Irish Times/Mitsubishi Electric Sportswoman Award for August: It's a wonder Niamh Fahey has the energy to rise in the morning and set off for school in Oughterard.

True, it helps being just 17, but still, if you browsed through her sporting schedule over the past couple of years you'd struggle to work out quite how she manages it.

In fact, after a spot of research on the teenager's sporting exploits you begin to suspect you're mixing up a few Niamh Faheys.

One report talks of her giving "an inspired second-half performance" to help Salthill Devon's soccer team to the top of the league; another tells us she scored the winner for Ireland against Iceland in the European Under-19 Championship qualifiers, just a few days before helping Galway win their first ever All-Ireland senior football title. And then there's the Niamh Fahey who is also a runner of some talent, who captained Galway's minors to the All-Ireland title back in July, not to mention - well, you get the drift.

But it's the one Niamh Fahey alright, a sporting all-rounder who tends to make an impact whenever she takes to the field, no matter what the sport. And she made enough of an impact on the judges of The Irish Times/Mitsubishi Electric Sportswoman awards to clinch the honour for August. Mind you, she should probably be a contender for the September award too after her performance for Galway in last weekend's All-Ireland semi-final victory over Dublin, when she scored both her county's goals.

We go back to early August, though, for the display with which the young Galwegian clinched our award, when she was simply outstanding in the Connacht meeting with Mayo, the county that, until Galway's All-Ireland triumph last year, had dominated Gaelic football in recent times.

Galway v Mayo, then, is more than a provincial decider; it's the clash of the two counties who have won five of the last six All-Ireland finals, with only Laois, in 2001, breaking Connacht's grip on the Brendan Martin Cup.

Mayo had gotten the better of Galway when the teams met earlier in the championship, in the round-robin section of the Connacht Championship, and the loss through injury of their captain from last year, Annette Clarke, didn't augur well for Galway as they lined out against Cora Staunton and co in Tuam.

But Fahey, playing at full-forward, was an inspiration, not just with her scoring but through her all-round display. Her first goal of the game helped Galway to a 1-7 to 0-4 half-time lead. Mayo fought back, scoring three quick second-half points to leave just a goal between the teams, but Fahey all but killed off their hopes of a comeback, scoring another goal, bringing her personal tally in the game to 2-6.

Powerful, pacy and as comfortable on her left foot as she is on her right, Fahey, as accomplished at centre forward as she is at centre back, has already developed into one of the country's finest footballers, despite her youth. Give her a year or two and she may even become the best.

But she came by it honestly. The youngest of eight children, she is the sister of Richie and Gary, Galway senior footballers and former All Star nominees.

She plays her Gaelic football with Killanin, and her soccer with Salthill Devon, spending much of her time rushing between training for both, or for Galway and Ireland.

Last year she was one of the three nominees for the Football Association of Ireland Under-19 Player of the Year. Ironically, she was beaten to the honour by her Ireland team-mate Katie Taylor, another sporting all-rounder who won our May award when she became the first Irish woman to win a gold medal at the European Boxing Championships.

Fahey will hope to add another medal to her collection on October 2nd when Galway will attempt to retain their All-Ireland title in the final against Cork. She's won our August award, she's a contender for September - if she has a blinder in the final we could be looking at a hat-trick.

Three potential awards, but only one Niamh Fahey.