O'Kane wins Monthly Merit Award for February

After Dunloy's stunning defeat of Mount Sion in the AIB All-Ireland Club Hurling semi-final at Mullingar, the winner's captain Gary O'Kane is in the news again.

O'Kane gave a 'Man of the Match' performance for Dunloy who will meet Birr in the final on St Patrick's Day. For that show, the centre-back is named as the winner of the Ulster GAA Writers' Bass Monthly Merit Award for February.

"This is a great honour for me and I'm delighted to be the one selected to receive the award but it could have gone to anyone of seven or eight Dunloy players. Our win over Mount Sion was a real team performance," says the team captain who has been in the Dunloy senior team since the late eighties.

"At my age it is a great boost to be honoured like this and it tells me that I can still play at this level," added Gary (33).

The presentation was made at the Ulster Brewery in Belfast when O'Kane received sports vouchers from Bass Ireland and Pro*Star Sports plus an engraved Belleek China vase.