Trench Cup Explained

Trench Cup
Irish:	Corn Uí Thrinsigh
Code:	Gaelic Football, second tier
Founded:	1976
Region:	Third-Level Institutions
Firstwin:	Thomond College
Title Holders:	Letterkenny Institute of Technology
Currentordinal:	2
Super:	nd
Most Titles:	Institute of Technology, Sligo Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach
Mostordinal:	5
Sponsors:	Electric Ireland
Website:	https://www.gaa.ie/highereducation/fixtures-and-results/trench-cup/

The Trench Cup is the second tier Gaelic football championship trophy for Third Level Education Colleges, Institutes of Technology and Universities in Ireland and England (first tier is the Sigerson Cup and third tier is Corn na Mac Léinn). The Trench Cup Championship is administered by Comhairle Ard Oideachais, the Gaelic Athletic Association's Higher Education Council.

History

In 1975 moves were made by non-university colleges to set-up their own knock-out Gaelic Football Championship tournament as a consequence of being shut out of the Sigerson Cup Championship. The initiative came from St. Joseph's Training College, Belfast. The concept of the Trench Cup was proposed by Pat Blake, Comhairle Ard Oideachais Chairman (1978–1983), and Peter McGinnity (later a Fermanagh All-Star) as a knock-out competition for all higher education colleges not in the Sigerson Cup tournament. Pat Blake purchased a trophy costing £80 sterling at Tommy Lennon's Jewellers, Smithfield Market, Belfast. The trophy was named 'The Trench Cup' after Trench House, St Joseph's Training College, Belfast.^[1]

The competition first came into existence in the 1975/76 season. The inaugural final was played between St Joseph's T.C., Belfast and the National College of Physical Education, Limerick at Croke Park. NCPE became the inaugural champions. In the 1980s the Sigerson championship was opened up to allow an increasing number of Universities, Regional Technical Colleges and Institutes of Higher Education to participate on the basis of their league success. Subsequently, the Trench Cup became the second tier competition for the third-level institutions which were not in the Sigerson championship.

Dundalk Institute of Technology are the current Trench Cup champions, after defeating Waterford IT on a scoreline of 1-14 to 1-08 at University Ulster on 20 February 2016. This was the Colleges first win. Both Coláiste Phádraig and Sligo IT share the record number of Trench Cup wins, standing at five, while Garda College have 3 wins. The highest winning margin ever is that of Thomond College, Limerick over Sligo RTC of 16 points in 1977, while the largest margin in the 21st century is that of Trinity College Dublin over Hope University, Liverpool of 10 points in 2012.

The joint highest individual points scorers in any Trench Cup final are D. Duggan of Garda College in 1993 [1-07, 10 points] and Seán O'Sullivan of Limerick IT in 1999 [2-06, 10 points]. The championship is currently sponsored by the Electric Ireland.^[2] The Trench Cup was previously sponsored by Independent.ie [2014-2017], Irish Daily Mail [2012-2013], Ulster Bank [2007-2011], Datapac [2003-2006] and Bus Éireann [1998-2002].

Roll of honour

Wins listed by College^[3]

Team	County	Wins	Winning Years
Sligo RTC	Sligo	5	1981, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1991
Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Dublin	5	2002, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
Thomond College	Limerick	4	1976, 1977, 1982, 1988
Garda College	Tipperary	3	1993, 1994, 2015
Galway RTC Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology	Galway	3	1989, 1996, 2022
Letterkenny Institute of Technology	Donegal	2	2005, 2019
Mary Immaculate College Limerick	Limerick	2	2018
Dundalk Institute of Technology [DkIT]	Louth	2	2016, 2017
Trinity College Dublin	Dublin	2	2006, 2012
Institute of Technology Tallaght	Dublin	2	2001, 2003
Dublin Institute of Technology	Dublin	3	1987, 1995, 1997
Northern Ireland Polytechnic [University of Ulster Jordanstown]	Antrim	2	1980, 1983
Institute of Technology Blanchardstown	Dublin	1	2013
	Kerry	1	2010
St Mary’s, Strawberry Hill, London [St Mary's University College, Twickenham]	Middlesex, England	1	2004
Cadet College, The Curragh	Kildare	1	2000
Limerick Institute of Technology	Limerick	1	1999
University of Ulster Coleraine	Derry	1	1998
Athlone RTC [Athlone Institute of Technology]	Westmeath	1	1992
NIHE Limerick [University of Limerick]	Limerick	1	1984
Cork RTC Cork Institute of Technology	Cork	2	1979, 2020
St Joseph’s Training College, Belfast [St Mary's University College, Belfast]	Antrim	1	1978

