Quarterly Sports Star award winners announced
Carlow Sports Star Awards
To get one international call up is special, to get two in two weeks is simply incredible. Jack competed for Ireland in the SIAB Cross Country International in Falkirk, Scotland which boasts the best young talent from across the British Isles and Ireland. He was in action in the Intermediate Boys 6k and had an incredible performance as he was 4th Irish boy home and finished in an impressive 12th place overall. Jack and his team mates finished in a superb 2nd place earning themselves well deserved silver medals. Jack earned his place on the Irish Team having competed at the All Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships in Galway finishing in a fantastic 5th place. Having qualified earlier in the season Jack also competed at the U17 XC boys UK Cross Challenge – Home Countries International & Celtic Nations Cross Country in Temple Newsam Leeds. Jack ran a brilliant race and finished in 15th place and was the 5th Irish boy to cross the line. Jack and his teammates also earned themselves bronze medals, and he’ll no doubt continue to represent Carlow on the national stage.
There’s not much you can’t say about this young Hanover star who’s made a name for himself over the last couple of seasons. At 16, he was dominating the Youths league and won the Golden Boot for the Youths League last season. He also made his debut for Hanover’s junior team and didn’t look out of place. Aged 17, he ran riot in the Youths League this season, scoring over 40 goals en route to back to back Golden Boots. He also made the jump up to junior level to play with Hanover’s junior team and had a solid first season, scoring 10 goals, ranking 7th in the race for the Premier Division Golden Boot and was just two goals behind his teammate Eoghan Byrne in his own club. The highlight would be a brace against New Oak who have the best defensive record in the Premier Division this season. The tricky young winger has shown why he’s one of the most promising soccer players this county has, with his incredible talent earning him a Scholarship to go to University in the US in September. His form across the Youths division and at Junior level has earned him this Nationalist Sports Star award.
Recently, when Carlow beat Westmeath in the Leinster camogie championship, dual intercounty player, Aibha Kiernan, was playing her twelfth game for Carlow since the season started. She had lined out for the footballers on seven occasions while that was her fifth game for the camogs. She has scored four points with the footballers.
Dual intercounty players are rare nowadays. She is being facilitated by her team mates and the respective managers.
“It is good. It is not easy in fairness. The two managers are always very good, talking to each other and managing it,” she says.
Camogie training is usually Monday and Wednesday while the football is Wednesday and Friday. She slips between the two sports, training with the camogie team one Wednesday and back to the footballers seven days later. It is working well for her.
She acknowledges she is in the minority when trying to satisfy two camps but doesn’t consider it to be tough going. She just loves what she does. Her commitment to gaelic games sees her lift a well-deserved Carlow Nationalist Sports Star award.
Winning an All-Ireland once is special, winning one twice is incredible, winning one three times in a row is unheard of. That’s exactly what happened to the Carlow Youth Darts academy back in March as they achieved a threepeat, winning the All-Irelands for the third time in a row. The team of Jamie French, Rebecca Allen, Luke Dooley, Daniel Nolan, Jamie Cooney, Con O’Reilly and Lar Brennan Whelan, captained by Jack Courtney won the team event for the third successive year. This success followed on from their first ever Leinster win back in January. There was also success for the pocket rocket, Rebecca Allen who stormed through the field to claim her third successive All-Ireland girls title, ruthlessly dispatching Kilkenny’s Ruby Grace 4-0 in the final. Jack Courtney made it to back to back boys finals, falling short for a second year in a row. Adam Dee has the rare honour of having won the All-Ireland as a player and now a manager.
Playing for your country is special, captaining your country is even more special. Ciara Milton has had the incredible honour of doing both. Having played for her country underage, Ciara was selected to captain the Ireland U15’s school team at the Bob Docherty Cup this year and brought home not just one but two trophies. Having beaten England in the opening fixture, they started the tournament off well, winning the John Reid Trophy, before winning the big one, the Bob Docherty Cup after beating England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Ciara has been slowly making a name for herself on the big stage and secured a big move to Shamrock Rovers this season and has been on fire, scoring eight goals in seven games so far this season for the U17’s team. Whilst she’s been making a name for herself on the national and international stage, she’s finally got a Carlow winners medal too, having been part of the Killeshin U16’s girls squad before she moved to Rovers, and they won the league this year, something that’s been missing from her portfolio.
It has been a particularly busy last few months for the Carlow cyclist where he has experienced the highs and lows of racing at the highest level.
In March he won the prestigious Bobby Power classic around the roads of Carrick-on-Suir and a week later came second in the teak tough Des Hanlon race, a classic which is the pride of joy of the Carlow Road Cycling Club.
His good form was recognised when he was selected on the Leinster team for the famed one-day cycling classic in Oakham in England. It wasn’t to be that day for Con where he experienced mechanical problems on an unforgiving course.
That week he also received word that he had been selected on the Irish team to race in the 70th edition of the Rás Tailteann which takes place on May 21-25. He trains seven times a week where a rest day consists of an hour on the bike. After that, his preparation for the Rás will involve a number of six-hour training sessions in all kinds of conditions. There will also 3-4 hour stints as well but Con loves what he does as he profiles the sport of Carlow cycling which has produced some of the sports top amateur competitors.
Over the last two years, Ballinkillen defender, Dion Wall, has cemented his starting place on the Carlow senior hurling team. With some of the greatest players ever to play for Carlow he has had to remain patient and bide his time. He is in now and no doubt he is all but an automatic starter when it comes to selection meetings before a game.
