Killarney Legion GAA Club is this week marking its long association with the Sigerson Cup competition which goes back just short of 80 years.
With excitement mounting ahead of the big clash between the Munster Technological University Kerry and the Munster Technological University Cork, which has been fixed for this Tuesday night, Legion members have been reflecting on the links with the hugely respected colleges’ football competition which dates all the way back to 1943 when Jackie Lyne won the title with UCC.
University College Galway was victorious in 1948 with John Trant and Donie Murphy in their line-up while John was again a winner in 1950 with UCG.
Tralee Regional Technology College – now known as MTU Kerry – won a trio of titles in a row in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and the latter triumph featured Seán Hegarty and Alan O’Neill.
Interestingly, Pat Flanagan, a member of Legion’s outgoing senior team management was an integral part of the Tralee RTC management at that time.
Father and son John and Shaun Keane were both winners, John, captaining UCC in 1988 and Shaun winning in 2014 while Brian Kelly was the same university’s goalkeeper in 2014.
Big Padraig Lucey was midfield in the UCC team that won the 2019 edition, defeating St Mary’s in the decider.
The 2022 competition kicked off last week with MTU Cork defeating UCC with Finbarr Murphy – grandnephew of 1948 winner Donie – kicking an all-important winning point.
Cian Gammell, a current Legion and Kerry star, was a lynchpin in the UCC defence and they now face UCD in the losers’ round.
UCD themselves lost out to MTU Kerry who had Darragh Lyne starting in midfield while Ryan O’Grady was introduced as a sub.
The Munster Technological University Kerry and Munster Technological University Cork will clash at the MTU Campus in Tralee at 7.00m tomorrow.