Finalists who have not won the Trench Cup:

• Liverpool Hope University
• Liverpool John Moore's University
• Magee College, Derry (now UU Magee)

Winners listed by year

• 1975/76 National College of Physical Education
• 1976/77 Thomond College
• 1977/78 St Joseph's Training College
• 1978/79 Cork RTC
• 1979/80 Northern Ireland Polytechnic
• 1980/81 Sligo RTC
• 1981/82 Thomond College
• 1982/83 Northern Ireland Polytechnic
• 1983/84 NIHE Limerick
• 1984/85 Sligo RTC
• 1985/86 Sligo RTC
• 1986/87 Dublin IT
• 1987/88 Thomond College
• 1988/89 Galway RTC
• 1989/90 Sligo RTC
• 1990/91 Sligo RTC
• 1991/92 Athone RTC
• 1992/93 Garda College
• 1993/94 Garda College
• 1994/95 Dublin IT
• 1995/96 Galway RTC
• 1996/97 Dublin IT
• 1997/98 UU Coleraine
• 1998/99 Limerick IT
• 1999/00 Army Cadet College
• 2000/01 IT Tallaght
• 2001/02 Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach
• 2002/03 IT Tallaght
• 2003/04 St Mary's College Strawberry Hill
• 2004/05 Letterkenny IT
• 2005/06 Trinity College Dublin
• 2006/07 Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach
• 2007/08 Mary Immaculate College
• 2008/09 Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach
• 2009/10 IT Tralee
• 2010/11 Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach
• 2011/12 Trinity College Dublin
• 2012/13 Blanchardstown IT
• 2013/14 Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach
• 2014/15 Garda College
• 2015/16 Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)
• 2016/17 Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)
• 2017/18 Mary Immaculate College Limerick
• 2018/19 Letterkenny Institute of Technology
• 2019/20 Cork Institute of Technology
• 2020/21 Not Held due to Covid-19 Pandemic
• 2021/22 Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT)

Winning captains listed by year

Year	Player	College	County
1975/76	Brian Mullins^[4]	N.C.P.E., Limerick	Dublin
1976/77	Pat Spillane^[5] ^[6]	Thomond College, Limerick	Kerry
1977/78		St Joseph's T.C., Belfast
1978/79	Diarmuid Mac Cartaigh^[7]	Cork RTC	Cork
1979/80	Kevin McCabe	Northern Ireland Polytechnic	Tyrone
1980/81	John Clarke^[8]	Sligo RTC
1981/82	Brian Ladden^[9]	Thomond College, Limerick	Kerry
1982/83	Anthony McArdle^[10]	Northern Ireland Polytechnic	Armagh
1983/84	Noel Hayes	NIHE Limerick	Cork
1984/85	Gary Walsh^[11]	Sligo RTC	Donegal
1985/86		Sligo RTC
1986/87	Fergus Rowley^[12] ^[13]	Dublin Institute of Technology	Dublin
1987/88	Seamus Kyne	Thomond College, Limerick
	Patrick Condon	Thomond College, Limerick	Kerry
1988/89	Michael Haran^[14]	Galway RTC	Sligo
1989/90	Gerard Holohan^[15]	Sligo RTC	Leitrim
1990/91	P.J. Monaghan	Sligo RTC	Mayo
1991/92	John "Jack" Cooney^[16]	Athlone RTC	Westmeath
1992/93	David O'Connor^[17]	Garda College	Waterford
1993/94	Martin Coyle	Garda College	Mayo
1994/95	Gerry Sheridan	Dublin Institute of Technology	Cavan
	Damian Diver	Dublin Institute of Technology	Donegal
1995/96	Fergal Costello^[18]	Galway RTC	Mayo
1996/97	Padraig Giles	Dublin Institute of Technology	Dublin
1997/98	Neill McGleenan^[19]	UU Coleraine	Derry
1998/99		Limerick Institute of Technology
1999/00	Padraig Brennan^[20]	Army Cadet College, The Curragh	Kildare
2000/01	Shane O'Sullivan^[21]	Institute of Technology Tallaght	Dublin
2001/02	Gareth Burns^[22]	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Galway
2002/03	Damien Murray	Institute of Technology Tallaght	Offaly
2003/04	Cathal Smyth^[23]	St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill	Meath
2004/05	Neil Gallagher	Letterkenny Institute of Technology	Donegal
2005/06	Pearse Casey^[24]	Trinity College Dublin	Dublin
	Shane Gilleran	Trinity College Dublin	Roscommon
2006/07	Rory Stapleton^[25] ^[26]	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Laois
	Brian Kavanagh	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Longford
2007/08	Andrew O'Regan^[27] ^[28]	Mary Immaculate College, Limerick	Kerry
2008/09	Declan McKiernan^[29]	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Cavan
2009/10	Shane Brosnan^[30]	Institute of Technology Tralee	Kerry
	Kevin Hartnett	Institute of Technology Tralee	Clare
2010/11	Seán Denvir^[31]	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Galway
2011/12	Tomás Corrigan^[32]	Trinity College Dublin	Fermanagh
2012/13	Eoin Woods^[33]	Institute of Technology Blanchardstown	Meath
2013/14	Sean Kelly	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Mayo
2014/15	Colm Ó Cuív	Garda College, Templemore	Galway
2015/16	Kieran Duffy	Dundalk Institute of Technology	Monaghan
2016/17	Kieran Duffy^[34]	Dundalk Institute of Technology	Monaghan
2017/18	Cillian Fahy	Mary Immaculate College Limerick	Limerick
2018/19	Callum Gallagher^[35]	Letterkenny Institute of Technology	Donegal
2018/19	Kieran Murphy^[36] ^[37]	Cork Institute of Technology	Kerry
2020/21	Not held due to Covid-19
2021/22	Liam Costello	Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology	Galway

