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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.
October winner
(Quinn Insurance manager Declan Reilly (left) and UGAAWA chairman Jerry Quinn present Womens' Open Handball champion Fiona Shannon with the October '09 Merit Award.)
World champions are a rarity in GAA circles, except in handball, that is, and during October 2009 over 30 world titles arrived in Ireland with many of them heading to Ulster. That is something that just cannot be ignored and we selected two of the best to share our Quinn-Insurance/UGAAWA Merit Award for last month.
Fiona Shannon and Paul Brady not only won the World Women’s and Men’s Open titles in Portland, Oregon, but they also created a record that is only likely to be beaten by them. It was the third consecutive time that the pair won their respective titles – the first players to achieve such a feat. And remember the World Championships are played only every third year!
Fiona defeated US and Canadian opposition on her way to the final in which she, as expected, clashed with her St Paul’s (Belfast) club colleague Aisling Reilly who is now just one slot behind the winner in the world rankings. Paul retained his title with a string of wins over mostly US opposition but, unlike in 2003 and 2006, he didn’t face Cork’s Tony Healy in the decider. It was Luis Moreno from Arizona who fared no better than Healy had done previously.
As well as winning the Women’s Open Singles, Fiona Shannon collected the doubles title along with her sister Sibéal Gallagher. Brady, because of a quad muscle injury pulled out of the men’s doubles which he won last time along with his Kingscourt club mate Michael Finnegan.
As their awards, Paul and Fiona receive an UGAAWA sports voucher, an engraved Belleek China vase, specially designed jewellery from Omeath’s Garrett Mallon – cuff links and pendant – plus training gear from O’Neill’s International Sports.
Paul Brady, who is studying in London, was unable to attend the presentation, made by Declan Reilly, Quinn-Insurance Manager, at Quinn’s Corner but Fiona Shannon was there to accept her award.
Also getting a special mention were the lady footballers of St Paul’s Belfast and Donaghmoyne who won Ulster Championship titles last month.
