On the evening of December 2nd, 2017, the Montreal Shamrocks got dressed to the nines, and gathered at Chez Alexandre to celebrate another successful GAA year. Over seventy players, partners, and family members joined in on the fun at the annual Christmas banquet and awards night.
The night kicked off with the Shamrocks’ president, Tony Cunningham, giving a brief recap of the year’s accomplishments, including a record number of players for 2017, as well as the introduction of our very first hurling superleague.
Between bites of calamari and salad, the awards (and pints) began to flow and the Griffintown Gaels, captained by Neil O Brien, became the official 2017 men’s football superleague winners. Neil was also recognized for organizing his third Last Man Standing club fundraiser.
Some other well deserved awards within the football superleague included:

Once the main courses were served, our 3 brand new hurling superleague teams and crests were presented to the group:

NDG Na Fianna Rouges	Pointe St. Charles Cú Chulainn	St. Henri Harps

It was a historic night as we celebrated the first ever winners of the Montreal Hurling Superleague. Captain Laura Brody (who was also awarded the Ladies Football top-scorer award) led The St. Henri Harps to an incredible victory.
An honourable mention should also be made to Dave Keane (captain of the PSC Cú Chulainn team), and to Martin Burke (captain of the NDG Na Fianna Rouges) for playing an integral role in the Shamrocks’ new adoption of hurling to the superleague.
As the evening progressed, the Most Valuable Player, Most Improved Player, and Top Scorer awards for hurling went to the following team members:

In addition to the Superleague awards, the overall club awards were also presented to their rightful owners:

Before the banquet came to an end, the most prestigious award of the night: The Montreal Shamrocks’ Person of the Year, was awarded to our very own Damien “Damo” Conneely. Throughout the year, Damo was always ready and willing to lend a hand to anyone who needed it, no matter how busy he was. Damo also ran a successful training program throughout the year for both the men and women’s teams, leading the men to a monumental 1st place at the Eastern Championships, and the women to an impressive 2nd place against Ottawa.

Honourable mentions for this award went to Shaundel Leamon, Neil O’Brien, Steven Owens, and Jake Ouellette, for their continued support for the club throughout the year.

Perhaps one of the most unexpected pleasures of the night was our past-president, Ronan Corbett, performing the Shamrocks’ Lament, written by Shamrocks alumnus: Paul Tormey. A song full of fun memories, which embodied the true spirit of the club.

In true Shamrocks’ fashion, the night continued on at Hurley’s Irish Pub, a longtime partner, where we celebrated together until the wee hours of the morning.

We would like to extend our appreciation to everyone who made the banquet a success, including Steven Owens, Niamh Devaney, Jennifer Dumais, Ronan Corbett, Jake Ouellette, and Tony Cunningham as well as all of our partners for their continued support of the Montreal Shamrocks:

The Loop
St. Patrick’s Society
Hurley’s Irish Pub
Electrika
Fogarty Law

And a warm welcome and thanks was extended to the new partners of the Hurling Superleague:
KPC Construction
Leopoldo Fruit and Veg
Covera

Until next year!