GALWAY SPORTS STARS 2011

Galway, Ireland and Aston Villa legend Eamon â€ËœChick' Deacy's Hall of Fame honour By JIM CARNEY A LEGENDARY figure in Galway sport, soccer hero Eamon ('Chick') Deacy, will be the Hall of Fame recipient when the 2011 Sports Stars of the Year â€â€ sponsored by Supermac's and promoted by the Connacht Tribune, Tuam Herald and Raidio na Gaeltachta â€â€ are presented at the Ardilaun House Hotel, Salthill on Saturday night, January 21st. [private] This high-prestige awards scheme has run since 1965, when it was started by Mickey Walsh of Galway Lawn Tennis Club and a group of journalists led by the late Jim Lydon. The inaugural selection had eleven categories, which has grown to 20-plus most years. There will be 22 awards presented for 2011. Guest of honour will be the Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council, John Treacy, one of Ireland's greatest ever sportsmen â€â€ silver medal winner in the Marathon at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and twice winner of the World Cross-Country Championship, in 1978 (Glasgow) and 1979 (Limerick).   In early March 2010, there was exciting news for Galway soccer fans when 19-year-old Greg Cunningham was included in Giovanni Trapattoni's 23-man Republic of Ireland squad to play world football giants Brazil in a friendly at the Emirates Stadium, London. Greg then had to wait three months to make his debut for Ireland, in a 3â€â€œ0 win over Algeria in Dublin. In winning his international 'cap' the young Carnmore man, who had played under-age Gaelic football for Claregalway, was bridging a 28-year gap. Back in 1982, Eamon Deacy was capped four times for his country by Eoin Hand. Ironically, while it was a dream come true for the very talented Galway city man, when he accepted the invitation to go to Brazil it cost him his place in the Aston Villa team then preparing to play in the final of the European Cup (now the Champions League). At the time, Eamon was a highly valued member of the Villa team, regularly making the first eleven, and the club, fans and media all loved him, especially the hard-tackling side of his game. He wasn't a big man and when you first saw him out on the field he appeared to be lightly built, but he was as brave as a lion and most opponents feared him. To this day, 'Chick' considers it a great honour to have played against the Brazil 1982 team who were strongly fancied to go on and win the World Cup two months later, but they lost to Italy and Paulo Rossi's hat-trick. It didn't matter that, in May, they'd beaten the touring Republic of Ireland 7-0, an Irish team that lined out as follows: Séamus McDonagh, John Anderson, Eamon Deacy, Brendan O'Callaghan, Michael Walsh, Gerry Daly, Tony Grealish, Mick Martin, Seán O'Driscoll, Liam Brady, Kevin O'Callaghan. Sub used: Gerry Ryan. Midfielder Tony Grealish also had a Galway background. Brazil team vs Ireland: Valdir Peres, Luizinho, Oscar, Júnior, Leandro, Roberto Falcão, Paulo Isidoro, Sócrates, Zico, Careca, Eder. Subs used: de Oliveira Paulo Sérgio, Toninho Cerezo, Dirceu, Serginho, Edinho. Eamon Deacy's other three Ireland 'caps' were gained away to Chile (lost 1-0), away to Trinidad & Tobago (lost 2-1) and earlier: away to Algeria (lost 2-0); Eamon made his international debut during that game, on as a sub for Kevin Moran. The very likeable Galway man, who also played Gaelic football in his younger days (for St Michael's), was famously down-to-earth and self-effacing. In one memorable interview in the 1980s, he declined to comment when reminded that Liam Brady had said 'Chick' was Man of the Match against Brazil. Instead, he was keen to talk about how good Socrates, Falcao, Zico, Eder and Junior were. Sadly, the world of sport heard the name of Brazil's great 1982 captain Socrates most recently in reports of his death, aged 57, on December 4th. Aston Villa's sensational run to European Cup glory in 1981-82 started with victory in the old First Division (now the Premiership) and they went on to play Valur Reykjavík of Iceland, Dynamo Berlin of East Germany, Dynamo Kiev of the Soviet Union and Anderlecht of Belgium before beating Bayern Munich of West Germany in the final, 1-0, with England striker Peter Withe the scorer of the golden goal in the 67th minute. Because of his commitment to Ireland's trip to South America and the Caribbean in May 1982, Eamon Deacy did not play for Aston Villa after the European quarter-final but by then he had established himself as both an important first-team player at full-back and a fans' favourite; they loved him and all who followed the club in that era remember him with affection and huge respect. Before all that, before he'd written a letter to Villa manager Ron Saunders requesting a trial â€â€ it was simple, straight-forward and it worked! â€â€ Eamon had played for Galway Rovers in their first season in the League of Ireland, 1977-1978, and he moved across-Channel the following season. In Aston Villa's English Championship winning run he played in nine games, alongside star players such as goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer, centre-backs Allan Evans and Ken McNaught, captain Dennis Mortimer, brilliant midfield playmaker Gordon Cowans, and Tony Morley, Gary Shaw and Peter Withe up front. After Villa, Eamon had a loan spell at Derby County but rejected a permanent move and returned home to the family's fish, fruit and veg business in the heart of Galway city. He was a member of John Herrick's Galway Utd team beaten by Shamrock Rovers (1-0) in the 1985 F.A.I. Cup final, and he stayed with the club until 1991, including a spell in management with his friend Tommy Lally, another local hero.   