paddybradley

TENNENT'S/UGAAWA MONTHLY MERIT AWARD
April 2008

Paddy Bradley is the winner of the Tennent's/UGAAWA Monthly Merit Award for April 2008. Paddy received his award from Sean McMahon, UGAAWA chairman and Seamus Donaghy InBev Ireland Account Manager at a reception held at the Ulster Brewery Belfast.
© Houston Green Photography

Everything comes to those who wait, we are told, and so it is with PADDY BRADLEY. The Derry doyen is the winner of our Tennent’s Monthly Merit Award for April to add to the other accolades he has collected recently.

“For a long time I never got any individual awards but now they all seem to be coming together,” says Paddy who is most enthusiastic about this latest honour. It will surely help his 27th birthday celebrations to go with a swing in a week’s time.

April was a special month for the Glenullin star. He contributed handsomely to Derry’s 2-13 to 2-9 victory in the Allianz NFL Div.1 final, scoring six points with a really special one to polish off the Kingdom men. He also gave Tyrone a few lessons with nine points in their NFL clash, which Derry won by 0-14 to 0-10, and he was instrumental in the 0-15 to 0-10 defeat of 2007 league winners Donegal.

In between times he was helping out his club Glenullin in local action so there wasn’t much time for hanging around by the Quantity Surveyor.

To date, on the field of play, Paddy has won two National Football League medals, a few Railway Cup awards and one Derry SFC trophy. He is in his ninth year as a Derry senior county footballer with the aim now is to win the provincial title this season.

“I’m only beginning to get these awards now and, hopefully, the Ulster championship title is not far away. That’s our aim for the summer. We also hope to hold on to the Derry club title and maybe go a step further,” he says.

“It is always very nice to get an individual award and I’m delighted at getting this Tennent’s-Ulster GAA Writers’ honour. I have been aware of the award and admired other players getting it and I have heard about the great night in Bundoran at the annual banquet,” enthused the April winner.

He will be getting two tickets plus overnight accommodation to the banquet, which this year will be held on November 1 at the Hillgrove Hotel in Monaghan. The award also includes a Tennent’s voucher, a Belleek China engraved vase, specially designed silver cuff links by Omeath jeweller Gareth Mallon and sports gear compliments of O’Neill’s International Sports.

For all that he edged out his Derry colleagues Fergal Doherty and Niall McCusker plus Fermanagh star Mark Murphy. The presentation was made by Seamus Donaghy, Accounts Manager InBev Ireland, at a function in the Ulster Brewery on Wednesday, May 7.

Paddy Bradley, who has been a Derry senior county footballer for nine years, is the winner of the Tennent's/UGAAWA Monthly Merit Award for April 2008.
The presenation was made at a reception at the Ulster Brewery, Belfast, by Seamus Donaghy, InBev Ireland Account Manager, and Sean McMahon, UGAAWA Chairman.
© Houston Green Photography