ST MARY’S hit the ground running after they were included in the Sigerson Cup competition for the first time in 1988. They were beaten semi-finalists in their inaugural year but ‘The Ranch’ won the competition for the first and only time the following season.
They were runners-up in 1990 and again in 1993 but despite having their moments in the 23 years since, they haven’t been able to make it back to the decider.
This year’s St Mary’s side was packed with inter-county talent but that 1989 team included some outstanding players and personalities.
Derry’s Seamus Downey and Danny Quinn, Armagh’s John Rafferty, Jarlath Burns and Benny Tierney, Tyrone’s Fergal McCann and Pascal Canavan, Fermanagh’s Malachy O’Rourke… They expected to win and, under the management of Jim McKeever and Peter Finn, that’s exactly what they did.
Bellaghy clubman Quinn says he was fortunate to come along at a time when St Mary’s was home to some of Ulster’s top players.
“It was a deadly team,” he said.
“The year before was the first year St Mary’s had competed in the Sigerson. We went down to Maynooth and we were beaten in the semi-final. We knew we had a good squad of players and the year I came in Malachy O’Rourke, John Rafferty and Jarlath Burns all came to St Mary’s.
“The next year we had Seamus Downey, Ollie Reel, Paddy Barton… another group of players who had come through and had competed at MacRory level. We thought we had a good chance and we were very lucky that we only had a couple of injuries during the year.”
Only Paul Bradley (in the preliminary round) and Iggy Gallagher (in the quarter-final) picked up serious knocks and it was that first win that gave Quinn the belief that ‘the Ranch’ could make history.
“We played Jordanstown in the preliminary round in Corrigan Park,” he recalled.
“Jordanstown were always the big boys in the Sigerson at that stage and after we beat them we knew we had a good chance.
“Our preparation was fantastic. We went down to Ballykinlar and we had a training camp and we had great belief in ourselves so once we beat Jordanstown we knew we had a good chance of going to the weekend.”
The weekend consisted of a demanding three matches back then. St Mary’s beat UCG on Friday, Queen’s on Saturday and then UCC on the Sunday final and they made light of the schedule with a 3-13 to 1-5 victory on the Malone Road.
“Once we got the final we knew we weren’t going to get beat,” said Quinn.
“We hadn’t got that far to get beat. Everything had been prepared towards that weekend and we had discussed who were going to be playing and we watched UCC play their match after us on the Saturday.
“It went to extra-time and we knew that would be a bit sore on them and we got a great start in the final. Fergal McCann was playing full-forward and we kicked everything in on top of him and John Reihill and Jarlath Burns were winning midfield.
“It was a deadly team, we had a serious squad of players; a lot of them were playing county football or went on to play county football after it. The whole thing just gelled well and it was a fantastic achievement for a college the size of St Mary’s.
“Back then St Mary’s had a very small intake of fellas, there was maybe only 22 or 23 fellas coming in every year so the squad that we had was unique.”
The St Mary’s players were able to enjoy their victory with trademark student enthusiasm.
Quinn recalled: “I remember us all celebrating afterwards, the craic was good.
“I don’t drink but a few others made up for it. We had a couple days’ of good craic, let’s put it like that.”
Sigerson Cup memories
2002 – The trophy mystery
HOLDERS UUJ narrowly escaped expulsion from the 2002 competition after the Sigerson Cup went missing.
‘The Poly’ faced being thrown out after admitting they had lost the trophy, pleaded for leniency from the Sigerson organisers and arranged to replace the trophy that had been valued at £7,000.
Their first round match against Waterford IT was postponed but the trophy turned up on Wednesday morning outside a student house in south Belfast. It was reported to be in good condition.
UUJ club chairman John Farrell explained afterwards: “I thought the captain had it, he thought I had it.”
1985 – The joy of Sex
BILL Sex was the UCD captain back in 1985 when the Dublin students saw off 0-10 Queen's University 0-10 to 0-5 at Croke Park.
Sex went on to star at midfield for Kildare in the 1980s and early ’90s.
2008 – Breaking the law
GARDA College were thrown out of the Sigerson Cup for breaking the law. The red-faced trainee guardians of law and order were charged with fielding the ineligible Graham Dillon in their win over Carlow IT and their quarter-final against Cork IT was called off.
1970 – A rolling stone gathers no Moss
KERRY’S Moss Keane won three Sigerson Cup titles with UCC.
Keane was the skipper in 1970 when the Cork students took on Queen’s in Newry and went home to celebrate after a 1-10 to 1-5 victory.
Unfortunately for the Kingdom, and GAA in general, Keane was introduced to rugby at UCC and played for the university junior team under the name Moss Fenton during the GAA’s ban on foreign games. He quickly became hooked and made his Ireland debut in Paris in 1974. Keane went on to win 51 caps for his country and won Five Nations (Italy weren’t involved then) titles in 1974 and 1982 and was capped by the British Lions in 1977.
