O'Connell and Maguire Scoop Vodafone Monthly Awards

Clare's hurling captain Brian O'Connell and Fermanagh’s flying forward Eamon Maguire were today named the Vodafone GAA Players of the Month for June. The awards were presented by the President of the GAA Nickey Brennan and Vodafone’s Head of Corporate Affairs Rosemary Steen at a reception in the Westbury Hotel, Dublin.

The two players are in the midst of preparations for the provincial finals, O’Connell leading out his Clare team against Tipperary next Sunday in the Munster hurling final and Maguire and his Fermanagh teammates going into action against Armagh on Sunday week in the Ulster football final.

June turned out to be a sensational month for the Clare hurlers as they defeated both Waterford and Limerick in convincing style to qualify for their first Munster final since 1999. Brian O'Connell, who took over the team captaincy this year from his Wolfe Tones clubmate Frank Lohan, has provided outstanding leadership on and off the field.

Forming a powerful midfield pairing with Colin Lynch, a former winner of this award, O'Connell showed all the experience he has gained in his seven seasons at this level to help inspire the 2-26 to 0-23 win over Waterford and the 4-12 to 1-16 success in the semi-final against Limerick.

As Fermanagh emerged from the month of June to qualify for their first Ulster final since 1982, Eamon Maguire proved to be the livewire of their attack. After their May success against Monaghan, Maguire was in scintillating form in the Ulster semi-final when Fermanagh beat hot favourites Derry by 1-11 to 1-9, contributing two points himself and being central to the action all through.

From the St Patrick’s club in Donagh, Maguire established himself on the Fermanagh team during the memorable Summer of 2004 when they enjoyed a spectacular run through the Qualifier series and reached the All-Ireland semi-final, where they lost narrowly to Mayo.

Speaking at the presentation the President of the GAA paid tribute to the two players. "There is no doubt that two of the biggest success stories of the championship so far have been the progress of the Clare hurlers and Fermanagh footballers. I am delighted to see Brian and Eamon honoured for their contribution to those successes."

On behalf of Vodafone Ireland, Rosemary Steen said; "It is once again a privilege for us to honour two of the stars of Gaelic Games. Clare and Fermanagh are two of the great success stories of these championships and Brian and Eamon have been an integral part of those successes."

For further information, please contact:

Darina Sexton, Vodafone Press Office, 087 7753000
Donal Keenan, 087 8060707