The Gaelic Players Association is delighted to announce that Waterford great Áine Wall and Meath legend Seán Boylan will be recognised for their outstanding contributions to their counties at the GPA Legends Lunch (Football) this Friday. Seán and Áine are to be honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards for their services to football.
Áine Wall is regarded as one of the all-time greats of gaelic football. In a glittering playing career with Waterford, she won 5 All-Ireland medals in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1998. Alongside these medals she also picked up 8 All-Star awards, including 6-in-a-row from 1989 to 1994. With her club Ballymacarbry, she won a further 10 All-Ireland titles. She was nominated as Waterford’s greatest ever sportsperson in 2020 while she has also been inducted into the Gaelic Writers’ Hall of Fame.
Seán Boylan is a mythical figure, not alone in Meath GAA but wherever Gaelic games are spoken about. Initially a long-serving player for the Meath hurlers, it was as the Royals’ football manager that he cemented his place in GAA folklore. In his twenty-three years in charge, he led Meath to unprecedented success. 4 All-Ireland titles were amassed in 1987, 1988, 1996 and 1999 as well as 8 Leinster Championships and 3 National Football Leagues. The Dunboyne clubman, who is also a Freeman of County Meath and part of the GAA’s Hall of Fame, also managed Ireland in 2 International Rules Series against Australia, winning Down Under in 2008.
A number of All-Ireland winning teams from the past will also be honoured on the day. These are:
| Year | Anniversary | Male | Female |
| 2015 | 10 | Dublin | Cork |
| 2005 | 20 | Tyrone | Cork |
| 1995 | 30 | Dublin | Waterford |
| 1985 | 40 | Kerry | Kerry |
| 1975 | 50 | Kerry | Tipperary |
| 1965 | 60 | Galway | N/A |
The GPA Legends Lunch (Football) will take place this Friday, July 25th at Croke Park, on the eve of men’s All-Ireland Football Final weekend.
