Sam Maguire

Sam Maguire (1877 to 1927) was an Irish republican and Gaelic football player from Mallabraca near Dunmanway in West Cork, a member of the Church of Ireland. After passing the Post Office examinations at the age of twenty he took a job in the British Civil Service in London, where he played for the London Hibernians club and captained London in the 1901 and 1904 All-Ireland finals. From 1907 he moved into administration as Chairman of the London County Board, became a regular delegate to the annual Congress of the GAA and later a trustee of Croke Park. He is also remembered for recruiting the nationalist leader Michael Collins to the Irish Republican Brotherhood. He is chiefly remembered as the eponym of the Sam Maguire Cup, given to the All-Ireland Senior Champions of Gaelic football each year.