THE NORTHERN STANDARD MONAGHAN GAA ANNUAL AWARDS
MAITIU MONAGHAN
The 2023 Northern Standard/Monaghan GAA award winners have been announced, with representatives from 18 different clubs picking up awards in what has been an incredibly successful season for Monaghan GAA. Scotstown GAA dominated the Senior Football Award’s, with Rory Beggan being named Club Senior Footballer of the Year, while Conor McCarthy was awarded the Inter-County Footballer of the Year. Elsewhere, Killanny’s Ronan Grimes was named the Intermediate Footballer of the Year after a great season that seen Killanny claim a shock Intermediate Championship, and Phillip Donnelly was awarded Junior Footballer of the Year for the crucial role he played leading Blackhill to an historic Junior League and Championship double. In Ladies Football, Maeve Monaghan was named Player of the Year, for her outstanding performances for Emmett Óg, as they made it all the way to County Final.
Cremartin’s Stephen Mooney was named Young Player of the Year for his exceptional performance’s for Cremartin, as they were promoted to the Senior Football Championship. Scotstown were crowned club of the year and had inductees to the Hall of Fame, as Tom Moyna and Gerard McGuirk were inducted. Tom Moyna played for Scotstown when they won five County Championships in a row between 1977-81. He also won three Ulster Championships in a row and played for Scotstown in the 1979 All Ireland Club Final, which Scotstown lost to Nemo Rangers. He was also the full forward on the Monaghan team that won the Ulster Championship in 1979.
Tom is currently a trustee for Scotstown GAA. Gerard McGuirk’s father Hugh was a member of Scotstown’s 1960 Championship winning team. Gerard himself won an Ulster Club Championship in 1989, as well as back-to-back Monaghan Championships in 92/93. The Man of the Match in the 1992 final against Castleblayney, Gerard was also a versatile player for Monaghan throughout the 1990s. His family continue to play a strong role in the club and play for the Scotstown Ladies. In Hurling, Niall Arthur was named Hurler of the Year for his performance’s that led Inniskeen to an historic County Title, while Thomas Hughes was named Young Hurler of the Year for the role he played in Castleblayney’s run to the All-Ireland Junior Hurling semi-final.
The Inter County Hurler of the Year was Inniskeen’s Kevin Crawley and Clontibret’s Codie Morgan was named Camogie Player of the Year. It was undoubtedly a fantastic year for Monaghan GAA on and off the pitch, with the promise of much more success to come in 2024.
