A. The Four Horsemen of GAA Journalism throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s were Paddy Downey, John D Hickey, Pádraig Puirséal and in particular, Mick Dunne.
Dunne was a fan of American sports and wasn’t averse to their recognition and celebration of players. As a result, the same group ran a scheme, the Cú Chulainn Awards, that ultimately fizzled out in the early ‘60s.
One day, when they found themselves at UCD’s Belfield covering an All-Ireland club sevens competition, Dunne and the others cornered Pat Heneghan, who was the ad man for PJ Carroll’s cigarettes.
In the tea hut, they put forward their idea to Heneghan to sponsor an All-Stars scheme. After some discussion, enthusiasm for the project took off. Heneghan abandoned the tea hut and brought the party across to the Montrose Hotel where he ordered a large bottle of whiskey from the barman to mark the occasion.
A letter was sent to GAA president Pat Fanning and general secretary Seán Ó Síocháin requesting approval for the scheme. It was granted and in 1971, we had our first team of All-Stars for Gaelic football and hurling selected.
Q. And what was the point of it?
A. Those working in media at the time had a genuine connection with players and wished to publicly acknowledge the appreciation throughout the country for the entertainment they provided.
Plus, given they got the kernel of the idea from America, it was felt that a glamorous awards night might lend it serious credibility.
Q. So 30 players were honoured on the first night?
A. Not quite! Cork’s Ray Cummins found his way onto both hurling and football teams, so there were 29 All-Stars. That feat has never been achieved since.
Q. What was that first ceremony like?
A. Carroll’s commissioned the sculptor Gary Trimble to design and make a trophy for each player.
When it came to the night itself, Carroll’s spared no expense for the big do at Jurys Hotel. Men and women got gussied up to the nines and when the entertainment of a traditional music combo arrived, they thought they were at the wrong venue. This couldn’t be a Gah crowd!
Andy Moran and wife Jennifer at an All-Star Awards night. Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
On the menu that night was melon and smoked ham, consommé célestine, baked darne of salmon, rib of beef with all the trimmings, a soufflé glacé Irish Mist, followed by coffee. The wines were pretty far out too: Niersteiner Dom Printz from Germany, and Fleurie Clos de Pavillon from France.
Considering that, earlier in the day, the players were all gifted a brand new, all-green kit to wear in the All-Stars game the following spring, and quite a few said that this was the first thing they were ever handed in their involvement in the GAA, it was quite the treat.
Andy McCallin was the youngest All-Star on the first selection, at a mere 20. He brought his fiancée, but as they were not yet married, they were booked into separate rooms. Still, when all the guests checked into their rooms, they were given a gift of 200 cigarettes from Carroll’s.
Then, there was only a matter of a few short weeks before the tour away.
Q. Hang on, a tour?
Oh God, yeah! You’ve probably forgotten by now.
In spring 1972, the 1971 All-Stars football team played reigning All-Ireland champions Offaly, and the 1971 All-Stars hurling team played the holders of Liam MacCarthy, Tipperary.
All-Stars getting to take in the sights and sounds of Hong Kong. INPHO
INPHO
These games took place in San Francisco, which at the time was the epicentre of the Flower Power movement, with a crew of Irish sportsmen standing agog at this scene sniffing the thick fumes of marijuana.
The entire enterprise lasted 10 days and for the first decade, San Francisco would be accommodated, before New York, LA, Boston, Chicago and Toronto featured.
In later years, the venues grew more exotic, with Hong Kong and Buenos Aires featuring, not to mention the magic carpet ride of Dubai in 2016.
There was some great action at the 2015 All Stars v 2016 All Stars - @OpelIreland GAA GPA All-Stars football tour. #Players https://t.co/WEluOIOxij
A. Now you’re talking. Not to mention the poor journalists who worked very hard on these tours to capture the stories and bring the whole thing to life for the interested folks back home!
Q. Who picks the All-Stars now?
A. A panel of 13 selectors for football, and 11 for hurling. This includes representatives from all the major news outlets; the outlet itself nominates their own selector.
In the first year, there were 26 selectors; their deliberations have become stuff of legend.
Q. Are ye on it yerself, Bogue?
A. Well, as it happens, I am. For now. You never can be too sure about the Steering Committee. You can wake up with a horse’s head beside you in the leaba at any time.
