Fitzgibbon Cup

History

The cup is named after Dr. Edwin Fitzgibbon, a Capuchin friar and, from 1911 to 1936, a professor of philosophy at University College Cork. In 1912 Dr. Fitzgibbon donated most of his annual salary to purchase the trophy. The cup was made at William Egan and Sons' silversmiths, Cork, and bears a large inscription of the date 'Feb. 1912' on its front. It was a 24-inch-tall, large silver trophy, with a round base and a stem that narrowed and then expanded again in support of a wide spherical body, with Old Celtic tracing designs featuring around the edges. It had a circular, open head, on which was placed a detachable lid. The lid was lost on the night of the 1973 tournament final at Galway and has never been replaced.

The competition was played on a round-robin basis until 1949, when a straight knockout format was adopted. For the first 30 years, the cup was dominated by UCC and UCD, with UCG winning occasionally. Queens University Belfast first took part in 1946, and won their only title in 1953. Each of the NUI Colleges had the cup withheld from them once: In 1933 UCC was awarded custody of the cup, but was not declared the formal winner, following a successful objection to three players on the UCD winning team; in 1940 the Cup was not awarded to any team, after UCC, which had won both its games, was deemed to have an irregular team; and in 1954 the cup was withheld from UCG and the tournament declared null and void after an investigation into the legality of the Galway team and violent scenes at the tournament.

The popularity of the championship grew, and, in the 60s and 70s three more colleges entered: Trinity College Dublin, UU Coleraine and NUI Maynooth. The eight-in-a-row sequence of victories recorded by UCC from 1981 to 1988 was the greatest in the history of the competition. In the late 1980s, all teams in Division One of the Higher Education League were admitted. In 1989 NIHE Limerick (now University of Limerick) became the first non-university Fitzgibbon Cup champions. Since 2001/02 Institutes of Technology have become top guns in the tournament. Waterford IT won the title four times and Limerick IT, the Cup twice in six years (2002/03 through 2007/08). In the remaining six years Cork IT, Limerick IT and Waterford IT have each been losing finalists twice. UCC are the leaders in the roll of honour with 38 titles, the last in 2013.

The first local derby final took place between Limerick Institute of Technology and the University of Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick in March 2005; the same institutions met again in the final at Waterford in March 2011. The final in 2012 was a Cork local derby between Cork IT and UCC. The first Fitzgibbon final between Institutes of Technology, also a Munster derby match, took place in 2008 between Waterford IT and Limerick IT.

The Fitzgibbon Cup final was played in Limerick in 2014/15, hosted by Limerick Institute of Technology. The final, which brought together the University of Limerick and the 2014 champions Waterford Institute of Technology ended in a 3-13 to 0-21 draw at the Gaelic Grounds. in the replay at Páirc Úi Rinn in Cork, the University of Limerick emerged victorious, winning the Fitzgibbon Cup for the 5th time which UL last won in 2011.

2016-17 Group A Qualifying

Qualifiers: Mary Immaculate College Limerick; Institute of Technology Carlow

2016-17 Group B Qualifying

Qualifiers: University of Limerick; N.U.I. Galway

2016-17 Group C Qualifying

Qualifiers: Limerick Institute of Technology; DCU Dóchas Éireann

2016-17 Group D Qualifying

Qualifiers: University College Dublin; University College Cork

Colleges by wins

Two Fitzgibbon Cups tournament were not played (1920/21 and 1942/43), one tournament was declared null and void (1953/54), and in 1932/33 and 1939/40 the Cup and winners' medals were not awarded.

Finalists who have not won the Fitzgibbon Cup:

Fitzgibbon Shield [Plate] Winners

The Fitzgibbon Shield [Plate] competition was introduced in 1976/77 for the teams beaten in the quarter-finals of the Fitzgibbon Cup. As a consequence of the Sigerson Cup shenanigans in February 1990, the 1990/91 Fitzgibbon Cup format was changed to a two-day event to cool the social side of this hurling festival. Thus, the Fitzgibbon Shield matches in 1991/92 and 1992/93 were contested between the losing semi-finalists.

† New University of Ulster

Captains of winning teams

Unpublished list kindly provided by Dónal McAnallen

Man of the Match/Player of the Tournament and winning team top scorers

The accolade of Man of the Match or Player of the Tournament dates from the 1980s. The "Player of the Tournament", e.g., 1983/84, or "Man of the Match", e.g., 2004/05, was not always from the winning team. Top scorer refers to the player with the highest points tally on the winning side in the final.

Match Details

First win in bold type.

Other Higher Education GAA Competitions