Maghera girl (13) the first female in the North to be awarded first degree black belt

Ruby Catherwood, from Maghera, has become the first female in Northern Ireland to be awarded a 1^st Degree Black Belt by the Irish Taekwon-Do Association.

The distinction was bestowed at the national ITA Black Belt Grading event in County Meath on Sunday.

Ruby, who is only 13, was supported at the grading by her parents, instructors and training partner, Joel Birkett, who all travelled down to witness the prestigious honour.

During the gruelling six-hour event, 50 students from all over Ireland were put through their paces by a panel of the highest ranking taekwon-do practitioners in the country.

Students’ skills in 10 different categories were examined in detail, including sparring, patterns, fundamental techniques, theory and power (board-breaking).

The passing bar was high, with excellence required in 8 of the 10 areas for an award to be made.

Ruby has been studying the martial art since the age of 4 and currently attends classes for 6 hours each week, with additional practice undertaken at home.

Having begun her taekwondo journey in a local class with UKTCNI, she gained valuable experience at smaller competitions, earning medals at every event.

As part of her continuing development, 18 months ago, the young fighter began training with the prestigious Elite Taekwon-Do NI, based in Belfast and Bangor.

Elite is the first club in Northern Ireland to be affiliated to the Irish Taekwondo Association, which is made up of over 100 clubs nationwide.

ABOVE: Mr Karl Shaw 4^th Degree, Mr Dean Pritchard 4^th Degree, Ruby Catherwood 1^st Degree, Master Stephen Cooley 7^th Degree – Ruby and Dean receiving their awards at the ITA National Black Belt Grading, 7^th December 2025.

Ruby’s mother credits this move as the catalyst for her success at the weekend: “Training with Mr Pritchard, Mr Shaw and all the students at Elite has really spurred on Ruby’s development in the sport. Being part of the ITA, as an all-island organisation, has provided the opportunity to attend much bigger competitions, with Ruby winning a bronze medal at the recent Irish National Championships in Limerick, attended by almost 1500 competitors. It has also given her the opportunity to train with legends such as Master Stephen Cooley 7^th Degree, who coaches the Irish national team.”

The Irish National Taekwon-Do team competes regularly on the world stage against up to 70 other countries in the International Taekwon-Do Federation. In 2017 Team Ireland ranked first in the world and are consistently in the top 3.

Ruby’s instructor, Mr Dean Pritchard also graded at the weekend, achieving the accolade of 4^th Degree.

He was full of praise for his young student and her taekwon-do first: “This Black Belt is a true reflection of Ruby’s deep commitment and relentless effort. The dedication she showed in the lead up to this grading was truly exceptional. We’ve watched her evolve into a confident and skilled martial artist. To be the first female in Northern Ireland awarded an ITA Black Belt is a real honour and I was proud to be a part of it.”