Our hurling heroes to be honoured

Tipp senior hurlers Seamus Callanan (Drom & Inch) and Brendan Maher (Borris-Ileigh) have been announced as joint winners of the 2019 Person of the Year award by the Tipperary Association Dublin.
Borris-Ileigh will be honoured on the double, as one of the club’s greats and one of Tipperary’s finest hurlers from the past, Jimmy Finn, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at this year's Tipp Association awards night, which will take place in Dublin on March 27th.
For the first time since the awards commenced in 1981, the Person of the Year award has joint winners. Speaking at the announcement of the awards this week, Liam Myles, President of the Tipperary Association Dublin, said Callanan and Maher were the outstanding nominees for Person of the Year. So outstanding, in fact, that the Association decided they could not be separated! 
Seamus Callanan captained Tipperary to win the All-Ireland senior hurling championship in 2019, winning his third All-Ireland medal. One of the highest goal scorers of all time, he scored a goal for Tipperary in every game of the 2019 championship - a unique record in itself. 
Seamus was selected on the All-Star team of the year – his fourth in all. He was awarded several other national and local honours during the year.
Brendan Maher – who attended secondary school with Seamus at St Joseph’s in Borrisoleigh – sustained a career-threatening knee injury in the summer of 2018 but came back last year to play a leading role in Tipperary winning the All Ireland. He was chosen by Liam Sheedy to man mark the best forward the opposition had in every match, and willingly applied himself to this new role for the good of the team. His contribution was recognised with him winning his third All Star at the end of the year. 
To go along with his exploits for Tipp, Brendan starred for Borris-Ileigh in helping them to win the Dan Breen Cup for the first time in 33 years. He followed this up with superb performances in the Munster club campaign and a man of the match display in the Munster Club final.
Meanwhile, one of Tipp's all-time great hurlers, Jimmy Finn has been chosen by the Tipperary Association Dublin as the Hall of Fame inductee for 2019. Speaking of the announcement, Mr Myles said the Association is delighted and proud to at long last honour Jimmy – one of the last surviving members of the famous three in-a-row team of 1949 – '51. 
Jimmy made his senior hurling debut when he was just 17. 
He went on to play for the seniors for the next decade. 
In 1951, at the young age of 19, he was selected as Captain of the Tipperary team that went on to win a third All-Ireland in-a-row. Widely regarded as one of the finest hurlers of all time, his crowning legacy was when he was selected in the Hurling Team of the Century in the GAA centenary year, 1984.
A sweet, stylish and effective wing back, who brought fame to his native Borris-Ileigh and the Premier County in his playing day, the Hall of Fame award for Jimmy Finn is deserved recognition and an honour for one of our greatest ever, and a gentleman to boot.

FUNCTION DETAILS
The Tipperary Association Dublin awards will be presented at a function at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Dublin, on Friday, March 27th.
Tickets (€45 each) are available from Pat Ryan, 11 Foxfield Grove, Raheny, Dublin 5 – phone: 087 6376663; email: psoriain@eircom.net.