A star trophy maker - 50th year in business milestone on the horizon

The hallowed turf at the back of St Paul’s National School in Castlerea was the venue for me to receive my very first trophy at the tender age of eight years old in 1991.

Our team, captained by Karl Freyne, made it to the final of the hotly contested junior football league. Parents and families all stood on the sideline and cheered on their children as we all chased the ball in unison from one end of the pitch to the other like a flock of sheep. When the final whistle blew, no one really knew the scoreline but apparently our team had narrowly won. A presentation and speeches took place in the school hall, and I received what was to be my very first trophy. To say I was proud of this little blue trophy would be an understatement and I still look back on it very fondly.

As we went through the ages the collection of trophies increased in our sitting rooms and bedrooms, but one thing remained consistent - the sticker on the back of all these wonderful creations stated, “Star Trophy Centre, Ballymoe, Prop: Michael Hanley”.

Many visions went through my childhood mind of what a wonderful factory “Star Trophy” must have been to create such incredible miniature statues, which took pride of place in many homes.

Some 20 years ago when I started to work for the Roscommon Herald I got my chance to visit Star Trophy Centre for the first time to collect the awards for the SportStar of the year. The visit certainly didn’t disappoint, and it wasn’t because of a big fancy factory I had pictured in my childhood mind, it was because I got to meet one of life's true gentleman the “Prop” Michael Hanley from the sticker at the back of my trophies.

Over the years I got to know Michael, his wife Mary and son Oliver from calling annually to collect all the wonderful SportStar awards he has created for the Roscommon Herald’s big showcase night.

A humble man with a great sense of humour, Michael always makes time to chat as he sits perched on his chair just inside the door with his arms folded. I can’t help but leave his presence in anything other than a good mood.

On a recent trip to collect medals for Roscommon Gaels U-10’s (oh how life can change direction) I learned that Star Trophy Centre will celebrate 50 years in business in 2025, which is such a fantastic achievement in the modern world. During one of our good talks, Michael stated: “I previously worked for Coillte, but when my son Oliver was born with special needs, I decided that I needed to leave my role and set something up where both Oliver and I could work together.” Star Trophy Centre was born from these wonderful sentiments and has continued with Michael, Oliver and Mary for almost 50 years.

In a fast-paced world where customer service can often take a back seat, it gives me a great feeling to know that there are still kind, generous, caring and professional people out there like the Michael Hanley and his family.

Being so humble I doubt they even realise the thousands of smiles they helped bring to generations of faces of children and adults throughout the country with their trophies. To achieve this by being kind and welcoming to everyone is the greatest feat of all.

A few weeks ago, the happy smiles on my son’s and all the children’s faces as they received their Star Trophy U-10’s medals reminded me that the magic of Michael’s work is still having a profound impact on the next generation.

They say a trophy will gather dust, but a memory can last forever. This leaves me in no doubt that the "star" in the business name shouldn't refer to the "trophy". The star should refer to the gentleman and his family in Ballymoe who have created those trophies, which act as reminders of our communities' special moments in time for over half a century. Yes, Michael and the Hanley family are undoubtedly our stars of our local trophy world.