GAA Site
TENNENT’S/UGAAWA MERIT AWARD FOR OCTOBER 2004
HISTORY has always to be recognised and Armagh’s trip to All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship glory was the highlight of October 2004. That, of course, is not degrading the achievements of clubs that won their county championships and Belfast O’Donovan Rossa, who regained the AIB Ulster Club Hurling title after a 25 years’ lapse.
However, the young Orchard County lions wrote their names into posterity by taking the under-21 honours home for the first time and in doing so there had to be a fair spread of good performances throughout the team, not to mention the astute management of Peter Rafferty and his aide-de-camps Colm Marley and Matty Lennon.
Still, one player kept shooting into the limelight and that was STEPHEN KERNAN, the scorer-in-chief and playmaker of the All-Ireland champions. He rattled home 1-3 against Mayo in the final to finish Armagh’s leading championship scorer.
“I’m really chuffed at winning this award,” enthused UUC final year student Stephen (21) when he received the news. “This is the first individual award I ever received in football. I’m absolutely delighted.”
Kernan is in his fourth year with Crossmaglen senior side and has collected four Armagh SFC medals apart from his Ulster and All-Ireland under-21 awards. He has various medals at other underage levels.
Apart from his exploits with Armagh in the national final, Stephen was also to the fore with Crossmaglen Rangers in winning their ninth consecutive county senior football title and he shaded younger brother Aaron for the overall honour. He also shaded Slaughtneil manager John Brennan and his players who won the Derry SFC title for the first time; Derrygonnelly who stopped Enniskillen Gaels of reaching ‘Seventh Heaven’, Carrickmore for completing the Tyrone football and hurling double; Mayobridge in Down and Gort na Mona’s Ricky McCann who completed a hat-trick of Golden Gloves Handball titles.
Also Rossa regained the Ulster hurling title and St Gall’s kept the Antrim SFC crown for a fourth consecutive year – yes it was a busy month of October..
Kernan received his award of a £100 Tennent’s Ireland voucher, an engraved Belleek China vase, Cloicín cufflinks, training gear from Pro*Star Sports and two tickets plus overnight accommodation to the GAA Writers’ Banquet in Bundoran on November 19 at a reception in the Ulster Brewery on Wednesday, November 10. The presentation was made by Bass Managing Director Steve McAllister.
Incidentally, Stephen and Joe Kernan become the third set of father and sons who have been winners of this award. Mickey and Mark Harte plus the two Adrian McGuckians have also done the double act.
