Shelbourne celebrate as Duff and Kearns win top honours
Julie Ann Russell picks up her award Credit: None
Shelbourne celebrated a memorable night at the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland awards on Friday, with manager Damien Duff and goalkeeper Conor Kearns taking home prestigious accolades.
Galway United’s Julie-Ann Russell also made headlines as she claimed the Women’s Personality of the Year award.
The ceremony, held at Clontarf Castle Hotel, highlighted the achievements of Duff, who was named Men’s Personality of the Year.
The 45-year-old guided Shelbourne to league glory on the season’s final day, marking the club’s first title in 18 years.
He faced stiff competition from a shortlist including Kevin Doherty (Drogheda United), Stephen Bradley (Shamrock Rovers), Stephen Kenny (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Paddy Barrett (Shelbourne), and Dylan Watts (Shamrock Rovers).
Shelbourne’s success continued as Conor Kearns was named Goalkeeper of the Year. The 26-year-old kept 16 clean sheets, joint-second best in the league, and conceded just 27 goals—the fewest in the division.
He played every minute of the season’s 36 matches and recently committed his future to the club with a new contract. Kearns beat Galway United’s Brendan Clarke and Sligo Rovers’ Ed McGinty to the prize.
Julie-Ann Russell claimed the Women’s Personality of the Year award after a stellar season for club and country.
The Galway United star played a crucial role in her team’s All-Island Cup retention and their third-place league finish under Phil Trill.
On the international stage, she was instrumental in Ireland’s journey to the Euro 2025 play-off final, where they narrowly lost to Wales.
Russell triumphed ahead of Pearl Slattery, Eoin Wearen, Ciarán Kilduff, Laurie Ryan, and Noelle Murray.
Honouring his prolific career, Jason Byrne received the Liam Tuohy Special Merit Award.
Recognised for his remarkable goalscoring feats in the League of Ireland, Byrne joined a distinguished list of previous recipients since the award’s inception in 1994.
The evening also paid tribute to the Republic of Ireland team that defeated the USSR 3-0 in a European Championship qualifier 50 years ago.
Don Givens’ iconic hat-trick at Dalymount Park was celebrated as part of the International Achievement Award, honouring ‘The Roar of ’74’ heroes.