Man of the Match awardees listed by year

The accolade of Man of the Match or Tournament is a recent innovation (1998). In the case of the early years of the Trench Cup, the highest scoring member of the team is designated.

Year	MOTM	Top Scorer	College	County	Points scored
1975/76		Pat Spillane^[38]	N.C.P.E., Limerick	Kerry	1-3
		John Tobin	N.C.P.E., Limerick	Galway	0-6
1976/77		Gerry Dillon^[39]	Thomond College, Limerick		1-3
1977/78		Peter Kane^[40]	St Joseph's TC, Belfast	Galway	1-3
1978/79		Diarmuid McCarthy	Cork RTC	Cork	1-5
1979/80		Martin McCann^[41]	Northern Ireland Polytechnic	Down	0-6
1980/81		Gerry Smith	Sligo RTC	Cavan	1-6
1981/82			Thomond College, Limerick
1982/83		D. Durkan^[42]	Northern Ireland Polytechnic		1-0
		P. Madden	Northern Ireland Polytechnic		0-3
1983/84		Patrick McGroarty^[43]	NIHE Limerick	Donegal	1-2
		Brian Donovan	NIHE Dublin	Kildare	0-5
		F O'Connor	NIHE Limerick		0-3 (Replay)
1984/85		Niall McVeigh^[44]	Sligo RTC	Sligo	0-5
1985/86		Tom Og O'Brien^[45]	Sligo RTC	Roscommon	0-2
1986/87		John Prendergast	Dublin IT	Mayo	1-2
1987/88		John Madden^[46]	Thomond College, Limerick	Tipperary	0-6	- align="center"	1988/89		Jarlath Jennings^[47]	Galway RTC	Mayo	1-1
1989/90			Sligo RTC
1990/91		Derek Duggan	Sligo RTC	Roscommon	0-6
1991/92		Brian Duignan^[48]	Athlone RTC	Leitrim	0-4
1992/93		Derek Duggan^[49]	Garda College	Roscommon	1-7
1993/94			Garda College
1994/95		Tony Byrne	Dublin IT	Meath	0-3 (3fs)
1995/96		Alan MacFadden^[50]	Galway RTC	Donegal	0-3
		Enda Bardon	Galway RTC	Longford	0-3
1996/97		Gavin Curley^[51]	Dublin IT	Leitrim	0-7 (1f)
1997/98	Niall McSorley^[52]	Niall McSorley	UU Coleraine	Tyrone	3-0
1998/99	Seán O'Sullivan	Seán O'Sullivan^[53]	Limerick IT	Kerry	2-4 (1-3fs)
1999/00	Ronan Carberry		Army Cadet College	Longford	—
		Bernard Bohan^[54]	Army Cadet College	Kildare	1-0
		Dave O'Loughlin	Army Cadet College	Clare	1-0
		Padraig Brennan	Army Cadet College	Kildare	0-3 (3fs)
2000/01	Michael Lyons		IT Tallaght	Dublin
		Danny McCann^[55]	IT Tallaght	Dublin	0-4 (2fs)
2001/02	Kevin Giblin		Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Sligo
		G Kenny^[56]	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Longford	0-5
2002/03	Danny McCann		IT Tallaght	Dublin
		Jonathan Daniels	IT Tallaght	Wicklow	1-2
2003/04			St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill
		C Slane^[57]	St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill		0-4 (2fs)
2004/05	Neil Gallagher		Letterkenny IT	Donegal
		Colm McFadden	Letterkenny IT	Donegal	1-3 (1f)
2005/06	Dermot McTernan^[58]	Dermot McTernan^[59]	Trinity College Dublin	Sligo	1-4
2006/07	David Henry^[60]		Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Dublin	0-1
		Brian Kavanagh	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach		0-8 (8fs)
2007/08	George Hannigan		Mary Immaculate College, Limerick	Tipperary
2008/09			Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach
2009/10	Paul O'Donoghue^[61]		IT Tralee	Kerry	0-1
		Brendan Poff^[62]	IT Tralee	Kerry	1-0 (f)
		Denis Crowley	IT Tralee	Cork	1-0
2010/11			Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach
		Frank Clune^[63]	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Wicklow	1-3 (3fs)
		Seán Denvir	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Galway	1-3
2011/12	Kevin Fitzgerald^[64] ^[65]		Trinity College Dublin	Dublin	—
		Leo Turley^[66]	Trinity College Dublin		1-2 (2fs)
2012/13	Donal Lenihan^[67]		IT Blanchardstown	Meath	0-5
		Robert McCarthy^[68]	IT Blanchardstown	Meath	0-6 (4fs)
2013/14	Diarmuid Murtagh^[69]	Diarmuid Murtagh	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	Roscommon	1-3
2014/15	Colin Compton	Colin Compton	Garda College	Roscommon	0-8 (0-4fs)
2015/16	Daniel McKenna	Daniel McKenna	Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)	Monaghan	0-5 (0-1f)
2016/17	Tadhg McEnaeney	Tadhg McEnaeney	Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)	Louth	1-6 (4fs)
2017/18	Liam Carey		Mary Immaculate College Limerick	Kerry
2018/19	Michael Langan		Letterkenny Institute of Technology	Donegal	0-4 (4fs)
2018/19		John Campbell	Letterkenny Institute of Technology	Donegal	0-5 (5fs)
2019/20		Damien Gore	Cork Institute of Technology	Cork	0-8 (4fs)
2020/21	Not held due to Covid-19
2021/22	Final not held

