Club Titles – SFC

Colmcille 1-7
Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 0-8

Winning Captain: Jack Macken
Man of Match: Jack Macken
Referee: Mark Glancy

Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 0-15
Mostrim 0-06

Winning Captain: Donal McElligott
Man of Match: Cian Mackey
Referee: Patrick Maguire

🔗 Match Programme Link

Killoe Young Emmets 0-13
Longford Slashers 1-8

Winning Captain: Daniel Mimnagh
Man of Match: Michael Quinn
Referee: Aiden Dowler

🔗 Match Programme Link

The 2020 Senior Football Championship is best remembered for Killoe Young Emmets receiving an unprecedented 48-week ban from the Longford Hearing Committee in August 2020 for an apparent failure to pay a €750 fine relating to a Juvenile final no-show the previous season. The ban made national news and would have ruled the club out of defending their title with Championship activity already underway. The ban was appealed to, and deemed illegitimate and quashed by, the GAA’s Dispute Resolution Authority (DRA) in September 2020 who ruled that the Longford Hearing Committee had erred in both its interpretation and implementation of the rules (🔗 Link). Killoe were immediately reinstated and went on to win the Senior Football Championship. 

Killoe Young Emmets 0-12
Longford Slashers 0-11

Winning Captain: Seán McCormack
Man of Match: Daniel Mimnagh
Referee: Patrick Maguire

🔗 Match Programme Link

Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 2-14
Abbeylara 1-2

Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 0-6
Abbeylara 0-6

Winning Captain: Shane Mulligan
Man of Match: David McGivney
Referee: Fergal Kelly (2nd game) / Donal Kane (1st game)

🔗 Match Programme Link

Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 0-13
Abbeylara 1-7

Winning Captain: Shane Mulligan
Man of Match: Rian Brady
Referee: Aiden Dowler

🔗 Match Programme Link

Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 1-8
Abbeylara 0-8

Winning Captain: Shane Mulligan
Man of Match: John Keegan
Referee: Patrick Maguire

🔗 Match Programme Link

Killoe Young Emmets 1-14
Abbeylara 1-11

Winning Captain: Michael Quinn
Man of Match: Conor Berry (Abbeylara)
Referee: Derek Fahy

🔗 Match Programme Link

Killoe Young Emmets 2-11
Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 0-10

Winning Captain: Joe McCormack
Man of Match: Daniel Mimnagh
Referee: Michael O’Brien

🔗 Match Programme Link

Longford Slashers 1-11
Dromard 1-9

Winning Captain: Dermot Brady
Man of Match: Dermot Brady
Referee: Fergal Kelly

Killoe Young Emmets 0-15
Longford Slashers 0-12

Killoe Young Emmets 0-7
Longford Slashers 0-7

Winning Captain: Joe McCormack
Man of Match: Seán McCormack
Referee: Patrick Maguire (2nd game) / Derek Fahy (1st game)

Longford Slashers 0-7
Clonguish 0-6

Winning Captain: Dermot Brady
Man of Match: Paul Kelly
Referee: Frank Toher

Longford Slashers 0-11
Dromard 1-5

Winning Captain: Dermot Brady
Man of Match: David Sheridan
Referee: Derek Fahy

Clonguish 0-9
Dromard 1-5

Clonguish 1-11
Dromard 1-11

Winning Captain: Paul Barden
Man of Match: David Barden
Referee: John Bannon (2nd game) / Eugene Murtagh (1st game)

Colmcille 0-13
Longford Slashers 0-7

Winning Captain: Francis Kavanagh
Man of Match: Declan C Reilly
Referee: Mick Doherty

Dromard 1-8
Colmcille 2-4

Winning Captain: Padraig Jones
Man of Match: Frank McGee
Referee: Stephen Tierney

Abbeylara 1-9
Longford Slashers 0-10

Winning Captain: Donal Ledwith
Man of Match: Niall Sheridan
Referee: John Bannon

Dromard 1-14
Fr. Manning Gaels 0-12

Winning Captain: Cathal Conefrey
Man of Match: Diarmuid Masterson
Referee: Derek Fahy

Clonguish 1-15
Fr. Manning Gaels 0-5

Winning Captain: Brendan Burke
Man of Match: Paul Barden
Referee: Mick Doherty

Clonguish 0-11
Ballymahon 1-1

Clonguish 0-11
Ballymahon 1-8

Winning Captain: Enda Barden
Man of Match: Paddy Dowd
Referee: Mick Doherty (2nd game) / Tommy Donohoe (1st game)

Ballymahon 1-11
Clonguish 0-12

Winning Captain: Ken Cooney
Man of Match: Frankie Dolan
Referee: Peter O’Reilly

Fr. Manning Gaels 1-9
St. Marys Granard 0-6

Winning Captain: David Hannify
Man of Match: Frank McNamee
Referee: John Bannon

Abbeylara 2-6
Fr. Manning Gaels 0-4

Winning Captain: Niall Sheridan
Man of Match: Terry Drake
Referee: Seamus Flood

Dromard 1-10
Abbeylara 1-8

Dromard 1-7
Abbeylara 0-10

Winning Captain: Cathal Conefrey
Man of Match: Paul Jones
Referee: Frank Toher (both games)

