Swan headlines another successful Nenagh Guardian Sports Awards
By Shane Brophy
The fifth Nenagh Guardian Sports Awards, in association with Lyons of Limerick & Nenagh, proved to be another outstanding success last Friday night, highlighted by the induction of National Hunt jockey Charlie Swan into the Hall of Fame.
Over 200 people packed into the Great National Abbey Court Hotel for the now annual event which is growing in scale and popularity every year as the sporting successes of local people be it on the pitch, course, track or court are celebrated and honoured.
Charlie Swan, nine time Irish National Hunt jockey was presented with his Hall of Fame award by special guest, Nenagh native Vincent Hogan who is the chief sports writer of the Irish Independent.
Charlie said he was humbled by the honour having ridden over 1,400 winners in his twenty year riding career, including 23 at the Cheltenham festival.
There were some memorable moments on the night with many enamoured by the achievements of Newport's Paula Wright who only took up running seven years ago and is now an endurance runner while Nenagh's Amy White revealed how her passion for weightlifting developed into now being a European champion.
All award winners were made feel at ease by MC Damian Lawlor with his interview with Vincent Hogan one of the highlights of the night as the journalist provided an insight into his thirty year career and some of the great stories he has been involved in.
While these awards are about celebrating achievement, it also about recognising those that promote sport, such as Hero of the Community Award winner Anne Fitzpatrick.
It was truly a special night, added to by the comedy of the Newport GAA Senior Scor Novelty Act group who performed their 2019 All Ireland winning act entitled “Fowl play at the Border”, a play on Brexit which fittingly was finally enacted on the same night.
Rosemary Joyce, chairperson of the Nenagh 800 committee, was also present to congratulate the winners and outline plans relating to sport in the towns anniversary celebrations this year that individuals and clubs can get involved in.
Thank you to all those who helped make the awards night another great success, and we look forward to doing it all over again next year!