Finals listed by year^[70]

Year	Winners	Score	Finalists	Score	Where Played	Date
1975/76	National College of Physical Education	1-11	St Joseph's Training College, Belfast	0-09	Croke Park, Dublin	29 February 1976
1976/77	Thomond College, Limerick	2-13	Sligo RTC	0-03	Athlone	1 April 1977
1977/78	St Joseph's Training College, Belfast	1-08	Thomond College, Limerick	1-06	Parnell Park, Dublin	22 April 1978
1978/79^[71]	Cork RTC	1-10	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	1-07	Cashel, County Tipperary	19 May 1979^[72]
1979/80	Northern Ireland Polytechnic	1-06	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	0-08	Croke Park, Dublin	9 March 1980
1980/81	Sligo RTC	1-08	Mary Immaculate College, Limerick	0-08	Croke Park, Dublin	15 April 1981
1981/82^[73]	Thomond College, Limerick	1-09	Cork RTC	2-05	Buttevant, County Cork	20 March 1982
1982/83	Northern Ireland Polytechnic	1-06	Cork RTC	0-07	Croke Park, Dublin	26 March 1983
1983/84	NIHE Limerick	3-07	NIHE Dublin	2-10	Tullamore, County Offaly	5 May 1984
^[74]	NIHE Limerick	0-07	NIHE Dublin	0-05	Tullamore, County Offaly	12 May 1984 (Replay)
1984/85	Sligo RTC	0-11	St Joseph's Training College, Belfast	1-06	Omagh, County Tyrone	8 May 1985
1985/86	Sligo RTC	0-05	Dublin Institute of Technology	0-04	Centenary Park, Newtownforbes, County Longford	3 May 1986
1986/87	Dublin Institute of Technology	2-11	Sligo RTC	2-09	Ballynacargy, County Westmeath (AET)	5 June 1987^[75]
1987/88^[76]	Thomond College, Limerick	2-11	Athlone RTC	2-07	Plassey, Limerick	6 March 1988
1988/89	Galway RTC	2-06	Dundalk RTC	1-05	Dublin	5 March 1989
1989/90^[77]	Sligo RTC		Athlone RTC		Dundalk, County Louth	11 March 1990
1990/91^[78]	Sligo RTC	2-11	Dublin Institute of Technology	1-10	Terenure, Dublin (AET)	24 March 1991
1991/92	Athlone RTC	0-11	Galway RTC	1-04	Kiltoom, County Roscommon	15 March 1992
1992/93	Garda College	1-13	Dundalk RTC	1-05	Thurles, County Tipperary	21 March 1993
1993/94^[79]	Garda College	1-10	Dublin Institute of Technology	1-07	VEC Grounds, Terenure, Dublin	27 February 1994
1994/95^[80]	Dublin Institute of Technology	0-10	Institute of Technology Tralee	1-06	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork	12 March 1995
1995/96^[81]	Galway RTC	0-11	Dublin Institute of Technology	0-07	Limerick	3 March 1996
1996/97^[82]	Dublin Institute of Technology	0-17	Dundalk RTC	2-09	UUC Playing Fields, Coleraine	9 March 1997
1997/98	University of Ulster Coleraine	4-04	Cork Institute of Technology	2-07	Ballyheighue, County Kerry	8 March 1998
1998/99	Limerick Institute of Technology	2-07	Magee College	1-07	The Dub, Belfast	7 March 1999
1999/00	Army Cadet College, The Curragh	2-05	Limerick Institute of Technology	1-07	Dangan, Galway	27 February 2000
2000/01	Institute of Technology Tallaght	3-07	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	1-11	O'Toole Park, Crumlin, Dublin	11 April 2001
