Republican Sinn Féin Poblachtach - Cork - Easter Commemoration Report - 18:32 Apr 09 1 comments Easter Rising Walking Tour 17:53 Jul 21 0 comments The War of Independence: Separating fact from folklore 13:52 Mar 27 0 comments Vol Frank Morris 02:24 Sep 24 1 comments Historian Caught in Ambush Row [Kilmichael Ambush - Tom Barry and Peter Hart] 14:03 Aug 27 5 comments more >>Blog Feeds
Anti-EmpireThe Wholesome Photo of the Month Thu May 09, 2024 11:01 | Anti-Empire In 3 War Years Russia Will Have Spent $3... Thu May 09, 2024 02:17 | Anti-Empire UK Sending Missiles to Be Fired Into Rus... Tue May 07, 2024 14:17 | Marko Marjanović US Gives Weapons to Taiwan for Free, The... Fri May 03, 2024 03:55 | Anti-Empire Russia Has 17 Percent More Defense Jobs ... Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:56 | Marko Marjanović
Human Rights in IrelandIndymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.Julian Assange is finally free ! Tue Jun 25, 2024 21:11 | indy Stand With Palestine: Workplace Day of Action on Naksa Day Thu May 30, 2024 21:55 | indy It is Chemtrails Month and Time to Visit this Topic Thu May 30, 2024 00:01 | indy Hamburg 14.05. "Rote" Flora Reoccupied By Internationalists Wed May 15, 2024 15:49 | Internationalist left Eddie Hobbs Breaks the Silence Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the WHO Treaty Sat May 11, 2024 22:41 | indy
Lockdown Skeptics
Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech Fri Jul 26, 2024 13:03 | Toby Young
I Wrote an Article for Forbes Defending J.D. Vance From Accusations of ?Climate Denialism?. Forty Ei... Fri Jul 26, 2024 11:00 | Tilak Doshi
Come and See Nick Dixon and me Recording the Weekly Sceptic at the Hippodrome on Monday Fri Jul 26, 2024 09:00 | Toby Young
The China Syndrome: A More Sensible Approach to Nuclear Power Than Britain Fri Jul 26, 2024 07:00 | Ben Pile
News Round-Up Fri Jul 26, 2024 00:55 | Richard Eldred
Voltaire NetworkVoltaire, international editionNetanyahu soon to appear before the US Congress? It will be decisive for the suc... Thu Jul 04, 2024 04:44 | en Voltaire, International Newsletter N°93 Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:49 | en Will Israel succeed in attacking Lebanon and pushing the United States to nuke I... Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:40 | en Will Netanyahu launch tactical nuclear bombs (sic) against Hezbollah, with US su... Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:09 | en Will Israel provoke a cataclysm?, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Jun 25, 2024 06:59 | en |
Lifting the cup
national |
history and heritage |
opinion/analysis
Saturday September 24, 2005 17:41 by Observer2
Sam Maguire - Irelands most famous Protestant. At around five o'clock tomorrow evening the captain of the winning team in the 2005 All-Ireland senior football championship will lift the Sam Maguire cup. The name of Sam Maguire has, through our Gaelic Games, become synonymous with Irish culture. But who was the man this prestigious cup is named in honour of? Sam Maguire was a Protestant from County Cork who captained the London Hibernians gaelic football team in at least three All Ireland senior football finals. However that is only the beginning of the story of this remarkable Irishman from west Cork. From the very outset it would seem that Maguires life would be deeply intertwined with Irelands history. Born in 1879, Maguire attended national school in Ardfield, near Dunmanway. This is the same school later attended by another of Irish historys' leading characters, Michael Collins. Maguire in sitting the British civil service exam successfully and moving to London to take up his position with the Post Office, laid the path that Collins would later follow. |
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (2 of 2)
Jump To Comment: 1 2He is buried in the Church of Ireland cemetery of saint Mary's Dunmanway.
In 1928 shortly after Sam Maguire's death a group of his friends formed a committee in Dublin to raise funds for a permanent commemoration of his name.
They decided on a cup to be presented to the G.A.A.
The G.A.A were proud to accept it.
It was modeled on the "Ardagh Chalice" one of Ireland's national treasures which is dated to the 9th century, the silver bronze alloy body has exceptional gold filagree work amd was found according to legend in 1847 the year of Ireland's "great famine" by a young boy searching for potatoes.
But the truth is it was found by Jimmy Quin and Paddy Flanagan who were digging for potatoes in September 1868 in a ring fort at Reerasta, Ardagh.
The Roman catholic order the "Sisters of Mercy" owned the land and Mrs. Quin rented about 15 - 20 acres from the nuns. Jimmy was her son and Mr Flanagan was a workman employed at the time by the Quin family. It has been suggested that it was he who actually found the chalice but that Quin took all the glory. He felt aggrieved by the situation and felt obliged to leave the employment of the Quin's. On his death he was buried in the Paupers' graveyard in Newcastlewest whilst Quin went to live in Australia.
Mrs Quin sold the "ardagh hoard" which included the chalice (now priceless) and several other items (four brooces and a bronze chalice) to the then Roman Catholic bishop of Limerick Dr. Butler for £50 who in turn sold it to the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) a predominantly protestant institution at that time, (which was responsible for Irish heritage and motivating the gaelic renaissance) for £500 a hefty profit.
It now resides in the Irish national Museum, and till someone finds something more interesting is one of our top national treasures.
The GAA Maguire Cup was made by Hopkins and Hopkins of O'Connell's bridge (a protestant company) now extinct for £300 in 1928 possibly equivalent to €25,000 today.
.
the sam maguire cup.
fair play to tír eoghan, great to see ulster becoming so strong, at a time when the weapons are being put finally to bed
there is hope, there is strength, there is confidence
the dubs did battle well this year too though..