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Once a rare unifying force in Belfast's divided football scene, Star of the Sea brought Catholics and Protestants together before sectarian conflict tore its players apart.
Star of the Sea was a Belfast football club that, unlike many others, refused to separate players by religion. The club no longer exists today.
Ireland was England's first colony, enduring centuries of rebellion, war, famine, and genocide before finally achieving independence in 1922. However, six northern counties, known as Ulster, remained under British rule, marking the start of Northern Ireland’s troubled history. Here, Protestant descendants of 16th- and 17th-century English and Scottish settlers held privileged status over the Irish Catholic population.
Northern Ireland became a deeply segregated society, where Protestants controlled the political, cultural, and sporting institutions, while Catholics formed their own. Football was no exception—clubs like Linfield, Crusaders, and Glentoran were staunchly Protestant, while Belfast Celtic, Derry City, and Cliftonville were Catholic strongholds. The divide was clear and unbreakable.
The only exception was the youth club Star of the Sea, founded in 1964 by Dr. Liam Conlon in Rathcoole, a predominantly Protestant area of Belfast with a 30% Catholic population. While the club’s name—referring to the Virgin Mary—reflected its Catholic roots, Conlon ensured that religion played no role at Star of the Sea.
The club had just one rule: no discussions about faith or the Protestant-Catholic conflict. Before 1969, when sectarian violence erupted into full-scale civil conflict, this inclusive approach worked. Star of the Sea became Northern Ireland’s most dominant youth team, uniting top Catholic and Protestant talents. They won multiple league titles, losing just two matches in two years.
However, after 1969, when the Catholic community demanded equal rights and the brutal response from Protestants and British forces triggered decades of armed conflict, running an inclusive club became nearly impossible.
A team divided by war
Some Star of the Sea players, once teammates, found themselves on opposite sides of the conflict.
The most famous was Bobby Sands, a left-back known for his pace and tenacity. However, football was not in his destiny—he joined the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and was imprisoned in the infamous Maze Prison in 1977. In 1981, after the British government refused to recognize IRA prisoners as political detainees, Sands led a hunger strike that resulted in his death by starvation, making him a martyr for the Irish nationalist cause. He remains an icon among Glasgow Celtic supporters, and in 2013, UEFA fined the club after its Green Brigade ultras displayed a banner with Sands' image.
On the other side of the conflict were Michael Atcheson and Terry Nichol, Sands' former teammates, who joined the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)—a Protestant paramilitary group that committed terrorist acts against the Catholic population. Both were later imprisoned for their crimes.
The ones who refused to pick sides
Not all Star of the Sea players were drawn into the conflict. Raymond McCord, perhaps the most talented of them all, even had trials at Manchester United and Blackpool at 17. Despite failing to break into professional football, he remained loyal to Star of the Sea, even after the war began.
A Protestant, McCord became a vocal critic of sectarian violence and repeatedly condemned both sides, particularly loyalist paramilitaries like the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the UVF. He paid the ultimate price—in 1997, just a year before the Good Friday Agreement, the UVF murdered his son.
The club that defied division
Star of the Sea endured through Northern Ireland’s darkest times, continuing its mission of inclusivity. It survived until 2003, when its football section was disbanded. However, the club’s name and legacy live on in one of Ireland’s top basketball teams, Belfast Star, which shortened its name in 2007.
For those who played there, Star of the Sea remains a symbol of unity in a divided society.
"Nobody cared who you were," McCord recalled. "You were just one of the best players. The boys respected each other."
Former player Willie Caldwell added:
"We were one. We got along well. We all knew where we came from, but it didn’t matter. Friendships were born from playing football together. And those friendships extended beyond the club."