2001/02	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	2-07	Limerick Institute of Technology	0-04	Kent Park, Sligo	23 February 2002
2002/03^[83]	Institute of Technology Tallaght	1-07	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	1-05	UCC Grounds, The Mardyke, Cork	8 March 2003
2003/04	St Mary’s College, Strawberry Hill, London	1-09	Institute of Technology Tallaght	1-08	St Gall's Park, Belfast	29 February 2004
2004/05^[84]	Letterkenny Institute of Technology	2-09	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	0-10	Dundalk IT Grounds, Dundalk	26 February 2005
2005/06	Trinity College Dublin	3-07	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	2-08	DCU Sport Grounds, Dublin	25 February 2006
2006/07	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	0-13	John Moore's University, Liverpool	0-12	QUB Grounds, Malone, Belfast	3 March 2007
2007/08^[85]	Mary Immaculate College, Limerick	1-12	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	0-09	IT Carlow Grounds, Carlow	9 March 2008
2008/09^[86]	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	0-12	Mary Immaculate College, Limerick	0-07	Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork	1 March 2009
2009/10^[87]	Institute of Technology Tralee	2-06	Trinity College Dublin	0-10	Leixlip GAA Club, Leixlip, County Kildare	27 February 2010
2010/11	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	2-11	Waterford Institute of Technology	0-10	UCD, Belfield, Dublin	5 March 2011
2011/12	Trinity College Dublin	2-11	Hope University, Liverpool	0-07	Dangan, Galway	25 February 2012
2012/13	Institute of Technology Blanchardstown	0-11	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	0-10	Athlone Institute of Technology	23 February 2013
2013/14	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	2-16	Letterkenny Institute of Technology	2-06	The Dub, QUB, Belfast	21 February 2014
2014/15;^[88] ^[89] ^[90]	Garda College, Templemore	1-13	Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach	0-10	The Mardyke, Cork	21 February 2015
2015/16^[91] ^[92]	Dundalk Institute of Technology	1-14	Waterford Institute of Technology	1-08	University of Ulster, Belfast	20 February 2016
2016/17^[93]	Dundalk Institute of Technology	3-10	Waterford Institute of Technology	1-14	Connacht GAA Centre, Bekan, County Mayo	19 February 2017
2017/18	Mary Immaculate College Limerick	2-14	Waterford Institute of Technology	1-16	TCD GAA Pitch, Santry, Dublin	17 February 2018
2018/19^[94]	Letterkenny Institute of Technology	2-07	Dundalk Institute of Technology	0-15	Mallow, Cork	16 February 2019
2019/20^[95]	Cork Institute of Technology	2-20	Mary Immaculate College	0-12	Dublin City University Sports Campus	12 February 2020
2020/21	Not held due to Covid 19 Pandemic
2021/22	Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology	w/o	Dundalk Institute of Technology	Withdrew from final	Institute of Technology Carlow	18 February 2022

