Shane Kingston and Shane Conway honoured as UCC salutes Fitzgibbon Cup success
UCC’s joint captains Paddy O'Loughlin and Eoghan Murphy celebrate with teammates after winning the Fitzgibbon Cup. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie
UCC has honoured its Fitzgibbon Cup-winning side with a Team of The Year recognition in its annual sports awards, announced Wednesday.
The college’s hurlers retained the third level blue riband earlier this year, winning it the hard way after conceding two early goals in the final against IT Carlow.
Two of the side’s sharpshooters, Cork’s Shane Kingston and Kerry’s Shane Conway, have been jointly recognised as Hurling award winners by the college.
The awards also signpost an exciting future for the likes of Gaelic football winner Brian Hartnett, already a Cork regular at senior level, Munster Rugby prospect John Hodnett and golfer Sean Desmond, who won the South of Ireland amateur at Lahinch in 2019. Many of the awards date back a year due to the cancellation of the awards last spring.
UCC’s rowing prowess is underlined by the selection of no less than four award winners, including Olympic medallist and Quercus scholarship recipient Paul O’Donovan. The nominating committee also recognised the achievements of Emily Hegarty and Tara Hanlon, who won silver in the women’s 4 at the World U23 Rowing Championships in July 2019, and prospect Ronan Byrne, who had a stellar campaign last year in the water, achieving Olympic Qualification.
At the U23 European Championships in Greece in September 2019, Byrne won gold in the Men’s Heavyweight Single Sculls. Skibbereen’s O’Donovan partnered UCC colleague Fintan McCarthy at last year’s World Cup regatta to a silver medal. At the World Senior Rowing Championships in Austria in Aug 2019, O’Donovan and McCarthy won gold in the Lightweight M2x & achieved Olympic Qualification.
High jumper David Cussen is national indoor and outdoor senior champion and set a new UCC record at the Indoor Intervarsities in February. He also represented Ireland in the European team Championships in Norway in July 2019.
Caoimhe Perdue, a Quercus Sports Scholarship recipient played a role in the UCC senior women’s hockey team winning the Munster Senior League 2019/20.
Anya Curran, a PhD student, is recognised for her gold medal performance in the European Taekwon-do Championships in August 2019.
Christina Dring, a member of Cork City’s Cup final side last Saturday, has excelled in two sporting codes – women’s soccer and hockey. She is a UCC Roy Keane Sports Scholarship recipient and as if she wasn’t busy enough, was also part of the UCC Women’s Hockey team and their Munster Senior League success.
Said UCC’s Head of Sport, Morgan Buckley: “Although the sporting year was cut short, we still have had another great year with UCC Sports Clubs: the Fitzgibbon Cup staying in Leeside for another year. The U20’s rugby secured the Donal Walsh Trophy for a third consecutive year, along with Aussie Rules and Trampoline making it a hat-trick of success in their intervarsity competitions. Mountaineering and Canoe clubs also enjoyed intervarsity success and our athletes medalled at the Indoor Athletics Intervarsities and many more.
The River Lee Hotel continues to be the main sponsor of this event with the Bank of Ireland as co-sponsor.
Two college stalwarts are recognised for decades of unheralded contribution to the college’s GAA campaigns - Charlie McLaughlin receives the Kieran Dowd Special Achievement award in recognition of his 25 years of service to UCC GAA. And Dr Con Murphy is the inaugural recipient of the UCC Skull & Bones Award. This is a new UCC Sport ‘Hall of Fame’ Award. Dr Con as he is affectionately known has over 50 years of service to UCC Gaelic Football Club. He is the club president and is actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the club.
David Cussen; Brian Hartnett; Sean Desmond; Caoimhe Perdue; Shane Kingston and Shane Conway; Emily Hegarty, Tara Hanlon, Ronan Byrne, Paul O’Donovan; John Hodnett; Anya Curran; Christina Dring.
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