Nine titles and counting: UL’s Fitzgibbon Cup triumph
Past and present captains and players of winning teams in the Fitzgibbon Cup have been celebrated at the University of Limerick.
This event was hosted by acting UL President Professor Shane Kilcommins to honour this year’s Fitzgibbon Cup-winning team and celebrate the University’s proud tradition – which extended to nine titles following the recent victory over DCU, UL’s third win in the last four seasons.
Alongside this year’s winning captain Colin Coughlan and his team, three former Fitzgibbon Cup-winning captains were in attendance at this event: Dan Treacy from Clare, who led UL to its first title in 1989, Darragh O’Neill from Limerick, captain of the 1994 champions, and Kieran Joyce from Kilkenny, who guided the team to victory in 2011.
Speaking at the event, Professor Kilcommins praised the dedication and commitment of UL’s student-athletes, acknowledging their ability to balance both their sporting and academic commitments.
“Sport at UL is about much more than trophies, it’s about character, resilience, and the friendships forged along the way. The Fitzgibbon Cup is the pinnacle of hurling championships in higher education, where students push themselves to be the best they can be, on and off the pitch.”
Both past and present members of teams who played in the Fitzgibbon Cup spoke at the event
“It’s an absolute pleasure to be here today and to see the success continuing in the college, the hard work that’s been put in by the players, the management, and the team in UL GAA, UL Sport, and the University,” commented Dan Treacy, captain of UL’s first-ever Fitzgibbon Cup-winning side in 1989.
He continued to highlight the lifelong connections that are formed through the Fitzgibbon Cup experience: “The bond we formed as teammates is something very special. Even now, after all these years, we still get together every few years, and it feels like no time has passed at all. The craic, the banter, and the friendships we built are as strong as ever. That’s what makes the Fitzgibbon Cup so memorable, it’s not just about the winning, it’s about the lasting connections that come with it,”
This sentiment was echoed by this year’s team captain Colin Coughlan, a fourth-year student in PE with Maths: “The Fitzgibbon Cup is a special competition because you only have a limited number of years to play in it, and even the time we spend together is so short. It creates a special bond—it’s the craic, and it ties in with college life, playing alongside people from other counties. I saw somewhere on the programme for the Fitzgibbon Cup final that it said: ‘Four months friends, eight months enemies.’ It’s great, and it’s something different.”
Players, management, past captains and representatives from across UL Sport, the University’s four academic faculties, and UL GAA were present at this event to celebrate UL’s nine Fitzgibbon Cup victories and the legacy of outstanding hurling achievement in the University of Limerick.