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GAELIC FOOTBALL The winner of the 2025 Gaelic Football Award is Finnbarr Roarty, Naomh Conaill. It’s Finnbarr’s first time to win a Donegal Sports Star Award. The Naomh Conaill man made his senior league debut for Donegal at the start of 2025 and from there the season was marked by a series of outstanding displays. Finnbarr won his first Ulster Championship medal and went on to play in the All-Ireland Final against Kerry. The attacking corner-back was named on the Ulster GAA All-Stars side. In November he picked up a national All-Star and was named Young Player of the Year. He had a special mention that night for his granny Kitty ahead of her 100th birthday celebrations before Christmas. Finnbarr starred at club level also as Naomh Conaill won the County Senior title. He was Man of the Match in the County Final and was later named as Player of the Championship.
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GYMNASTICS The winner of the 2025 Gymnastics Award is James Mitchell, Citadel Gymnastics James is an 11-year-old who puts in the hard training hours weekly at Citadel Gymnastics. Over the past year he has shown exceptional progress, earning multiple medals and being selected for both Gymnastics Ireland’s Club Development Squad and, following a successful trial, the National Development Squad. James competed in Gymnastics Ireland’s National Series at Intermediate 2 level in May and October. In May he achieved multiple silver apparatus medals, a bronze on Pommel Horse, and second All-Around. In October he earned medals on Pommel Horse, Rings, and Floor. He won the Floor and ranked third All-Around. He is now training with the National Development Squad and that included a two-day camp with coaches in Dublin in December.
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MARTIAL ARTS The 2025 Martial Arts Award winner is Liam Grant, Strike Martial Arts Academy, Derry In April at only 16 years of age “Lightening Liam” a Strike Martial Arts Academy member went with Team Ireland to the ISKA European Championships in Malta. It was a major international event with Liam facing three tough opponents from Slovenia, Ukraine and Romania. He overcame them all to take the European title. The victory marked a turning point in Liam’s career, establishing him as one of the brightest young fighters in Europe. Only two weeks later at the ISKA Irish Open at the Templemore Sports Complex in Derry, Liam competed in three back-to-back fights in a single day, emerging victorious in all of them. His performances saw him become a back-to-back Irish Open Champion with the titles coming in two different weight divisions - 60kg in 2024 and 65kg in 2025.
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MOTOR CYCLING The winner of the Motor Cycling Award for 2025 is Rhys Irwin, Kilmacrennan For Rhys this is his fifth Donegal Sports Star Award. Last year the 23-year-old had 13 podium finishes including six race wins. In August in Round 7 of the British Super bikes Championship at Cadwell Park he set the fastest lap time ever at the race track on his Suzuki GSXR 750 cc motorbike. In October the Kilmacrennan man enjoyed the biggest success of his career when he was crowned the 2025 Quattro British Supersport Champion. He had two races over the weekend with a victory and third place clinching the title in the final event of the year at Brands Hatch. In December, Rhys’s career went up another notch when it was confirmed that he had joined Hawk Racing for the 2026 British Superbike Class competition. Earlier this month he was named the 2025 Short Circuit Rider of the Year at the Irish Motorbike Awards in Belfast.