O’Leary honoured at glitzy ISA awards

NICHOLAS O’LEARY (Royal Cork Yacht Club) has received the Irish Sailing Association’s prestigious Achievement of the Year Award.

The ISA Annual Awards ceremony honoured the best of the sailing, motorboating and windsurfing communities at a gala function in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday.

O’Leary’s achievements in 2010 included beating his father, Anthony, at the ISA All-Ireland Championships by a point after a nail-biting finale in difficult conditions off Kinsale in November.

The win made it three-in-a-row for the 24-year-old, the only person to achieve this in the 64 years of the event.

He admitted: “I was not expecting to win the award. Being nominated in the same category as Mick Liddy and Mark Pollock and their amazing achievement was prestigious enough and also having competition like Oisin Van Gelderen and his speed sailing title so it really was great to have my accomplishments recognised.”

The awards ball was also the first event for the ISA’s new president Niamh McCutcheon, who was elected Saturday at the association’s AGM. McCutcheon is the first female ISA president since the organisation was founded in 1945.

She remarked: “I am delighted and honoured to be elected ISA president for the next three years and this awards ball has been an excellent introduction for me. It provides a platform for the ISA to officially acknowledge and commend some of the outstanding contributors to our sports.”

Award Winners

ISA Sailing Achievement of the Year: Nicholas O’Leary, Royal Cork Yacht Club.

ISA Powerboating Achievement of the Year: Markus Hendricks and Eric Smillie.

ISA Volunteer of the Year: Brian Craig, Royal St George Yacht Club.

ISA Youth Sailor of the Year: Finn Lynch, Blessington Sailing Club.

ISA Instructor of the Year: Áine Carroll, Rush Sailing Club.

ISA Training Centre of the Year: University of Limerick Activity Centre.