Cork and Galway dominate Allstars

CORK crowned a magnificent season at the TG4/O’Neills Ladies Football All-Stars ceremony by winning five awards to add to their All-Ireland final victory.

Galway, defeated in this year’s All-Ireland final, also collected five All-Stars, while beaten semi-finalists Dublin and Mayo were also rewarded, Dublin picking up two awards while Mayo, Meath and Wexford won one All-Star each. Twelve of the All-Stars were first-time recipients of the award.

The awards were presented by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, TD and the President of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, Ms Geraldine Giles, at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin.

The Rebel County’s Valerie Mulcahy collected her second All-Star to add to the Vodaphone Player of the Year and Lucozade Player of the Month awards she won earlier this year. First-time recipients for Cork were Angela Walsh, Briege Corkery, captain Juliette Murphy and Deirdre O’Reilly.

Galway had Una Carroll, Ruth Stephens, Aoibheann Daly, Niamh Fahy and Lorna Joyce honoured, while Dublin’s Lynsday Davey, 16, won an All-Star award and was named Leinster Young Player of the Year.

The other Provincial Young Player of the Year Awards were also presented: Tyrone’s Sarah Connolly (Errigal Ciaran) won the award in Ulster, while Cork’s Amanda Murphy (Beara), who was also nominated for an All-Star award, won the Munster award and Roscommon’s Claire Shanagher (St Brigids, Summerhill) picked up the Connacht prize.

Laois native, Mary Wheatley was inducted into the Hall of Fame in recognition of her supreme dedication to the administration and development of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association over three decades.

The 2005 O'Neills/TG4 Ladies Football All-Stars: U Carroll (Galway), R Stephens (Galway), A Walsh (Cork), L Tector (Wexford), B Corkery (Cork), A Daly (Galway), G Fay (Dublin), C Egan (Mayo), J Murphy (Cork), G Doherty (Meath), D O'Reilly (Cork), L Davey (Dublin), V Mulcahy (Cork), N Fahy (Galway), L Joyce (Galway).