The winner of the 1998 Clann na nGael Player of the Year Award has given many years of dedicated service on the playing field, winning his first county championship twenty years ago when he formed part of the Clann na nGael side which won the Under-16 County Championship for the first time in 1978, and was again involved the following year when Clann retained the title.

However, his performances in those early days were only glimpses of what was to come and in 1983 he won an Under-21 County Championship Medal and the same year made the breakthrough to the senior ranks when he won his first of nine O’Rourke Cup (Senior League) Titles.

Once he got his foot in the door there was no stopping him, and the following year saw him win his first of eleven Senior County Championship Medals and his first of six Connaught Senior Club Championship Medals. Like many more players of that era, he was shaping up well for Clann na nGael’s 4 in a row of All Ireland Final appearances (1987-1990), and his consistency over that period is shown by the fact that he is one of just two players who wore the same jersey in all four of those All Ireland Finals. During this time he was also part of the Clann na nGael All Ireland Seven-A-Side winning side (1989) and all four County Cup winning teams (1989-1992).

In recent times, after many years of service at senior level, he has shown just as much motivation with the Junior and Intermediate sides. In 1997 he won a Junior County Championship and in the year just passed, as captain, he led that same side to the Intermediate County Final and collected the Intermediate League Title.

With over a quarter of a century’s service to the club and a wealth of medals and trophies, and after a magnificent year at Intermediate level, the 1998 Clann na nGael Player of the Year is