Ulster rugby was given a shot in the arm today by the announcement of the conclusion of nine contracts, including that of number eight Chris Henry.
Ireland U-20s props Paddy McAllister and Adam Macklin and wing Nevin Spence have signed deals.
Senior squad members Nigel Brady, who has been capped 65 times to date for Ulster, Willie Faloon and Ian Whitten, have all re-signed on two-year contracts.
Scrum half Ian Porter and Belfast Harlequins captain Neil McComb have also signed on.
Ulster Rugby operations director David Humphreys said: "The management team at Ulster are delighted that we have been able to re-sign key home grown talent to the squad.
"Our focus is to continually build on the foundations set and mould a powerful Ulster side, consisting mainly of ingenious players, with a number of high profile overseas signings."