Stephen O'Hanlon Wins First All-Star, Monaghan's First Since 2023
Carrickmacross Emmets' Stephen O'Hanlon was named at wing-forward on the 2026 PwC Football All-Star team. He is Monaghan's first All-Star since Conor McCarthy in 2023 and the county's 10th since 1979.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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Main Street, Carrickmacross. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
Monaghan and Carrickmacross Emmets half-forward Stephen O'Hanlon has been named on the 2026 PwC Football All-Star team, the first All-Star of his career. The Anglo-Celt reports that he is Monaghan's first national All-Star since Conor McCarthy in 2023. Northern Sound says O'Hanlon, who was picked at number 12, is the 10th Monaghan player honoured since 1979.
His season
According to the Anglo-Celt, it was O'Hanlon's most consistent season in a Monaghan jersey:
2-24 in 16 appearances across all competitions
1-11 in the Senior Football Championship, and more than double that in assists
man-marking jobs at times on Ethan Doherty, Darragh Heneghan, Sam McCartan and Craig Lennon
Monaghan had three nominees this year. Scotstown goalkeeper Rory Beggan and Magheracloone defender Dylan Byrne were also on the shortlist but missed out on the final 15.
The 2026 team
The GAA says the team is spread across eight counties, the widest spread since 2010, and includes 11 first-time winners. All-Ireland champions Mayo have six players. Kerry have three, including a seventh award for David Clifford. Westmeath, Louth, Armagh, Tyrone, Dublin and Monaghan have one each. The GAA described O'Hanlon as "marauding" and called his season "impressive".
The awards will be presented at the RDS in Dublin on Friday night, 30 October. RTÉ One will show the ceremony live from 7.30pm, the Anglo-Celt reports.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
Monaghan footballer Stephen O'Hanlon has rejoined Carrick Cruisers for their 2026/27 National League Division 1 season at the Phoenix Centre, Carrickmacross, eight years after he last played basketball on a US scholarship.
Scotstown's Rory Beggan, Magheracloone's Dylan Byrne and Carrickmacross Emmets' Stephen O'Hanlon are among the 45 PwC Football All-Star nominees. The winners will be named at the RDS in Dublin on Friday, 30 October, live on RTÉ.
Glaslough topped County Monaghan in the 2026 SuperValu TidyTowns with 408 marks and a gold medal. Carrickmacross and Monaghan Town also won gold, Smithborough took the Endeavour Award, and Monaghan TidyTowns won the national EPA Circular Economy Award.
