Sigerson Cup

Sigerson Cup
Founded 1911
Trophy Sigerson Cup
Title holders University College Cork (UCC) (20th title)
First winner University College Dublin
Most titles University College Dublin (32 titles)

The Sigerson Cup is the top division of Higher Education (universities, colleges, technical colleges and institutes of technology) Gaelic football in Ireland, It is administrated by the Higher Education committee which is part of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The HE committee also oversees the Trench Cup (effectively Division 2) and the Fitzgibbon Cup (the hurling equivalent of the Sigerson Cup).

Contents

History

There was no intervarsity GAA competition,[1] until Dr. George Sigerson (born Strabane, County Tyrone 1839 - died Dublin 1925), a professor of medicine at University College Dublin minor poet and literary critic,[2] and leading light in the Celtic Renaissance in Ireland)[1] offered up a trophy in 1911.[1] Dr. Sigerson donated the salary from his post at UCD so that a trophy could be purchased for the competition. In 2009 Sigerson was named in the Sunday Tribune's list of the 125 Most Influential People In GAA History.[1] The cup was first presented in 1911, with the inaugural winners being UCD. The trophy itself, is thought to be the longest-serving trophy in the GAA.[1]

From its inception Sigerson's alma mater, UCD have dominated the competition winning with 32 titles, their greatest era being in the 1970s when they won the title six times in seven years. These Sigerson Cup wins proved to be the launch pad for success further afield, as UCD went on to add two All-Ireland Club Championship wins to their haul.

In the early days of the tournament, only UCD, UCC and UCG took part. The competition has been run off every year since, with the exceptions of 1920, 1942 and 1967. UCG are second in the pecking order in terms of championships won, currently having 21 victories to their credit. UCG actually outdid UCD in that they hold the record for the longest winning sequence. After their victory in 1936, the Galway University club went on to claim the next five titles and their six in a row is still an unequalled record.

As the years passed, the domination of the original big three was challenged by a number of new participants. Queens University, Belfast, entered the competition for the first time in 1923, but did not enter thereafter until 1933. They have participated in the competition every year since, however, and won their first title in 1958. Queens have eight titles to their name, winning their eighth in 2007 defeating UUJ 0-15 to 0-14 in the final.

As society in general changed with time, and more and more people began to enter third-level education, the number of colleges and universities grew rapidly. The impact of these changes on the Sigerson Cup has been immeasurable. Trinity College Dublin first entered in 1963, followed by NUIM in 1972, University of Ulster, Coleraine in 1976, and University of Ulster, Jordanstown in 1985. The next colleges to enter were Thormond, NIHE Limerick and St. Mary's, Belfast, all in 1988. Further expansion, and the admittance of Regional Technical Colleges to the competition, saw DCU enter in 1990, the RTCs from Athlone in 1991, Sligo in 1992, CIT in 1995 and Tralee in 1996. All of those colleges have claimed Sigerson Cup titles since the mid-nineties, with Athlone IT, Carlow IT and Dundalk IT the only Institute's of Technology yet to win the Ulster Bank Sigerson Cup.

Tralee's entry to the competition proved especially fruitful when they won successive titles in 1997, 1998 and '99. The stranglehold of the larger Universities, UCD, UCG and UCC, has now been broken. The colleges in the North have gained a new confidence in the competition, and with a whole raft of new participants joining in recent years, the trophy is now harder won than ever.

Ulster Bank are the current Sigerson Cup sponsors and follow on from Datapac and Bus Éireann as investing in Ireland's premier Higher Education sports competitions, including the Ulster Bank Fitzgibbon Cup.

Winners

Team County Wins Last win
University College Dublin (UCD) Dublin 32 1996
National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG, formerly UCG) Galway 22 2003
University College Cork (UCC) Cork 20 2011
Queens University Belfast (QUB GAA) Antrim 8 2007
University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) Antrim 5 2008
Institute of Technology, Sligo Sligo 3 2005
Institute of Technology, Tralee Kerry 3 1999
Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) Cork 1 2009
Dublin City University (DCU) Dublin 2 2010
St. Mary's University College (Belfast) Antrim 1 1989
National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM) Kildare 1 1976

Other teams with no titles so far:

