Fergal Maher Cup

The Fergal Maher Cup is a hurling cup competition for Third-level Colleges. The Cup is awarded to the winners of the Tier 3 Championship (the Fitzgibbon Cup and Ryan Cup are the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Higher Education Hurling Championships).

The Fergal Maher Cup Championship is administered by Comhairle Ard Oideachais Cumann Lúthchleas Gael (CLG), the Gaelic Athletic Association's Higher Education Council which oversees Third-Level GAA championships. The GAA Higher Education Cup Championships are currently sponsored by the Electric Ireland following on from the Irish Daily Mail, Ulster Bank, Datapac, Bus Éireann and Independent.ie.

History
The Cup is named in memory of Fergal Maher, a student and hurler at Dublin City University who hailed from Leixlip. Fergal was fatally injured when struck by a car near The Sheaf O'Wheat at Bracetown, Clonee, County Meath on 22 March 1998. At the time of his death Fergal Maher was a 2nd year engineering student at DCU and was Honorary Secretary of the DCU Hurling club. He played Ryan Cup hurling for DCU and at age 18 he captained the Kildare U21 hurling team.

The Cup was first presented for the Third Division Championship in 2002, the inaugural winner being Athlone Institute of Technology. In 2002/03 IT Tallaght achieved its maiden hurling title in this competition. King's Inns hurling club was launched in 2005 and in its first season won the trophy. The first President of the King's Inn Hurling Club was the President of the High Court (2001-2006), the Honourable Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan. In 2007/08 Edinburgh Napier University, winners of the British University Hurling Championship in both 2006/07 and 2007/08, became the first overseas winner of the Fergal Maher Cup.

2018-19 Group A Qualifying

 * †Match never played
 * Qualifiers: St Mary's University College Belfast, Ulster University Coleraine

2018-19 Group B Qualifying

 * Qualifier: Marino Institute of Education

2018-19 Group C Qualifying

 * Cadets were drawn in this Group, but did not compete
 * Qualifier: Mary Immaculate College Thurles

Fergal Maher Cup Champion Colleges

 * 1987/88 N.I.H.E. Dublin
 * 1988/89 Tralee RTC
 * 1989/90 Dundalk RTC
 * 1990/91 Cadets
 * 1991/92
 * 1992/93 Sligo RTC
 * 1993/94 Coláiste Phádraig Droim Conrach
 * 1994/95 Mary Immaculate College, Limerick
 * 1995/96 Coláiste Phádraig Droim Conrach
 * 1996/97 Dundalk RTC
 * 1997/98 UU Coleraine
 * 1998/99 Not held
 * 1999/00 Not held
 * 2000/01 Not held
 * 2001/02 Athlone IT
 * 2002/03 NUI Maynooth
 * 2003/04 GMIT Castlebar
 * 2004/05 IT Tallaght
 * 2005/06 King's Inns
 * 2006/07 IT Tallaght
 * 2007/08 Napier University, Edinburgh
 * 2008/09 St Mary's Univ.Coll./BMC
 * 2009/10 Napier University, Edinburgh
 * 2010/11 St Patrick' College, Thurles
 * 2011/12 LIT Tipperary
 * 2012/13 St Patrick's College, Thurles
 * 2013/14 IT Tallaght
 * 2014/15 Galway/Roscommon ETB
 * 2015/16 IT Sligo
 * 2016/17 G.M.I.T. Letterfrack
 * 2017/18 St Mary's University College, Belfast
 * 2018/19 St Mary's university College, Belfast
 * 2019/20 Cadets