At approximately 5pm on the 3rd Sunday of September each year, the winning Captain of the All Ireland Football Final leads his team up the steps of the Hogan Stand to receive the symbol of footballing supremacy, The Sam Maguire Cup.

As he holds the cup aloft he not only creates history, he also continues a tradition that is as old as the State of Ireland itself – a tradition that is infused in the very birth of the State. Yet how many among the seething thousands on the pitch below; how many among the hundreds of thousands watching on the TV at home know anything about Sam Maguire, the man who gives his name to the cup. Who is he? Where did he come from? What is his story?

“Sam” the film is a detailed portrayal of Sam the Man and the legacy that is Sam the Cup. Accessing detailed archive material and insightful interviews “Sam” succeeds in illuminating the story behind the man and the difficult troubled times in which he lived, while at the same time recounts the wonderful personal stories of sorrow and joy that Sam the cup has brought into people’s lives.

Sam Maguire’s story has until now been a little known chapter in the annals of GAA history – lost in the multitude of cheering crowds and battling warrior athletes who strive to capture the iconic ‘Sam Maguire’ cup each September. Once and for all however, a significant episode in not only the history of the GAA but also in the origins of the State, is brought to life. Cheered as a hero or condemned as a rebel – the story of Sam will forever more be known