Derry players feature strongly in the Ulster schools’ All-star teams

Fionn McEldowney has been named on the Ulster schools' All-Star football and hurling teams.

placeholder image — Fionn McEldowney has been named on the Ulster schools' All-Star football and hurling teams.

Derry players feature strongly in the Ulster schools’ All-star teams announced this week.

Slaughtneil pair Ruairí Ó Mianáin and Fionn McEldowney have made it into the hurling team while McEldowney is also named in the football team that features his St Patrick’s Maghera team-mate Eoin Higgins as well as Niall O’Donnell, a student in St Mary’s Magherafelt.

McEldowney’s awards in both codes means that he becomes the 20th dual player recognised since the schools’ All-star awards were first introduced 35 years ago. Eight of those already on the list are past pupils of St Patrick’s Maghera including current coach in the school Sean Marty Lockhart.

The Slaughtneil player is selected on the left wing of defence in both teams and he joins his sister Céat as a double-award winner; both Céat’s awards came in camogie.

Clíodhna Ní Mhianáin was also a schools’ All-star camogie winner, but brother Ruairí has gone one better with his second successive award; he is back in the hurling half-forward line and one of just two players to retain his place on the team. The other is Tomás Galvin from St Patrick’s Keady.

Ó Mianáin captained Gaelcholáiste Dhoire to their first ever senior schools’ title, the Casement Shield, in February and he has been starring for Derry at under 20 level this season. Ruairí also featured in the Slaughtneil team that completed a 10th successive county senior title last autumn.

St Mary’s Magherafelt midfielder Niall O’Donnell is also a two times All-star. He featured at No 6 in last year’s selection, but is slotted into midfield this year. The Danske Bank MacRory Cup winner with the Convent last year, picked up a serious injury in a pre-season tournament in September and featured little in the defence of the MacRory Cup.

The Ballinderry man has fought back to regain fitness during the spring and helped St Mary’s win the Danske Bank Casement Cup for the first time as well as coming off the bench for Rory Gallagher’s county seniors in a few games including the Division 2 league final.

The other St Mary’s Magherafelt player in the team is Conhuir Johnstone and the Cargin forward is also picking up a second award. Conhuir had a big influence on the scoring charts in the Casement Cup success.

Dungiven footballer Eoin Higgins is the third Derry player in the football team. Higgins featured strongly for St Patrick’s Maghera in their MacRory Cup run and also with St Canice’s in the eclipse of the Derry and Ulster minor club titles.

The hurling team has 11 Antrim players in it, 10 of whom play for the north Antrim schools. Mageean Cup champions St Louis Ballymena top the list with four awards.

By contrast the football selection has only one player from MacRory champions Omagh CBS. Conor Owens joins three from St Patrick’s Academy and Rónán Fox, a student in Dean Mag Uirc Carrickmore picking up a second award. That makes five in total from Tyrone, four from Monaghan, three from Derry and then one each from Antrim, Armagh and Donegal.

The players will receive their awards at a Gala Dinner in the Ramada Hotel in Belfast on the last Friday of April.

2022-23 Danske Bank Ulster Colleges’ Hurling All Stars

1. John V Morgan - St Killian’s Garron Tower

2. Kevin O’Boyle - St Louis Ballymena

3. Ben McGarry - Cross & Passion Ballycastle

4. Fionn McEldowney - St Patrick’s, Maghera

5. Enda McGurk - St Mary’s CBGS, Belfast

6. Liam Glackin - Cross & Passion Ballycastle

7. Aodhán McGarry - St Louis Ballymena

8. Darragh Patterson - St Louis Ballymena

9. Oran Donnelly - Cross & Passion Ballycastle

10. Ruairí Ó Mianáin - Gaelcholáiste Dhoire