Fr. Manning Gaels 1-11
Abbeylara 2-7

Winning Captain: Frank McNamee
Man of Match: Pauric Davis
Referee: Pat O’Toole

Fr. Manning Gaels 0-12
Longford Slashers 0-6

Winning Captain: Frank McNamee
Man of Match: Pauric Davis
Referee: John Bannon

Fr. Manning Gaels 0-15
Ardagh St. Patricks 1-5

Winning Captain: Frank McNamee
Man of Match: Padraic Brady
Referee: Eugene Murtagh

Killoe Young Emmets 0-11
Ardagh St. Patricks 1-5

Winning Captain: Mark Mimnagh
Man of Match: John Toher
Referee: Pat O’Toole

History was made in 1995 when two brothers trained the winners of the Senior Football Championship (Killoe trained by Tommy McCormack) and Junior Football Championship (Ballymore trained by Jimmy McCormack).

Longford Slashers 2-11
Colmcille 1-11

Winning Captain: Niall Caslin
Man of Match: Gerry Clarke
Referee: John Bannon

Killoe Young Emmets 0-9
St. Marys Granard 0-7

Winning Captain: John McCormack
Man of Match: John McCormack
Referee: Pat Keenan

Mostrim 3-9
Seán Connollys 1-7

Winning Captain: Gerry Lynn
Man of Match: Bernie Connell
Referee: Pat O’Toole

Longford Slashers 1-13
Mostrim 3-6

Winning Captain: Dessie Barry
Man of Match: Dessie Barry
Referee: Eugene Murtagh

Longford Slashers 2-18
Ardagh St. Patricks 1-11

Longford Slashers 0-7
Ardagh St. Patricks 1-4

Winning Captain: Dessie Barry
Man of Match: Dessie Barry
Referee: Pat O’Toole (both games)

Longford Slashers 2-10
Mostrim 1-7

Winning Captain: Dermot Caslin
Man of Match: Dessie Barry
Referee: Brendan Gilmore

It is worth noting that Longford Slashers went on to win the World 7-a-side Gaelic Football competition in New York in 1989. Slashers lost to Kilmacud Crokes by 2-3 to 0-1 in their opening game, but recovered to beat Beltane Shamrocks from Glasgow by 3-4 to 1-2 and St. Mary’s London by 4-8 to 1-3 to qualify for the Quarter Finals where they beat New York by 3-4 to 2-1. In the semi-final they beat Garryowen of London by 4-4 to 3-3 and in the final defeated Donegal NY by 2-5 to 2-4 in a very exciting game. The tournament highlights included a three-goal spree by Dessie Barry in the semi-final, a crucial Fintan Flanagan goal in the final, and the performance of Leonard Dolan who completed the tournament with an impressive tally of six goals and four points. 

Killoe Young Emmets 3-7
Mostrim 1-7

Winning Captain: Declan Rowley
Man of Match: Frank Kennedy
Referee: Jas Brady

Ardagh St. Patricks 2-6
Killoe Young Emmets 1-8

Winning Captain: Seán Kiernan
Man of Match: Brendan Lennon (Killoe)
Referee: Peter Kane

Cashel 2-10
Mostrim 1-8

Winning Captain: Frank Carberry
Man of Match: Mick Casey
Referee: Terry McGovern

Mostrim 1-5
Ardagh St. Patricks 0-6

Mostrim 2-5
Ardagh St. Patricks 2-5

Mostrim 1-5
Ardagh St. Patricks 0-8

Winning Captain: Mickey O’Hara
Man of Match: John Smith
Referee: Mick Lloyd (all 3 games)

Cashel 0-9
Mostrim 0-5

Winning Captain: Gerry Farrell
Man of Match: Mick Casey
Referee: Roggie Martin

Cashel 1-9
Killoe Young Emmets 1-8

Winning Captain: Peter Bannon
Man of Match: Brendan Smyth
Referee: Leo McCormack

🔗 Match Programme Link

St. Marys Granard 4-5
Ardagh St. Patricks 1-9

Winning Captain: Padraig Kearney
Man of Match: Kevin O’Rourke
Referee: Peter Kane

Clonguish 2-2
Longford Slashers 1-2

Winning Captain: John Blessing
Man of Match: Jimmy McCormack
Referee: Roggie Martin

Longford Slashers 1-7
Cashel 1-5

Winning Captain: John Murphy
Man of Match: Donal O’Brien
Referee: Brendan Gilmore

Longford Slashers 1-7
Rathcline 0-9

Winning Captain: John Murphy
Man of Match: Michael Sexton
Referee: Terry McGovern

🔗 Match Programme Link

Ardagh St. Patricks 3-15
Longford Slashers 0-10

Winning Captain: J.J. Orohoe
Man of Match: Pat Higgins
Referee: J.P. Reilly

Cashel 1-8
Longford Slashers 1-6

Winning Captain: Mike Kenny
Man of Match: Jim Kenny
Referee: Roggie Martin

Rathcline 2-7
Clonguish 0-6

Winning Captain: Pat McCormack
Referee: Tom McLoughlin

Longford Slashers 2-13
Mostrim 2-5

Winning Captain: Hal Carey
Referee: Jimmy Fox

Mostrim 2-6
Adagh St. Patricks 1-5

Winning Captain: Declan Dockery
Referee: Tom Hayden

Clonguish 1-15
St. Martins 0-5

Winning Captain: Kevin Doyle
Referee: Tom Reilly

(St. Martins was a temporary amalgamation of Kenagh and Carrickedmond)

