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The Sigerson Cup takes place this weekend in Ulster University at the Jordanstown complex. It is one of the highlights of the GAA season featuring the cream of Colleges footballers.
The cup itself was donated by Dr George Sigerson from Strabane, it is in the shape of a mether, a traditional Irish drinking Cup with four handles, signifying our four provinces.
Legends of the Game
Down the decades it's has been a showcase for the talents of some of our greatest ever GAA players. Over the years the Sigerson has been a who’s who of inter-county stars with many legends of the game pulling on their College jersey.
The likes of Kieran McGeeney, Peter Canavan, Maurice Fitzgerald, Ogie Moran and John O’Keeffe graced the fields of Sigerson. It was also distinguished by lesser lights from less successful counties who performed with great distinction.
Being a student competition it also had is fair share of high jinks and strange incidents down the years. Here's some stories associated with the Sigerson. You can decide for yourself which are true.
Cup Goes Missing
In 2001 the Sigerson Cup went missing for a year after it was won by Jordanstown. Just as the UU authorities were considering trying to commission a new cup from a silversmith, the missing Cup turned up one morning on John Devine's doorstep in South Belfast.
Foot and Mouth
That same year the weekend format was abandoned due to an outbreak of foot and mouth. How University footballers were going to spread Foot and Mouth was never made clear, but despite there being no weekend competition, a Jordanstown team captained by Jim McGuinness won the Sigerson. It was Jim’s third success having previously won with IT Tralee in 1998 and 1999.
In 1971 the competition was bedeviled with a series of registration and officiating issues. In one semi final the referee played twenty minutes too long in extra time, only realizing his mistake when the nearby church struck the Angelus bell. In the same competition UCD defeated UCG but were ejected due to a Sigerson-esque eligibility query. The Galway lads learned of their reinstatement for that afternoon's Final while in the bar having some après defeat refreshment.
A Banquet
The Sigerson weekend traditionally ended with a banquet organized by the host University, until 1986 that is. Typically after a weekend of football and hi jinks, and boys being boys the end of tournament event often got out of hand. In 1986 an insane food fight broke out in the Metropole Hotel in Cork in which several dignitaries disgracefully were soiled with thrown food items by boisterous students. So disgraceful were the scenes that the Banquet made the national papers. Whilst the weekend format continued the banquets were discontinued. Newspaper reports in the Cork Examiner talked of students ‘stripped to the waist as the food throwing battle raged’, other guests left with ‘their suits covered in mustard’.
Trinity 1990
In 1990 a function on the Saturday night at the Trinity Boat House ended in mayhem when members from a number of university teams who'd been defeated became carried away at the post match reception. As a result thousands of pounds of damage was done to ancient rowing paraphernalia and equipment, and again Sigerson made headlines for the wrong reasons. The CAO authorities imposed heavy fines of £1500 on the UUC, UUJ and Maynooth clubs with other clubs also levied to cover £10,000 in costs.
Penalty Shoot Out
In 2006 a Sigerson qualifier in Sligo featuring Jordanstown and IT Sligo had the dubious distinction golf going to extreme time and penalties. Level after normal time and extra time, Gerry Kinneavy refereeing indicated the game should be replayed. Officials from IT Sligo were adamant a further ten minutes should be played and after ringing Croke Park it was, resulting in further deadlock at 0-14 apiece. UUJ won the resulting penalty shootout 4-2. The game featured the likes of Andy Moran, Paddy Cunningham, Mark Lynch and Keith Higgins. It is the first and so far only national competition to feature a shootout.
We wish all the combatants success this weekend. Ultimately while the competition is about football, the memories and friendships are likely to last the test of time.
Proud Kit partners of the Ulster University, UCD and DCU Sigerson squads.
[The Cups That Cheered by Dónal McAnallen, published by the Collins Press, provides an excellent insight into the Sigerson and Fitzgibbon Cups and the anecdotes that feature are based on his accounts].