Farewell night for Tipperary Sports Awards as pub side of Fethard business to close

Friday night last, January 20, was a mixed occasion at Butlers Sports Bar in Fethard for two different reasons.

On the positive side were the announcement of the winners of the 2022 Sports Awards winners in all the various categories, but on the downside was the announcement by Philip Butler that they were to be the final edition of the awards, certainly from the Butlers Sports Bar perpective, after a great run over 10 years.

The sponsors on the night were Bulmers (C&C Group) who were represented by regional sales manager Declan Ryan.

Special guest for the occasion was James Woodlock, current Tipperary All Ireland winning minor hurling manager, and former Tipperary and Drom/Inch midfielder, the holder of one All Ireland winning medal as well as five Munster senior medals, one National Hurling League as well as the all important county senior Dan Breen title with his club.

The winners of the awards were as follows:

YOUNG SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR
1st, Nicole Delane, Soccer and Gaelic Football
2nd, Aine Connolly, Equestrian

TEAM OF THE YEAR
1st, Fethard Ladies Senior Gaelic Footballers.
2nd, Fethard u/13 Hurling

OVERALL SPORTS ACHIEVEMENT WINNER
1st, Jack Quinlan (Hurling)
2nd, Ben Coen, Equestrian (Jockey)
3rd, Micheala Lawrence (Soccer).

Proprietor of Butlers Sports Bar and the main driving force behind these very popular awards over the past decade, Philip Butler, announced that seeing that he was closing the pub side of the business on Main Street, Fethard, from January 31, it effectively means the end of the Sports Awards, (at least in Butlers).
Philip included The Nationalist newspaper in his thanks for all the media exposure over the last 10 years or so. A competition like this would not have survived without the coverage it received, he said.