Electric Ireland Celebrates the Return of the Higher Education GAA Championships

As the Electric Ireland Higher Education GAA Championships get underway, Electric Ireland has joined forces with four inter-county GAA stars to preview the 2022 Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon, Sigerson and Higher Education GAA Championships. Electric Ireland’s #FirstClassRivals campaign celebrates unexpected alliances formed by County rivals coming together in pursuit of a common goal to win some of the most coveted titles in the GAA.  

Although bound to their county through a traditional allegiance, intercounty hurlers Robert Downey (UCC and Cork) and Iarlaith Daly (UCC and Waterford) and intercounty footballers, Ray Connellan (UCD and Westmeath) and Brian McLoughlin (UCD and Kildare) will put their county rivalries aside as they battle it out for the prestigious Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cup titles in 2022 with their colleges. 

UCC begin their quest for a third consecutive Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup title on 19 January against Mary Immaculate College Limerick while UCD began their Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup campaign on 12 January with a 5 point loss against MTU Kerry Campus. The Dublin University will now play UCC on 18 January as they bid to win the competition for the first time since 2018.  

Over 7,000 students take part in the Electric Ireland GAA Higher Education Leagues and Championships that commence in November and culminate in the Electric Ireland Sigerson and Fitzgibbon Cup Finals on 16 February and on 19 February respectively. The draw for the competitions took place on 14 December 2021 and the full schedule of fixtures can be viewed at https://www.gaa.ie/highereducation/. Electric Ireland will once again live stream a selection of games in 2022 following the success of live streaming the competitions in previous years.

Uachtarán CLG Larry McCarthy said: “After an absence in 2021, I am delighted to see the return of the Electric Ireland Higher Education GAA Championships in 2022 and I am looking forward to watching the matches over the coming weeks. With the exceptional talent on show, as well as the high standard of play, these competitions are always a great way to begin the year. I wish all the colleges the very best of luck.”

Sarah Sharkey, Brand, PR and Sponsorship Manager at Electric Ireland, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome back the Electric Ireland Higher Education GAA Championships in 2022 as Electric Ireland continues its commitment to young GAA players and their communities. It’s has been a pleasure to be able to support these players as they combine their studies with life on and off the pitch over the past number of years. 2022 promises to be a thrilling season celebrating the unexpected bonds created by intercounty rivals as they come together as teammates in the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cups.”

2020 Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup winner and UCC Hurler, Rob Downey, commented: “I am really excited to get our defence of the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup underway against Mary Immaculate College Limerick. As a team, we have been looking forward to this competition for a long time, 2019 and 2020 were obviously great years for UCC, but we have new players this season, some of whom I’m so used to playing against at Intercounty level, who are keen win this Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup for the first time.”

UCD and Westmeath Footballer, Ray Connellan, added “#FirstClassRivals really encompasses what these competitions are all about. College is such a great experience, but to be a part of a completely new team with guys you have only ever met on the field as your rivals before is an exciting challenge. We were disappointed to start our Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup campaign with a loss against MTU Kerry Campus this week and we are determined to continue our form/get back on track against UCC next week” 

Electric Ireland is committed to investing in young Irish talent, and the Electric Ireland GAA Higher Education Leagues and Championships sponsorship, launched in 2018, builds on Electric Ireland's longstanding support of the GAA with its award-winning sponsorship of the GAA All Ireland Minor Championships under the platform #GAAThisIsMajor.

Follow the Championships and be a part of the conversation on social media using the hashtag, #FirstClassRivals.


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