Leitrim's Keith Beirne named on inaugural Tailteann Cup Team of the Year

Keith Beirne's outstanding performances in the Tailteann Cup has seen the Leitrim sharpshooter named on the inaugural Tailteann Cup Team of the year with the Mohill man set to be presented with his award this Friday night in Croke Park.

As part of the promotion of the new second tier competition, an independent selection committee decided the final 15 who will be presented with their awards this Friday night at a special black-tie function in Croke Park with the Leitrim star earning the Green & Gold's first award in the scheme.

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The event will be streamed live on gaa.ie from 7pm and also feature the awards for the Ring, Rackard and Meagher and Joe McDonagh Teams of the Year as well as the overall Players.

The award, coming just a few days after his disappointment with Mohill in this year's County Final, is a fitting recognition for a player who finished top scorer in the Allianz NFL Division 4 campaign and won plaudits all over the country after a series of excellent displays.

Keith is the sole Green & Gold winner with Sligo, the team that ended Leitrim's participation in the Tailteann Cup after a penalty shootout, earning three nominations with keeper Aidan Devaney joined by corner-back Evan Lyons and midfielder Sean Carrabine.

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Dowra's Jason McLoughlin also makes the cut along with his Cavan teammates Killian Clarke, Gearoid McKiernan and Gerard Smith while champions Westmeath top the list with six winners while there is an award for Offaly's Anton Sullivan.

GAA President Larry McCarthy congratulated the winners, saying "The Tailteann Cup was an excellent addition to the calendar and produced the competitive matches and entertaining football that we had hoped for. Westmeath and Cavan were worthy finalists, and this Team of the Year is a reflection of the players who delivered exceptional performances over the campaign.

"To be part of the history making first ever selection is special and I congratulate the players honoured here and salute all of those who played a role in making the Tailteann Cup such a great success in 2022, something which we will build on in the coming years."

Tom Parsons, the GPA CEO, said "First of all I want to acknowledge what a great start we’ve had in 2022 to the Tailteann Cup. The scenes in Westmeath following their win in the final shows how the competition did capture the imagination of players and supporters alike.

"It is great to see players from five counties represented on the Tailteann Cup Team of the Year and heartiest congratulations to each and every one of you."

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The Tailteann Cup Team of the Year is as follows: 1. Aidan Devaney (Sligo) 2. Jack Smith (Westmeath) 3. Kevin Maguire (Westmeath) 4. Evan Lyons (Sligo) 5. Jason McLoughlin (Cavan) 6. Ronan Wallace (Westmeath) 7. Killian Clarke (Cavan) 8. Sam McCartan (Westmeath) 9. Seán Carrabine (Sligo) 10. Gearóid McKiernan (Cavan) 11. Ronan O’Toole (Westmeath) 12. Anton Sullivan (Offaly) 13. Gerard Smith (Cavan) 14. John Heslin (Westmeath) 15. Keith Beirne (Leitrim)