UCC students and alumni bid for All-Ireland glory

19 Jul 2024

• Cork squad are out to make their own history.
• Students and graduates from UCC to feature on panel for All-Ireland Hurling decider.

Cork and Clare will go head-to-head in an all-Munster All-Ireland SHC final in Croke Park on Sunday, 21 July.

Cork’s extended panel will feature 26 players who are current students or who have graduated from University College Cork.

Current students include Cathal McCarthy, BA in Digital Humanities and Information Technology; Eoin Downey, BA in Arts; Ger Millerick, BEd in Physical Education, Sports Studies with Mathematics and Quercus Sports Scholar, and Brion Saunderson, BA in Arts.

UCC alumni who will play a part in this year’s final include Robbie O’Flynn, BA in Arts and MSc Management and Marketing; Padraig Power, BA and MA in Economics; Conor Lehane, BA in Geography and Sociology and PG Diploma in Criminology; and Niall O’Leary, BEd Sports Studies and Physical Education.

Reflecting on their semi-final win against Limerick, Niall O’Leary, now a History and PE teacher at St Colman’s College, said: “We’re at a stage where we kind of want to carve our own path and create our own history. We want to do something that we’ll be remembered for. We’re not going to be remembered for what we did against Limerick. Hopefully we can do something in the final that we will be remembered for.”

UCC GAA Club won 42 Fitzgibbon Cup championships and many of the players on Sunday have been part of those triumphs in recent years.

Ahead of the final, Dr Paddy Crowley and Dr Con Murphy met in UCC’s Mardyke to discuss what supporters can expect on Sunday.

Video by UCC TV’s Max Bell.