Vodafone Awards: Galway celebrated a unique double today when Pádraic Joyce and Joe Canning were named the GAA All-Stars footballer and hurler of the month for July.
It is the first time since the monthly awards were expanded to include both codes in 2000 that two players from the same county have been honoured in the same month.
The awards were presented at the Westbury Hotel in Dublin today, where Vodafone confirmed they will continue to sponsor the monthly awards and the annual All-Star awards until the end of 2009.
This is the second monthly award for Joyce after he won it back in April 2004. His long career spans back to 1994 when he captained St Jarlath's College to the All-Ireland title.
He has won two All-Ireland senior football titles with Galway, a Sigerson Cup medal with Tralee IT, captained Ireland to a record International Rules victory against Australia in 2004 and was footballer of the year in 2001.
Now 31, Joyce rolled back the years last month when leading Galway to victory in the Connacht final against Mayo, scoring 1-3, and orchestrating the game from centre half forward.
Canning is starting out on a career of great promise and it was against Cork last month that he made a huge impact by scoring 2-12. It still wasn't enough for Galway to win but it confirmed the emergence of a special talent.
Joe (19), who joins his brother Ollie on the monthly roll of honour, won the first of two All-Ireland minor titles in 2004. He has since added an under-21 title, a Fitzgibbon Cup title with Limerick IT and two All-Ireland club titles in 2006 and this year.
"Padraic has been one of the great ambassadors for football for over a decade and is still an immensely influential figure. Joe is just starting his career but does so with amazing promise. They are outstanding recipients of these awards," said GAA President Nickey Brennan at today's presentation.