Boxing stalwart Peter O’Donnell will launch the 2024 Donegal Sports Star Awards next Monday, January 6 in the Mount Errigal Hotel.
O’Donnell, who has been a regular supporter of the event and has won awards on multiple occasions, was delighted to accept the honour.
A widely known boxing man in the county and throughout the country, he won the Team Manager of the Year in 2015 after a good medal haul from Irish Boxers at the European Elite Men’s Championship in Samokov, Bulgaria.
Joe Ward and Michael Conlan won gold at those championships, while Dean Walsh won bronze.
And for his constant work with the Boxing community he also won an appreciation award in 2012.
“It’s a great privilege for anybody to be asked to launch such a big event, it’s a real honour and I appreciate that,” O’Donnell said.
“I started Boxing in 1962 along with my brothers in Derry and it became like a drug when you got into it, you just couldn’t get away from it.”
O’Donnell hung up the gloves for a while as he worked in the construction trade and he moved to Raphoe in 1972 with his wife Pauline.
There were a couple of years in between and it took a while then before himself, the late Brendan Ryan and Tommy Stewart set up the Boxing club in the Diamond town, but in 1987 they did just that.
And O’Donnell is still going strong, coaching the next generation of young boxers.
“Convoy had just started a club a year or two before and Gerry Daly asked me if I’d be wise to start a club when it’s so close to there.
“But we gave it a run and it took off and we’re going into our 37th year in January so it has gone well.
“There’s a good committee and volunteers there and we have a good clubhouse.
“I’m still working away at the club and I’ve been in as President of the County Board since 2012, I had previously spells in during the 80s and 90s but someone has to keep the show on the road.
“We have our 75th anniversary after being formed in St Conal’s Hospital in 1950 so we’ll have a big celebration in Jackson’s Hotel in September so we’ll look forward to that milestone next year.”
But celebration will also take place at 6pm in the Mount Errigal Hotel on January 6 at the launch of the 49th anniversary of the Sports Star Awards.
As part of the launch the winners of 1984 will be honoured to mark the 40th anniversary of their successes when the presentations were made in the Milford Inn.
“It’s great to have the awards, they have been going for nearly 50 years and it’s a credit to the past and present members who have kept it going all those years.
“I feel it’s always a great reunion for the sports people of Donegal and it’s a big event in the sporting calendar up here, I enjoy it every year.
“There are standout stars in nearly every sport in Donegal and I don’t think that the volunteers get enough credit for the work they do, especially school teachers and the time they give year in, year out to get teenagers into sport, it’s great for them to be recognised.
Boxing was always well looked after and there were a few overall winners like Patrick O’Donnell of Gweedore, William McLaughlin from Illies and Jason Quigley in Finn Valley.”
The launch takes place on Monday 6th of January in the Mount Errigal Hotel. The 2024 Donegal Sports Star Awards Banquet is on Friday, 31st January also in the Mount Errigal Hotel.
