The Sam Maguire Cup which is presented to the All-Ireland winning football team each year is named after Dunmanway's most famous son, Sam Maguire who is buried in St. Mary's Graveyard.

[1] The first chairman of the club was a local national school teacher, John McCarthy.

The official name adopted by the club was the Michael Doheny Football Club after the Tipperary Young Irelander, Michael Doheny, who spent a short time in Dunmanway when on 'the run' in 1847.

In 1897, the club won the Cork Senior Football Championship by defeating Wolf Tones of Kanturk in the final.

This team won its way through Munster Senior Football Championship but was defeated by Kickhams of Dublin in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final at Jones’ Road, a game played in February 1899.