27-07-2025
Who was Sam Maguire and why is the All-Ireland trophy named after him?
Today, Donegal and Kerry go head-to-head for the Sam Maguire trophy in the All-Ireland football final at Croke Park.
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.