Clonguish 1-15
St. Marys Granard 1-6

Winning Captain: Seamus Flynn
Referee: Leo McCormack

Longford Slashers 0-7
St. Martins 1-3

Winning Captain: Alex Baxter
Referee: Tom McLoughlin

(St. Martins was a temporary amalgamation of Kenagh and Carrickedmond)

St. Marys Granard 0-10
Clonguish 0-7

Winning Captain: Charlie Martin
Referee: Tom McLoughlin

Clonguish 2-6
St. Marys Granard 1-7

Winning Captain: Pat Burke
Referee: Leo McCormack

Clonguish 0-12
Longford Slashers 1-8

Winning Captain: Seamus Flynn
Referee: Leo McCormack

St. Marys Granard 1-7
Carrickedmond 0-6

Winning Captain: Martin Clyne
Referee: Leo McCormack

St. Marys Granard 0-9
Éire Óg (Drumlish) 0-2

Winning Captain: Seán O’Rourke
Referee: Leo McCormack

(The Drumlish club transitioned from Young Irelands to Éire Óg name from 1958)

Clonguish 0-11
St. Marys Granard 2-4

Winning Captain: Paddy Hanrahan
Referee: John Greene

Clonguish 1-10
Longford Slashers 1-2

Winning Captain: Paddy Hanrahan
Referee: Niall McKnight

Clonguish 2-7
Longford Slashers 1-4

Winning Captain: Paddy Hanrahan
Referee: Richard Culhane

Clonguish 2-10
St. Marys Granard 0-9

Winning Captain: Paddy Hanrahan
Referee: Jimmy Martin

Longford Slashers 2-8
Éire Óg (Drumlish) 0-4

Winning Captain: Michael Kelly
Referee: Richard Culhane

(The Drumlish club transitioned from Young Irelands to Éire Óg name from 1958)

Killoe Young Emmets 2-8
Longford Slashers 1-6

Winning Captain: Billy Morgan
Referee: Seán Murray

(First final with Seán Connolly Cup presented to the winner)

Longford Slashers 3-5
Killoe Young Emmets 1-5

Longford Slashers 1-5
Killoe Young Emmets 1-5

Colmcille 1-4
Drumlish Young Irelands 1-2

(Drumlish club re-organised and adopted the name Young Irelands in 1951. The name transitioned to Éire Óg from 1958 with initial use of both Young Irelands and Éire Og interchangeably in published sources from 1958 and full transition to Éire Óg in the 1960’s. Titles of 1951, 1953 & 1955 all won as Drumlish Young Irelands)

Longford Slashers 2-7
Rathcline 0-4

Longford Slashers 2-7
Colmcille 0-6

Drumlish Young Irelands 2-7
Ardagh St. Patricks 0-3

(Drumlish club re-organised and adopted the name Young Irelands in 1951. The name transitioned to Éire Óg from 1958 with initial use of both Young Irelands and Éire Og interchangeably in published sources from 1958 and full transition to Éire Óg in the 1960’s. Titles of 1951, 1953 & 1955 all won as Drumlish Young Irelands)

Longford Slashers 1-6
Seán Connollys 1-3

(Note: Longford Slashers won the Senior Championship in the year of the clubs formation in 1954. The club was formed via the amalgamation of the Longford Wanderers and Whiterock Slashers clubs). 

Drumlish Young Irelands 2-6
Colmcille 1-7

Drumlish Young Irelands 0-7
Colmcille 0-7

(Drumlish club re-organised and adopted the name Young Irelands in 1951. The name transitioned to Éire Óg from 1958 with initial use of both Young Irelands and Éire Og interchangeably in published sources from 1958 and full transition to Éire Óg in the 1960’s. Titles of 1951, 1953 & 1955 all won as Drumlish Young Irelands)

Colmcille 2-8
Mullinalaghta 1-5

Colmcille 1-3
Mullinalaghta 0-6

Drumlish Young Irelands 4-3
Mullinalaghta 1-8

(Drumlish club re-organised and adopted the name Young Irelands in 1951. The name transitioned to Éire Óg from 1958 with initial use of both Young Irelands and Éire Og interchangeably in published sources from 1958 and full transition to Éire Óg in the 1960’s. Titles of 1951, 1953 & 1955 all won as Drumlish Young Irelands)

Mullinalaghta 2-2
Ballymahon 0-4

Colmcille 3-7
Mullinalaghta 0-4

Note: Pat McEoin won the 1948 Senior Championship with Mullinalaghta and then won the 1949 Senior Championship with Colmcille when the beat Mullinalaghta in the final.

Mullinalaghta 1-12
Longford Wanderers 1-6

Longford Wanderers 2-4
United Gaels 0-5

(United Gaels was a temporary amalgamation of Granard & Abbeylara)

Dromard 1-4
Ballymahon 0-4

Dromard 0-0
Ballymahon 0-0

The County Final of 1946 between Dromard and Ballymahon is noteworthy for a few reasons. The final dragged into the following year due to a mixture of issues including the harvest crisis and a semi-final objection involving Dromard and Mullinalaghta. It was eventually fixed for March 23rd 1947 but the big blizzards at that time forced another postponement. The final eventually took place on April 7th 1947 and finished scoreless (It is still the only County Final to end scoreless). The replay on 14th April 1947 eventually saw Dromard victorious by 1-4 to 0-4.

