The Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup gets underway this week, with 12 teams involved in the inter-varsity hurling competition, the pinnacle of college hurling. University of Galway will be aiming to improve on last year’s campaign, which saw them fail to advance from the group stages. They have been drawn in a group with UCD and TUS Midwest, with an opening fixture at home to UCD – a team they defeated convincingly in the final round of the 2025 competition – on January 8 in Dangan, Galway.
Despite the disappointment of last year’s group stage results, University of Galway will be buoyed by the addition of 2025 senior and under 20 All-Ireland winner, Tipperary’s Sam O’Farrell. As well as this, the experience of Clarinbridge man Gavin Lee in defence and Offaly sharpshooter Charlie Mitchell in attack will be key to a successful campaign this year.
They had a mixed league campaign, which saw them win against ATU Galway but lose away to Fitzgibbon kingpins University of Limerick.
UCD will need their big guns to be firing in Dangan, with Diarmuid O’Dulaing likely to line out in the inside forward line, complemented by fellow Dublin man Dara Purcell in the middle of the park. Kilkenny’s Peter McDonald and Westmeath’s David Williams also return to the fold with more inter-county experience under their belts.
The maroon and white of Galway have won this competition 10 times in their history, but their last piece of silverware at this level was back in 2010. They overcame SETU Waterford – formerly Waterford Institute of Technology – that year after extra time, with household names like John Conlon of Clare and Galway’s Daithi Burke featuring for the winning side.
Having won three of the last four Fitzgibbon cups, (swapped it round) UL are hot favourites going into this competition, with an array of county players to pick from. In a real embarrassment of riches, the squad contains a large Limerick contingent, including young hurler of the year nominee Adam English. Tipperary duo Darragh McCarthy and Oisin O’Donoghue will surely cause defences some problems, as well as Kilcormac-Killoughey wonderkid Adam Screeney. Not to mention the powerhouses of Mark Fitzgerald from Waterford and Sean Rynne from Clare who will be looking to have an impact further out the field. UL will arrive with confidence to face Maynooth University in the first game of the competition, after they won the 2025 title by five points against DCU DÉ.
Despite this, plenty of others will fancy their chances this year. Mary Immaculate College possess Limerick dangerman Shane O’Brien, as well as teak-tough defenders Adam Hogan and Vince Harrington. They face SETU Waterford in the first round, while ATU Galway have a bye week with no first round game.
MTU Cork will be depleted in stock from their 2025 campaign – which saw them bow out at the semi-final stage – losing Cork stars like Alan Connolly, Ciaran Joyce, and Jack Cahalane. They will look to Lisgoold man Diarmuid Healy and Alan Walsh of Kanturk for inspiration, as they begin their championship against city rivals UCC. UCC also wield a strong panel for 2026, from Tipperary All-Ireland winners Darragh Stakelum and Peter McGarry to local talent in Eoin Downey and forward ace Ben Cunningham. The Garda College in Templemore are also in the group, earning their spot after winning the tier 2 Ryan Cup in early 2025.
With four groups of three, only the winners and runners-up from each group will progress to the quarter-final stage, with home advantage given to the group winners. The final will take place on the week commencing February 9. Mighty battles and divided loyalties can be expected as county men face their own in pursuit of college hurling’s most prestigious prize.
