Bertram J. Collingwood came to the chair of Physiology in UCD in 1912.  He had a brilliant academic career at Oxford and St. Mary’s Hospital and during the years he held the chair in UCD he enhanced considerably his high reputation as a teacher.  He brought a well-informed and alert mind to his work in this important department, which flourished, under his control.

 

Outside his professional duties he took a keen interest in student athletic activities, but it was the welfare of the Association Football Club that lay nearest to his heart.

 

While at Oxford, Collingwood had been on the new College team and later, at right half, played regularly for Corinthians.  He came to Dublin when football in UCD was passing through a lean phase and lacked the great stimulus of inter-university competition.  To remedy this Collingwood very generously presented a cup for annual competition between the Universities and in 1914 the Collingwood Cup competition was inaugurated.

 

In spite of the many changes in football in Ireland and abroad, the Collingwood Cup has remained very much the same.  Now in its 100^th year, it is an institution in Irish football.  As an all Ireland competition it has maintained a unique tradition, which has transcended the boundaries of religion, politics and other elements, which have resulted in the demise of other sporting competitions in this Country.

 

Fittingly, given Bertram Collingwood’s association with UCD and the University’s proud tradition in the competition, UCD Association Football Club will host the Collingwood 100 event in Belfield from February 25^th-28^th.  The UCD team will be hoping to retain the trophy in this year’s event (and record an historic three in a row).  The Collingwood final will, for the first time be broadcast live by Setanta Sport from the UCD Bowl on Friday 28^th February at 5.00p.m.  A celebratatory lunch will be held prior to the final, giving former players a chance to meet up and reminisce about their Collingwood experiences.

 

Collingwood Facts:

• Has been played annually since 1914 apart from 1915-1919 period (WW1) and on one other occasion in 1934 as a result of a friction between the IFA and the FAI.

• UCD were first winners in 1914 beating Queen’s at UCD – only 4 teams competed.

• Original trophy disappeared in the late 1920s.

• Original trophy most likely thrown into the Boyne by Queens travelling south for a tournament they had no chance of winning vowing that the trophy would never return south!

• New cup donated in 1940 was immediately named the Collingwood and still in use today.

• UCD and Queens dominated the Collingwood Cup between 1943 and 1966.

• The UCD/Queen’s monopoly was broken by Trinity in 1967.

• Trinity won again in 1979. Galway won in 1968, 1970 and 1971 and Cork in 1974 and 1978.

• The Collingwood vanished in 1972 but turned up after 3 months in a Dublin Hotel.

• In 1980 Belfast Ulster Polytechnic (now UUJ) won the Collingwood for the first time, as did St. Mary’s in 1998 in Belfast.

• The 1980’s were dominated by UCD with 6 wins.

• In 1990 the infamous “Collingwood in the Lee” tournament.  UCC defeated Trinity AET in the final at the Mardyke.

• In the 1990’s 5 different clubs won the Collingwood – UCD (3 in a row), Cork 2 in a row), Galway (2), UUJ (2 in a row), and St. Mary’s (1).

• In the 21st century so far Cork have 6 wins, UCD 5 wins and UUJ 3 wins

• Collingwood Plate was first played for in the 1971 to cater for the teams who failed to qualify for the final stages of the tournament.

• The Plate was replaced with the Farquhar, Spillane and Duggan Cups in 2006 when the competition reverted to a straight knockout basis.

 

Collingwood 2014 Teams

 

1	University of Ulster,	UUJ
2	University College Dublin	UCD
3	Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland	RCSI
4	University College Cork	UCC
5	Mary Immaculate College, Limerick	MIC
6	Dublin City University	DCU
7	National University of Ireland, Maynooth	Maynooth
8	Trinity College Dublin	TCD
9	National University of Ireland, Galway	NUIG
10	Queen’s University Belfast	QUB
11	University of Limerick	UL