The Gaelic Athletic Association-Gaelic Players' Association All Stars Awards (often known simply as the All Stars) are awarded annually to the best player in each of the 15 playing positions in Gaelic football and hurling. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as Player of the Year.
The awards were instituted in 1971. Since 2011 they have been presented jointly by the Gaelic Athletic Association and the representative body for inter-county players, the Gaelic Players Association.
Each player who receives a nomination is given a medallion marking the milestone.[1]
It is considered "the most coveted sporting award scheme in the country".[2] Equivalent awards exist for ladies' football,[3] rounders and camogie.[4]
Since the 1960s there had been a tradition of annually selecting the best player in each position, in football and hurling, to create a special team of the year. Between 1963 and 1967 these players received what was known as the Cú Chulainn award. In 1971 these awards were formalised into the annual GAA All Star Awards. In 2006 the Gaelic Players Association launched a parallel award scheme entitled the GPA Gaelic Team of the Year (often referred to as the GPA Awards). An annual award was also given by the GPA to the Footballer of the Year and the Hurler of the Year.
In 2011 it was announced that the GAA All Stars Awards, which had been sponsored in recent years by Vodafone, and the GPA Awards would merge under the sponsorship of car manufacturer Opel. The move announced by Christy Cooney saw the achievements of players recognised jointly for the first time in October 2011.[5][6]
The All Stars team comprises the best player in each position, regardless of club or county affiliation. The composition of the All Star teams are decided on the basis of a shortlist compiled by a selection committee of sports journalists from the national media, while the overall winners are chosen by inter-county players themselves. The award is regarded by players as the highest accolade available to them, due to it being picked by their peers. The awards are presented at a gala banquet in November following the end of the Championship season. Both men's teams are honoured with a special holiday where they play an exhibition game. Since 1971 over 1,000 players have been honoured with All Stars Awards. Damien Martin of the Offaly hurling team was the first ever recipient of the award, while in 2004 Paul Galvin of the Kerry football team became the 1,000th winner of the award.
Carlow and Longford are the only counties in Ireland not to receive an award in either sport.
In September 2017 PwC became the new sponsors of the All Star Awards on a four-year deal, with the awards being renamed The PwC All-Stars.[7]
For a complete listing of all winners see the following articles:
Twenty three sets of brothers have won All Star Awards in hurling. They are:
One set of twins have won All Star Awards in hurling:
Thirteen sets of brothers have won All Star Awards in Gaelic football. They are:
One set of brothers has won All Star Awards in hurling and football (with two different counties):
Sixteen father and son pairings have won All Star Awards.
Thirteen of these have been in football. Of the thirteen, two fathers have each been followed by two sons, therefore a total of four father and son pairings:
The other nine father and son pairings are:
There have been three hurling father and son pairings:
One player, Ray CumminsofCork, holds the unique record of winning a hurling and a football All Star in the same year (1971).
Three other players share the distinction of winning All Star awards in both hurling and football, but they did not win the accolades in the same year. These players are:
| # | No. of Awards | Name | County | Sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Henry Shefflin | Kilkenny | H | |
| 9 | D. J. Carey | Kilkenny | H | |
| Tommy Walsh | Kilkenny | H | ||
| Pat Spillane | Kerry | F | ||
| 8 | Colm Cooper | Kerry | F | |
| 7 | J. J. Delaney | Kilkenny | H | |
| T. J. Reid | Kilkenny | H | ||
| Noel Skehan | Kilkenny | H | ||
| Mikey Sheehy | Kerry | F | ||
| Jimmy Barry-Murphy | Cork | F &H | ||
| 6 | Pádraic Maher | Tipperary | H | |
| Eoin Kelly | Tipperary | H | ||
| Stephen Cluxton | Dublin | F | ||
| Nicky English | Tipperary | H | ||
| Joe McKenna | Limerick | H | ||
| Peter Canavan | Tyrone | F | ||
| Jack O'Shea | Kerry | F | ||
| Ger Power | Kerry | F | ||
| Ciarán Kilkenny | Dublin | F | ||
| 5 | Lee Keegan | Mayo | F | |
| David Clifford | Kerry | F | ||
| Brian Fenton | Dublin | F | ||
| Daithí Burke | Galway | H | ||
| Brendan Cummins | Tipperary | H | ||
| Eddie Keher | Kilkenny | H | ||
| Joe Hennessy | Kilkenny | H | ||
| John Mullane | Waterford | H | ||
| Pat Hartigan | Limerick | H | ||
| Joe Canning | Galway | H | ||
| Joe Cooney | Galway | H | ||
| Pete Finnerty | Galway | H | ||
| John Fenton | Cork | H | ||
| Tony O'Sullivan | Cork | H | ||
| Ray Cummins | Cork | F &H | ||
| John Egan | Kerry | F | ||
| John O'Keeffe | Kerry | F | ||
| Páidí Ó Sé | Kerry | F | ||
| Tomás Ó Sé | Kerry | F | ||
| John O'Leary | Dublin | F | ||
| Seán Cavanagh | Tyrone | F |
Tommy Walsh of Kilkenny won nine consecutive hurling All Star Awards in a record five different positions. These were for playing at left corner back (1), at right half back (5), at left half back (1), at midfield (1) and at left half forward (1).
Henry Shefflin of Kilkenny holds the record for most All Star Awards in the one position with seven at centre-forward.
Brian Fenton and Brian Howard, both from Raheny and Dublin were the first midfield to be selected from one club.[9]
Shortly after his 90th birthday, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh was awarded the only All Star of 2020.[10][11] No further All Stars could be awarded as competition was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and only completed that December.
'I think players in the lower divisions already feel they are being treated like second-class citizens and then to give them a second tier All Star - I wouldn't want one. I was nominated for an All Star in '06 and if you don't win one you get a medallion saying you are a nominee. It's still at home in my mother's house, it's tangible, it is the principal competition in the country and you are striving to be in that...'
Centre-back John Daly has now joined his father Val, a two-time winner, in the All-Stars pantheon.
