BT Ulster Colleges All Stars
December 21, 2011Cathail Arnold (St Patrick's Downpatrick)
Patrick McBride (St Mary's CBS)
Tomás McCarron (Omagh CBS)
Jason Murphy (Our Lady's Castleblaney)
Ryan Johnston (St Colman's Newry)
Ciaran McCartan (Abbey CBS)
Conor White (St Patrick's Armagh)
Ryan Dougan (St Patrick's Maghera)
Mel Boyce (St Macartan's Monaghan)
Terence O'Brien (St Mary's Magherafelt)
Dermot McAleese (St Louis Ballymena)
Barry Coyle (St Patrick's Keady)
Kevin Quinn (St Mary's CBS)
Anthony O'Neill (St Pius X)
Stefan Lavery (St Patrick's Dungannon)
* These All-stars are known as the 2011/12 Football All-stars and this is the 25th year of the Ulster Colleges' All-star scheme.
* Players are selected over the course of two trial games, after being initially nominated by their own school to attend the trials.
The scheme rewards excellence in skill and in sportsmanship and a player who has been sent off in any game between September 1st and the dates of the trials is ineligible for selection.
* This is the first time that 14 different schools have made up a single selection. The school with two players is St Mary's CBGS Belfast. Patrick McBride is included at corner-back and Kevin Quinn at corner-forward. St Mary's made it through to the BT MacRory Cup quarter-finals after a play-off with St Mary's Magherafelt.
* There are 6 counties represented in the team - 3 each for Down, Antrim and Derry and 2 each for Armagh, Tyrone and Monaghan.
* Omagh CBS defeated St Michael's Enniskillen in the BT MacCormack Cup final at the end of November and have one player selected - Tomás McCarron at full-back.
* Right-half back Ryan Johnston is a double MacRory and Hogan winner with St Colman's Newry. He was at right-half back for the 2010 win and at midfield last April.
* Dermot McAleese is only the second player from St Louis Ballymena to receive a football All-star. The first was Paul Doherty in 2003 and Paul went on to play senior for Antrim.
* Dermot McAleese's sister Louise is a double Colleges' camogie All-star and a current Antrim senior.
* Anthony O'Neill is only the third player from St Pius X to make the All-star selection, following James Scott (2006) and John Carron two years ago.
* 7 of the 8 teams still involved in the BT MacRory Cup have players in the line-out - the exceptions being St Michael's Enniskillen. Terence O'Brien and Mel Boyce's teams were knocked out of the BT MacRory Cup in play-offs at the end of November.
* 3 players - Cathail Arnold, Jason Murphy and Dermot McAleese - can still hope to land BT MacLarnon Cup medals, while 2 more - Anthony O'Neill and Barry Coyle - are still in the running for the BT O'Doherty Cup.
* In overall terms, St. Patrick's Maghera stay ahead of Abbey CBS with 45 football awards over the 25 years.
2010/11 Football All Stars - pen pictures
* Goalkeeper : Cathail Arnold
School : St Patrick's Downpatrick
Club : Saul St Patrick's
Cathail has runners-up medals for the BT Loch an Iúir and Herald Cups. He has represented Down at all levels up to and including Minor and with his club he has Down Div 4 winners medal and under 16 and minor honours.
Cathail is an identical twin and his brother Déaglán has identical achievements up until today!
* Right Corner Back : Patrick McBride
School : St Mary's CBS
Club: Naomh Eoin, Belfast
Patrick has a BT MacLarnon Cup medal from last March and he also boast an Ulster Colleges' hurling medal for the Leonard Cup.
He has been 2 seasons in the Antrim minor panel and has recently been included in Liam Bradley's senior squad for 2012.
With his club Naomh Eoin, he has collected medals right through the age-groups in hurling and football and was on the hurling side that recently collected the Ulster championship.
* Full-back: Tomás McCarron
School : Omagh CBS
Club : St Dympna's Dromore
Tomás holds two BT MacCormack Cup medals, a BT Rannafast Cup medal and a BT MacRory Cup runners-up medal. He was a Tyrone minor in 2011 and represented his club in the Senior league and championship wins this season.
He holds a host of under-age medals with St Dympna's and is also keen on swimming, snooker and golf
* Left Corner Back: Jason Murphy
School : Our Lady's Castleblaney
Club: Toome
Jason won a BT O'Doherty Cup medal in 2011 and he has also runners-up medals in the same competition and in the Ennis Cup. He has been a member of Monaghan under-age Development squads and with Toome has completed the under 16 league and championship double and helped them gain Intermediate status in 2011.
