Combined Universities GAA

The Central Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association was initially cool to this proposal, particularly on financial grounds.

Unfortunately, the first hurling match in April 1931 between an NUI Colleges Select team (6 from UCC, 5 from UCG and 4 from UCD) and the All-Ireland Champions Tipperary at Thurles was disastrous in terms of furthering the concept of an annual series of games.

Tipperary proved far too strong for the NUI Select hurlers and won the match without a point being registered against them.

However, the hope of an annual match died when the Camanachd Association, the shinty governing body, was advised of the GAA's anti-British political stance.

The match between All-Ireland football champions Kerry and the Combined Universities Select at Tralee in May 1947, which was won by Kerry, was described as 'a very dull and uninteresting affair', possibly because there was nothing more than the winning of the match at stake[5] Both teams were below published strengths; almost one-third of the selected sides did not play.

In 1950 these efforts were rewarded with a Combined Universities v Rest of Ireland football match at Croke Park.

The Combined Universities versus GAA Ireland football games faded out in the 1960s despite attempts to spice up the annual series with matches against The Army and Inter-County sides.

In football, the Combined Universities won the Railway Cup in 1973 by beating Connacht in the final at Athlone.

Within the Universities and Advanced Colleges, selection for the representative teams carried considerable prestige, particularly for the smaller and less successful institutions.

At the Central Council meeting held on 23 October 1971, the proposal of Comhairle na nOllscoil was approved unanimously.

[91] While the idea was looked upon positively by some elements of the Press as a way of injecting life back into this inter-provincial tournament,[90] other feared that the public would tire of this innovation as they had in the case of the Combined Universities v (Rest of) Ireland tests long before they lingered to an unlamented death[92] and doubted whether the Combined Universities would revive the Railway Cup.

[93] Pat McDonnell of UCC and Cork full-back, Texaco Hurler of the Year in 1969, had the honour of captaining the first Combined Universities team to compete in the Railway Cup against Ulster at Croke Park.

In 1973 the Combined Universities footballers beat Connacht to win the Railway Cup in a final replay at Athlone.

The Management Committee of the GAA arranged for games between Combined Universities and the Carrolls All-Stars in Limerick on 25 January 1976 in aid the Northern Ireland Relief Fund.

[102] In April 1976 Combined Universities v State Services (Garda & Army) games took place at the Mardyke in Cork.