Players, from left, UCD footballer Daire Cregg, Mary Immaculate College hurler Shane Meehan, University of Ulster footballer Ryan Magill, University of Galway footballer Colin Murray and University of Galway hurler Niall Collins before the draw for the Electric Ireland GAA Higher Education Championships at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
By John Harrington
The draws for the 2025 Electric Ireland Higher Education GAA Championships which will be hosted by the University of Galway took place in Croke Park today.
Reigning Sigerson Cup champions, University of Ulster, are up against ATU Sligo in the first round on January 7h.
Last year’s beaten finalists UCD have what should be a fascinating first-round encounter with old rivals UCC who were recently crowned Electric Ireland Higher Education Division 1 League Football champions.
The first-round pairing the caused the biggest buzz in the room when they were drawn together was undoubtedly that of Queens University and St. Mary’s Belfast.
“It will be dubbed a Bel Classico!” said Queens manager, Conor Deegan, after the draw. “It is a draw where the one positive is that neither team is really travelling, which is a good thing.
“We know each other, we've played each other recently. So, it will be an occasion. In fairness, there is a huge amount of respect between the two colleges, and the teams. It is a good draw from that perspective.
“It will be very tough, we've a reasonably strong idea of how Mary's will play, they definitely maximise the sum of their parts. It will be a tough game. I'd like to think it is going to be tough for both teams."
Reigning Fitzgibbon Cup champions, Mary Immaculate College, have been drawn in a strong looking Group A that also includes last year’s beaten finalists University of Limerick, SETU Waterford, and ATU Galway.
University of Limerick were denied a three-in-a-row by Mary I in last year’s final, and will probably go into next year’s competition as favourites based on their impressive Electric Ireland Higher Education Division 1 Final victory over DCU Dóchas Éireann last weekend.
“It is going to be a dogfight, it makes it real, now,” said Mary Immaculate coach, Podge Collins, after the draw.
“The messages in the management group are hopping. We're getting planning already, and looking forward to it, and it is only a month away.”
Group B of the Fitzgibbon Cup is made up of UCC, UCD, University of Galway, and MTU Cork, while the three-team Group C is made up of DCU Dóchas Éireann, TUS Midwest, and Maynooth University.
The draws in full for the 2024 Electric Ireland Sigerson, Fitzgibbon, Trench, and Ryan Cups can be viewed and downloaded below.