This year he was one of the mainstays as Carlow retained their place in the National Hurling League 1B for next season. The county is now in the middle of a Joe McDonagh Cup campaign where, they have won both their opening games. While the forwards have been doing their stuff up front, Dion and his fellow defenders have not conceded even one goal in two games.
Not alone that, the game-plan, with the Ballinkillen man very much a leader, sees the defence give clean-ball into a hungry forward line who have capitalised on quality possession. It is still early in the Joe McDonagh competition yet but the Carlow defender and his team-mates are fully focussed on what lies ahead.
Jamie has been vaulting into the record books this year with some terrific work in pole vault. Coming from a family of vaulters, Jamie has multiple national titles, record breaking performances and international appearances. Jamie is no stranger when it comes to breaking Championship Records and this year is certainly no exception. At the Leinster Indoor Juveniles, Jamie broke the U18 record of 3.70m with a clearance of a height of 4.20m and then went on to break the U18 National Championship Record with a jump of 4.01m. In Leinster Juniors he went higher again with a superb jump of 4.30m to take the title and is still eligible to compete at the age group for a few more years. Jamie was awarded the National All Ireland Star Award for Carlow at the recent awards ceremony for his outstanding performances last year, and it’s clear to see he has a very bright future ahead.
Team Camaraderie, a trust in themselves, trust in each other and horses coming into top form. These were all parts of the ingredients which saw two Carlow riders play a prominent role in The Underwriting Exchange Irish show jumping team which secured victory in the Longines League of Nations first leg in Abu Dhabi in March.
The four-man team of Denis Lynch on Vistogrand, Trevor Breen (Highland President) alongside the Carlow pair of Jason Foley (Chedington Hazy Toulana) and Mikey Pender (HHS Los Angeles) came into the event ranked number one in the world. They produced a performance of panache and style. In seven rounds, they didn’t knock a fence.
After the first round, Ireland had picked up only two-time faults and didn’t knock a fence. On the second day, they emerged victorious completing three more rounds. The sense of achievement was not lost on Mikey.
With both Breen and Lynch going clear in the second round, Pender was last to go. Victory was on the line. The Carlow man knew he could have at least one mistake but that wasn’t on his mind when he entered the ring on HHS Los Angeles. He went clear to clinch the victory.
It was a team victory with the four riders all believing and trusting in each other.
“We got on very well. There was a good atmosphere all week,” said Mikey.
St. Pat’s were recently crowned Nationalist Premier Division winners for the first time since 2002. The name on everybody’s lips after a Pat’s game has been their new signing, Ravo. People across Carlow Soccer circles have praised him and been in awe of his talent, be it referees, spectators, league officials or otherwise. Ravo Kilonda arrived at St. Pat’s at the start of the season, arriving from Villa FC in Waterford, following closely behind his good friend Niels Hlukaku, and he’s been an ever present threat since. He slotted in at centre-back to start the season but it soon became apparent that his true potential lay more at right back. He made this position his own and quickly found his calling there, his blistering pace letting him get in behind defenders, and create opportunities for his teammates, but also has been known to score a couple of special goals. His pace also allows him to track back and put in some big tackles to deny teams a chance to cut in and carve out opportunities of their own. He’s been by far the best player in the Carlow League this season and has impressed many, his form earning him an Oscar Traynor call up. He’s also impressed for SETU Carlow’s A team this season too.
Minutes into Carlow’s first round minor football championship game at Netwatch Cullen Park against Wicklow, this month’s award winner ghosted in behind the visitors defence and looked certain to find the net. To his horror, his shot zipped past the right-hand upright and the chance was gone.
A lesser player could well have hung the head and hoped the ground would open up. This didn’t happen and within minutes Carlow had scored two goals with Mark getting one of them. He would go on and score 1-3 that night as he terrorised the Wicklow defence with Carlow winning on the night.
A week later, Mark was back with Carlow against Wexford where the team showed remarkable resilience in eking out a victory. This time, Mark scored 1-6 with a superb victory in Enniscorthy. A place in the knock-out stages was secured.
While Westmeath edged Carlow in a preliminary quarter-final, Mark scored another four points for his side. The game hung in the balance at times but the word was out there. It wasn’t as if it wasn’t known but this young man in the white heat of battle, with some brilliant performances, has confirmed he knows where the posts are.
The streets of Leighlinbridge have grown accustomed to laying out the red carpet for equine superstars but the welcome that the 2025 Aintree Grand National winner Nick Rockett received, along with the second and third placed I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West was something special.
It was thoroughly deserved. When a win leave trainer Willie Mullins speechless you know it’s special but he was overcome with emotion after watching his son Patrick land one of the biggest races in the National Hunt season It’s a team effort that sets up such a success and those at the homecoming would have seen the role played by groom Katie Walton in keeping the horse calm and would have realised how big a role she can have in the build up to a big race It was a success on the biggest stage that all of Carlow could be proud of.
It has been an up and down season for Carlow Rugby Club. Some glorious days where the club expressed itself with some scintillating and attacking rugby. A Towns Cup final appearance doesn’t happen by chance. Players have to gel, trust each other and stare down both victory or defeat in much the same manner.
This quarterly award winner, who also played in the All-Ireland League for Carlow, is by far the most experienced player in the Oak Park team. Yet he brings more than just his rugby knowledge. He is a powerhouse in the scrum, an astute fetcher in the line-out and nothing defined him more in the recent Towns Cup final when he had to leave the field towards the end. When a Carlow player subsequently picked up an injury the tall second-rower came back into the action.
A hard player but a natural leader who gives as good as he gets he is highly respected by both friend and foe, he epitomises what the club rugby player is all about.
