Trimble was delighted to receive the accolade, which was voted for by the Irish rugby media.

He said: "It’s a huge honour for me. It’s always nice picking up an individual award like this, but I have to put it down to being part of such a successful Ireland team last season.

"It’s unfortunate to be injured at the moment, but watching the team play as well as they did against South Africa at the weekend makes me even more determined to get back on the pitch as soon as I can.”

Trimble was a formidable player for his country last season, and his efforts along with the rest of the squad resulted in Ireland being awarded the Dave Guiney Team of the Year after claiming the Six Nations trophy in dramatic fashion in Paris last March.

Niamh Briggs picked up the Women’s Player of the Year for a second successive season after a fantastic performance at full-back during the Women’s Rugby World Cup. She excelled in all aspects of her game, but especially from the kicking tee as Ireland recorded victories over New Zealand, USA and Kazakhstan. Briggs’ performances also earned her a nomination for IRB Player of the Year.

Clontarf FC was voted Club of the Year after they secured their first AIL title in the club’s history.

They also marked the 1,000 year anniversary of the ‘Battle of Clontarf’ with a historic win over the Barbarians FC.

The Tom Rooney Award was awarded jointly to the former Ireland Women’s Head Coach, Phillip Doyle, and their former captain, Fiona Coghlan, in recognition of the huge contribution they made to the development and success of Women’s rugby in Ireland.

Former Ireland and British & Irish Lions player Hugo MacNeill was inducted into the Guinness Hall of Fame.