Q. Can I have your mobile number to abuse you every time the team is named?
A. No thanks, I have enough people doing that already.
Q. How does the system work?
A. The selectors pick three candidates for every position, making 45 players for the nominees. Then they all meet and whittle down a definite list of 45 nominees, before going away and giving more consideration to a team of 15 players.
Another meeting is called, and the whole thing is thrashed out. Egos are left on the floor, arguments rage, frustration grows, but we get there. Fanciful arguments and theories can be dragged up for years afterwards, for slagging purposes.
Q. And who picks the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year?
A. The three-man shortlist is drawn up by the selection committee. And then it is picked by the membership of the Gaelic Players Association.
Young hurler of the Year Noel McGrath and Young footballer of the Year Michael Murphy, all the way back in 2009. Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO
Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO
Q. Wasn’t there a Gaelic Players All-Stars Awards?
A. Yes, there was. From 2006 to 2011, and then they amalgamated with the traditional scheme as part of the GAA officially recognising the player’s body.
Q. Surely there’s been the odd howler of a decision made down through the years?
A. Brian Whelahan springs to mind. In 1994, he won the Texaco Hurler of the Year. Somehow, he didn’t win an All-Star the same year, due to a monumental bollocks-up and a secret ballot that ended up spreading Whelahan’s votes across the two wing-back positions.
There was also a peculiar rule back in the day, where if a player had been red-carded in the season, they would be ineligible for an All-Star. Those who fell victim of this included Offaly’s Pat Fleury and Kilkenny’s Mick Brennan.
In 1985, during a casual seven-a-side tournament in Dublin, Monaghan’s Eamonn McEneaney was asked to leave the pitch to ‘cool off’ and he was replaced before playing the next game. A few weeks later, he got a call informing him that his ‘cooling off’ was seen as a dismissal, and his All-Star was gone.
Q. Is it as big a deal as ever?
A. It’s hard to know. Generally, players are very keen to be recognised and it means a great deal to the people around them and their clubs.
On the other hand, you have the Kerry team being away on holidays at the time of this year’s presentation, which is not a good sign.
All we can do, as dutiful GAA volunteers, is lobby for the return of the trip.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
The GAA All-Star awards: the origins, the history, the controversies, the trips
Q. Who first thought of the All-Stars, and why?
A. The Four Horsemen of GAA Journalism throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s were Paddy Downey, John D Hickey, Pádraig Puirséal and in particular, Mick Dunne.
Dunne was a fan of American sports and wasn’t averse to their recognition and celebration of players. As a result, the same group ran a scheme, the Cú Chulainn Awards, that ultimately fizzled out in the early ‘60s.
One day, when they found themselves at UCD’s Belfield covering an All-Ireland club sevens competition, Dunne and the others cornered Pat Heneghan, who was the ad man for PJ Carroll’s cigarettes.
In the tea hut, they put forward their idea to Heneghan to sponsor an All-Stars scheme. After some discussion, enthusiasm for the project took off. Heneghan abandoned the tea hut and brought the party across to the Montrose Hotel where he ordered a large bottle of whiskey from the barman to mark the occasion.
A letter was sent to GAA president Pat Fanning and general secretary Seán Ó Síocháin requesting approval for the scheme. It was granted and in 1971, we had our first team of All-Stars for Gaelic football and hurling selected.
Q. And what was the point of it?
A. Those working in media at the time had a genuine connection with players and wished to publicly acknowledge the appreciation throughout the country for the entertainment they provided.
Plus, given they got the kernel of the idea from America, it was felt that a glamorous awards night might lend it serious credibility.
Q. So 30 players were honoured on the first night?
A. Not quite! Cork’s Ray Cummins found his way onto both hurling and football teams, so there were 29 All-Stars. That feat has never been achieved since.
Q. What was that first ceremony like?
A. Carroll’s commissioned the sculptor Gary Trimble to design and make a trophy for each player.
When it came to the night itself, Carroll’s spared no expense for the big do at Jurys Hotel. Men and women got gussied up to the nines and when the entertainment of a traditional music combo arrived, they thought they were at the wrong venue. This couldn’t be a Gah crowd!
On the menu that night was melon and smoked ham, consommé célestine, baked darne of salmon, rib of beef with all the trimmings, a soufflé glacé Irish Mist, followed by coffee. The wines were pretty far out too: Niersteiner Dom Printz from Germany, and Fleurie Clos de Pavillon from France.
