Camogie star Briege Corkery and footballer Angela Walsh scooped The Irish Times/Irish Sports Council Sportswoman of the Month Awards for September on Thursday for their superb performances in this year’s All-Ireland finals.
Briege won for her exceptional performance in the camogie All-Ireland final which lead to a 2-10 to 1-08 victory for Cork against Wexford while Angela won for leading the Cork team in the football All-Ireland final where they beat Monaghan 4 –13 to 0-11.
The two athletes, who are teammates on the Cork football team, will battle it out against previous months’ winners, for the title of Sportswoman of the Year at an awards ceremony in Dublin on 23 January 2009.
Briege and Angela join eight other female sport stars and monthly winners so far this year including Chloe Magee, a 20-year-old Badminton champion from Donegal who went on to qualify for the singles in Beijing.
Nina Carberry, an accomplished jockey who had a memorable visit to Cheltenham.
Leona and Lisa Maguire, 13-year-old twins from County Cavan whose flare for golf brought them to the final of the Irish Close.
Siobhan Byrne, the German-born 23-year-old who became the first female Irish fencer to compete in the Olympics in almost 50 years.
Established in 2004, the aim of the Sportswoman of the Year awards is to recognise the abilities and achievements of women in Irish sports.
The awards run over a twelve month period, with the judges selecting a winner each month for her ability to excel at sport.
From the twelve monthly winners, the overall Sportswoman of the Year is selected and announced.
The winner is decided by a judging panel, which is represented by individuals from The Irish Times, RTÉ, and the Evening Herald.
Further details on the Sportswoman of the Year Awards can be found on www.irishtimes.com/events/sportswoman/.
