Castleisland Desmonds Ladies GAA Club held a night of celebration in the River Island Hotel to honour Lorraine Scanlon on her wonderful achievement of winning a TG4 Ladies Gaelic Football Association All Star award in 2017.
Lorraine was joined by her family, team mates, club members and friends and everyone was in agreement that it was a night to remember.
Proud to Honour Lorraine
Chairman of the ladies club, Pat Sheehan opened proceedings by welcoming everyone present and he said how proud the club was to be able to honour Lorraine in such a manner.
Dan Kearney was next to speak and he said that behind Lorraine’s cheery exterior and happy go lucky smile was an athlete full of determination and steel.
Her elegance on the field of play, her great hands and excellent feet were a testament to the hard work that she puts in on the training ground.
Help the Younger Players
Allied to that is her modesty and willingness to help the younger players as much as possible.
Dan said that Lorraine had started the 2017 season by collecting the player of the match trophy in her very first home game against Dublin in Castleisland.
Her excellence had continued throughout the season and ultimately her consistency was rewarded with the All Star Award – which was presented to her in the City West Hotel last November.
Dan also said that as captain of Desmonds All Ireland winning side of 2014, Lorraine had shown the leadership that was necessary to be a winner.
All Star Award
He thanked her parents and said that Lorraine was a credit to them, her village of Knocknagoshel and to all of the coaches that had guided her throughout the years.
Castleisland Desmonds GAA Club’s Aileen Lynch then presented Lorraine with an engraved photograph of her with her All Star award.
Aileen was in for a surprise herself when Lorraine returned the favour and presented Aileen with a voucher.
Aileen recently celebrated a special birthday with a 0, and the gesture was also in appreciation for all of the hard work that she has put into the ladies club throughout the years.
Finally, Lorraine’s mother Mary was presented with a bouquet of flowers to mark the 30 year anniversary of when she also won an All Star Award in 1987. Mary thanked the Desmonds club for all that they have done for Lorraine over the years.
Lorraine – The Role Model
When we think of Lorraine Scanlon the footballer we immediately picture the tall, elegant athlete with the excellent leap, super hands and even better feet.
By: Dan Kearney
It is sometimes forgotten about just how good Lorraine’s range of passing is. She’s not a bad point scorer either – eight points from play in this year’s championship with Kerry are a testament to her accuracy when kicking over the black spot.
Lorraine’s cheery exterior and happy go lucky smile often hides the steel that is behind Lorraine the athlete.
There is probably no harder person to train than Lorraine Scanlon – or any more determined and competitive player when she takes the field.
In Desmonds Colours
This was evident in her performances throughout the year with Kerry. We have also seen it many times in the Desmonds colours – when a ball needed to be won and delivered , Lorraine always came up with the goods when needed.
Of course Lorraine also won numerous underage caps for Ireland in basketball as a teenager. There is no doubt that this helped with her quick feet and hands on the football field and she continues to star for St. Mary’s who are in the national cup final in two weeks time.
Lorraine started the 2017 season as she meant to go on and it was fitting that she won the player of the match in the very first game of the NFL against Dublin in Castleisland.
Nominated in 2011
Her excellence continued throughout the season and, of course, it was capped with the All Star Award in the City West Hotel last November.
Lorraine had previously been nominated in 2011 and her consistency was eventually rewarded after her exploits last year.
As Lorraine was making her way up to the stage to collect her award I couldn’t help but think of her great friend and our former chairman Donal Curtin looking down from heaven and saying ‘about bloody time.’
Enshrined in Club History
Lorraine wears her excellence lightly and is as modest and as down to earth as you will find. She is a credit to her mother Mary, herself of course a former All Star winner in 1987, her father Paud, the upbringing she had in Knocknagoshel and the coaches who have guided her down through the years in Desmonds and Kerry.
As captain of our All Ireland winning team in 2014, she will forever be enshrined in the history of Castleisland Desmonds GAA Club and is the role model that we hope all of our young players aspire to.
Well done Lorraine, always our All Star, one of our own, you have done us all proud.
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