Next weekend’s Sigerson Cup semi-final between NUI Galway and UCC has been moved back 24 hours and will now take place on Sunday, February 17th, which means that Corofin’s Kieran Molloy will now have a chance to play in the match.
The original fixture caused controversy because the All-Ireland club semi-finals are being held on the Saturday and two of the Corofin team, who will play Gaoth Dobhair of Donegal, are involved with Sigerson colleges.
NUIG made representations on behalf of Molloy amid unhappiness that this clash had happened in two successive years, as 12 months ago Corofin were engaged in an All-Ireland semi-final against Moorefield on the same afternoon as the Sigerson final.
Molloy was rushed to Dublin from Tullamore and played in the second half, as his college lost narrowly to UCD.
Co-incidentally his club-mate Liam Silke is a medical student in UCD. He injured his hand in the Moorefield match but the college had already indicated that they wouldn’t look to play him in any event.
Similarly this time around, UCD were content to field a team without Silke and consequently didn’t look for a postponement. Their semi-final against St Mary’s, Belfast will go ahead on Saturday week.
The decision was taken by the governing body of third-level colleges, Comhairle Árdoideachais. Both matches take place in Mallow.
