Mairead McParland
It is said that from little acorns great oaks grow and no more apt a saying than that could be used in reference to Trinity GAA. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first Gaelic Football team success in Trinity so we take a look back at the origins and development of what is now one of the most vibrant clubs in college
References to the game of “hurley” being played in Trinity College date back to 1871, thirteen years before the GAA was founded but there remains some debate as to whether the game played was a precursor to modern day hockey as opposed to hurling. After this Gaelic games in Trinity remained very much under the radar until a special group of players put it on the map in 1951 and put the foundations in place for the GAA club as we know it today.
The idea for the football team was first mooted by Gerry O’Neill, a young science student with a passion for the game. O’Neill was lucky – his time in Trinity coincided with that of future Allstar Colm Kennelly and Kevin Heffernan the Dublin legend as well as Packie Brennan of Tipperary and Pat Markey of Louth. Enough players were found to field a team and they were entered in the Duke Cup. At this time DUCAC refused to acknowledge their existence due to the fact games were played on a Sunday so the Trinity College footballers entered their first competition under the name the Collegians. In a gesture that illustrates the barriers which can be broken down by sport, they played the Duke Cup Final wearing jerseys lent to them by the college rugby team. As Jack Finian wryly remarked, his team were probably the first to feature in an All Ireland final in Croke Park with a donated set of second hand rugby jerseys! Team captain Gerry O’Neill magnanimously refused to select himself as he felt other players were younger and more mobile than he and his team selection proved to be a successful one as the Collegians ran out winners in the final against the UCD College of Science on a score line of 1-5 to 0-6.
From its very inception Trinity GAA club was unhindered by boundaries of religion or culture. Regular seven a sides were held with the rugby club and one of the first vice presidents of Trinity GAA was a Church of Ireland man, John McCarthy, who was an interprovincial hockey player. It was in this open minded environment that the club thrived. In the 1960s the hurling and football teams were entered in the Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cups – the premier competitions for third level teams. A set of jerseys had to be sourced now that the club was playing in the top tier so Trinity approached Down County Board, who as well as being the standard bearers of Gaelic football in that era, were the only county team to wear red and black. After hearing of Trinity’s request for jerseys supporters including Brian McCartan, grandfather of the current Down manager James and fullback Dan, donated the club their first set of jerseys.
Trinity continued to grow in strength winning the Division 2 league and Sigerson shield in 1977. The great Dublin team of the 1970s had strong links to college with manager Kevin Heffernan, captain Tony Hanahoe, Jim Brogan (uncle of current Dublin stars Alan and Bernard), and Tommy Drumm all students and Robbie Kelleher a part time lecturer. Between 1989 and 1991 the club had assembled another team of future stars and were very unlucky not to bring the ultimate prize back to Trinity. Backboned by current Dublin manager Pat Gilroy and pundit Joe Brolley the team remain one of the most successful in Trinity, capturing the Division 1 League in 1991.
Today, Trinity boasts the full complement of Gaelic games on campus. The men’s football team is represented on the senior intercounty scene by Sean Murray (Dublin), Kieran Nolan (Carlow), Francis Boyle (Westmeath) and Tomás Corrigan (Fermanagh). With players of this calibre the hope is that a return to top level football edges ever closer. The hurlers compete against intercounty teams in the Kehoe Cup. Dublin players Joey Boland and Danny Sutcliffe and Kilkenny’s Martin Phelan spearhead the side and have the aim of returning to the Fitzgibbon Cup within the next three years. Camogie has firmly established itself and the team have qualified for the Purcell weekend following an emphatic victory away to Limerick. Three time All Star and All Ireland winning captain Catriona Foley is the highest profile player in college but she is ably assisted by a quality team. Handball has made a comeback and already great strides have been made. Cormac McMahon will travel to represent Trinity at the World Collegiate Games later this year. The Ladies Football team has gone from strength to strength and this year for the first time ever they fielded an Intermediate and a Senior team, testament to the growing popularity of the game.
Trinity GAA has come a long way from the days of the borrowed rugby jerseys but the same family atmosphere and pride in the jersey pervade the club as they did sixty years ago. February 4th has been designated as a day of celebration and a Colours match against UCD has been organised to take place on the rugby pitch where the Voice of the GAA, Michael O’Muirceartaigh will provide commentary. Throw in as at 2pm and it provides a rare opportunity for the whole college to come out and see for themselves what Trinity GAA is all about.
