Hugh Martin McGurk
Encyclopedia
Hugh Martin McGurk is an Irish
former dual GAA player
, who played Gaelic football
and hurling
for Derry
. He captained the Derry football team in the 1980s and won the Ulster Senior Football Championship
with the county in 1987.
McGurk played club football and hurling for Erin's Own Lavey
. He won the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
in 1991 with the club and also won two Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
s and 5 Derry Senior Football Championships. He also helped the club win the Derry Senior Hurling Championship 6 times.
and attended school at St Patricks College in Maghera. He later went to University of Ulster Jordanstown
and Queens University Belfast. All six of his brothers were keen sportsmen. Anthony
won All Star
awards in 1973 and 1975. Johnny
and Collie were part of the Derry team that won the 1993
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
.
and went on to win the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
the following March. In 1992 the club added a second Ulster Club Championship but were unsuccessful in their pursuit of another All-Ireland. The All-Ireland Club title was no doubt his biggest achievement in sport and six of his brothers were team-mates on the victorious panel.
In later years, McGurk joined St. Brigid's in Belfast
and helped them win the Antrim Junior Championship in 2004.
final, but the county were beaten by Monaghan
. Two years later however he won an Ulster Championship medal as Derry defeated Armagh
in the final. They went on to face Meath
in the All-Ireland semi-final
but were defeated. That year he was nominated for an All Star
at corner back.
He also won National League
Division 2 and Division 3 honours with the county.
In later years he played for the Derry Masters (Over 40s) team.
. He later played for both the University of Ulster Jordanstown
(UUJ) and Queens University Belfast and won the Trench Cup
with UUJ in 1981.
in International rules football
against Australia
.
.
and Ballymena United
. He held the cup scoring record with Portstewart with six goals in one game.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
former dual GAA player
Dual player
Dual player or dual star is a term used in Gaelic games to describe a player who plays both Men's Gaelic football and Hurling or Ladies' Gaelic football and Camogie. The player doesn't necessarily have to play at the same standard in both sports...
, who played Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
and hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
for Derry
Derry GAA
The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry...
. He captained the Derry football team in the 1980s and won the Ulster Senior Football Championship
Ulster Senior Football Championship
For information on this years competition, see Ulster Senior Football Championship 2011-2010 Draw:-2009 Draw:-2008 Draw:-Top winners:* All-Ireland winning years in bold.-Roll of honour:Notes:* 1907 No final result in records...
with the county in 1987.
McGurk played club football and hurling for Erin's Own Lavey
Lavey GAC
Erins Own GAC Lavey is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the parish of Lavey, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football, Hurling, Camogie and Ladies' Gaelic football....
. He won the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament run since 1971, played between the thousands of senior football clubs in Ireland. The current champions are Crossmaglen Rangers of Armagh, who defeated St. Brigid's of Roscommon on March 17, 2011 to win their...
in 1991 with the club and also won two Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition played between the top clubs in Ulster. The trophy awarded to the winners is the Seamus McFerran Cup...
s and 5 Derry Senior Football Championships. He also helped the club win the Derry Senior Hurling Championship 6 times.
Personal life
McGurk was born in LaveyLavey
Lavey is a Roman Catholic parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Lavey is bordered by the parishes of Castledawson, Maghera, Bellaghy, Greenlough and Kilrea. The parish contains no particularly large settlements, although it accommodates a number of small villages and hamlets, in order of...
and attended school at St Patricks College in Maghera. He later went to University of Ulster Jordanstown
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
and Queens University Belfast. All six of his brothers were keen sportsmen. Anthony
Anthony McGurk
Anthony 'Tony' McGurk is a two-time All Star winning former Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Derry in the 1970s and 1980s. He won three Ulster Championships with the side...
won All Star
GAA All Stars Awards
The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...
awards in 1973 and 1975. Johnny
Johnny McGurk
John McGurk is an Irish former dual GAA player, who is most notable for being a Gaelic footballer for the Derry senior football team in the 1980s and 1990s. He was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side and also won two Ulster Championships with the side...
and Collie were part of the Derry team that won the 1993
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1993
-All-Ireland Football Final:-Top championship scorer:...