Drumlish 1-7
Longford Wanderers 1-6

Longford Wanderers 2-4
Drumlish 2-3

Drumlish 0-6
Mullinalaghta 0-2

Ardagh St. Patricks 5-7
Colmcille 1-1

Ardagh won the 1942 Senior Football Championship with a team that included players from Whiterock Slashers. It is not absolutely clear whether this was a temporary amalgamation of Ardagh and Whiterock, but the available evidence suggests that it was an Ardagh team containing some Whiterock players.

St. Marys Granard 2-8
Ardagh St. Patricks 1-6

Drumlish 4-10
St. Marys Granard 0-4

Drumlish (awarded)
Ardagh St. Patricks

The county final, held on 3rd September 1939, descended into a fiasco and was declared null and void by the County board. The referee appointed to the fixture was unavailable, and the County Secretary (Mr. J.V. Kelly – an inter-county referee of some note) stepped in at the last minute to referee the game. With 20 minutes played, Ardagh were leading by a 1-0 to 0-2 when Bill Keenan was fouled and went down injured. A big row followed and by the time order was restored, the Ardagh players left the field and did not return. The subsequent County Board meeting declared the game null and void because it hadn’t started at the appointed time and did not have the appointed referee. It was also decided not to replay the fixture. Drumlish escalated the issue to the Leinster Council who ruled on 6th January 1940 that the Ardagh players had in effect suspended themselves by leaving the field of play, and did not find that the game was late in starting. The title was awarded to Drumlish and Ardagh received a 24 week suspension.

Colmcille 1-5
Whiterock Slashers 2-1

Drumlish 3-6
St. Brigids Killashee 1-4

Ardagh St. Patricks 1-5
Drumlish 0-5

St. Marys Granard 3-6
Ardagh St. Patricks 2-6

St. Marys Granard 0-8
United Gaels 0-6

(United Gaels was a temporary amalgamation of Clonguish and Longford Wanderers. They reached the 1934 Senior Championship final having played no games. They were drawn against Mullinalaghta but the latter were suspended for 6 months)

St. Marys Granard 0-13
United Gaels 0-5

(United Gaels was a temporary amalgamation of Clonguish and Longford Wanderers)

Drumlish won
St. Marys Granard lost

Efforts to establish the scoreline for 1932 has proved fruitless thus far. It is the only SFC final record which does not have a scoreline. There was no match report in the newspaper in the weeks following the county final, and Jim Mannix apologised to readers in the Longford Leader some weeks later, explaining that he was not within comfortable travelling distance and was unable to be present at the match and could therefore not write about it. He also noted that other County Board Officials were absent too and states that it was a pity that somebody, knowing the officials were away, didn’t try their hand at a little journalism. His apology however failed to inform readers of the scoreline. 

St. Marys Granard 1-9
Edgeworthstown Young Irelands 0-3

(The Edgeworthstown Volunteers club name was shortened in the 1910’s to just Edgeworthstown and by 1930 the club had been renamed Young Irelands. This was a separate club in the parish of Edgeworthstown from the Mostrim club which was formed in 1937) 

St. Marys Granard 1-5
Longford Wanderers 1-3

St. Marys Granard 1-3
Longford Wanderers 0-2

Drumlish (awarded)
Longford Wanderers

The County Final was scheduled for Sunday 27th May 1928. However due to very heavy rain from an early hour that day, the Junior opener between Ballymahon and Newtowncashel was called off, with an expectation that the Senior game would be called off too. However, and rather unexpectedly, the Drumlish team fielded, while Longford Wanderers were unable to field a team, citing the atrocious weather conditions. The County Board awarded the game and the title for 1928 to Drumlish. 

Drumlish 1-1
Ballinamuck 98s 0-1

📷 1927 Senior Championship Final

This was the 1st (and thus far only) SFC final involving two clubs from the same parish. The parish of Drumlish & Ballinamuck was home to two separate clubs for most of the period from 1890 to 1949 and again from 1967 to 1969 prior to the formation of the Fr. Manning Gaels club.

(Note: 1927 was a complex year because after the Championship draw was made on January 29th 1927, the County Board became entangled in a dispute and was dissolved, which meant that there was no County Board in the county for a brief period. By the end of March 1927 the dispute had been resolved and the County Board was in place once again, just in time for the inaugural Junior Championship final on 3rd April 1927 and the Senior Football Championship final on 10th April 1927)

Due to a combination of factors including the War of Independence, Civil War and Longford’s prolonged involvement in the 1924 Junior championship (reaching the All-Ireland JFC final which was played in July 1925), there was no Senior Football Championship competition in the years from 1921 to 1926. Some previous records cited SFC titles won in these years, but that assumption has now been investigated and debunked. League-Championship competition did take place in some of these years, which was then conflated with SFC, not least because of wording used in some publications at the time which used a shorthand of ‘County Championship’ for the League-Championship.

Here is what our research found for these years:

1921: No evidence of Senior Championship or League-Championship competition for that year.

1922: Senior Championship title was previously credited to Longford Wanderers but they won the League-Championship title of that year completed in May 1923 [📷 Report]. No evidence has been found of Senior Championship competition for 1922.

