As they celebrate their twenty first All Star in eight years

Our Lady’s Secondary School excellent record in the Ulster Ladies Colleges All Star Awards scheme continued on Tuesday December 10^th when it was announced that four girls from the school, Jodie Mc Quillan, Aoife Flanagan, Orlagh Grimley and Jayne Drury were selected on the Ulster Ladies All Star team for 2019 / 2020. This brings the total number of Ladies All Star Awards in the school to twenty one in eight years – an extremely impressive record by any school’s standards.

The four girls were among six girls selected by the school to attend an initial trial in Cookstown where over 130 girls from across the province attended. The four girls impressed the selectors present to be invited back to a second and third trial the last of which was held on Monday December 9^th. The school community was delighted when it was announced that all four girls were selected as representatives on this year’s Ulster Ladies Colleges All Star team.

This is the third year in a row that Jayne has been selected on the Ulster Colleges All Star team and indeed she had the honor of captaining the team at the interprovincial tournament last year. Jayne plays her club football with the St. Brigid’s Club in Ballybay. Orlagh Grimley and Aoife Flanagan play their club football with O’ Neill Shamrocks and along with Jodie Mc Quillan from the Castleblayney Faughs club it is their first All Star Award The four girls will receive their awards at a special ceremony in Kelly’s Inn Ballygawley after Christmas and will train with the Ulster All Star panel in the coming weeks in preparation for the Interprovincial tournament in January.

These awards come as a timely boost to the Senior Girls GAA team who will contest the Ulster A Final after Christmas. Speaking at the school during the week the Principal Mr Kelly congratulated the girls on their outstanding achievement ‘for a school to have one Ulster Colleges All Star in any year is a fantastic achievement but to have four representatives on the team in one year is a huge honour and one of which we are very proud. These girls and their peers on the senior team have been and continue to be excellent ambassadors for Gaelic Games in the school and are great role models for the younger students in the school. I am delighted that their ability, commitment and dedication has been recognised at such a prestigious level. I have no doubt that with continued hard work and application the girls have great futures ahead of them in Gaelic Games. I would like to pay particular tribute to their coaches Mr Graham & Ms O’Keeffe for the fantastic work they are doing with the girls and indeed all our GAA coaches who give so generously of their time to help our students develop and display their talents and skills at the highest possible level in Ulster Colleges football. The high level of success we have enjoyed in GAA and the number of All Star Awards for boys and girls is a testimony to the great work by all teachers involved in coaching & promoting Gaelic Games in our school’. For the record the twenty one All Stars since 2012 are as follows:

• 2019 / 2020: Jayne Drury, Aoife Flanagan, Orlagh Grimley and Jodie Mc Quillan
• 2018 / 2019: Jennifer Duffy & Jayne Drury
• 2017 / 2018: Niamh Kerr, Jennifer Duffy & Jayne Drury
• 2016 / 2017: Aisling Callan & Niamh Kerr
• 2015 / 2016:Muireann Atkinson, Celine Nally, Orlaith Maguire & Eimear Finnegan
• 2014 / 2015: Muireann Atkinson & Niamh Callan
• 2013 / 2014: Aoife Duffy, Niamh Callan & Muireann Atkinson
• 2012 / 2013: Emma Mc Kenna