CHRISTINE Kennedy (née O'Boyle, Curry, Cummer, Tuam), is also a legendary figure in Galway sporting history. Still a track and long-distance runner, in the United States, the marvellous Corofin woman was recently honoured at the high-prestige Jesse Owens Awards at St Louis, Missouri â€â€ receiving the USA Track & Field Masters Athlete of 2011 award. Although now a U.S. citizen and living in Los Gatos, California, Christine is fondly remembered for her brilliant achievements in Ireland in the 1980s and 90s, including national championships and back-to-back victories in the women's section of the Dublin City Marathon. There was, of course, a proud athletics tradition in her native Corofin and she also raced for Galway City Harriers. She got her early inspiration from watching Emily Dowling win the 1981 women's section of the Dublin Marathon; it struck a particular chord with Christine, then happily looking after her two young daughters, for Emily Dowling was married and she'd found time in her busy life to become a top-class athlete. So did Christine, to her immense credit. It's interesting to look back and note that when Christine scored her first triumph in the Dublin Marathon, in 1990, the runner-up was her great friend, also a renowned Galway City Harriers runner, Bernie Stankard. In 1991, Christine's time of 2.35.56 was a ladies' record but it was just outside the Barcelona Olympic Games qualifying time for 1992, which denied her an appearance on the biggest stage but that didn't get her down; she loved her sport, loved to compete and she made her mark in a big way. On checking this week with Christine's sister-in-law Rose O'Boyle (married to Tommy, from Curry, Cummer), we confirmed that our lovely photograph on these pages was taken at a Welcome Home reception for Christine in Raftery's Pub, Corofin after the 1990 Dublin Marathon. It was also a very happy occasion for the other two ladies pictured, Christine's sister Mary Doyle and their mum, Elizabeth (Lizzie), but sadly Mrs Lizzie O'Boyle has since gone to her eternal reward but is lovingly remembered by her family and all who knew her. Interestingly, like Eamon Deacy, Christine Kennedy was honoured many years ago by the Galway Sports Stars of the Year selection committee, in 1985 and 1990, and in just over two weeks' time she will receive a Special Achievement award and will be home from the United States to proudly accept it. Also honoured, with a Special Dedication award, will be P. J. Coyle whose lifelong commitment to athletics was recognised in the 2010 Rehab Galway People of the Year awards. In Gaelic Games, the recipients of awards on January 21st will include All-Ireland U-21 football and hurling heroes Colin Forde and Barry Daly, along with Matt Murphy, Manager of the Year; Clarinbridge Hurling Club; Therése Maher, Camogie Player of the Year, and the County and All-Ireland Camogie Club champions Killimor. The latest recipient of a boxing award is Ciarán Ó Griofa, brother of the versatile Antoine 'Toto' Ó Griofa, boxer and footballer, from Leitir Móir, while in kick-boxing there's another award for Galway city fighter Brian Brosnan who, in 2011, became the first Irishman to win a gold medal in full contact kick-boxing at the WAKO World Kickboxing Championships; he defeated Stelyan Avramidi of Kazakhstan at the Citywest Hotel and Conference Centre, Dublin. Brian Curran from Cois Fharraige was the boxing award winner as far back as 1981. For 2011, the handball award goes to Brian's very talented daughter Ciana Ní Churraoin, whose brother Fionntán played at midfield for the victorious Galway U-21 football team last year. Ciana, a student at Coláiste na Coiribe, is national U-16 singles champion in all three codes (40 x 20, 60 x 30 and one wall) and she spent Christmas in the United States, playing (and winning) in the U.S.H.A. Junior finals at Tucson, Arizona. The 2011 Galway awards also honour Connemara shot putter Seán Breathnach, the national champion, while in basketball the award goes to a brilliant young sportsman from Claregalway, Calasanctius College, Oranmore and the Maree Basketball Club, Kenneth Hansberry. Awards, too, for Enda Cradock (Gort Golf Club) who represented his club and country in the Boys' Home Internationals at Royal St David's G.C. last August; Connacht rugby captain Gavin Duffy; soccer star Stephen O'Donnell, Galway city-born and a scoring ace for Shamrock Rovers last season; and the 'Bish schoolboys rowing eight, British champions 2011. The horse racing award goes to Ireland's top amateur rider Derek O'Connor, twice a winner at Cheltenham 2011, on Chicago Grey in the National Hunt Chase and Zemsky in the Christies Foxhunter Chase; and in showjumping there's an award for young Michael Duffy from Turloughmore, himself bred to be a star performer in this great sport and destined to go all the way to the top at international level inside the next four-to-five years. [/private]