Sports award to honour rugby legend

Irish rugby player and coach Mick Doyle is to be honoured at a major national awards event in Tipperary next month, it emerged today.

The Mick Doyle Golden Memory Award has been created at the Canon Hayes National Sporting Award to honour the Co Kerry native who died in a traffic accident in Co Tyrone last May.

A spokesperson for the 9th annual Awards event said: “Mick was an inspirational figure in Irish rugby and was a true supporter of the Canon Hayes Centre & Awards.”

A native of Co Kerry, Doyle won 20 caps with Ireland in the 1960s before coaching the international side to Triple Crown and Five Nations glory in 1985.

The new award will be presented this year to athlete Eamon Coghlan to recognise his many achievements in athletics and particularly his victory 21 years ago in the World 5,000m.

Andrew Doyle, son of the late Mick, will present the award at the Aherlow House Hotel on December 4.

Awards will be also presented in the following categories; Local, County, National & Outstanding Achievement.

Winners will receive specially commissioned bronze awards by Tipperary sculptor Jarlath Daly.

Along with the main category awards there is also a special presentation to mark a particular golden moment in sport.

In the past this has honoured Ronnie Delaney’s Olympic Gold Medal, Packie Bonner’s famous penalty save in the World Cup and Munster’s defeat of the All-Blacks.

Many national sporting figures will be in attendance on the night.