AWARDS: Harrington wins Sportsperson of the Year

Ireland's most successful golfer, Padraig Harrington, was awarded the coveted RTة Sportsperson of the Year honour for the third time. Padraig has had another amazing year: he won the Open Championship in July for the second time in a row and went on to win the US PGA just three weeks later.

Celebrating the collaborative achievements of Irish athletes, the RTة Sports Team of the Year award was presented to the Munster Rugby team. Having won the Heineken Cup for the second time in three years, and putting in a magnificent display against the All Blacks at Thomond Park, Munster captured the spirit of the game with some inspirational performances.

In addition to acknowledging this year's sporting achievements, The RTة Sports Awards 2008 awarded Ireland's first female Olympian, Maeve Kyle, the RTة/Irish Sports Council's Hall of Fame Award. The Kilkenny-born athlete competed in the Melbourne, Rome and Tokyo Olympics, and took the bronze in the 400m at the 1966 European Indoor Athletics Championships in Dortmund. She was also a competitive hockey player, gaining 58 Irish caps as well as representing three of the four Irish provinces at different stages of her career. She was named in the World All Star team in 1953 and 1959, and is a founder member of Ballymena and Antrim Athletics Club.