Winning Captains since 1978

Year Player College County
2011 Adrian Greaney University College Cork (UCC) Kerry
2010 Paddy Andrews Dublin City University (DCU) Dublin
2009 Paul O'Flynn Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) Cork
2008 John McCamley University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) Derry
2007 Daniel McCartan Queens University Belfast (QUB) Down
2006 Bryan Cullen Dublin City University (DCU) Dublin
2005 Christy Toye Institute of Technology, Sligo Donegal
2004 Michael Moyles Institute of Technology, Sligo Mayo
2003 Lorcan Colleran National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG, formerly UCG) Galway
2002 Aidan Higgins Institute of Technology, Sligo Mayo
2001 Jim McGuinness University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) Donegal
2000 Diarmaid Marsden Queens University Belfast (QUB) Armagh
1999 Jim McGuinness Institute of Technology, Tralee Donegal
1998 Michael Cloherty Institute of Technology, Tralee Galway
1997 Éamon Ferris Institute of Technology, Tralee Kerry
1996 Fachtna Collins UCD Cork
1995 Paul O'Keeffe University College Cork (UCC) Kerry
1994 Niall Savage University College Cork (UCC) Kerry
1993 Paul Brewster Queens University Belfast (QUB) Fermanagh
1992 Seán Óg de Paor University College, Galway Galway
1991 Noel Donnelly University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) Tyrone
1990 Fergal Logan Queens University Belfast (QUB) Tyrone
1989 John Reihill Queens University Belfast (QUB) Fermanagh
1988 John Keane University College Cork (UCC) Kerry
1987 D. J. Kane University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) Down
1986 Colin Harney University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) Armagh
1985 Bill Sex University College Dublin (UCD) Kildare
1984 Tomás Tierney University College, Galway Galway
1983 Richie Lee University College, Galway Galway
1982 Séamus Boyd Queens University Belfast (QUB) Antrim
1981 Gay McManus University College, Galway Galway
1980 Pádraig Monaghan University College, Galway Mayo
1979 Tony McManus University College Dublin (UCD) Roscommon
1978 Gerry McEntee University College Dublin (UCD) Meath

Roll of Honour

Bold text indicates first win.

