GAA/GPA All-Stars Sponsored by Opel

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The GAA/GPA All-Stars sponsored by Opel are delighted to announce Colm O’Neill (Cork) and Eoin Larkin (Kilkenny) as the Players of the Month for National Leagues in Football and Hurling respectively marking their outstanding performances during the 2012 spring campaigns.

Both selections, chosen by the inter-county playing body, reflect the consistently high standards set by both counties. The first monthly awards of the year mark the launch of the GAA/GPA All-Stars sponsored by Opel 2012.

O’Neill, who returned to action this year following a cruciate knee ligament injury last season, capped a memorable Football League Final performance with his fourth goal of the campaign, helping Cork to their third successive title.
Larkin delivered a man-of-the-match performance in Kilkenny’s Hurling League final destruction of Cork in Semple Stadium as the Cats sent out a stern warning to the chasing pack in advance of the Championship.

Commenting on the announcement, Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael, Liam Ó Néill said: “I congratulate both of our award winners who both excelled during the respective campaigns. Being selected by your peers is a special acknowledgement and I believe we will see both players have a major bearing on the championships in the weeks and months ahead. I look forward to honouring similarly impressive displays from both footballers and hurlers with the GPA and Opel as the summer unfolds.”

Dessie Farrell, CEO of the Gaelic Players Association added: “Congratulations to both players on their awards which reflect their outstanding performances during the National Leagues. Colm O’Neill’s dedication in overcoming serious injury is truly inspirational and he proved again what a devastating finisher he is during the spring campaign. Kilkenny’s consistency for over a decade is unrivalled and their League Final display was incredible with Eoin Larkin leading the way, a performance which was particularly significant in the absence of Henry Shefflin and Richie Power. Thanks to all the players who voted, to our loyal sponsors Opel and good luck to all our members in Championships 2012.”

Commenting on the announcement, Dave Sheeran, Managing Director, Opel Ireland, said, “It is fantastic to see our first GAA/GPA All-Stars sponsored by Opel Awards go to two such deserving winners. We are delighted to reward Cork’s Colm O’Neill and Kilkenny’s Eoin Larkin for their efforts in helping their respective counties win a 2012 National League title. I wish them and their counties the very best of luck for the upcoming Championship season.”


Monthly Award Winners:

Each month, between May and October, a Footballer and a Hurler are awarded for their performances in the Provincial and All-Ireland Championships. Players are short-listed by members of the All-Stars Steering Committee and the winners selected by the county playing body. Each winner receives €1,000 and a trophy.

Pictured at the PwC/Localise fundraiser 'One Minute to Save a Life', with the help of the GPA are: Back row (l-r): Cian O'Sullivan, PwC and Dublin footballer; Ciarán Lyng, Wexford footballer; Rónán Murphy, PwC Senior Partner; Eamon Fennell, Dublin footballer and Fiona Claffey, PwC and Westmeath footballer. Front row (l-r): Patrick Hartford (aged 12), St Laurence O'Toole's CBS; Cody Hanlon (aged 12), St Laurence O'Toole's GNS and Jonathan Anene (aged 12),  St Laurence O'Toole's CBS.

May 11, 2012

GPA partners PwC, together with Localise , a youth development organisation, today hosted a Gaelic football  fundraising event ‘One minute to save a life’ with the students from local school, St Laurence O'Toole's, Seville Place, Dublin 1.  In support of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS), the event raised funds for a defibrillator  for local GAA  club St Joseph’s/O’Connell’s  Boys.

County football stars Eamon Fennell (Dublin), Ciarán Lyng (Wexford) and PwC’s Cian O’Sullivan (Dublin) took part together with a large number of PwC people and students to score as many goals as they could in one minute.

PwC and Localise and the students from local school, St Laurence O'Toole's, Seville Place, Dublin 1 have worked together for the past four years. As part of this year’s programme a team of 12 volunteers from PwC has been working together with 35 children from the local school since February 2012. Together with Localise representatives, they have worked on designing a ‘Caring for the Community’ project. The aim of the Localise project is to develop the children’s skills and talents and to help them understand the importance of teamwork and how to plan, manage and implement a project.

May 10, 2012

DCU Business School Centre for Executive Programmes has appointed Colin Moran as its inaugural Master in Business Administration (MBA) Ambassador.

Colin, a Manager with Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking and former Dublin football captain, is currently completing his MBA studies, made possible by a scholarship jointly awarded by the Gaelic Players Association and DCU Business School.  In his voluntary role as MBA Ambassador, he will work with DCU Business School for the next two years to promote and grow the DCU MBA brand, through participation in information sessions and promotional events.

Following his appointment, Colin Moran said,

“The MBA programme at DCU Business School has been a transformational experience for me.  It has developed my business skills and given me the tools and models that I need to add value to my organisation.  But, most importantly, it has developed me as a person.  It has helped me to develop my leadership skills and to understand my strengths and weaknesses.  You find out a lot about yourself when doing an MBA and, not alone has it helped me to be more effective in my professional life, it has also made me happier in my role.”

The announcement was made during the launch of the revised DCU MBA programme.  Following a comprehensive two-year review with stakeholder groups, the new programme now features:

•    A Strategic Consultancy Project where participants carry out a ‘live’ case study scenario within an Irish-based enterprise, bringing together all the learning from the two year programme.
•    A Domestic Enterprise Engagement module which focuses on indigenous and foreign companies operating from Ireland, introducing participants to the challenges of doing business in the current climate, both domestically and globally.
•    An International Enterprise Engagement module where participants spend a week in Boston undertaking classes delivered by faculty members from Harvard Kennedy School and Boston University.  This module will also feature site visits to eight large US-based companies to experience first-hand international best practice.
•    A personal leadership module delivered by academic staff from Northeastern University, Boston

Dr Anne Sinnott, Executive Dean at DCU Business School, said,

‘The DCU MBA programme is widely recognised as the degree of choice for enterprising executives with ambitions to move up the career ladder.  Our success is due in part to constantly keeping abreast of international MBA developments and refreshing our programme to stay in tune with the current business environment.  We are very proud of our MBA and believe that our revised programme will meet and exceed the requirements of executives operating in a global environment.’

The DCU MBA is accredited by AMBA (Association of MBAs) whose accreditation service is the global standard for all MBA, DBA and MBM programmes.

For further information on the DCU MBA programme, visit www.dcu.ie/dcubs or email bernadette.mcculloch@dcu.ie or mbaambassador@dcu.ie.