9.
The Winner of the 2023 Donegal Sports Star Equestrian Award is Oisin Orr from Rathmullan.It is Oisin’s second time to win the Equestrian Award having previously done so in 2017. He also won the Donegal Sports Star Professional Achievement Award in 2020. For sure the highlight of last year for Oisin Orr was winning the Bahrain International Trophy on the Alex Ferguson-owned Spirit Dancer for English trainer Richard Fahey. The Rathmullan man described the achievement of winning the race that had one million sterling in prize money as a career high for him. Oisin had an outstanding 2023 season in the UK with 64 winners, 70 seconds and 67 thirds. Rachel Cartman picked up the award on Oisin's behalf.
10.
There were five winners of the Special Athlete category - Anna Hennessy, Daniel O'Reilly, David Crawford, Hughie Sweeney and Vicki McGill, pictured above.Vicki McGill, from Letterkenny, had a week to remember at the 2023 World Summer Games in Berlin. A member of the North West Special Olympics club Vicki won a gold medal in basketball. A total of 16 local Ulster athletes came back with 22 medals. Vicki McGill was a member of a 73-strong Team Ireland, which won a total of 75 medals at the global games finals in a range of sports including badminton, basketball, equestrian, golf and gymnastics.The standout moment for Anna Hennessy in 2023 was reaching the qualifying standard for World Championships which take place in March. That happened for the Letterkenny woman after she performed very well last year at the European Down Syndrome Championships in Italy. Anna recorded three PB times and got to one final. She clipped 12 seconds of her 100m Backstroke, five seconds of her 100m Butterfly and three seconds off her 50m Butterfly. Anna also did extremely well to get to the final of the 50m Backstroke. It was those results that gave her the qualifying times for the World Championships in Turkey. Anna is training hard now with the Swilly Seals Club in Letterkenny before heading to Turkey in March where we wish her the best of luck.Daniel, David and Hughie had the great honour of representing Ireland at the European Down Syndrome Futsal Tournament last September in Italy. So Donegal was very well represented in the eight-man squad.Letterkenny man Daniel O’Reilly made history when he scored Ireland’s first ever Down Syndrome Futsal goal. The striker showed some neat footwork against the hosts Italy to slot home the Ireland goal that has put Daniel into the history books. Donegal Town man David Crawford was the goalkeeper and had a super tournament as did another forward Hughie Sweeney from Gweedore.
11.
There were five winners of the Special Athlete category - Anna Hennessy, Daniel O'Reilly, David Crawford, Hughie Sweeney and Vicki McGill, pictured above.Vicki McGill, from Letterkenny, had a week to remember at the 2023 World Summer Games in Berlin. A member of the North West Special Olympics club Vicki won a gold medal in basketball. A total of 16 local Ulster athletes came back with 22 medals. Vicki McGill was a member of a 73-strong Team Ireland, which won a total of 75 medals at the global games finals in a range of sports including badminton, basketball, equestrian, golf and gymnastics.The standout moment for Anna Hennessy in 2023 was reaching the qualifying standard for World Championships which take place in March. That happened for the Letterkenny woman after she performed very well last year at the European Down Syndrome Championships in Italy. Anna recorded three PB times and got to one final. She clipped 12 seconds of her 100m Backstroke, five seconds of her 100m Butterfly and three seconds off her 50m Butterfly. Anna also did extremely well to get to the final of the 50m Backstroke. It was those results that gave her the qualifying times for the World Championships in Turkey. Anna is training hard now with the Swilly Seals Club in Letterkenny before heading to Turkey in March where we wish her the best of luck.Daniel, David and Hughie had the great honour of representing Ireland at the European Down Syndrome Futsal Tournament last September in Italy. So Donegal was very well represented in the eight-man squad.Letterkenny man Daniel O’Reilly made history when he scored Ireland’s first ever Down Syndrome Futsal goal. The striker showed some neat footwork against the hosts Italy to slot home the Ireland goal that has put Daniel into the history books. Donegal Town man David Crawford was the goalkeeper and had a super tournament as did another forward Hughie Sweeney from Gweedore.
12.
The 2023 GAA Award winner was Oisin Gallen, Sean MacCumhaills and the Donegal Senior Football Team. Oisin Gallen’s performances were top drawer for the Donegal senior side. His nine-point tally against Chrissy McKaigue in the championship certainly brought Gallen to national attention. A run of fine displays saw the Twin Towns man nominated for an All-Star/In the 2023 Donegal Senior Football Championship Oisin ended up the Championship’s top scorer with one goal and 56 points. In December Oisin was named as the recipient of the annual Shéamuis Mhic Géidigh Memorial Trophy. Oisin is only the second MacCumhaills player to win the GAA category. Andy Curran is the other and he was the first ever recipient in 1976 the year that the Donegal Sports Star Awards started.