References

1. Web site: Trench House. Stmarys-belfast.ac.uk. 5 November 2021.
2. Web site: Electric Ireland announce Sponsorship of Higher Education Championships. Electricireland.ie. 15 February 2018. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215023801/https://www.electricireland.ie/news-media/article/electric-ireland-announce-sponsorship-of-higher-education-championships. dead.
3. The Cups That Cheered: A History of the Sigerson, Fitzgibbon and Higher Education Gaelic Games, Dónal McAnallen, 2012, The Collins Press, Cork, p. 345
4. Web site: UCC Gaelic Football Club - Sigerson Facts . 12 March 2013 . 28 July 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130728051935/http://www.ucc.ie/students/socs/gfc/sigersonfacts.html . dead .
5. Irish Times, 1 March 1976, p. 3
6. Irish Independent, 29 March 1977, p. 10; Irish Independent, 26 April 1977, p. 18
7. Web site: History - CIT GAA Club. Gaa.mycit.ie. 5 November 2021.
8. Irish Press 16 April 1981, p. 16
9. John O'Callaghan (2013) Plassey's Gaels: A History of the GAA at NIHE, NCPE, Thomond College and the University of Limerick, 1972—2012, pp 75 and 78
10. Personal Communication, John "Tommy-Joe" Farrell, UU Jordanstown GAA Hon Secretary 1981, Chairman of CAO 1987-89
11. Irish Independent 8 May 1985, p. 11
12. Match scores and names kindly provided by Joseph Moran, former DIT GAA Manager, personal communication; The Sligo Champion, 12 June 1987, Sport, p. viii, Trench Cup: Unlucky RTC go down in extra time, Dublin Institute of Technology 2-11 Sligo Regional Technical College 2-9
13. Web site: Alumni. 21 September 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130921120043/http://www.ditgaa.ie/alumni.html. 5 November 2021. 21 September 2013.
14. Connacht Sentinnel 7 March 1989, p.15
15. Leitrim Observer, 31 March 1990, p. 16, GAA Club News - Drumreilly
16. Name kindly provided by Tony Dunne via Athlone AIT; Jack Cooney went on to captain Westmeath and became selector with Páidí Ó Sé when Westmeath won Leinster Championship in 2004
17. Name kindly provided by Garda College
18. Connaught Telegraph 6 March 1996, p. 11 and p. 22; Tuam Herald, 9 March 1996, p. 17
19. Personal Communication, David Flynn, Sports Union Development Assistant Coleraine/Magee
20. Personal Communication, name kindly provided by Lt Tom Tooher, Cadet School, Military College, DFTC
21. Captain's name kindly provided by Tim O'Connor, Sports & Recreation Officer, IT Tallaght
22. Captain's name kindly provided by Tomás Fitzpatrick, GAA Officer, Coláiste Phádraig, Drumcondra
23. Meath Chronicle 20 March 2004, p. 41
24. http://www.gaa.tcdlife.ie/?q=node/56-Shane
25. News: Captain's name kindly provided by Tomás Fitzpatrick, GAA Officer, Coláiste Phádraig, Drumcondra; Brian Kavanagh captained the team in the final as the 2006-07 Coláiste Phádraig Captain was unavailable for the final after he sustained a severe injury when playing for Laois against Louth in the National Football League the previous weekend. Irish Independent. 5 March 2007.
26. Web site: 3 March 2007; St Pats Rory Stapleton and Brian Kavanagh,,joint captains, receive the Trench cup from GAA president Nickey Brennan. Ulster Bank Trench Cup Final, St Patrick's, Drumcondra v Liverpool John Moores University, Queen's University, Belfast, Co.. Sportsfile.com. 5 November 2021.
27. Web site: Mary Immaculate College . 11 March 2013 . 29 January 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130129004652/http://www.mic.ul.ie/sports/Pages/MICSportsWebsiteSportsAwards.aspx . dead .
28. Web site: Welcome to Mary Immaculate College. Mic.ul.ie. 5 November 2021.
29. Anglo-Celt 5 March 2009, p. 32
