanagh (Tyrone), David Givney (Cavan), Michael Murphy (Donegal) and Holy Trinity Cookstown, winners of the All-Ireland U16 Schools' Championship, came in for special mention.
At a reception in Quinn's Corner, on Monday, April 12, the winner received his award of an UGAAWA sports voucher, a Belleek China engraved vase, specially designed cuff links from Omeath jeweller Garrett Mallon and sports gear from O'Neill's International. He will also get two tickets and overnight accommodation for our 2010 banquet in Slieve Russell Hotel on November 19
The presentation was made by Chris Breen, assistant manager Quinn-Insurance Call Centre.
