'You can have equality, but you might still not have equity' - DCU hurlers out to make Fitzgibbon breakthrough

Enjoying a level playing field when it comes to resources in Ballymun, the university's hurlers are on the brink of history.

Sat, 15 Feb, 2025 - 07:15

Eoghan Cormican

At 11.15pm on Wednesday night, the social media account belonging to UCC GAA posted a message of congratulations to their Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final conquerors from earlier that day. The post couldn’t have been more gracious, stating as it did that DCU’s win was “well deserved”.

“Thanks lads. You’re the standard bearers,” read the DCU reply a few minutes later.

There’s no question but UCC remain the Fitzgibbon standard-bearers. There’s an unrivalled haul of 40 titles. There’s also no question but the UCC post of 11.15pm on Wednesday night showed the respect that now extends to the DCU hurlers.

It is respect, both of opponents and of those much closer to home, that was a long time earned.

DCU rejoined the Fitzgibbon ranks in 2011. In their group for that campaign were this afternoon’s final opponents, UL, and the aforementioned UCC. UL whacked them by 24 points, UCC by 21. When the latter hosted them at the Mardyke 12 months later, the hosing was 29-points strong. 7-18 to 0-10 read the final scoreline.

DCU won a third Sigerson crown in seven years that same 2012 spring. Conor Mortimer, part of their breakthrough Sigerson success, said earlier this week that the student footballers were using ice baths before the Dublin footballers knew they even existed. They wanted for nothing.

The University’s footballers and hurlers shared lecture halls and little else. The former was the favoured child. The figures of that time support such a statement.

In 2013, it was revealed that funding for the men’s Gaelic football club was more than double that allocated to the hurlers. Where the footballers pocketed €45,908 from DCU’s Club Life Committee (CLC) for the 2012/13 season, the hurling side of the house received just €20,031. Moreover, the men’s football club were found to be in breach of CLC policy having received funding for more than the permitted two coaches per team.

From there to here. DCU are still winning Sigerson Cups. The hurlers, though, have been pulled up alongside them. A famous first Fitzgibbon crown, and the unique double it would deliver, is one hour from their reach.

Paul O’Brien was manager for that returning Fitz campaign of 2011. He was manager for the 4-18 to 0-8 and 4-18 to 1-8 hammerings by UL and UCC respectively. Paul O’Brien is today the GAA Officer at DCU.

He speaks of equity between the codes. Not simply equality, but equity.

“You can have equality, but you might still not have equity. What we’ve had here over the last number of years is equitable disbursement of resources between the codes. And what has been achieved as a result of that is something that is relevant to all those counties where football is the dominant code. I’d be very strong on that,” O’Brien stressed.

“You know the way it is in some clubs where such a team goes onto the back pitch, it's not like that here. Everyone is given the resources in terms of gym, scholarship supports, coaching supports. Whatever you need to succeed, it is afforded to the coaches and players, and it is done on that equitable basis of their being supported, their making progress, and they being continued to be supported.”

When DCU reached a maiden Fitz final in 2018, 12 of the starting 15 hailed from Dublin, Kilkenny, and Wexford. And while these three counties continue to be DCU mainstays, Wednesday’s semi-final line-up contained three Offaly youngsters, Cian Boran from Kildare, and Westmeath’s Peter Clarke.

“Brian Duignan won an All-Ireland freshers with us in 2020 and now we have three more Offaly lads, Colin Spain, Donal Shirley, and Sam Bourke, who are absolutely instrumental to our Fitz team.

“Cian Boran, I would have felt he comfortably got the better of Eoin Downey the other night. His brother, Rian, who won a Champions 15 All-Star last year, was with us previously. There are a lot of good hurlers coming through Kildare who we are lucky enough to have had in DCU and they've benefited from hurling in DCU.

“It’s a case of fellas come in and they are given that rounded support to try and progress on. I've been involved in second level and third level for the past 15 years and they are pivotal in terms of players' development, both hurling-wise and socially. It gives that opportunity to get more rounded hurlers and people in place. It is so important that the second level and third level competitions are given that opportunity to breathe.” Given the equity now in place and given their established presence at the latter end of the competition - this is their second final appearance since 2018, while there were two more semi-final appearances in the interim - what can be the value of a first DCU Fitz crown?

“We are predominantly a Leinster college. Munster hurling is dominating at the moment. Can you help to change that? No Leinster college has won the Fitz since UCD back in 2001.

“It is happening already at second level. There is so much talk about the Harty Cup, but St Kieran's win the Croke Cup every year. It is going from that happening at second level to happening at third level and then hopefully that replicates at senior inter-county.”