30. Web site: Kevin Hartnett was IT Tralee GAA Captain in 2009-10 but had to miss the Trench Cup finals due to fulfilling academic requirements of his college course. Web.archive.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20141103040851/http://www.sportsfile.com/id/405549/. 27 February 2010; Shane Brosnan, IT Tralee, lifts the Trench Cup. Ulster Bank Trench Cup Final, Institute of Technology Tralee v Trinity College, Leixlip GAA Club, Leixlip, Co. Kildare. 5 November 2021. 3 November 2014.
31. Web site: Sportsfile - Colaiste Phadraig v WIT - Trench Cup Final - 495256. Sportsfile.com. 5 November 2021.
32. Web site: Archived copy . 11 March 2013 . 3 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141103040959/http://www.ducac.tcdlife.ie/assets/pdf/2011-12/GAA%20Football/Trench%20Cup%20win%20-%202012%20correct.pdf . dead .
33. Web site: Institute of Technology Blanchardstown. Itb.ie. 5 November 2021. 5 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211105162047/https://www.itb.ie/error/index.html. dead.
34. Web site: DkIT – Trench Cup Champions 2017 – Louth GAA . 24 February 2017 . 25 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170225130323/http://louthgaa.ie/dkit-trench-cup-champions-2017/ . dead .
35. Donegal News, 18 February 2019, Sport, p. 31
36. Web site: Sportsfile - Mary Immaculate College Limerick v CIT - Trench Cup Final - 1883073 .
37. CIT finish with a flourish for return to big time, Irish Examiner, 13 February 2020, Sport, page 2
38. Irish Press, 1 March 1976, p. 12; Irish Press, 1 March, p. 14; Irish Independent, 1 March 1976, p. 10; Irish Times, 1 March 1976, p. 3
39. Irish Times 2 April 1977, p. 3; Irish Independent, 2 April 1977, p. 16
40. Irish Times 24 April 1978, p.3; Sunday Independent 23 April 1978, p. 28; Irish Independent, 26 April 1978, p. 10
41. Irish Press 10 March 1980, p.13
42. Irish Independent, 28 March 1983, p. 13, Trench Cup final, Polytechnic Belfast 1-6 Regional College, Cork 1-7
43. Sunday Independent 6 May 1984, p. 28; Irish Independent 9 May 1984, p. 3; Irish Times 10 May 1984, p. 2
44. Irish Press 09 May 1985, p. 18
45. Sunday Independent 4 May 1986, p. 26; "The Sligo Champion, 9 May 1986, Sport, p. ix, RTC retain Trench Cup
46. Irish Independent, 7 Mar 1988, p.14; Irish Press 7 Mar 1988, p. 15
47. Connacht Sentinnel 7 March 1989, p. 15
48. Irish Press 16 March 1992, p. 38
49. Irish Press 22 March 1993, p. 68
50. City Tribune, 8 March 1996, p. 24
51. Leitrim Observer, 12 March 1997, p. 17, GAA Club notes-St Michaels
52. Kerryman 13 March 1998, p. 27; Irish Times 9 March 1998, p. A6
53. Irish Independent 8 March 1999, p. 47; Irish Times 8 March 1999, p. A6; Limerick Leader 8 March 1999, p. 26; Kerryman 12 March 1999, p. 26 - this report recorded Seán O'Sullivan as "Man of the Tournament"; Irish Examiner, 8 March 1999, p. 25
54. Irish Independent 28 February 2000, p. 30; Irish Independent 2 March 2000, p. 23
55. Irish Independent 12 April 2001, p. 21; Irish Times, 12 April 2001, p. 25
56. Sunday Independent 24 February 2002, p. 69 and p. 71
57. Irish Independent 1 March 2004, p. 32
58. Trench Cup win for Gaelic Football Club, Trinity News, 7 March 2006, p. 28
59. Sunday Independent 26 February 2006, p. 55; The Sligo Champion, 1 March 2006, p. 11B, GAA newsround - Ballymote
60. Sunday Independent 4 March 2007, p. 46
61. Name kindly provided by David O'Dea, GAA Officer, IT Tralee
62. Web site: IT Tralee GAA Website News. 3 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141103015716/http://www.ittraleegaa.com/newsitem12.html. 5 November 2021. 3 November 2014.
63. Irish Independent 7 March 2011, p. 43
64. Web site: Local News and Reports. Locallotto.ie. 5 November 2021.
65. Web site: Lucan Sarsfields Gaa Club . 22 April 2013 . 2 July 2013 . https://archive.today/20130702084745/http://www.sportsmanager.ie/cake/gaa2/lucansarsfield/news/108699/ads.sportsmanager.ie/delivery/ck.php?n=af86e903&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE . dead .