1923: Senior Championship title was previously credited to Longford Wanderers but they won the League-Championship title of that year completed in October 1925 [📷 Report]. No evidence has been found of Senior Championship competition for 1923.

1924: No evidence of Senior Championship or League-Championship competition for that year.

1925: A final between St. Marys Granard and Mullinalaghta played on 26th June 1926 was abandoned due to violent scenes (and two arrests). A dispute arose during the game when a Mullinalaghta player was struck by a spectator. Fans rushed the pitch and palings were ripped up and used. The melee lasted 10 minutes and the Gardai were called to restore the peace. Two were arrested and match was abandoned with 5 minutes to go. The drama made the national news. This was previously cited as the SFC final of 1926, however it was the League-Championship final of 1925 [📷 Report].

1926: No evidence of Senior Championship or League-Championship competition for that year.

Ballinamuck 98’s 1-4
Longford Wanderers 0-0

📷 1920 Senior Championship Final

(Ballinamuck 98’s were the first club from the parish of Drumlish & Ballinamuck to win a Senior Football Championship title)

Clonbroney 1-3
Killoe Young Emmets 0-3

Clonbroney 1-1
Killoe Young Emmets 1-1

(Note: The Clonbroney club was later renamed Seán Connollys)

Clonbroney squad: Paddy ‘Bug’ Callaghan, Seán Connolly, Charlie Miner, Peter McGrath, Michael ‘Pinch’ Donohoe, Jim Donohoe, Johnny Smith, James O’Connor, Harry Grier, Johnny Donohoe, Mick Kenny, Fred Browne, Tommy Connolly, Joe Donohoe, John ‘Bun’ McDowell, Pat Donohoe, John McCarthy, James Feeley & Mick Burke. 

Records prior to 2014 stated that Clonguish won the 1919 Championship beating Mullinalaghta in the final. This is inaccurate.

The 1919 Senior Championship draw was made immediately following the playing of the delayed 1917 League-Championship final in March 1919. The 1919 county final was held on 3rd August 1919 with Clonbroney beating Killoe Young Emmets by 1-3 to 0-3 in a replay at Longford Park (now the greyhound stadium). The Clonbroney club was later renamed Seán Connollys. It is worth noting that published records of the time all cite ‘Clonbroney’ in competition and as winners in 1919 whereas the ‘Clonbroney Camlin Rovers’ name is cited years later in a Roll of Honour published in Longford Leader in 1933. That roll had a range of fundamental errors, including naming errors and so is not an entirely reliable source. We are unable to assert with confidence, based upon all published sources analysed, that the name used in 1919 was Clonbroney Camlin Rovers rather than Clonbroney.

📷 1919 Senior Championship Final

(Medal image supplied by a relative of a player from the 1919 Clonbroney team)

The 1919 League-Championship draw was made on 23rd July 1919 and competition started on August 10th 1919, but continued into 1920 with Clonguish (winners of the Southern Division) beating Mullinalaghta (winners of the Northern Division) in the 1919 League-Championship final, played on 11th April 1920. The delay was caused by objections and lack of light at afternoon matches which ran into evenings. This 1919 League-Championship title was previously incorrectly conflated with the 1919 Senior Championship title in rolls of honour prior to 2014. Clonguish did not win a first Senior Football Championship title until 1962.

📷 1919 League-Championship Final

(Some of the conflation in records for this era stems from the fact that some League-Championship medals had ‘Championship’ inscribed on them)

1918: No record found of a completed Senior Football Championship. A newspaper article appeared in April 1918 carrying the following official notice… “Owing to the somewhat disturbed state of the country, all football fixtures are postponed until further notice”. On 21st September 1918 the Longford Leader reports that the Longford Championship semi-final between Granard and Killoe was to be played. However It does not appear to have been played and was subsequently re-scheduled. No further reports or evidence relating to 1918 championship has been found. The Longford GAA Yearbook of 1981 allocated the 1918 Senior Championship title to Ballinamuck or Granard,  but no evidence was found to support this.

📷 1918 No Competition Notice

Some previous records incorrectly stated that Clonbroney Camlin Rovers won the 1917 Championship, however there was no Senior Championship played in 1917. A chapter on the early county final records in the 1987 ‘Comóradh an Chéid’ publication stated that for the period 1917 to 1919… “Clonbroney appear to have won the 1917 Championship with victory over Killoe in a replay, and Clonguish emerged victorious over Mullinalaghta to win 1919 Championship title“. However the 2014 research found no Senior Championship competition organised or played in 1917. The Clonbroney versus Killoe final referred to was in fact the 1919 Senior Championship Final while the Senior Championship title previously allocated to Clonguish for 1919 was the League-Championship title of 1919 which was completed in April 1920.

The 1917 League-Championship was played, and began in April 1917 but overran heavily and recommenced in July 1918 after a delay, eventually completing in early 1919 with Granard Shamrocks beating Killashee on a scoreline of 2-4 to 0-0. See report below.

📷 1917 League-Championship Final

1916: No record exists of any Senior Football Championship for 1916. The 1915 Senior Championship final was played in July 1916. There was no further championship action recorded thereafter until 1919. The 1916 Senior Championship was incorrectly allocated to Ardagh St. Brigids in 1981 Yearbook and in older rolls of honour from 1933 & 1944, however there is no evidence to support this and no evidence of any Ardagh St. Brigids club in active competition at all. Granard Shamrocks won 1916 League-Championship beating Ardagh St. Patricks in March 1917. This is sometimes assumed to be the Senior Championship final of 1916, however an examination of the records leading up to and around this final shows it to be the League-Championship final, not the Championship final.

