Naomh Ciarán coach among winners in LGFA awards

Colin Kenny of Naomh Ciarán in Offaly is among the winners in the 2020 Ladies Gaelic Football Association Volunteer of the Year Awards.

Kenny has been chosen as the Club Coach of the Year as part of the LGFA awards scheme.

A talented footballer, hurler and rugby player (he was capped by Ireland at under-18 level), Kenny had to retire from competitive sport at a young age after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat.

In time Kenny turned his attention to coaching and, in 2019, he guided Naomh Ciarán to All Ireland intermediate success when the west Offaly club memorably defeated Naomh Pól of Antrim in the final. With Colin’s sister Kate one of the stars of the team, Naomh Ciarán had overcome Inch Rovers of Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final, played in Ferbane.

Naomh Ciarán have dominated the Offaly ladies football club scene for a number of years, and won their sixth senior title in a row last year.

Administrators, coaches and media are among those honoured across ten categories in the LGFA Volunteer of the Year Awards, with the scheme now in its fourth year.

The overall Volunteer of the Year winner, Mikey Hyland from Shanahoe in Laois, will receive the Lulu Carroll award. This award is named after the late Lulu, a 2001 All-Ireland senior medallist with Laois who sadly passed away in 2007, following a battle with cancer.

The award winners will be acknowledged during a special virtual ceremony, which can be viewed live on the LGFA Facebook page (http://bit.ly/2OvUJ2D) next Friday evening, February 12.

The event will commence at 7.30pm, with Dáithí Ó Sé performing MC duties.

LGFA President Marie Hickey and Seamus Newcombe, CEO of sponsors currentaccount.ie, will join Dáithí in studio, with live links to the winners on the night.