Young Sport Personality of the Year
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Young Sport Personality Nominees
Darragh McBrien
A real star in the making. Darragh McBrien has just had the sort of season that you expect to see in a breathless boys’ own novel. A vital attacking outlet as St Michael’s fought their way to the MacRory Cup final, on the highest stage he delivered a man of the match performance to help bring the storied old trophy back to St Michael’s for the seventh time in the school’s history.
Then week’s later he was turning on the style again as St Michael’s won their first ever Hogan Cup. And not long after that the 17-year-old Belnaleck man found himself walking out with Ballinamallard United in their club’s first ever Irish Cup final.
Eve Callaghan
Mount Lourdes student Eve Callaghan has marked herself out as one of the strongest local tennis talents. The 15-year-old has an outstanding all round game and huge mental toughness.
This season saw her win u16 and u18 Girls Singles and u18 doubles titles at the West of Ulster Junior Tennis Championships, the u18 crown at the Fermanagh Junior Open, before going to be the only local player selected to play for Ulster in the u18 inter-provincials staged in Irvinestown. Callaghan then helped Fermanagh to their first ever North West Quadrangular. Still u16 in 2020, she is a bright young talent with a great future ahead of her.
Ellie McCartney
Still just 14, Enniskillen Lakelander Ellie McCartney is quickly establishing herself as one of the most exciting rising stars in Irish swimming.
From winning gold in 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke as part of the Irish team at the City of Sunderland New Year meet, to scooping breaststroke gold in the 100m and 200m, and adding golds in the 200m and 400m IM at the Irish Summer National Finals in Dublin’s National Aquatic Centre, to selection for the Irish National F4-24 Programme, the preparation pathway for the Paris Olympics in 2024, it has been a year of incredible success and progression for the Enniskillen speedster.
Eimear Smyth
Fermanagh attacking ace, Eimear Smyth, was the scoring engine which propelled Fermanagh Ladies to Division 3 football. She was on fire in the semi-final against Limerick, scoring 1-12 as Fermanagh came from 11 points down at half-time to claim a remarkable 2-15 to 4-7 victory.
Fermanagh finished the campaign as Division 4 champions, with Smyth contributing 1-6, including the winning point from a free, in victory over Antrim in Clones. The 18-year-old was named on the Ladies NFL Division 4 team of the season. Smyth went on to be the focal point of the attack as Fermanagh went all the way to the All-Ireland Junior final in Croke Park.