📷 1916 League-Championship Final

Killoe Young Emmets 3-0
Clonguish Gallowglasses 0-3

📷 1915 Senior Championship Final

Championship overran and final was played in July 1916.

There was no League-Championship for 1915. This is likely because 1914 League-Championship spilled into 1915 with the final in July 1915 which ended in a draw, with replay completed in September 1915.

No record exists of any Senior Football Championship for 1914.

The 1913 Senior Championship ran into 1914 with Killoe Young Emmets winning the title on 15th February 1914. No Championship for 1914 itself. The 1914 championship title had been incorrectly allocated to Granard Slashers in previous publications from the 1980’s, however this is not the case.

📷 1913 Senior Champions (Won in 1914)

In terms of the League-Championship competition, Granard Shamrocks won the 1914 League-Championship beating Killoe Young Emmets in a replay in September 1915. The League-Championship final and replay are cited as ‘Championship’ in match reports, however the headline alongside the team photos on the front page of the Longford Leader clarifies it as ‘County Longford League Championship’. An examination of the wider records leading up to and around this final also confirms it as a League-Championship title, not a Championship title. The competition started in 1914 and spilled over into 1915 with final held in July 1915 which ended in a draw, and replay in September 1915.

📷 1914 League-Championship Final

Killoe Young Emmets 1-3
Longford Commercials 0-1
↓
Date: 8th February 1914
Referee: J. Toher (Clonguish)
Objection raised – Replay ordered. 

Killoe Young Emmets 0-2
Longford Commercials 0-1
↓
Replay Date: 5th April 1914
Referee: J. Toher (Clonguish)
Winning Captain: J Breslin

📷 1913 Senior Championship Final
📷 1913 Senior Championship Final Replay
📷 1913 Senior Champions – Team Photo

Killoe Young Emmets won the 1913 Championship with victory over Longford Commercials in the replayed final in April 1914. The original final was played on 8th February 1914 which Killoe won, but following an objection the final was replayed on 5th April 1914. This victory was previously thought to have achieved the first 3-in-a-row of Championship titles in Longford, however the correction to the records for 1912 to remove that years title now invalidates that 3-in-a-row.

This title was previously inaccurately allocated to Killoe Young Emmets.

Killoe Young Emmets won four championships (1907, 1911, 1913, 1915) over a nine year period between 1907 and 1915. However, having previously been credited with the 1912 championship, the 2014 research found that this was more likely the conclusion of the 1911 SFC played in 1912. In previous records, the 1911 championship had seemingly concluded with the awarding of the title to Killoe (who had defeated Drumlish in the semi-final in November 1911) due to the fact that the second semi-final between Clonguish and Edgeworthstown had not been played as a result of a dispute. The 1912 final had previously been recorded as a 0-2 to 0-1 victory for Killoe Young Emmets over Edgeworthstown Volunteers in the county final played on 3rd March 1912.

However, a closer examination of the records in 2014 showed that the only competitive championship game played between November 1911 and the Killoe vs Edgeworthstown “final” of March 1912 was the meeting of Clonguish and Edgeworthstown in February 1912 (which was won by Edgeworthstown). It seems more logical and likely that this game was in fact the disputed 1911 semi-final, re-fixed and played in February 1912 instead, with the winners advancing to play Killoe in the delayed 1911 final in March 1912 with Killoe Young Emmets winning that delayed 1911 Championship. Hence the previously assumed 1912 final was in fact the delayed 1911 final. No further records have been found of any further competition in 1912, hence it is assumed that there was no SFC for that year itself.

It is worth noting that a one-time competition called the Forresters Cup was played in 1912, concluding in 1913 with victory for Columbkille over Clonguish. The Longford branch of the INF organised the competition and donated the cup. This competition may have been confused for Senior Championship in some early rolls of honour.

Killoe Young Emmets 0-1
Edgeworthstown Volunteers 0-0
↓
Date: 3rd March 1912
Referee: J Burns (Ballymahon)

Prior to the 2014 research, the championship semi-final between Killoe Young Emmets and Drumlish in November 1911 was assumed (and reported at the time) to have decided the 1911 title without any final played, because the teams in the other semi-final (Edgeworthstown & Clonguish) did not field in their game. However the next championship action recorded in Longford was a match between Edgeworthstown and Clonguish in February 1912, and almost immediately thereafter a ‘Championship final’ was played between Killoe and Edgeworthstown in March 1912 which prior to the 2014 research had been been assumed to be the separate 1912 championship final (hence back-to-back titles for Killoe). However an objective examination of the records strongly suggests that the unplayed semi-final from 1911 between Edgeworthstown Volunteers and Clonguish Gallowglasses was eventually played in February 1912 leading to the 1911 championship final between Killoe and Edgeworthstown taking place in March 1912. There are also no other games around those so-called 1912 Championship games, which along with the dates of the games themselves adds strongly to the theory that this was all part of the 1911 competition and not a new a separate Championship in 1912. Nobody joined these dots prior to 2014, leaving the reader to assume two different championship title where there was most likely only one. There was no additional championship action recorded in 1912.

