Ernie Deacy to be honoured at Mayo Athletic Awards ^Featured

The categories will be: 

High Achievement Award, Outstanding Achievement Award, Senior Female Road Racing Award, Masters Female Road Racing Award, Female Cross Country Award, Masters Men Road Racing Award, Masters Track & Field Award and Special Achievement Award. 
 
Another person to be honoured on the night is Ernie Deacy who will be presented with the Hall of Fame Award for 2011.  Ernie Deacy is a Mayo native, of a farming family from Balinvoy near Westport. His athletics career started early, as he won a sprint race at Westport sports day at the age of 7. 

He later went on to St. Jarlath's in Tuam, competing for the school and winning a medal in the pole vault at the All Ireland championships of 1962.  He was also a member of the football team which that year got to the schools final.
 
After leaving school he went to London, where he spent his working life.  Sport remained a big part of his life, and he soon joined Sutton and Cheam Athletics Club, where he was an active member for 5 or 6 years, competing mainly in sprints and long jump (with a respectable best of 6.50), but dabbling in many other disciplines including decathlon. 

He was also (once!) persuaded to take part in a cross country race.  He drifted away from Athletics after joining a rugby club, with whom he remained for the next 20 years or so, playing all over England and the continent, even doing a tour of Australia in the early 80s.

Retired to Westport

Ernie came home to Westport on his retirement in 1992.  A chance meeting with Seán Langan led to him being invited to a training session at the athletics track, where Seán was the principal coach of Westport AC. 

He became involved, and has advanced to become one of the most respected coaches not only in Westport but also in Mayo, and indeed all of Connacht.  As head coach at the club, he will put through their paces the smallest of new recruits, while at the same time helping the star performers to bring out their full potential. 

Some of those stars that he has coached have achieved at the highest levels, notably in recent years Sharon Heverin and Pamela Hughes in the high jump and Caoimhe King in the triple jump. 

On top of the time he has put into coaching and club administration, he also puts in full time as an official, from local to national level, where he is invariably fair, impartial and good humoured.  Ernie is one of those people who, without fanfare, get things done.  The sort, without whom, athletics could not happen.
 
List of athletes who will receive awards and or certificates

Ballina:  Aaron Murtagh, Allan Smith, Bradley Nealon, Emily Burns, Emma Loftus, Eoin Hallinan, Ernie Caffrey, Hugh Armstrong, Padraig Maye, Roger Barrett and Simon Gillespie.
 
Castlebar:  Andrew Bell, Daniel Conway, Jan-Niklas Wicher, Kate Heneghan, Nevan Fannon, Patrick Bell and Sally Maughan.
 

Claremorris:  Aisling Costello, Ciara Fahey, Colin Gill, Conor Diskin, James Jennings, Laura Beston,  Michael Moran, Michael Owen Kilduff, Niamh Joyce, Niamh O’Neill, Sarah Quinn, Sean Gill and Claremorris U11 Girls Relay team.

Swinford:  Aisling Forkan, Aoife McCann, Aoife Mulroy, Cliona Mulroy, Eric Hynes, Fionnuala Mulroy, Michaela Walsh, Oisin Oliver, Rosie Hynes, Shane Bracken, Willie Hynes.

Westport:  Alannah Gannon, Alice Dever, Anthony Chambers, Caoimhe King, Caoimhe Gannon, Cian McManamon, Clara Tierney, Daniel Lavelle, David Harper, Ellen Moran, Luke Dawson, Matthew O’Malley, Niamh McLoughlin, Pamela Hughes, Patrick Chambers, Saoirse O’Brien and Westport

U12 Cross Country Team
Mayo A/C:  Angela O’Connor, Anne Murray, Billy Gallagher, Breege Blehein, Catherine Conway, Chris Gallagher, Collette Tuohy, Jim Gaughan, John Byrne, Kathy Connolly, Martin Peyton, Mary Gleeson, Mary Murphy, Mary Naylor, Pat Moran, Paula Prendergast, Robert Malseed, Sarah Syron, Tom Hunt, Tom Waldon, Una McGrath and Mayo A/C Ladies team European medal winners.

On the day our four Special Olympians Deirdre Gannon, Deirdre Garvin, Mary McDermott and Paul Kavanagh who represented Ireland at the World Games in Athens last year will be honoured.
So athletes, family and friends make your way to the Downhill Hotel, Ballina on Sunday for this gala celebration.  Contact club members if you require tickets or commemorative booklets immediately.  Dinner will be served only to those who hold a valid ticket.