Admiral Brown Cup Celebrates Historic Links Between Both Unions
Peter O'Mahony celebrates with the Admiral Brown Cup in 2021. ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
On Friday night the Ireland and Argentina teams compete once more for the Admiral Brown Cup (La Copa Almirante Brown), remembering the legacy of a naval hero who was born in Foxford, Co. Mayo in 1777.
William Brown (also known in Spanish as Guillermo Brown or Almirante Brown) (22 June 1777 – 3 March 1857) was an Irish sailor, merchant, and naval commander who served in the Argentine Navy during the wars of the early 19th century. Brown’s successes in the Argentine War of Independence, the Cisplatine War, and the Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata earned the respect and appreciation of the Argentine people, and he is regarded as one of Argentina’s national heroes.
The creator and first admiral of the country’s maritime forces, he is commonly known as the “father of the Argentine Navy”.
The inaugural presentation of the Admiral William Brown Cup took place in 2012 and is a joint initiative of the Embassy of Argentina in Dublin, the Irish Embassy in Buenos Aires and the respective rugby bodies, the IRFU and the UAR in Argentina. His memory is remembered annually in Foxford where there is a museum and park dedicated to him.
The Irish Naval Service ship the LÉ Eithne visited Buenos Aires in 2006 for the admiral’s sesquicentenary and links were forged between the two navies.
The Naval Service takes part in the commemoration ceremonies of Brown’s anniversaries annually in Foxford and Dublin.
In 1847, Admiral Brown visited his native Foxford, was shocked by what he witnessed at the height of the Famine and left a sum of money for relief.
Brown died 10 years later in Argentina, but his proud legacy lives on.