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. 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, and Peter McGinnity 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.
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 college's first win. Both Coláiste Phádraig and Sligo IT share the record number of Trench Cup wins, standing at five, while Garda College have three wins. The highest winning margin 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 and Seán O'Sullivan of Limerick IT in 1999.
The championship is currently sponsored by the Electric Ireland. It was previously sponsored by Independent.ie, Irish Daily Mail, Ulster Bank, Datapac and Bus Éireann.

Roll of honour

Wins listed by college

Finalists who have not won the Trench Cup:

Man of the Match awardees listed by year

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

Finals listed by year

YearWinnersScoreFinalistsScoreWhere playedDate
1975/76National College of Physical Education1-11St Joseph's Training College, Belfast0-09Croke Park, Dublin29 February 1976
1976/77Thomond College, Limerick2-13Sligo RTC0-03Athlone1 April 1977
1977/78St Joseph's Training College, Belfast1-08Thomond College, Limerick1-06Parnell Park, Dublin22 April 1978
1978/79Cork RTC1-10Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach1-07Cashel, County Tipperary19 May 1979
1979/80Northern Ireland Polytechnic1-06Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach0-08Croke Park, Dublin9 March 1980
1980/81Sligo RTC1-08Mary Immaculate College, Limerick0-08Croke Park, Dublin15 April 1981
1981/82Thomond College, Limerick1-09Cork RTC2-05Buttevant, County Cork20 March 1982
1982/83Northern Ireland Polytechnic1-06Cork RTC0-07Croke Park, Dublin26 March 1983
1983/84NIHE Limerick3-07NIHE Dublin2-10Tullamore, County Offaly5 May 1984
NIHE Limerick0-07NIHE Dublin0-05Tullamore, County Offaly12 May 1984
1984/85Sligo RTC0-11St Joseph's Training College, Belfast1-06Omagh, County Tyrone8 May 1985
1985/86Sligo RTC0-05Dublin Institute of Technology0-04Centenary Park, Newtownforbes, County Longford3 May 1986
1986/87Dublin Institute of Technology2-11Sligo RTC2-09Ballynacargy, County Westmeath 5 June 1987
1987/88Thomond College, Limerick2-11Athlone RTC2-07Plassey, Limerick6 March 1988
1988/89Galway RTC2-06Dundalk RTC1-05Dublin5 March 1989
1989/90Sligo RTCAthlone RTCDundalk, County Louth11 March 1990
1990/91Sligo RTC2-11Dublin Institute of Technology1-10Terenure, Dublin 24 March 1991
1991/92Athlone RTC0-11Galway RTC1-04Kiltoom, County Roscommon15 March 1992
1992/93Garda College1-13Dundalk RTC1-05Thurles, County Tipperary21 March 1993
1993/94Garda College1-10Dublin Institute of Technology1-07VEC Grounds, Terenure, Dublin27 February 1994
1994/95Dublin Institute of Technology0-10Institute of Technology Tralee1-06Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork12 March 1995
1995/96Galway RTC0-11Dublin Institute of Technology0-07Limerick3 March 1996
1996/97Dublin Institute of Technology0-17Dundalk RTC2-09UUC Playing Fields, Coleraine9 March 1997
1997/98University of Ulster Coleraine4-04Cork Institute of Technology2-07Ballyheighue, County Kerry8 March 1998
1998/99Limerick Institute of Technology2-07Magee College1-07The Dub, Belfast7 March 1999
1999/00Army Cadet College, The Curragh2-05Limerick Institute of Technology1-07Dangan, Galway27 February 2000
2000/01Institute of Technology Tallaght3-07Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach1-11O'Toole Park, Crumlin, Dublin11 April 2001
2001/02Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach2-07Limerick Institute of Technology0-04Kent Park, Sligo23 February 2002
2002/03Institute of Technology Tallaght1-07Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach1-05UCC Grounds, The Mardyke, Cork8 March 2003
2003/04St Mary’s College, Strawberry Hill, London1-09Institute of Technology Tallaght1-08St Gall's Park, Belfast29 February 2004
2004/05Letterkenny Institute of Technology2-09Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach0-10Dundalk IT Grounds, Dundalk26 February 2005
2005/06Trinity College Dublin3-07Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach2-08DCU Sport Grounds, Dublin25 February 2006
2006/07Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach0-13John Moore's University, Liverpool0-12QUB Grounds, Malone, Belfast3 March 2007
2007/08Mary Immaculate College, Limerick1-12Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach0-09IT Carlow Grounds, Carlow9 March 2008
2008/09Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach0-12Mary Immaculate College, Limerick0-07Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork1 March 2009
2009/10Institute of Technology Tralee2-06Trinity College Dublin0-10Leixlip GAA Club, Leixlip, County Kildare27 February 2010
2010/11Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach2-11Waterford Institute of Technology0-10UCD, Belfield, Dublin5 March 2011
2011/12Trinity College Dublin2-11Hope University, Liverpool0-07Dangan, Galway25 February 2012
2012/13Institute of Technology Blanchardstown0-11Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach0-10Athlone Institute of Technology23 February 2013
2013/14Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach2-16Letterkenny Institute of Technology2-06The Dub, QUB, Belfast21 February 2014
2014/15;Garda College, Templemore1-13Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach0-10The Mardyke, Cork21 February 2015
2015/16Dundalk Institute of Technology1-14Waterford Institute of Technology1-08University of Ulster, Belfast20 February 2016
2016/17Dundalk Institute of Technology3-10Waterford Institute of Technology1-14Connacht GAA Centre, Bekan, County Mayo19 February 2017
2017/18Mary Immaculate College Limerick2-14Waterford Institute of Technology1-16TCD GAA Pitch, Santry, Dublin17 February 2018
2018/19Letterkenny Institute of Technology2-07Dundalk Institute of Technology0-15Mallow, Cork16 February 2019
2019/20Cork Institute of Technology2-20Mary Immaculate College0-12Dublin City University Sports Campus12 February 2020
2020/21Not held due to Covid-19 pandemic
2021/22Galway-Mayo Institute of Technologyw/oDundalk Institute of TechnologyWithdrew from finalInstitute of Technology Carlow18 February 2022