66. Web site: Trench Cup: Trinity goals sink Hope d. Hoganstand.com. 5 November 2021.
67. Web site: Trench Victory for ITB Men's GAA Team. Hoganstand.com. 5 November 2021.
68. Irish Examiner 25 February 2013, by Kevin Egan
69. Sunday Independent 23 February 2014, Sport pg 15; Irish Independent 24 February 2014, Sport pg 34
70. Results from The Irish Times, Irish Independent, Irish Press, Sunday Independent, Irish Examiner,Connacht Sentinel, Connacht Tribune, Connaught Telegraph, Donegal News, Kerryman, Limerick Leader, Munster Express, Nenagh Guardian, Southern Star, Ulster Herald
71. The Irish Times, 25 May 1979, p. 4; Irish Independent 23 May 1979, p. 17
72. Irish Independent, 30 May 1979; the Higher Education GAA Council decided that the Trench Cup final must be decided on or before the Sigerson weekend
73. Irish Times, 19 March 1982, p. 14; Irish Independent 24 March 1982, p. 14
74. Sunday Independent 13 May 1984, p. S26
75. The match had been due to be played on 25 April 1987 but was postponed at the request of the colleges due to holidays; Irish Press 24 April 1987, p. 22
76. NB: Irish Times, 7 Mar 1988, p.4 reported score as Thomond College 2-10 Athlone RTC 2-06
77. Sligo RTC were beaten by Galway RTC in a semi-final at Dundalk on 10 March 1990. However, following objections, a meeting of officers of the Higher Education GAA Board threw Galway RTC out of the competition on the grounds that two of their players were not properly registered and awarded the match to Sligo RTC to play in the final against Athlone IT, winners of the other semi-final over Carlow RTC. City Tribune, 6 March 1990, p. 20; Anglo-Celt, 22 March 1990, p.16, Athlone RTC described as being "narrowly beaten" by Sligo RTC in Trench Cup final
78. The Sligo Champion, 29 March 1991, Sport, p. x, Trench Cup glory for R.T.C., Sligo RTC 2-11 Dublin Institute of Technology 1-10 (score 1-8 each at end of normal time);
79. Irish Independent February, 1994, p. 28
80. Western People, 15 March 1995, p. 20
81. Irish Independent 4 March 1996, p. 26; Irish Times 4 March 1996, p. A4; Connaught Telegraph 6 March 1996, p. 11; Tuam Herald, 9 March 1996, p. 17
82. Irish Independent 10 March 1997, p. 28; Irish Times 10 March 1997, p. A2; Evening Herald, 19 March 1997, p 36, Late points see DIT clinch second Trench Cup in four years
83. Connacht Tribune 14 March 2003, p. 6
84. Donegal News, 4 March 2005, Sports, p. 8, LYIT win first Trench Cup
85. Irish Times 10 March 2008, p. A11
86. Donegal News 2 March 2009, p. 29; Irish Independent 2 March 2009, p. Sport 14
87. Irish Independent 1 March 2010, p. 53
88. Web site: Roscommon's Compton the scoring star as Garda College win Trench Cup against St Pat's. Fintan. O'Toole. The42.ie. 5 November 2021.
89. Web site: Garda College Football Team | St Raphaels Garda Credit Union . 21 February 2016 . 3 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303074145/http://www.straphaelscu.ie/news/garda-college-football-team/ . dead .
90. Web site: Trench Cup: Compton leads Garda College to glory - HoganStand. Hoganstand.com. 5 November 2021.
91. History for Dundalk IT as they win first ever Trench Cup, Talk of the Town, Web site: History for Dundalk IT as they win first ever Trench Cup | Talk of the Town . 2016-02-21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160221094008/http://talkofthetown.ie/2016/02/20/history-for-dundalk-it-as-they-win-first-ever-trench-cup/ . 21 February 2016 . dmy-all .
92. News: Dundalk IT claim 'massive' first Trench success . 22 February 2016 . . 22 February 2016.
93. Irish Examiner, 20 February 2017, McConville proud of players as Cup retained, Sports, page 11
94. Dundalk Democrat, 19 February 2019, Sport, p. 62
95. Cork and Kerry stars combine for 1-12 as CIT clinch Trench Cup with 14-point win, https://www.the42.ie/mary-i-v-cit-match-report-5004316-Feb2020/