📷 1911 Championship Semi Final
📷 1911 Championship Final

Clonguish Gallowglasses won the League-Championship title of 1911. No match report has been found but we can find evidence of Clonguish being referred to as League champions from Autumn 1911. See example at the link below.

📷 1911 League-Championship citation

No record exists of any Senior Football Championship for 1908, 1909 or 1910.

A notice was carried in the Longford Leader in March 1908 regarding ‘Revival of GAA football in Longford’ and citing an upcoming fixture between Ardagh St. Patricks and Clonguish Gallowglasses. However no record has been found of SFC competition in this period.

The Longford GAA Yearbook in 1981 allocated the 1910 title to Clonguish Red Branch Knights, however no record exists of any championship played in 1910. There is also no evidence of any club named Clonguish Red Branch Knights during these years. The Clonguish club in these early years was known as Clonguish Gallowglasses. The records were updated by 1983 to reflect this error.

Killoe Young Emmets 1-8
Drumlish/Ballinamuck 98’s 0-1
↓
Date: 14th July 1907
Venue: Newtownforbes
Referee: T.H. Redmond (Dublin)

Killoe Young Emmets 0-4
Drumlish/Ballinamuck 98’s 1-1
↓
Date: 7th July 1907
Venue: Newtownforbes
Referee: P. McGuinness (Newtownforbes)

📷 1907 Senior Football final replay – Preview
📷 1907 Senior Championship final – Report 1
📷 1907 Senior Championship final – Report 2
📷 1907 Championship Medals

The first final between these sides was played on 7th July 1907 in Newtownforbes and ended in a draw (1-1 to 0-4). Killoe won the replay by 1-8 to 0-1. Many years later the Longford Leader ran a look-back piece (error in the year cited in the piece) on the drawn game using a report from the Roscommon Herald here. The Drumlish and Ballinamuck 98’s clubs (both from the same parish) joined forces for a period from 1906 and competed in 1907 Senior Football Championship as an amalgamation. The referee for the replay game was from the Geraldines club in Dublin. It is worth noting that Comóradh an Chéid reports the referee in the replay game as D.E. McCarthy from Kilkenny, however the match report from the final states otherwise. 

1907 Senior Football Championship Semi-Finals:

Drumlish/Ballinamuck 98’s 0-7
Longford Leo Caseys 0-5
↓
Referee: Paddy Hagan (Killoe)
Date: 26th May 1907

Killoe Young Emmets 1-4
Clonguish Gallowglasses 0-6
↓
Referee: P. Gilchrist (Longford)
Date: 5th May 1907

No record exists of any Senior Football Championship for 1906.

Longford Leo Caseys 1-7
Edgeworthstown Volunteers 0-3
↓
Date: 8th July 1906
Referee: Mr. Flynn (Newtownforbes)

📷 1905 Senior Championship Final

Championship was typically played over the Winter months. 1905 championship spilled into 1906 with the final played on 8th July 1906. Longford Leo Caseys retained their title with victory over Edgeworthstown Volunteers by 1-7 to 0-3 in the final.

It is worth noting that one published source cited Clonguish Gallowglasses as having beat Longford Leo Caseys in the county final which was replayed following an objection in April 1906. However our research located the match report from the 1905 final (link above) showing Longford Leo Casey’s beating Edgeworthstown Volunteers. The claim of Clonguish winning the title seems to conflate the semi-final objection raised by Clonguish regarding an apparent early termination of their clash with Longford Leo Caseys which the latter won by 2-1 to 0-2. The objection was upheld by the County Board and a replay was ordered. However Leo Caseys escalated the issue to the Leinster Council who overturned the decision, enabling Leo Caseys to progress to the final. 

Longford Leo Caseys 2-7
Killoe Young Emmets 0-1
↓
Date: 23rd April 1905
Referee: E. Rhatigan (Killashee)

📷 1904 Senior Championship Final

The nine clubs who participated in the 1904 Senior Championship were:

• Ardagh St. Patricks
• Clonbroney
• Clonguish Gallowglasses
• Drumlish Wolfe Tones
• Edgeworthstown Volunteers
• Killashee Mitchells
• Killoe Young Emmets
• Longford Leo Caseys
• Rathcline

The initial pairings were as follows…

• Longford Leo Caseys v Killashee Mitchells
• Ardagh St. Patricks v Rathcline
• Killoe Young Emmets v Clonguish Gallowglasses
• Drumlish Wolfe Tones v Clonbroney
• Edgeworthstown Volunteers a bye

The semi-final pairings were as follows…

• Longford Leo Caseys 0-3 v Ardagh St. Patricks 0-1
• Killoe Young Emmets 1-4 v Drumlish Wolfe Tones 0-3

The Longford County Board was re-established in 1904 and official competition started again for the first time since 1891. With the resumption of GAA activity in Longford, the senior championship draws would now involve a smaller group of clubs (26 clubs in 1891 versus 9 clubs by 1904). The 1904 senior championship had nine clubs participating and in the County Final played in April 1905, Longford Leo Caseys defeated Killoe Young Emmets to take the title. The three local newspapers of the time (Longford Leader, Roscommon Herald and Longford Journal) each reported different score-lines which are shown above. A closer analysis of these reports suggests that the Roscommon Herald result of 2-7 to 0-1 is likely to be the most accurate scoreline based upon the context within that match report versus the others.

