O'Donoghue & Beirne claim top football awards at PwC All-Stars
Mayo footballer Ryan O'Donoghue with his PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year award and his PwC GAA/GPA All-Star award during the 2026 PwC GAA/GPA All-Star Awards at the RDS in Dublin. Picture Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Ninety-six days after their historic All-Ireland breakthrough, Mayo completed a football double at the PwC All-Stars this evening in Dublin.
Belmullet’s own Ryan O’Donoghue held off Mayo teammate Jack Carney and Kerry’s David Clifford to be crowned Footballer of the Year while another member of the Mayo front three, Darragh Beirne, held off fellow teen sensation Kobe McDonald and Louth’s Dara McDonnell to win the Young Footballer of the Year.
O’Donoghue was crowned man of the match in their All-Ireland final win over Kerry. He scored 2-56 in eight championship games, 2-26 from play, and his tenacity, tireless appetite and leadership when it mattered were central to Mayo’s unforgettable Sam Maguire success.
He is the third Mayo player to win Footballer of the Year, following in the footsteps of Lee Keegan (2016) and current Mayo manager Andy Moran (2017).
Claremorris native Beirne was one of Mayo’s breakout stars of the championship. A newly minted All-Star forward, his predatory instincts were a feature of a Mayo attack that ended 75 years of wait. He scored 3-18 in the championship, with 3-10 coming from open play.
Beirne’s win is the eighth time that Mayo have claimed the Young Footballer of the Year award. Previous winners were Keith Higgins (2006), Cillian O’Connor (2011 and 2012), Diarmuid O’Connor (2015 and 2016) and Oisin Mullin (2020 and 2021).
O’Donoghue and Beirne were two of six All-Stars that Mayo received, with Beirne, McDonald, Carney, Enda Hession and Sam Callinan all picking up the first All-Star. It is a second for O’Donoghue after his first in 2021.
