Red High pick up awards at All-Stars event

Red High pick up awards at All-Stars event

24 April 2013

FOUR students from St Patrick’s Grammar School, Downpatrick, were recent recipients of Danske Bank Ulster College’s All-Star awards in football and hurling.

Ballygalget’s Daineal Doran was selected as goalkeeper and Portaferry duo Conor O’Neill and Eoghan Sands were named in the forward line of the hurling team.

Bryansford’s Ruairi Wells (Bryansford) was named on the football team after a great season with the school’s MacLarnon Cup side.

All four boys were presented with their awards by Seamus Meehan, president of the Ulster Colleges and Michael McLaughlin, marketing manager of Danske Bank, at the annual Ulster Colleges’ All-Star banquet held in the Europa Hotel, Belfast, on Friday.

Since their inauguration in 1988 the Ulster College’s All-Star Awards have represented the pinnacle of personal achievement for school footballers and hurlers throughout the province.

With only 15 players successful annually, competition for the prestigious honour is intense. St. Patrick’s Grammar School has an established and proud tradition of success in securing awards in both codes.

The renaissance of Red High hurling has coincided with the growth in numbers attending the school from the Ards peninsula.

Building on the success and achievements of current Down star Danny Toner in 2011 and more recently Michael McKenna in 2012, St. Patrick’s contributed more players to the All-Star team than any other school, achieving three prestigious individual accolades.

Undoubtedly, motivated by the success of the Casement Cup triumph and the magnificent achievement of the combined An Dun schools’ team in narrowly losing out in the Mageean Cup final, the St. Patrick’s students hurled with style and panache at the trials and their efforts were rewarded.

The tradition of Gaelic football in St. Patrick’s is equally proud and before 2013 nine students had achieved All-Star Awards.

In the third year of the awards there was double success with Stephen Savage (RGU Downpatrick) and Conor Swail (Darragh Cross) selected on the 1990 team.

Further success came quickly with the school’s only ever double All-Star Colm McAlarney (Castlewellan) chosen in both 1992 and 1993. There was double celebration again in 1998, a year when a talented team lost out in a MacRory Cup quarter-final by the narrowest of margins and in the opinion of many had the potential to go all the way on that occasion. Cormac Murphy (Glasdrumman) and Cillian Keaveney (Castlewellan) were the school representatives on this All-Star team.

Ronan Lawlor (Carryduff) was the school’s first All-Star of the third millennia, the talented defender epitomising the spirit that led to a convincing MacLarnon Cup final victory over a strong St. Columb’s team from Derry.

Further successes followed in the ‘noughties’ with Down senior star Paul McComiskey (Dundrum) selected on the 2006 team, some consolation for the heartbreak of losing the MacLarnon final to La Salle, Belfast.

Back to back All-stars came to Downpatrick with head boy Brian King (Bryansford) named at full back on the 2007 team. It became three in a row in 2008 when James Deeny (RGU Downpatrick) was the first Red High goalkeeper to achieve the award.

In 2012 Cathail Arnold (Saul) repeated James’ achievement in securing the No.1 jersey.