Ulster sporting heroes Jason Smyth and Sean Cavanagh have enjoyed magical years.

And the good times just keep on coming for the Paralympic athlete and Tyrone gaelic footballer with both being chosen to receive the 2008 Texaco Sportstars Awards in this, the 51st year of the event.

They join six other illustrious sports people in Kenny Egan (boxing), Pádraig Harrington (golf), Aidan O'Brien (Horse Racing), Eoin Larkin (Hurling), Briege Corkery (Ladies' Gaelic Football) and Ronan O'Gara (rugby).

The winners are chosen from a shortlist of 16 sports by sports editors representing print and broadcast media, both north and south.

Commenting, Enda Riney, Country Chairman, Chevron (Ireland) Limited said: “We are delighted that 2008 has produced such a distinguished list of winners, many of whom have achieved fame and success on the world stage.”

The awards will be presented at a ceremony to be held in Dublin on Wednesday, November 19 at which An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen TD will officiate.

Athletics: Jason Smyth

In Athletics, the award goes to Paralympian Jason Smyth.

In the same manner that Usain Bolt astonished the world during the Olympic Games in Beijing with a record-breaking, double-gold sprint double, Jason replicated these successes in the Paralympics held in the same city some weeks later when two 21-year-olds - one from Jamaica, the other from Derry - left the world in their wake.

If the name Jason Smyth was not on everyone's lips before the Paralympics, his talent had been noted in the athletics world when he went to the Irish Schools Championships in Tullamore two

years ago and won the sprint double.

And it was only afterwards that his coach, Stephen Maguire, explained that Smyth was suffering from Stargardt's Disease, a hereditary degenerative visual impairment that can affect central vision, though not always peripheral vision.

Given his outstanding talent and his total dedication to his sport, it is now eminently possible that Jason will be setting his sights on the Olympic Games in London, and maybe the two sprint stars of Beijing 2008 will get to face the starter's gun, side-by-side, in four years time.

Boxing: Kenny Egan

In Boxing, the award goes to Dubliner Kenny Egan.

Kenny Egan had a goal early this year. He wanted to be in Beijing in August, mixing it with the cream of the world's boxers.

He failed at the first qualifier in Pescara in late February. But the determination of the man who took bronze at the European Championships in 2006 saw him through four tough encounters in Athens in April.

The light heavyweight from Clondalkin was now going to China, but his target had changed.

He wanted a medal and that’s what he got, taking silver.

GaA: Seán Cavanagh

In Gaelic Football, the award goes to Tyrone's Seán Cavanagh.

Mayo manager John O'Mahony felt that Tyrone was a team in decline during the National League - and he would not have been alone in expressing the view.

That Tyrone walked out of Croke Park on September 21 with the Sam Maguire Cup is testament to Mickey Harte's managerial magic and an outstanding squad of players who believed in themselv es as few teams have in the history of the game.

But it took a supreme performance from one player to see them through.

Having scored 1-14 in the four games before the final, Seán Cavanagh epitomised all the qualities that have put him on a pedestal with the game's greatest in a period of 26 minutes, when Kerry were threatening to rescue the game.

Between Brian Dooher's second point in the 44th minute and Enda McGinley's in the 70th minute, Cavanagh was the only Tyrone player to score.

He did so three times and each one inspired pressurised colleagues. The third point oozed class.

In October, he was again instrumental in a major success, this time in Australia, where he captained the International Rules side to an outstanding win over Australia.

Golf: Pádraig Harrington

In Golf, the award goes to Pádraig Harrington.

Is it possible young Paddy Harrington decided that one Claret Jug could not hold all the visiting ladybirds to his south County Dublin home late last summer, and asked Daddy for another earlier this year?

Or is it a case that Pádraig has recently developed a Major case of Tunnel Vision?

Most of us would go with the second view - even though the country might have been satisfied with the British Open title of 2007 as a lifetime's highlight from their favourite golfing son.

But 2008 emphasised that Pádraig's game has moved onto a higher plateau and the steel that is required on the back nine on the final day of a major is present in abundance.

Not satisfied with back-to-back British Opens, Pádraig produced a stunning final 36 holes at Oakland Hills in the USPGA Championship with two rounds of 66, the culmination of which was a superb final nine holes of 32, which saw off the challenge of his Carnoustie rival, Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis.

Not since Tommy Armour in 1930 did a European win the final major of the year and Pádraig was only the fourth player in history to win the British Open and USPGA titles in the one season.

In Horse Racing, the award goes to trainer Aidan O'Brien.

No trainer may ever have a year to match the one just concluded for Aidan.

Take his year in Ireland. He made a clean sweep of all the classics with Halfway to Heaven, Henrythenavigator, Frozen Fire, Moonstone and Septimus.

And after Henrythenavigator went on to win the English 2,000 Guineas, he then took a raiding party to Royal Ascot and won five of the prestigious purses, and that included Yeats winning the Gold Cup for the third successive year.

There followed the disappointment of Henrythenavigator being pipped by Raven's Pass in the Breeders Cup Classic, having mastered the hot-shot Curlin, but then out came the indomitable Yates again to take the French St Leger and conclude a remarkable season of 22 Group victories for Ballydoyle.

Hurling: Eoin Larkin

In Hurling, the award goes to Kilkenny hurler Eoin Larkin.

Now 24, Eoin Larkin joined the Kilkenny panel in 2005 and has been a steady work in progress since.

Three All Ireland senior medals to complement his Under 21 and minor successes suggests he has absorbed Brian Cody's training manual like a Grade A student. But the flying half-forward really came into his own this season.

Ladies' GAA: Briege Corkery

In Ladies' Gaelic Football the award goes to Cork player Briege Corkery.

"Each blade of grass in Croke Park knows her name, and I think she covered them twice today." Those words of Cork's camogie manager Denise Cronin refer to Briege Corkery and were uttered after her county's All Ireland final victory in September.

Words that tumbled in the euphoria of victory, you might think, but such a supposition would be wrong.

Although a youthful 21, Briege has played for her county in the last four All Ireland senior camogie finals, winning in 2005 and 2006, and again this year.

Rugby: Ronan O'Gara

In Rugby, the award goes to Munster and Ireland international Ronan O'Gara.

To define O'Gara by numbers would alight on things like he is Ireland's most capped outhalf, that he requires 21 points to reach 1,000 in the Heineken Cup, that on three occasions he has been voted the Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year ? or maybe even that he was the first Irishman to score a try at Croke Park.

Those statistics only touch the surface of the qualities he has brought to Presentation College Cork, Cork Constitution, UCC, Munster, Ireland and the Lions in a wonderful career with hopefully a few more chapters to pen, despite his decision to write an autobiography without a fleck of grey in his hair.

This year he stood alone in Irish rugby for many reasons, primarily his role in Munster's Heineken Cup march which was crowned with 11 of the 16 points in the final against Toulouse.