Tipperary amateur sport's brightest stars of 2025 are honoured

Above: At the presentation of the Annerville awards, sponsored by Bulmers, at the Talbot Hotel Clonmel on Saturday night were from left, Gaelic football award winner Sean O'Connor; Special Achievement award winner Darragh Stakelum, Thurles; Soccer award winner Dale Loughnane, Peake Villa; John Cahill, representing his son Liam Cahill, the Sean Lyons Sports Executive Award winner; Camogie award winner Mairead Eviston and Hurling award winner John McGrath. Picture: Michael Boland  

The amateur stars of Tipperary sport, whose achievements brought honour and glory to the county in 2025, gathered at the Talbot Hotel Clonmel on Saturday night.

Stars in 20 categories were honoured in the annual Annerville awards, sponsored by Bulmers, and presented by the Tipperary United Sports Panel.

They included Hurler of the Year John McGrath; World Darts champion Aidan O’Hara; the Special Achievement Award winner Darragh Stakelum, who won the British Golf Open for blind and visually impaired golfers; the Jimmy Cooney Lifetime Achievement award winner John Flynn, who is Mr Athletics in Moyne AC; and several All-Ireland winners, including athlete Emer Brennan, the Ladies of Tipperary Golf Club, pitch and putt player Sarah Ryan and boxer Kaysie Joyce.

The Knocknagow Award, which each year honours an outstanding sportsperson of the past, was presented to Arthur Pierse. Widely acknowledged as Tipperary’s greatest-ever golfer, his journey in the sport has taken him all over the world and has seen him excel at the very highest levels, both nationally and internationally, in amateur golf since the 1970s.

The Sean Lyons Sports Executive Award winner, Tipperary hurling manager Liam Cahill, was represented by his father John Cahill.

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The sponsors, Bulmers, were represented by Derek Nolan, who congratulated all the award winners on their fantastic achievements. He said that the company had a long association with the awards, which went back to 1964, and which he hoped would continue into the future.

He said that the event was for amateur sports people who had to go to work and school, and who had day jobs. They needed the support of their families, coaches and friends to continue at the highest level. He said that the United Sports Panel should be proud of promoting the awards scheme.

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He paid a particular tribute to Johnny O’Loughlin, who has been a member of the Panel for the past 50 years.
Mr Nolan said that people of all ages were being honoured tonight, which proved that sport is for everybody.
It is something that we should all try and keep going in life, and at a later stage people should give back to the sport in which they had been involved.

He said that the late Philly Ryan, the former Tipperary Gaelic football manager and Clonmel Commercials mentor who died last October, was a stalwart of amateur sport who gave so much of his time to football in the county and to his club Commercials.

Tipperary United Sports Panel Chairman Connie Carroll told all the award winners that they were a credit to their sport.
“We salute our Special Achievement winner, visually-impaired golfer Darragh Stakelum; Lifetime Achievement winner, Mr Athletics John Flynn, Moyne AC; and Knocknagow Award winner Arthur Pierse, an eight-times winner of the United Sports Panel’s Golfer of the Year award.

“There were many highlights during the year, including Tipperary winning the All-Ireland Under 20 hurling title.
However, our seniors lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup was simply the outstanding achievement of our sporting year.
“It raised the spirits of the whole county”.

The Chairman went on to say that while this was a night of celebration, “we remember former winners Sean McLoughlin, John Mackey McKenna and Philly Ryan, who passed away in the last year”.

The full list of award winners is

Angling - Dean Gates Kilsheelan Anglers Club
Athletics - Emer Brennan Clonmel AC
Badminton - Luke Marks Roscrea
Boxing - Kaysie Joyce Clonmel
Camogie - Mairead Eviston Drom/Inch
Darts - Aidan O’Hara Clonmel
Equestrian - Alice Wachman Cashel
Gaelic Football - Sean O’Connor Clonmel Commercials
Golf - Tipperary Club Ladies
Hurling - John McGrath - Loughmore/Castleiney
Kayaking - Beibhin Butler Clonmel
Martial Arts - Dylan Sullivan, Tora-Kan Karate Cub Ballyporeen
Motorsport - Nicole Drought Roscrea
Pitch and Putt - Sarah Ryan Tipperary Hills
Rugby - Nenagh Ormond
Sean Lyons Sports Executive Award - Liam Cahill Ballingarry
Soccer - Dale Loughnane Peake Villa
Jimmy Cooney Lifetime Achievement Award - John Flynn Moyne AC
Special Achievement Award - Darragh Stakelum Thurles Golf Club
Knocknagow Annerville Award - Arthur Pierse Tipperary