Who was Sam Maguire and why is the All-Ireland trophy named after him?
Everyone is familiar with the Sam Maguire trophy, but who was Sam Maguire and why is the trophy named after him?
Samuel "Sam" Maguire was an Irish republican and Gaelic footballer.
Born in West Cork in 1887, Maguire was a Protestant who joined the British Army in London at the age of 20.
He captained the highly successful London Hibernians team that reached numerous All-Ireland finals in the early 1900s.
In 1907, he moved into administration with the London GAA, becoming chairman and a delegate to the GAA's Annual Congress.
Interestingly, the vice-chairman of the London county board was Liam McCarthy, whose name graces the hurling cup.
Maguire later secured a position in the Irish civil service, only to be dismissed.
According to Margaret Walsh, author of "Sam Maguire: The Enigmatic Man Behind Ireland's Most Prestigious Trophy", he was sacked and denied a pension in 1924.
In 1925, he returned to Cork, where he contracted TB and passed away at the age of 49 in 1927.
His final resting place is Saint Mary's cemetery in Dunmanway.
The Sam Maguire Cup was designed and presented to the GAA in his honour in 1928.
The cup was crafted by silversmith Matthew J. Staunton of D'Olier Street, Dublin.
Kildare were the first team to lift the trophy in 1928, and it was replaced by a newer model in 1988.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
28 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
The Left Wing: Rating the Irish Lions and Australia's regrets
In the final instalment of this season's Left Wing, Will, Luke and Jonathan give the grand overall view of the Lions Tour, how Australia could have made it a greater nail-biter and evaluating all the Irish players
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Tralee girls shine but Ireland fall just short again Scots
Ireland Girls' captain Brenda Craig acknowledged a heroic from her players while the combined side fell just short against Scotland on the opening day of the R&A Boys' & Girls' Home Internationals in Cork. England lead the overall and Girls' standings following their comprehensive 13-8 victory over Wales, as Scotland defeated the hosts 11-10. However, Ireland are just one game point shy of the English in the Girls' standings, before they renew rivalries tomorrow. The combined Irish side had made a fast start and took a 4-3 lead after the morning foursomes against Scotland. Hannah Lee-McNamara and Zoe McLean-Tattan, Kate Dillon and Róisín Scanlon, and Tralee pair Lucy Grattan and Ella Moynihan all won their matches for a clean sweep for the Girls. Caelan Coleman and Harry O'Hara combined for an important point for the Boys. Scanlon and Dillon both won their singles matches in the afternoon and despite further wins for Isaac Oliver, William O'Riordan and John William Burke, Ireland came up just short. 'A little bit disappointed with the overall result but we still got 10 points which is a good start for everybody for the week,' said Craig. 'The girls had a really good day, three great wins in the foursomes this morning followed up with two wins and two halves this afternoon, so we won our Girls' section 6-3, absolutely delighted and looking forward now to England tomorrow. 'We would have preferred to keep the English game until Thursday but we have to play them at some stage so really looking forward to it. 'We beat them in the Girls' match in the Home Internationals last year, we beat them not so long ago in the quarter-finals of the Europeans, so looking forward to another great match tomorrow. First match out so the girls will be going out fresh and looking forward to it. 'Three new girls in and the two Tralee girls getting a super win this morning, and Ella Cantwell getting an absolutely fabulous half this afternoon, so our experienced girls and the new girls are mixing and blending really well. 'There's a long way to go and hopefully we're chatting tomorrow afternoon and I have another smile on my face.' England also impressed against Wales on Tuesday. Charlotte Naughton and Annabel Peaford were part of a 7&6 win, there were three 4&3 results in their favour too as England took a 5-2 lead from the morning foursomes. Naughton had another big 7&6 win in the afternoon, with Alex Boyes (6&5) and Aaron Moody (8&7) also shining. 'We had a really good start in the foursomes, so that's always good to get a couple of points on the board because that's always difficult,' said England captain India Clyburn. 'This afternoon in the singles, we had some good battles out there, hard-fought matches to the end, and some good comebacks from the matches that we did lose, but all really good.'
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Home are the heroines: thousands turn out for Dublin ladies All-Ireland homecoming
You would think the victorious Dublin ladies football team would be used to triumphant homecomings, having won seven senior All-Irelands since 2010. Yet Tuesday night's reception in Smithfield was the first time the All-Ireland champions have had a dedicated homecoming all to themselves. Not before time, admitted Dublin Lord Mayor Ray McAdam. 'They have made our city and county proud once again. It's about time and it is a fitting way to celebrate every member of this squad,' he told a crowd of several thousand mostly young people gathered in Smithfield square. 'They are inspiring the young girls and the young boys before us.' READ MORE Dublin City Council lit the Samuel Beckett bridge blue in honour of the team. The homecoming had been due to take place on Monday night but was postponed because of high winds. What's another day when you've been waiting 15 years as a team for an occasion like this? There were happy faces all around at Dublin's homecoming celebration on Tuesday following their All-Ireland triumph. Photograph: Inpho Dublin's Niamh Donlon and Caoimhe O'Connor lift the Brendan Martin Cup. Photograph: Inpho They went to the Castleknock Hotel on Sunday night to celebrate and then it was – to quote Dublin captain Bryan Cullen from 2011 – 'back to Coppers' for a long night of celebrations into the early morning. Their latest All-Ireland triumph, a thumping win over provincial rivals Meath on Sunday, was the most emphatic to date after the Jackeens steamrolled their rivals in the first quarter. [ Dublin emerge as deserving champions Opens in new window ] They had been within 60 seconds of an exit at the semi-final stage but drew level with Galway thanks to a heart-stopping 40-metre free from Hannah Tyrrell. . Tyrrell turned up to the homecoming with a crutch in one hand and her daughter Aoife (2) in the other. She came off in the final with a bad knee injury with about five minutes left, the game long having been won. It is the end of an incredible sporting career for the 34-year-old who finishes with two All-Ireland titles, having only joined the Dubs senior ladies back in 2021. She was part of the Ireland rugby team that won the Six Nations in 2015 and played at the Rugby World Cup in 2017. She also played rugby sevens. 'It was worth it for the win. It doesn't matter now, I'm retired,' she said of her injury. Her daughter appeared on stage with the cup, a future Jackeen heroine perhaps in the making. Hannah Tyrrell with her daughter Aoife in Smithfield Square, Dublin, on Tuesday. Photograph: Collins Team captain Carla Rowe, winning her fourth All-Ireland, was 'overwhelmed' by the honour. 'There was a moment this morning when I was meeting the girls to go into town and I thought, 'we're All-Ireland champions'. Those little moments are really cool,' she said. 'It's the first homecoming for a ladies team, which is amazing, so whatever comes after that, we are going to enjoy it. We are enjoying every moment while we can. It is these days you always remember with the group.'
