SWAI Personality of the Year

The Soccer Writers Association of Ireland Personality of the Year ^[1] is an annual award for the person considered to have made the most positive impact on the domestic League of Ireland season.

Instigated in 1961 - when Drumcondra's Dan McCaffrey was the winner - it is one of the few awards that can be given to either a player or manager. In fact, the recipient in 1964 was FAI secretary Joe Wickham.

The award is organised by the Soccer Writes' Association of Ireland. ^[2]

Selection process

The winner of the SWAI Personality of the Year is chosen by members of the Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland. The selection process considers performance, influence, and contributions to the league over the course of a season. Both on-field excellence and off-field leadership are taken into account when determining the recipient.

Notable winners

Some of the notable winners of the award have included:

• Johnny Giles (1978) – Former Republic of Ireland international and manager.
• Jim McLaughlin (1979, 1984, 1989) – One of Ireland’s most successful club managers.
• Pat Fenlon (2004, 2006) – Multiple-time League of Ireland-winning manager. ^[3]
• Damien Duff (2024) – Former Republic of Ireland international turned manager. ^{[4] [5]}

Winners

Year	Winner
1961	Dan McCaffrey (Drumcondra)
1962	Tommy Hamilton (Shamrock Rovers)
1963	Willie Browne (Bohemians)
1964	Joe Wickham (Secretary, FAI)
1965	Seán Thomas (Bohemians)
1966	Liam Tuohy (Shamrock Rovers)
1967	Al Finucane (Limerick)
1968	Johnny Fullam (Shamrock Rovers)
1969	Mick Leech (Shamrock Rovers)
1970	Peter Thomas (Waterford)
1971	Mick Meagan (Drogheda)
1972	Dave Bacuzzi (Cork Hibernians)
1973	Alfie Hale (Waterford)
1974	Paul O'Donovan (Cork Celtic)
1975	Johnny Fullam (Bohemians)
1976	Brendan Bradley (Finn Harps)
1977	Mick Smyth (Bohemians)
1978	Johnny Giles (Shamrock Rovers)
1979	Jim McLaughlin (Dundalk)
1980	Eoin Hand (Limerick United)
1981	Turlough O'Connor (Athlone Town)
1982	Tommy McConville (Dundalk)
1983	Noel Larkin (Athlone Town)
1984	Jim McLaughlin (Shamrock Rovers)
1985	Pat Byrne (Shamrock Rovers)
1986	Liam O'Brien (Shamrock Rovers)
1987	Mick Byrne (Shamrock Rovers)
1988	Terry Eviston (Dundalk)
1989	Jim McLaughlin (Derry City)
1990	Damien Byrne (St Patrick's Athletic)
1991	Peter Hanrahan (Dundalk)
1992	Pat Byrne (Shelbourne)
1993	Pat Morley (Cork City)
1994	Stephen Geoghegan (Shamrock Rovers)
1995	Liam Coyle (Derry City)
1996	Brian Kerr (St Patrick's Athletic)
1997	Peter Hutton (Derry City)
1998	Pat Dolan (St Patrick's Athletic)
1999	Paul Osam (St Patrick's Athletic)
2000	Dermot Keely (Shelbourne)
2001	Glen Crowe (Bohemians)
2002	Paul Doolin (UCD)
2002-03	Glen Crowe (Bohemians)
2003	Alan Mathews (Longford Town)
2004	Pat Fenlon (Shelbourne)
2005	Damien Richardson (Cork City)
2006	Pat Fenlon (Shelbourne)
2007	Paul Doolin (Drogheda United)
2008	Owen Heary (Bohemians)
2009	Liam Buckley (Sporting Fingal)
2024	Damien Duff (Shelbourne) [6]

See also

• League of Ireland
• Football Association of Ireland
• PFAI Players' Player of the Year

References

1. "SWAI Award Winners".
2. "Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland Website".
3. "Fenlon named Personality of the Year". rte.ie. 2005-01-16.
4. "Men's Personaility of the Year". SoccerWritersIreland. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
5. Locke, Cian (2024-12-06). "Damien Duff crowned Soccer Writers Ireland Men's Personality of the year". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
6. https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2024/1123/1482622-watts-takes-pfai-award-duff-wins-manager-gong/