Pictures: Paul Mohan/Sportsfile
JUST as Kerry leads the way in terms of All-Ireland championships won, the county also remains the clear pacesetter when it comes to All-Star successes.
Since the awards scheme was introduced in 1971, the Kingdom has collected a whopping 138 awards – a full 34 ahead of nearest rivals Dublin who are also trailing behind us in title wins.
And considering that the Kerry went without an All-Ireland win for 11 barren years, from 1986 to 1997, that is no mean feat.
Donie O’Sullivan of Spa was Kerry’s first All-Star winner when he was selected in the left corner back position in 1971, a success he repeated the following year when he was joined on the team by Mick O’Connell.
In 1973 it was the turn of John O’Keeffe while Paudie Lynch made it in 1974 and the following year, when Mick O’Dwyer’s babes stunned the Dubs, Paudie O’Mahoney, John O’Keeffe, Ger Power, Mickey Ned O’Sullivan and John Egan were all honoured.
In 1976 the All-Star team included Ger O’Keeffe, John O’Keeffe, Ger Power, Mikey Sheehy and Pat Spillane and the following year, when Kerry lost to Dublin in a classic semi-final, Spillane and Egan again featured.
In 1978 – the year of the famous 5-11 to 0-9 hammering of Heffo’s Army – the All-Star selection featured John O’Keeffe, Paudie Lynch, Ger Power, Pat Spillane, Mikey Sheehy and John Egan.
The following year John O’Keeffe, Tim Kennelly, Ger Power, Sean Walsh, Pat Spillane and Mikey Sheehy were on the podium and the 1980 line-up featured Charlie Nelligan, Tim Kennelly, Jack O’Shea, Ger Power, Pat Spillane, Eoin Liston and John Egan.
The four-in-a-row year of 1981 brought recognition for Jimmy Deenihan, Paudie Lynch, Páidí Ó Sé, Jack O’Shea, Sean Walsh, Mikey Sheehy, Eoin Liston and John Egan and in 1982, the year the five-in-a-row dream was crushed, the only Kerrymen that had cause for some celebration were Paídí Ó Sé, Jack O’Shea, Mikey Sheehy, Eoin Liston and John Egan.
Páidí Ó Sé was back on the stage in 1983 when he was flanked by Jack O’Shea and 1984 brought an award for Páidí again as well as Tommy Doyle, Tom Spillane, Jack O’Shea, Eoin Liston, Pat Spillane and Mikey Sheehy.
In the limelight in 1985 were that man again, Páidí, along with Mick Spillane, Tommy Doyle, Jack O’Shea and Pat Spillane.
1986 – the year Kerry completed their second three-in-a-row in less than a decade – brought All-Star glory for Charlie Nelligan, Tommy Doyle, Tom Spillane, Pat Spillane, Mikey Sheehy and Ger Power.
Tom Spillane and Ger Lynch were included in 1987, Maurice Fitzgerald was the lone Kerry representative in 1988 and Connie Murphy of Dr Crokes carried the flag with pride in 1989.
Almost unbelievably, Kerry then went six long years without a single All-Star but the supreme stylist Maurice Fitzgerald restored natural order when he was named at left corner forward in the 1996 team.
Back to All-Ireland winning ways in 1997, Kerry were represented by Declan O’Keeffe, Seamus Moynihan, Eamonn Breen, Pa Laide and Maurice Fitzgerald but it was back to wishful thinking the following year, although there was one Kerryman in the line-up when Kildare’s Karl O’Dywer was included.
Kerry lost out again in 1999 but in the All-Ireland winning year of 2000, the bow ties were worn by Declan O’Keeffe, captain fantastic Seamus Moynihan, Michael McCarthy, Darragh Ó Sé, Liam Hassett and the great Mike Frank Russell.
Glenflesk’s John Crowley ploughed a lonely furrow in 2001 and Colm Cooper won his first award in 2002 when he and Darragh Ó Sé were named in the All-Star team.
There was another disappointing outcome in 2003 but amends were made 12 months later when Diarmuid Murphy, Tom O’Sullivan, Michael McCarthy, Tomás Ó Sé, Paul Galvin and Colm Cooper all made the cut.
In 2005, Diarmuid Murphy collected his second trophy, Colm Cooper and Mike McCarthy both won their third, and Tomás Ó Sé picked up his second.
The Ó Sé brothers, Marc and Darragh, shared the stage the next year, along with Seamus Moynihan, Aidan O’Mahony, Paul Galvin and Kieran Donaghy and in 2007 the three Ó Se brothers were side by side in front of the TV camera in the presence of team-mates Aidan O’Mahony, Declan O’Sullivan and Colm Cooper.
In 2008 Tomás Ó Sé, Declan O’Sullivan, Cooper and Donaghy were back in the limelight and the following year Diarmuid Murphy was back between the All-Star posts and he was joined on the team by Tom O’Sullivan, Tomás Ó Sé, Tadhg Kennelly, Declan O’Sullivan and footballer of the year Paul Galvin.
Colm Cooper picked up his sixth award in 2010 and when the GPA took control of the awards scheme the following year he made it number seven in the company of Marc Ó Sé, Bryan Sheehan and Darran O’Sullivan.
There was no Kerry recipient in 2012, Colm Cooper was the only winner in 2013 and last year’s All-Ireland success was recognised when Paul Murphy, Peter Crowley, David Moran, Kieran Donaghy and footballer of the year James O’Donoghue were honoured.
Brendan Kealy, Shane Enright, Anthony Maher and – not before time – Donnchadh Walsh – last night joined a very illustrious army of Kerry All-Star heroes.
And long may that great tradition continue.
