Shamrock Rovers star Jack Byrne has been voted the SSE Airtricity/SWAI Personality of the Year for 2020.
Byrne topped the voting among the members of the Soccer Writers’ Association of Ireland, with his Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley finishing in second place and Finn Harps manager Ollie Horgan third.
Byrne was instrumental in leading Shamrock Rovers to the Premier Division title, and also earned multiple call-ups to Stephen Kenny’s Irish squad.
Byrne became the first domestic player to appear for Ireland in a senior competitive international since Pat Byrne, also then of Shamrock Rovers, did so in 1985.
“It’s been a strange year for everyone but in many ways it’s been one of my best football years so far, so I’m really happy”, said Byrne
“The club as a whole deserves a lot of credit, but I think the manager has been unbelievable over the last couple of years.”
“It’s a really special time at the club and I just hope the fans can come back soon, and I’m sure it will be packed out every week” added Byrne.
This year’s SSE Airtricity/SWAI awards were held virtually, with Alan Mannus of Shamrock Rovers winning the Goalkeeper of the Year award.
Conan Byrne was the recipient of the Liam Tuohy Special Merit award, earned for several acts of charity and kindness which included raising more than €13,000 for the Irish Cancer Society in a marathon walk to every League of Ireland ground in Dublin, and raising spirits across the country by arranging conversations between a host of League of Ireland personalities and their supporters.
Darren Crawley of Dundalk FC won the Press Officer of the Year award, while Dundalk also won the Website of the Year award.
