Three Monaghan footballers will find out on Friday, 30 October, whether they have won a 2026 PwC All-Star. Goalkeeper Rory Beggan (Scotstown), defender Dylan Byrne (Magheracloone) and forward Stephen O'Hanlon (Carrickmacross Emmets) are on the list of 45 nominees, and the awards will be presented at a black-tie event at the RDS in Dublin that night, shown live on RTÉ, according to the GAA.
Monaghan's three nominations put the county joint-fifth with Armagh and Louth. All-Ireland champions Mayo lead the list with 11, followed by Kerry on seven, Dublin on five and Westmeath on four, the GAA said. Twelve counties in all have at least one nominee.
Who Monaghan's nominees are up against
- Goalkeeper: Rory Beggan (Scotstown). Beggan, who won an All-Star in 2018, according to the Anglo-Celt, is one of just three goalkeepers nominated, alongside Mayo's Jack Livingstone and Kerry's Shane Murphy.
- Defender: Dylan Byrne (Magheracloone). Byrne is one of 18 defenders nominated. The Anglo-Celt said he broke onto the Monaghan panel last year and "thrived as a corner-back this year".
- Forward: Stephen O'Hanlon (Carrickmacross Emmets). O'Hanlon is one of 18 forwards on the list. The Anglo-Celt described it as "a fascinating year" for him, saying he was a threat for Monaghan "going backwards and forwards".
How the All-Stars are picked
The nominations were chosen by a group of Gaelic games correspondents from print, radio, television and digital media, chaired by Uachtarán CLG Jarlath Burns, the GAA said. This is the 55th year of the awards, which date back to 1971. No Monaghan player is among the nominees for Footballer of the Year (David Clifford, Ryan O'Donoghue and Jack Carney) or Young Footballer of the Year (Darragh Beirne, Kobe McDonald and Dara McDonnell); those two awards are voted on by the players.
Beggan has had a big autumn at club level, too: he was part of the Scotstown side that won a fourth Monaghan title in a row (our report from the county final). All three nominees will be playing for new county manager John McEntee in 2027 (our report on his appointment).
