William Fitzgibbon was an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Carrigtwohill

Carrigtwohill

Carrigtwohill, officially Carrigtohill , is a village in County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland with a population of 4,869 . It is located east of Cork city, bypassed by the N25 road and is part of Metropolitan Cork. Carrigtwohill is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland. It is a major...

 and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team for one season 1902.

Club

Fitzgibbon played his club hurling with his local Carrigtwohill

Carrigtwohill GAA

Carrigtwohill GAA is a Gaelic Football and hurling club based in the parish of Carrigtwohill in Cork, Ireland. The club participates in Cork GAA competitions and in Imokilly board competitions. In 2011 the Senior hurling team won a first county title in 93 years...

 team in Cork. He enjoyed some success, however, he never won a county senior championship

Cork Senior Hurling Championship

The Evening Echo Cork County Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland....

 title.

Inter-county

Fitzgibbon first tasted success on the inter-county scene with Cork in 1902 when he was a late addition for the All-Ireland 'home' final against Dublin

Dublin GAA

Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...

. That game ended in a draw, however, Cork trounced 'the Dubs' in the replay by 2-6 to 0-1 and booked their place in the All-Ireland final. London

London GAA

The London County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or London GAA is one of the county boards outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in London...

 provided the opposition in that game. The final was played in Cork

Cork (city)

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

 to mark the opening of the new Cork Athletic Ground

Páirc Uí Chaoimh

Páirc Uí Chaoimh is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in the Ballintemple area of Cork in Ireland, where major hurling and Gaelic football matches are played. It is the home of Cork GAA...

. Fitzgibbon's side made no mistake on this occasion and powered to a 3-13 to 0-0 victory. It was a huge triumph for Cork and gave Fitzgibbon a coveted All-Ireland

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....

 winners’ medal. It was his only appearance in an All-Ireland final.

Sources

• Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005).
• Cronin, Jim, A Rebel Hundred: Cork's 100 All-Ireland Titles.
• Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).

Teams