He was born Thomas Fitzgibbon on 26 January 1874, in Ballynona North, between Castlemartyr and Dungourney, County Cork, to a largely Irish speaking family.
He completed his undergraduate BA degree at Queens College Cork and was ordained in 1902.
He completed his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Louvain in Belgium.
[1] From 1911 to 1936, Fitzgibbon was professor of philosophy at University College Cork.
The cup was made at William Egan and Sons' silversmiths, Cork, and bears a large inscription on its front: The Fitzgibbon Cup, Donated by The Rev Fr Edwin O.S.F.C.