Ulster All-Stars
February 24, 2010Ciara, a student at Assumption Ballinahinch, caught the selectors collective eye at the Ulster Colleges All-star final trial and is included in the team announced yesterday at a Press Launch in the Elk Bar & Restaurant near Toomebridge.
Ciara also holds the Irish Junior 1500m, as well as taking the European Youth Olympics 1500m title in a championship best time. She is the World under 17 800m silver medallist and is a 3 time National Senior Indoor champion.
Despite her prowess on track and in cross-country, Ciara s first competitive sport was camogie for her club Portaferry where she flourished in under-age teams.
The demands of national and international athletics however have placed restrictions on her participation in camogie but her performances for her school and in the two trials were enough to persuade the selectors to include her in the squad that will now start training for the inter-provincial Colleges competition on March 31st.
Ciara father Chris Hunter Mageean was a regular for Down and Ulster hurling sides for over a decade, while her mother s sister Edel Mason also represented her province as well as being a dominant player for both Down and then Antrim for over a decade.
Older sister Máire had been selected on the 2008 team, a team that also included St MacNissi s Garron Tower student Brónagh Heggarty.
Yesterday the Ruairí Óg Cushendall club stalwart picked up her third successive award a rare achievement in the 7-year history of the All-star scheme.
Brónagh was joined in the team by her clubmates, Alex McLaughlin and Colleen Patterson, both first time recipients.
All three, as well as dual All-star Ashling Ward, are students at St MacNissi s College and their awards recognise the meteoric rise of the school in just 5 seasons of camogie.
St Colm s Draperstown recently followed Garron Tower to the Fr Davies Cup title for the first time to add to the All-Ireland Senior C title they took last March and two of their key players Mary Jo McCullagh and Charlene Scullion picked up first ever awards for the school.
St Colm s close neighbours St Mary s Magherafelt and St Patrick s Maghera have dominated schools camogie for over more than two decades winning 21 of the last 24 Senior titles between them.
That dominance has also been recognised by the All-star selectors over the years, and Maghera, the current champions, gained 5 more awards yesterday, while Magherafelt, last year s champions, picked up 3.
There were second successive gongs for forwards Karen Kielt and Grainne McNicholl to make up for the narrow 4-9 to 3-11 defeat suffered by Maghera at the hands of Loreto Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final at the start of February.
Also getting the nod are goalie Jolene Bradley, defender Siobhan McKaigue and midfielder Éilís Ní Chaiside.
Rachel Kelly was also a second-time recipient for St Mary s Magherafelt with Creggan clubmates Sarah Maguire and Ruby Marie Rice joining her in the team.
Apart from initial awards for St Colm s Draperstown, there are first ever awards to two Down schools.
Orlagh Kearns has made her mark for Sacred Heart Newry, while Laura Hughes is called up after the game being introduced to Our Lady s and St Patrick s Knock just two seasons ago.
It brings to 23 the number of schools contributing players to the All-star teams since the re-introduction of the inter-provincial series in camogie s Centenary Year 2004.
Ulster Colleges Secretary Sr Mairead Ní Fhearáin congratulated the 23 players selected and wished them and their mentors every success in the upcoming inter-provincial.
"To achieve an Ulster Colleges All Star Award is to rightly earn a place in camogie s hall of fame. Although the scheme is just 7 years in operation, already we have seen one of our girls go on to earn a National All-star and several others play at full inter-provincial level for Ulster.
This year our team has a wide base in terms of schools and the overall standard of player at the trials really challenged our selectors. It reflects well on the coaching these young girls have encountered at all levels in their formative years.
I particularly welcome first awards for three schools St Colm s Draperstown, Our Lady and St Patrick s Knock and Sacred Heart Newry. May they inspire greater effort from their team-mates and lead to further honours for their schools in the years to come.
Ulster Colleges All-stars 2010
Jolene Bradley, Karen Kielt, Siobhán McKaigue, Éilis Ní Chaiside and Grainne McNicholl (St Patrick's Maghera)
Brónagh Heggarty, Colleen Patterson, Alex McLaughlin and Ashling Ward (St MacNissi's College Garron Tower)
Rachel Kelly, Sarah Maguire and Ruby Marie Rice (St Mary's Magherafelt)
Mary Jo McCullagh and Charlene Scullion (St Colm s Draperstown)
Noreen Graham and Una McNaughton (St Louis Ballymena)
Laura Hughes (Our Lady & St Patrick s Knock)
Orlagh Kearns (Sacred Heart Newry)
Niamh O Neill (St Louise s Belfast)
Dania Donnelly (St Pius X Magherafelt)
Ciara Mageean (Assumption Ballynahinch)
Maria Mooney (Loreto Coleraine)
Brid O Hagan (St Patrick s Dungannon) Tweet