Jason plays off a golf handicap of 7 and has many golfing honours to his name.
* Right-half back : Ryan Johnston
School : St Colman's Newry
Club: Kilcoo Owen Roe's
Ryan captained St Colman's to the BT Corn na nÓg and played in every match during the past two years as the school completed back-to-back MacRory and Hogan titles. He has a host of under-age titles with Kilcoo, completing a third successive minor championship run in September, and a Down senior league just last week. He has been a Down minor for the past two seasons.
Ryan has won 2 Ulster and All-Ireland cross-country championships.
* Centre-half back : Ciaran McCartan
School : Abbey CBS
Club: St Peter's Warrenpoint
Ciaran is in his third season on Abbey's MacRory Cup squad and was centre-half back on the Down minor team of 2011. He has an under 14 club championship runners-up medals and lost out on the past two Down minor championship finals as well.
Ciaran is also a cross-country athlete coming 3rd in the Golden Cow Youth games and is a keen golfer.
* Left-half back : Conor White
School : St Patrick's Armagh
Club : Armagh Harps
Conor has captained St Patrick's at every age-group and also was the Armagh minor captain of 2011. He holds an Ulster Minor league medal.
He has also captained the Harps to the Ulster minor club title and holds all the under-age championship medals.
Conor hurls with the Cúchulainn's club in Armagh and has represented the school in soccer as well.
* Midfield : Ryan Dougan
School : St Patrick's Maghera
Club: Glen Watty Graham's
Ryan has won league and championship medals with Glen at all age levels and is currently involved with them in the Ulster minor club championship. He has represented Detry in the Buncrana Cup competition and is already a senior club player of 2 seasons.
* Midfield : Mel Boyce
School : St Macartan's Monaghan
Club : Tyholland
Mel was the St Macartan's MacRory Cup captain this season, and captained Tyholland to the under 16 club championship. He is a regular on his club's senior team. Mel has represented Monaghan minors for 3 seasons and captained them at under 16 level.
Mel has represented his province in under-age rugby in 2009.
* Right-half forward : Terence O'Brien
School : St Mary's Magherafelt
Club: An Lúb
Terence was on the St Mary's side that came close to knocking out St Colman's in the BT MacRory Cup semi-final last February. He has under 16 and minor league medals with his club and has recently been to QPR and Nottingham Forest on soccer trials.
* Centre-half forward : Dermot McAleese
School : St Louis Ballymena
Club: Roger Casement's Portglenone.
Dermot is only the second player from St Louis to become an All-star footballer. He holds an Ulster Colleges' BT Loch an Iúir Cup medal and was an Antrim minor in the season just past. He also owns a number of Antrim Divisional under-age medals with his club.
His sister Louise won two Ulster Colleges' camogie All-stars and is an Antrim senior player.
* Left half forward : Barry Coyle
School : St Patrick's Keady
Club : Keady Lámh Dhearg
Barry holds Ulster Colleges' medals for the BT McQuillan and Loch an Iúir Cups and has been in the Armagh under 16 Development Squad.
At club level, he has league medals at under 12, 14 and 16 levels and is hoping to complete the collection with a minor medal in 2012.
* Right-corner forward : Kevin Quinn
School : St Mary's CBS
Club : Lamh Dhearg Belfast
Kevin was a member of the BT MacLarnon winning team of last March and also holds Ulster Colleges' hurling medals for the BT Gallagher and Leonard Cups.
He has been an Antrim minor for 2 seasons and collected 2 under 16 league and championships and Antrim and Ulster minor championship medals for 2010.
* Full forward : Anthony O'Neill
School: St Pius X Magherafelt
Club : An Lúb
Anthony is the second member of his club to receive an All-star today. He is a BT Brock Cup medal holder and was a member of the Derry under 16 team that won the Buncrana Cup.
He has 2 minor league medals with An Lúb and collected the Mid Ulster league and NI Cup in soccer with Cookstown Youths.
· Left-corner forward : Stefan Lavery
School : St Patrick's Dungannon
Club: Tír na nÓg Moy
Stefan has won BT Dalton and Corn na nÓg medals with the Academy and a graded minor championship with his club.
He was a Tyrone minor of 2011 and is a soccer player of some note as well. Tweet