Year Winners Score Finalists Score
1911 University College Dublin (UCD)
1912 University College, Galway)
1913 University College Cork (UCC)
1914 University College Cork (UCC)
1915 University College Dublin (UCD)
1916 University College Dublin (UCD)
1917 University College Dublin (UCD)
1918 Not Played
1919 University College Cork (UCC)
1920 University College Dublin (UCD)
1921 University College, Galway
1922 University College Cork (UCC)
1923 University College Dublin (UCD)
1925 University College Cork (UCC)
1926 University College Dublin (UCD)
1927 University College Cork (UCC)
1928 University College Dublin (UCD)
1929 University College Dublin (UCD)
1930 University College Dublin (UCD)
1931 University College Dublin (UCD)
1932 University College Dublin (UCD)
1933 University College, Galway 5-06 University College Dublin (UCD) 3-03
1934 University College, Galway 1-06 University College Cork (UCC) 0-02
1935 University College Dublin (UCD) 2-03 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 1-01
1936 University College, Galway 4-06 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-03
1937 University College, Galway 0-07 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-02
1938 University College, Galway 2-03 University College Cork (UCC) 0-00
1939 University College, Galway 2-06 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 1-03
1940 University College, Galway 3-05 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-02
1941 University College, Galway 0-8 University College Dublin (UCD) 2-01
1942 Not Played
1943 University College Cork (UCC) 2-05 University College Dublin (UCD) 3-01
1944 University College Dublin (UCD) 3-08 University College Cork (UCC) 0-02
1945 University College Dublin (UCD) 4-05 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 2-06
1946 University College Cork (UCC) 2-03 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-04
1947 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-03 University College Cork (UCC) 0-02
1948 University College, Galway 2-05 University College Dublin (UCD) 2-04
1949 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-08 University College Cork (UCC) 1-07
1950 University College, Galway 1-12 University College Cork (UCC) 1-02
1951 University College Cork (UCC) 0-05 University College, Galway 0-03
1952 University College Cork (UCC) 3-04 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-03
1953 University College Dublin (UCD) 2-07 University College, Galway 0-04
1954 University College, Galway 2-06 1-10 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-09 2-06
1955 University College Dublin (UCD) 3-05 University College Cork (UCC) 2-04
1956 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-08 University College Cork (UCC) 1-04
1957 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-09 University College Cork (UCC) 2-02
1958 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 2-07 0-10 University College Dublin (UCD) 2-07 0-09
1959 University College Dublin (UCD) 3-08 University College Cork (UCC) 1-04
1960 University College, Galway 1-09 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 2-03
1961 University College Dublin (UCD) 3-07 University College, Galway 2-07
1962 University College, Galway 1-09 University College Cork (UCC) 1-03
1963 University College, Galway 2-10 University College Cork (UCC) 0-05
1964 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 3-05 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-08
1965 University College Cork (UCC) 3-09 University College, Galway 0-02
1966 University College Cork (UCC) 0-09 University College, Galway 1-05
1967 No Competition
1968 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-10 University College, Galway 0-04
1969 University College Cork (UCC) 5-12 University College, Galway 0-03
1970 University College Cork (UCC) 1-11 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 1-05
1971 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 0-07 University College, Galway 0-06
1972 University College Cork (UCC) 5-07 University College, Galway 3-08
1973 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-09 St. Patrick's College, Maynooth 1-05
1974 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-14 University College, Galway 1-05
1975 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-18 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 0-10
1976 St. Patrick's College, Maynooth 2-05 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-09
1977 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-11 University College, Galway 0-06
1978 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-13 University College, Galway 0-07
1979 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-15 University College, Galway 0-02
1980 University College, Galway 1-08 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-07
1981 University College, Galway 1-12 Trinity College Dublin 0-06
1982 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 0-12 University College, Galway 0-07
1983 University College, Galway 2-08 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 2-05
1984 University College, Galway 1-11 University College Cork (UCC) 2-06
1985 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-10 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 0-05
1986 University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) 1-09 University College Cork (UCC) 1-5
1987 University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) 0-06 University College Cork (UCC) 0-04
1988 University College Cork (UCC) 0-08 University College, Galway 0-05
1989 St. Mary's University College (Belfast) 3-13 University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) 1-05
1990 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 3-08 St. Mary's University College (Belfast) 1-09
1991 University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) 0-07 University College Cork (UCC) 0-06
1992 University College, Galway 2-08 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 0-11
1993 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 1-12 St. Mary's University College (Belfast) 0-04
1994 University College Cork (UCC) 1-09 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 2-05
1995 University College Cork (UCC) 0-12 University College, Galway 1-07
1996 University College Dublin (UCD) 2-11 Garda College 3-05
1997 Tralee R.T.C. 1-13 University of Limerick (UL) 1-06
1998 Institute of Technology, Tralee 0-10 University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) 0-08
1999 Institute of Technology, Tralee 1-08 Garda College 0-07
2000 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 1-08 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-08
2001 University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) 1-14 University College Dublin (UCD) 1-09
2002 Institute of Technology, Sligo 0-06 University College Cork (UCC) 0-05
2003 National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG, formerly UCG) 1-08 University College Dublin (UCD) 0-09
2004 Institute of Technology, Sligo 1-10 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 1-07
2005 Institute of Technology, Sligo 0-10 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 0-07
2006 Dublin City University (DCU) 0-11 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 1-04
2007 Queens University Belfast (QUB) 0-15 University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) 0-14
2008 University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) 1-16 Garda College 1-14
2009 Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) 1-15 Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) 1-10
2010 Dublin City University (DCU) 1-11 University College Cork (UCC) 0-09
2011 University College Cork (UCC) 0-10 University of Ulster, Jordanstown (UUJ) 0-07 [3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e McEvoy, Enda; Kieran Shannon, Dave Hannigan (and PJ Cunningham, Malachy Clerkin and Pat Nugent) (4 January 2009). "125 Most Influential People In GAA History". Sunday Tribune. http://www.tribune.ie/article/2009/jan/04/125-most-influential-people-in-gaa-history-125-101. Retrieved 20 January 2009. 
  2. ^ "George Sigerson". A-Z Datasets. Princess Grace Irish Library (Monaco). http://www.pgil-eirdata.org/html/pgil_datasets/authors/s/Sigerson,G/life.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-27. 
  3. ^ "Morgan steers UCC to title after 16-year wait". Irish Times. 2011-03-07. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2011/0307/1224291483045.html. Retrieved 2011-03-10.