THOUGH he holds a special place in Carlow's Gaelic football history Kevin Maher has, for over 70 years now, been confined to the role of unsung hero. Indeed until news broke that Carlow IT were hosting the 2008 Sigerson Cup the said Mr Maher hadn't even a Christian name?! All we knew, from a study of the indepth Third Level GAA records, lovingly compiled by Cormac McAnnallan's brother, was that a K Maher, who won a Sigerson Cup medal with UCD in 1935, was the only native of Ireland's second smallest county to have pocketed a coveted Sigerson memento.

Casually bringing up his name with some old-timers didn't ring any bells so nothing for it but to consult the archives and by dent of a little investigation deduct that this K Maher must be the Kevin Maher of Muinebheag who lined out at left half forward on what was one of the first ever Carlow minor football team, beaten 2-3 to 0-0 by Laois in Athy in July 1930. A phone call to that great Bagenalstown and Carlow gael Mick Jones confirmed that Kevin Maher was indeed from Augha, just outside Bagenalstown and was reputed to be a tidy little footballer.

In the 1931 Carlow Senior Football Championship final in Leighlinbridge, a team by the name of Bagenals townCarrig United drew with the great O'Hanrahan's, scoring 0-6 to the Blues 1-3, before losing the replay at the same venue 1-6 to 1-3, Kevin Maher securing the goal for the vanquished.

Kevin Maher was on Carlow team that reached the 1932 Leinster Junior Football Championship finals with wins over Wexford in Bagenalstown, Westmeath in Portarlington and Offaly in Athy. That was Carlow's No 1 team and the scallion-aters narrowly lost the Provincial final, Louth emerging 1-7 to 1-5 winners in Croke Park.

That Carlow team was: William Quigley, T Mulhall, Thomas Moran, Paddy Brennan, J Hendrick, M O'Brien, Edward Murphy, Lar Keeffe, J Lawler, Michael Price 0-1, Kevin Maher, E Haughney, Paddy Barron, M Walsh, Tom

Walker. Subs: J Geoghegan, P Brennan, E, Whittaker, J Byrne, P Lacey

Carlow came back to win the Leinster Junior championship the following year when a Maher, playing right half forward, presumably Kevin, made one appearance, scoring a point in an 0-8 apiece semi-final draw with Dublin in Athy. There is n mention of him thereafter nor those he appear in the photograph of the victorious squad.

However, returning to 1932, the year the Eucharistic Congress was held in Ireland, Kevin Maher probably enjoyed his greatest hour in the Spring of that famous year, as a perusal of a report of Knockbeg College's amazing Leinster Senior Football Championship final victory over St Mel's of Longford in Croke Park tells us "Maher was Knockbeg's star; he was always a menace in attack, and his goal from a free was very fine". That goal was part of an extraordinary come-back, Knockbeg, having played against the wind 3-3 to 0-1 in arrears at half-time and falling a further goal behind shortly after the restart. Let the match report tell the tale of ensuing events.

"In seven minutes Henry goaled for Knockbeg. Three minutes later Maher netted. Shine and Maher (free) narrowed the gap to two points, and then in twenty minutes Meehan and Shine closed it. Three minutes to go Shine pointed for the lead for Knockbeg; in the next minute he netted, and Maher's point (free) came in the final minute".

Yes, Kevin Maher of Bagenalstown was the undoubted hero with another Carlow man, Paddy Shine of Tinryland, also very much to the fore. Shine, a class footballer, scored the winning goal for Carlow in the following years Leinster Junior final against Wicklow and in '34 won a County SFC

medal with his native Tinryland.

But for his ordination to the priesthood many old-timers reckon Shine would have been the final piece in the Carlow '44 jigsaw.

Perhaps Kevin Maher, too, could have shared in that Carlow success and in their assault on All-Ireland glory but, truth to tell, after 1935, the year he won his Sigerson Cup medal, we can find no trace of the Bagenalstown footballer having seen action on the playing fields of his native county.

The 1935-36 Sigerson Cup was held before Christmas 1935. Indeed from 1921/22 to 1966/67 the prestigious competition was staged in during Michaelmas, the first academic term of the year.

For only the third time since its inauguration in 1911 the 1935/36 Sigerson was held on a knock-out basis and history was created when Queens University, who participated for the first time as recently as 1933/ 34, acted as hosts.

The Northern College beat UCC 3-5 to 0-3 in the semi-final at Cherryvale and at the same venue UCD ousted 36 to 1-5 to qualify for the following days final in Corrigan Park, Belfast.

Lining out at centre half forward for the Sky Blues in that December 8 final was Kevin Maher of Carlow, the Dublin college drawing their resources from nine counties and all four provinces while the hosts were exclusively a Northern outfit.

When the final whistle sounded UCD, captained by their full-back Paddy McMahon of Kerry, had outscored Queens 2-3 to 0-1, Vincent McGovern and Eamon Gavin scoring the winners goals.

That victorious 1935/36 UCD fifteen was: John 'Roger' Horan (Kerry); Gerry O'Leary (Cork), Paddy McMahon (Kerry) Capt, Rex Kelleghan (Monaghan); Jack O'Connor (Kerry), Joe Hughes (Galway), Paddy O'Loughlin

( Mayo); Patrick Henry ( Offaly), George Powell (Kerry & Dublin); J Lynham (Dublin); Kevin Maher (Carlow), Toddy Walsh (Kerry); Eamon Gavin (Westmeath), Vincent McGovern ( Cavan), Peter Carney ( Westmeath).