Joe McDonagh

The Joe McDonagh Cup was created in 2017 as the new second tier senior inter-county championship in hurling after the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. It was contested for the first time in 2018.

Joseph "Joe" McDonagh (1953 – 20 May 2016) was an Irish hurler and, later, Gaelic games administrator, who served as the President of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 1997 until 2000. He played hurling with his club Ballinderreen and the Galway senior team.

McDonagh died on 20 May 2016, following a short illness. Invited to attend a reunion with his teammates at his university in November 2015, he was unable to attend as he had been in hospital with what was thought to be pneumonia. The illness was later discovered to be cancer, which ultimately proved terminal. His son, Eoin, delivering an oration at the funeral mass, quoted O'Hehir in concluding: "Well done Joe McDonagh".

Throughout his career McDonagh made 15 championship appearances for Galway. His retirement came following the conclusion of the 1983 championship. In 2005, the Irish Independent named him amongst its substitutes in its list of "The Men Who Changed the Face of Galway Hurling".

One of the most iconic moments associated with McDonagh is his rendition of "The West's Awake" from the Hogan Stand in Croke Park after winning that All-Ireland with Galway in 1980. RTÉ commentator Michael O'Hehir memorably responded: "Well done Joe McDonagh".

In retirement from playing McDonagh became involved in the administrative affairs of the Gaelic Athletic Association. He was elected to the Galway County Board as Irish Officer in 1979 and went on to represent Galway on the Central Council in 1988, being appointed to the chair of the hurling work group on his first day. Runner-up to Jack Boothman in the 1993 election for the position, he subsequently became the 32nd President of the Gaelic Athletic Association between 1997 and 2000.

McDonagh had the honour of captaining his club Ballinderreen to the 1978 Galway Senior Hurling Championship Final. They faced neighbouring club Ardrahan. Played in Ballinasloe, the match ended in a draw, Ballinderreen 0-16 Ardrahan 2-10. After another titanic battle in the replay, McDonagh's side unfortunately lost by 2-14 to 2-18. Towards the latter end of his hurling career, Joe had the honour of captaining his side to win the Galway Junior B hurling Championship in 1996. The win was all the more special to him as his teenage son Eoin was playing alongside him.

With University College Galway (UCG), McDonagh played both Gaelic football and hurling and was a Fitzgibbon Cup medal winner as a postgraduate student in 1977. He was also a regular on the Sigerson Cup team in his time there, playing in five of the football competitions. He had previously won a Freshers hurling medal in 1972 and earned his B.A. from the university in 1975. His son, Eoin, also played in six Fizgibbon Cups for UCG.

McDonagh made his début on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he first linked up with the Galway minor team. An All-Ireland runner-up in this grade, he later won an All-Ireland medal with the under-21 team. McDonagh made his senior début during the 1972-73 league. He went on to play a key role for Galway during a breakthrough era, and won one All-Ireland medal as a non-playing substitute in 1980 and one National Hurling League medal. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions.