Embedded Files
Rachel Mulligan
Attended Edenderry from September 1994 to June 2001
Whilst still a schoolgirl at Portadown College Rachel gained her first international cap against South Africa in South Africa in January 2007. Rachel marked her first international appearance with a goal.
Prior to her international debut Rachel had represented Ulster and Ireland at Under 16, Under 18 and Under 21 level.
To date Rachel has won 11 caps for Ireland as the team begins to prepare for the 2012 London Olympics.
September 2007
Jonathan Ritchie
Attended Edenderry from September 1987 to June 1994
Jonathan took up athletics at the age of twenty whilst studying in Edinburgh. A field specialist, Jonathan has won a number of medals for Long and Triple Jump at the Northern Ireland Championships and Scottish Championships. In 2003 Jonathan was the Northern Ireland Long Jump Champion whilst in 2007 Jonathan was crowned Northern Ireland Triple Jump Champion. In 2007 Jonathan was ranked Number One triple jumper in Ireland and represented Ireland in the Nations Cup.
September 2007
Barry Gribben
Attended Edenderry from September 1978 to June 1985
A keen all-rounder, Barry not only captained the school's mini-rugby team but also played for the Mid-Ulster Schools' Football Team during the 1984/85 District Championships. At secondary school Barry's rugby talents were quickly noticed and it was not long before representative honours arrived. In the 1992/93 season Barry captained the Ulster Under 18 team and in the same season gained the first of his international caps when he played against Scotland for the Irish Youth XV.
December 1995
Keith Rowland
Attended Edenderry from September 1976 to June 1983
A mainstay of the school team, Keith played football locally before signing for Linfield.
His exceptional talent resulted in a speedy move to Bournemouth F.C. in the English League. Keith quickly established himself as a first team regular and it was no surprise when he was snapped up by a Premier League team. Keith moved to West Ham in 1993 for a fee of £300,000.
To date Keith has played on seven occasions for N. Ireland - the first being against Latvia in the European National Championships on 7th September 1993.
December 1995
Andrew Matchett
Attended Edenderry from September 1973 to June 1980
Always a keen and talented rugby player, Andrew has enjoyed many representative honours. A key player for Portadown and then Ballymena, Andrew has played for Ulster and Ireland at many levels.
His achievements include Irish Schools (1986/87), Ulster U-20s, Ulster U-21s, Ireland U-21s and Irish Students (1987/88). From 1990 to the present Andrew has represented Ulster on many occasions, played for the Ireland 'A' team and was a key member of the Irish Development Tour to Zimbabwe, Namibia and S. Africa during the summer of 1993.
December 1995
Alison Vance
Attended Edenderry from September 1972 to June 1979
A regular team player for Portadown, Alison quickly gained representative honours for Ulster.
An outstanding goalkeeper, Alison gained her first international cap when she played against Sweden in May 1994 in the European National Qualifying Tournament. To date Alison has played for Ireland on 20 occasions. These include European and World Cup Matches and tour games in Russia and the United States of America.
December 1995
Woolsey Coulter
Attended Edenderry from September 1969 to June 1976
Woolsey is a well-established name in the world of motorcycle racing, not only in Northern Ireland but in England and beyond. Woolsey started his competitive racing in 1983, riding a TZ 350 Yamaha. Since that time Woolsey has had five North-West 200 victories and numerous Irish Championship wins. In 1991 he won the European Championship race at Mondello Park, beating four times world champion Max Biaggi. In 1996 Woolsey won the Irish Supermoto Championship and in 1998 won the 250cc British Championship, winning six of the elevan rounds.
June 2000
Stefanie Callister
Attended Edenderry from August 1964 to June 1971
After leaving Portadown College Stefanie Callister went to train in Dublin as a journalist. She worked on Radio Nova for a year before joining Downtown Radio in Belfast. After two years of reporting and presenting news she was approached by the BBC to produce and present a five-minute entertainment programme. This later developed into The Video Picture Show. It ran for seven years and was BBC Northern Ireland's most successful programme to date. At the same time Stephanie continued to work on news on Radio Ulster.
In 1989, having cut her media teeth in Northern Ireland, Stefanie decided to look further afield and applied for posts in National Television. She was offered three! One at BBC Breakfast as a reporter, another at TV-AM and the one she accepted - a reporter for Sky News. Stefanie has remained at Sky and now is a key presenter for Sky News.
It was at Sky that Stefanie met her husband-to-be, Chris Mann. They married in 1991 at Seagoe Church in Portadown and now have two children, Holly (4) and Nicholas (eleven months).
Stefanie and family live in Muswell Hill in Londond.
November 1996
Niall Sloane
Attended Edenderry from August 1960 to June 1967
Niall's name has been to the fore since 1972. That's when he signed for Portadown F.C. as an amateur. Success followed success - All-Ireland Texaco Cup Winner, Irish League Runners Up medal (1974), three Northern Ireland caps, Northern Ireland Young Player of the Year, then two seasons playing for Sheffield Wednesday.
Whilst the above is very impressive, it is Niall's careeer in journalism that has made him a household name. Moving from the Herts Advertiser in St. Albans to the BBC in 1988 Niall is presently based at the Television Centre, London, where he is Editor of flagship sports programmes such as Sportsnight, Grandstand and Match of the Day. In these roles he has travelled extensively throughout Europe and the United States. Other overseas engagements have included co-ordinating television coverage of events such as the Olympic Games, the European Nations Football Finals and the World Cup Finals. Another of Niall's talents is the editing and producing of sports videos. Titles to date include, Manchester United, Best, Law and Charlton, and The Boys from Brazil. These have sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
So, from an action man on the pitch to an action man off the pitch, Niall is the key man in bringing the very best of national and international sports coverage into our living rooms!
September 1996
Harry Allen
Attended Edenderry from September 1939 to June 1946
Harry Allen left Edenderry in 1946, moving on to Portadown Technical School where he studied for two years before taking up employment at Hamilton Robb, one of the numerous linen weavers in the area. Here Harry served his time, qualifying as an electrician.
The 1950s, though, saw Harry return to his studies. Courses were pursued in Belfast, Magee University College, Londonderry, and at Trinity College, Dublin, where, in 1957, he was awarded the Degree of Bachelor of Arts. After further study at New College, Edinburgh, and Assembly College, Belfast, Harry was appointed Assistant Minister of Dundonald Presbyterian Church in 1958. After three years of dedicated service he was ordained Minister of Main Street, Garvagh. Further studies were undertaken, with degrees of MA and BD being attained in 1964 and 1967 respectively.
In 1979 Harry was appointed to the New Presbyterian Church in Coleraine. Additional responsibilities included Moderator of the Synod of Ballymena and Coleraine, Clerk to Coleraine Presbytery and Chaplain to Very Rev. Dr. W.M. Craig during his term as Moderator of the General Assembly.
In 1996 Harry's long and outstanding service to the Church was fully acknowledged when he was appointed Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Union College, Belfast.
Married with two sons, Harry resides in Coleraine and, in the little spare time he has, enjoys reading, walking, fishing, collecting old books and photography.
March 1997
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