Loughgiel star collects Club All Star Award

 Connolly the toast of Ulster as she collects Club All Star Award

The brightest stars of the 2011 Ulster Club Championships gathered this week for the presentation of the first Gaelic Life Ulster Club All-Star Awards, held in association with Belleek Living and Squareball.

Antrim camogie star, Emma Connolly claimed the Gaelic Life Ulster Club Camogie Player of the Year award, having helped guide her side to Antrim and Ulster Senior Club Championship honours. The Loughgiel club-woman must now turn her attention to Sunday’s upcoming All Ireland club semi-final as her side take on Wexford champions Oulart the Ballagh.

Emma was presented with her award on the night by Ulster Camogie Treasurer Rosemary Hughes Merry, and Ulster Camogie Chairperson Kathleen Woods.

Guests of honour included the Ulster Camogie chairperson Kathleen Woods, Ulster Ladies chairperson Hugh Devenney, and John Devenney representing Ulster GAA. In his opening address, John Devenney paid tribute to Gaelic Life for launching the initiative, hailing the club stars as, "The lifeblood of the Association."

Dominic McClements, general manager of Gaelic Life’s parent company, North-West News Group, revealed that the inaugural awards had been a tremendous success which had, "Captured the imagination of the GAA public," having attracted more than 9,000 votes through the Gaelic Life Facebook page an additional 2,500 text votes.

Joe Kernan, while accepting a Club All-Star Award on behalf of his son Aaron who is currently on honeymoon, gave those in attendance an insight into the Crossmaglen philosophy to football and what it is that keeps them at the top year after year. When host Thomas Kane probed as to what exactly the magic ingredient was to their success, the former All-Ireland winning boss with the Ranger’s reply was a simple one.

"Sure we can’t be telling you that, because we want to keep winning for another few years yet!"