BACK TO SCHOOL FOR ULSTER'S TOP SPELLER; Hero's welcome for Niall, 13, and his winning way with words.

Byline: By JILLY BEATTIE

TEENAGE spelling genius Niall O'Neill went back to school yesterday to be hailed a hero.

For he beat thousands of competitors from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be named the UK's Best Speller.

And although the Ballymena boy is delighted to have won the BBC's Hard Spell competition on New Year's Eve, what he is really looking forward to is the pounds 10,000 family holiday he was awarded as first prize.

From his Co Antrim home, 13-year-old St Louis' Grammar pupil Niall said: "I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. I just learned a lot of words and spelled them out the best I could.

"I've been a wee bit embarrassed by all the attention. People have been congratulating me and asking all about the show, people I don't even know.

"It's nice, though, and mum says it'll be nice to look back and see how I did but now my brother Ruaraidh and I have been dreaming up all the magic places we could go for our holiday with mum.

"We'd love to go to Disneyland and go on all the rides."

Niall added that the prize is great because his mum Dolores "put in quite a few hours" in the weeks before the competition helping him learn lots of new words.

Dolores, a 41-year-old nursing sister at Antrim Area Hospital, added that her son's cool attitude helped him win.

She said: "I was a nervous wreck watching him standing there going through all the spellings but Niall kept a very cool head and took his time.

"He'd been given a list of 5,000 words to familiarise himself with and we spent anhour every night going through them.

"But during the final in London the organisers scrapped the list and started delving randomly into a dictionary because so many of the children were doing so well on the list they'd prepared for.

"Then Niall was asked to spell quinquennium. He worked it out by thinking of millennium and took his time and spelled it out. I'd never heard of it but he managed. I was so proud.

"I encouraged him but told him that he would pull out at any time if he felt he was under too much pressure but he took it all in his stride."

"Ruaraidh, who's 10, came with us to the competition. He was so excited. He said, 'Mummy, my heart is beating so fast'. When Niall won Ruaraidh nearly exploded. It was fantastic.

"Just winning was enough for us but when the prize was announced I nearly fell through the floor.

"I thought the winner might get a book voucher for pounds 100 or something. I never dreamed they'd give out a pounds 10,000 family holiday and pounds 5,000 towards computer equipment at the winner's school.

"We've had great fun deciding on holiday destinations and because it's such a big amount I'm sure we'll manage to get about three holidays out of it.

"And Mr Cassidy, Niall's headmaster, is thrilled the school can benefit from the results of the competition too.

"It's such a lovely way for children to learn that hard work has its rewards."

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ACE: Niall won BBC's Hard Spell