Charlie Lyons is named the Cork City player of the year

Cork City capped off a memorable year on the pitch with their end of season awards night at the Clayton Hotel and the biggest prizes were taken home by Charlie Lyons and Colleen Kennedy O’Connell.

The pair were named Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year as the club rounded off their First Division title celebrations in style.

Cathal O’Sullivan was selected as the Men’s Young Player of the Year and Niamh Cotter picked up the equivalent award for the women’s team.

The event also saw City release a Frank and Walters inspired away jersey for 2025, a top which has a homage to the song Afterall on the sleeve.

The orange kit was announced with a performance from the band, who wrote and released the unofficial anthem of Cork in 1992.

This finished a year that started with the men’s first team pushing for promotion after losing the promotion-relegation play-off final to Waterford last year at Tallaght Stadium.

A rebuild was needed and Lyons was one of those recruited, from cross-town rivals Cobh Ramblers.

The defender made 33 league appearances in 2024 and he scored 5 goals, a tally that includes a late-late equaliser for City last August against Treaty United at the Markets Field.

O’Sullivan followed a different path, as his year started with the U20s in the Munster Senior Cup.

The midfielder went on to play 28 times in the League of Ireland First Division and score seven times, with two assists also recorded during that run.

The pair have also been named in the SSE Airtricity Men's First Division Team of the Year for their performances with City during the 2024 season.

Kennedy O’Connell was another new face at Turner’s Cross this year, and the striker immediately made her name known by scoring against Wexford at Ferrycarrig Park in the Avenir Sports All-Island Cup.

The striker quickly became a fan-favourite in the team managed by Danny Murphy over her ability to drop back, shield the ball, and work with players like Keira Sena and Eva Mangan.

This helped lay the foundation for the club’s first run to the Women’s FAI Cup semi-finals since 2020 and their highest league finish in two years.

The Rebel Army had a campaign to remember in the cup and it started with a 9-0 victory over Douglas Hall at Turner’s Cross.

A game with Bohemians followed and City scored a dramatic 120th minute winner against the Dubliners, before losing to eventual cup winners Shelbourne at Tolka Park in the next round.

Cotter was a key component in that side, and she was further commended for her performances with a Women’s League of Ireland Young Player of the Year nomination.