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
.
Club
McGurk won five Derry Senior Football Championship medals with Lavey (1977, 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1993). He was the top scorer in the 1988 Derry Championship with a tally of 1-19 (22 points). In 1990 the club won the Ulster Senior Club Football ChampionshipUlster Senior Club Football Championship
The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition played between the top clubs in Ulster. The trophy awarded to the winners is the Seamus McFerran Cup...
and went on to win the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament run since 1971, played between the thousands of senior football clubs in Ireland. The current champions are Crossmaglen Rangers of Armagh, who defeated St. Brigid's of Roscommon on March 17, 2011 to win their...
the following March. In 1992 the club added a second Ulster Club Championship but were unsuccessful in their pursuit of another All-Ireland. The All-Ireland Club title was no doubt his biggest achievement in sport and six of his brothers were team-mates on the victorious panel.
In later years, McGurk joined St. Brigid's in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and helped them win the Antrim Junior Championship in 2004.
Inter-county
McGurk played for Derry in the 1985 Ulster Senior Football ChampionshipUlster Senior Football Championship
For information on this years competition, see Ulster Senior Football Championship 2011-2010 Draw:-2009 Draw:-2008 Draw:-Top winners:* All-Ireland winning years in bold.-Roll of honour:Notes:* 1907 No final result in records...
final, but the county were beaten by Monaghan
Monaghan GAA
The Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Monaghan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Monaghan and the Monaghan inter-county football and hurling teams. Separate county boards are responsible for the...
. Two years later however he won an Ulster Championship medal as Derry defeated Armagh
Armagh GAA
The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh...
in the final. They went on to face Meath
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...
in the All-Ireland semi-final
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1987
-All-Ireland Final:...
but were defeated. That year he was nominated for an All Star
GAA All Stars Awards
The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...
at corner back.
He also won National League
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
Division 2 and Division 3 honours with the county.
In later years he played for the Derry Masters (Over 40s) team.
School/College
In 1977 McGurk was part of the first ever St. Pat's team to win the MacRory CupMacRory Cup
The MacRory Cup is an inter-college Gaelic football tournament in Ulster. It is staged every year with the stipulation that players must be under eighteen-and-a-half at the start of the tournament...
. He later played for both the University of Ulster Jordanstown
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
(UUJ) and Queens University Belfast and won the Trench Cup
Trench Cup
The Trench Cup is the second tier Gaelic football competition for third level education colleges and universities in Ireland and England.The current champions are St. Patrick's College, Dublin after they narrowly defeated Mary Immaculate College Limerick,0-12 to 0-7.The competition first game into...
with UUJ in 1981.
International
McGurk also represented IrelandIreland international rules football team
The Ireland International rules football team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football, a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football...
in International rules football
International rules football
International rules football is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules football players and Gaelic football players....
against Australia
Australia international rules football team
This article concerns the men's team; for information on the Australian women's team, see Australia women's international rules football team....
.
Inter-county
McGurk played for Derry hurlers in various positions over a 14-year period. Among his honours are helping the county win the All-Ireland Junior Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship was a hurling competition organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland. The competition was originally contested by the second teams of the strong counties, and the first teams of the weaker counties...
.
School/College
McGurk played hurling for both the University of Ulster Jordanstown (UUJ) and Queens University Belfast.Soccer career
McGurk was also an accomplished soccer player and had spells with Portstewart United, Tobermore UnitedTobermore United F.C.
Tobermore United is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1965, is based in Tobermore, near Magherafelt, County Londonderry and currently plays its home matches at Fortwilliam Park. Club colours are red and black...
and Ballymena United
Ballymena United F.C.
Ballymena United, is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club hails from the town of Ballymena, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Ballymena Showgrounds. Club colours are sky blue and white. Away Colours are Red and BlackThe club was...
. He held the cup scoring record with Portstewart with six goals in one game.