Mayo winners in the 2022 LGFA Volunteer of the Year awards

The Ladies Gaelic Football Association has announced the 2022 LGFA Volunteer of the Year award winners.

The LGFA scheme, in its sixth year, recognises winners from 2022 across 10 categories, and emerging as joint winners in the School Coach of the Year category were Emma Galligan and Laura Brogan of Mount St. Michael Secondary School, Claremorris.

Elsewhere the winners were: Young Volunteer of the Year – Erika Long (Milltown, Kildare); PRO of the Year – Seamus McGuire (Longford); Local Journalist of the Year – Tara Byrne (KFM, Kildare); Coach of the Year – Noel Treacy (RIP) (Kildress, Tyrone); Club Committee Officer of the Year – Aislinn Nugent Reid (Valleymount, Wicklow); County/Provincial Committee Officer of the Year – Monica Callinan (Clare LGFA); International Volunteer of the Year – Colin Dixon (Na Fianna, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam); Volunteer Hall of Fame – Mary Power O’Shea (Mullinahone, Tipperary); Overall Volunteer of the Year – Domo Murtagh (Navan O’Mahonys, Meath).

SERVANT

The Overall Volunteer of the Year, Domo Murtagh, will receive the Lulu Carroll Award, named after the late Lulu Carroll, who was a 2001 All-Ireland senior medallist with Laois.

Lulu, who passed away in 2007, was a committed servant to ladies football at club and county levels, and one of the game’s most popular and well-known figures.

A former All-Star recipient, Lulu won eight Leinster titles with Laois along with six county senior titles and a provincial crown at club level with Timahoe.

Domo has been involved with LGFA for 20 years and has served in almost every role possible. He has been a coach or selector with the Navan O’Mahonys adult team for two decades, winning numerous competitions, and been involved in the county board for a similar length of time, undertaking a number of roles – including club delegate, member of the fixtures committee and delegate to Leinster Council.

He has also served Navan O’Mahonys in an administration role, serving first as vice-chairperson before progressing to chairperson, a role which he held in 2019 when they won the Leinster Junior club title.

The LGFA’s Volunteer Hall of Fame winner is Mary Power O’Shea, a stalwart of the Mullinahone club in Co. Tipperary. She has been involved in ladies football with Mullinahone since its foundation in 1971 and before the LGFA was founded in 1974.

Mary played corner forward on the Tipperary team that won the first ever All-Ireland senior final in 1974, and again in 1975. She contested All-Ireland finals in 1978 and 1979 and eventually won her third All-Ireland medal in 1980.

During her playing career, Mary also served on club committees, volunteering her services at a young age. In later years she set up and coached Gaelic 4 Mothers & Others in both Mullinahone and in the neighbouring Ballingarry parish.

At club level, she has coached and managed all underage and adult teams, as well as serving on club committees through the years.

Mary was a selector on the Mullinahone team that won the county and Munster titles in 2021 before contesting a currentaccount.ie All-Ireland junior final. Before Christmas, Mary was manager of the Mullinahone intermediate team that appeared in the 2022 currentaccount.ie All-Ireland club final.

At county level, Mary has served as a selector for Under 14, Under 16 and minor teams, winning several titles along the way. She was also a selector on the Tipperary intermediate team that contested the 2013 TG4 All-Ireland final against Cavan.

Mary has served as cultural and language officer on the Tipperary County Board, as well as serving the Tipperary appeals committee.

STERLING

LGFA president Mícheál Naughton commented: “We are delighted once again to honour our annual Volunteer of the Year award winners. Volunteers, and the sterling and unselfish work that they undertake, are the lifeblood of our association and I salute all of our winners.

“We received another outstanding volume of entries and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who took the time to submit nominations.

“We are now very much looking forward to our awards ceremony, to be held at Croke Park on Friday February 10. This night will rightly acknowledge the efforts of our winners.”