Considering that, earlier in the day, the players were all gifted a brand new, all-green kit to wear in the All-Stars game the following spring, and quite a few said that this was the first thing they were ever handed in their involvement in the GAA, it was quite the treat.
Andy McCallin was the youngest All-Star on the first selection, at a mere 20. He brought his fiancée, but as they were not yet married, they were booked into separate rooms. Still, when all the guests checked into their rooms, they were given a gift of 200 cigarettes from Carroll’s.
Then, there was only a matter of a few short weeks before the tour away.
Q. Hang on, a tour?
Oh God, yeah! You’ve probably forgotten by now.
In spring 1972, the 1971 All-Stars football team played reigning All-Ireland champions Offaly, and the 1971 All-Stars hurling team played the holders of Liam MacCarthy, Tipperary.
These games took place in San Francisco, which at the time was the epicentre of the Flower Power movement, with a crew of Irish sportsmen standing agog at this scene sniffing the thick fumes of marijuana.
The entire enterprise lasted 10 days and for the first decade, San Francisco would be accommodated, before New York, LA, Boston, Chicago and Toronto featured.
In later years, the venues grew more exotic, with Hong Kong and Buenos Aires featuring, not to mention the magic carpet ride of Dubai in 2016.
Q. Nice for some. Where do they go now?
A. Well, there hasn’t been a tour since 2019.
Q. How come?
A. Same excuse for everything: Covid.
Q. That’s a bit of a balls for the players, eh?
A. Now you’re talking. Not to mention the poor journalists who worked very hard on these tours to capture the stories and bring the whole thing to life for the interested folks back home!
Q. Who picks the All-Stars now?
A. A panel of 13 selectors for football, and 11 for hurling. This includes representatives from all the major news outlets; the outlet itself nominates their own selector.
In the first year, there were 26 selectors; their deliberations have become stuff of legend.
Q. Are ye on it yerself, Bogue?
A. Well, as it happens, I am. For now. You never can be too sure about the Steering Committee. You can wake up with a horse’s head beside you in the leaba at any time.
Q. Can I have your mobile number to abuse you every time the team is named?
A. No thanks, I have enough people doing that already.
Q. How does the system work?
A. The selectors pick three candidates for every position, making 45 players for the nominees. Then they all meet and whittle down a definite list of 45 nominees, before going away and giving more consideration to a team of 15 players.
Another meeting is called, and the whole thing is thrashed out. Egos are left on the floor, arguments rage, frustration grows, but we get there. Fanciful arguments and theories can be dragged up for years afterwards, for slagging purposes.
Q. And who picks the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year?
A. The three-man shortlist is drawn up by the selection committee. And then it is picked by the membership of the Gaelic Players Association.
Q. Wasn’t there a Gaelic Players All-Stars Awards?
A. Yes, there was. From 2006 to 2011, and then they amalgamated with the traditional scheme as part of the GAA officially recognising the player’s body.
Q. Surely there’s been the odd howler of a decision made down through the years?
A. Brian Whelahan springs to mind. In 1994, he won the Texaco Hurler of the Year. Somehow, he didn’t win an All-Star the same year, due to a monumental bollocks-up and a secret ballot that ended up spreading Whelahan’s votes across the two wing-back positions.
There was also a peculiar rule back in the day, where if a player had been red-carded in the season, they would be ineligible for an All-Star. Those who fell victim of this included Offaly’s Pat Fleury and Kilkenny’s Mick Brennan.
In 1985, during a casual seven-a-side tournament in Dublin, Monaghan’s Eamonn McEneaney was asked to leave the pitch to ‘cool off’ and he was replaced before playing the next game. A few weeks later, he got a call informing him that his ‘cooling off’ was seen as a dismissal, and his All-Star was gone.
Q. Is it as big a deal as ever?
A. It’s hard to know. Generally, players are very keen to be recognised and it means a great deal to the people around them and their clubs.
On the other hand, you have the Kerry team being away on holidays at the time of this year’s presentation, which is not a good sign.
All we can do, as dutiful GAA volunteers, is lobby for the return of the trip.
Check out the latest episode of The 42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
2026 All Stars All-Stars Bogue On Wednesday Explainer GAA Gaelic Football Hurling October