No record exists of any Senior Football Championship from 1892 to 1903.

It is worth noting that following the unfinished championship of 1891, the next attempt to form a County Board in Longford saw four clubs represent in 1896 where five was needed to form a committee, so the County Board could not be reformed. A friendly match took place in 1896 in Ballinalee between Granard Slashers and Longford Shamrocks following an invite issued by Granard Slashers. After many rows, the referee awarded the game to Longford. For some years this game was then included in the Senior Championship roll of honour, however there were no medals presented and this result is not regarded as a Senior Championship title in part because it was a single friendly (though not in nature) game and was not part of any wider championship competition, and also because there was no Longford County Board in place at the time the game took place. Prior to 2014 research, the 1896 title had previously been incorrectly allocated to Longford Shamrocks.

It is worth noting that club activity can be found in both hurling and football in Longford in the first three years of the 20th century, but not in any official capacity. The re-establishment of the Longford County Board in 1904 and the organisation of the first Senior Championship competition since the unfinished 1891 Championship represented the restart of official club competition in the county.

Prior to 2014, the 1891 title had previously been incorrectly allocated to Longford Shamrocks.

The 1891 Longford Championship involved 26 clubs and was, by accounts of the day, “a disaster”. The Clergy requested 1st round matches to be postponed as the Lenten season had begun. The county chairman complied but then changed his mind. An eleventh hour letter in the Roscommon Herald recommended postponement. There was confusion over the notice given for first round games and as a result, teams that failed to field were given a second chance with an additional round. Many of the 2nd round games were subject to objections which was a common occurrence and as the county board had ceased to function by the year end, the championship was deemed not completed with only three of the eight second round matches played.

The 26 clubs who participated in the unfinished 1891 Senior Championship are as follows:

• Ardagh St. Patricks
• Ballinamuck 98s
• Ballymacormack Grattans
• Ballymahon Leos
• Ballywillan Faugh a’Ballagh
• Carrickedmond O’Connells
• Clonbroney Esmondes
• Clonguish Gallowglasses
• Clough Dillons
• Columbkille St. Columbkilles
• Cranley Hearts of Erin
• Dromard O’Donnells
• Drumlish Emmets
• Edgeworthstown Volunteers
• Ferefad Mandevilles
• Granard Healys
• Granard Slashers
• Killashee Mitchells
• Killoe Erins Pride
• Killoe McMahons
• Legan Sunbursts
• Moydow Harpers
• Mullinalaghta Leaguers
• Newtowncashel sons of St. Kieran
• Rathaspic Leaguers
• Rathcline John Martins

(Note: The GAA was faced with its first crisis in the aftermath of the Parnell affair, and activities and structures in Longford and other counties had effectively ceased. It should be noted that Longford was predominantly anti-Parnell during the crisis period. The 1891 championship in Longford was started but remained unfinished and another decade would pass before games resumed. The number of clubs in Ireland dropped from 879 to 200 between 1890 and 1892 – the height of the Parnell scandal. The impact on Longford was a decimation of clubs and competition)

Columbkille St. Columbkilles 1-0
Rathcline John Martins 0-4

📷 1890 Senior Championship Final

(Columbkille St. Columbkilles was later renamed Colmcille)

The 1st Senior Football Championship was held in 1890 with 21 clubs participating (teams were 21-a-side at that time). The County Final was played between Columbkille St Columbkilles and Rathcline John Martins (also referred to as Honest John Martins) in Abbeycartron on 8th June 1890, with the Columbkille winning by 1-0 to 0-4. Lest anyone be confused by that score-line, it should be noted that a goal at that time could not be beaten by any number of points. 

The 21 clubs who took part in that historic first Senior Football Championship in 1890 were:

• Granard Healys
• Ardagh St. Patricks
• Ballymacormack Grattans
• Ballywillan Michael Davitts
• Carrickedmond O’Connells
• Clonguish Gallowglasses
• Clough Dillons
• Columbkille St. Columbkilles
• Crosskeys Fitzgeralds
• Dromard O’Briens
• Drumlish Emmets
• Edgeworthstown Volunteers
• Ferefad Mandevilles
• Killashee Mitchells
• Killoe Erins Pride
• Legan Sunbursts
• Longford Davitts
• Moydow Harpers
• Newtowncashel Sons of St Kieran
• Rathcline John Martins
• Shrule Leos

Note: Granard Healys was the first GAA club founded in Longford under GAA rules, in September 1888. The town of Longford was next with Longford Davitts founded on 2nd December 1888 and Ballymahon O’Briens was next in February 1889. Many more clubs were formed in 1889 and 1890 with 21 clubs taking part in the first Senior Football Championship in 1890.

Titles are consistently allocated to club units (not parishes). For temporary amalgamations, titles are allocated to the amalgamation and not assigned separately to the individual clubs within it. Where a new club is formed by two or more existing clubs uniting, the titles of the individual clubs prior to the union are kept separate from titles won by the new club unit.

The Longford Slashers club was formed when the clubs of Longford Wanderers and Whiterock Slashers united in 1954. Any titles of Longford Slashers are kept separate from those of the older Longford Wanderers or Whiterock Slashers clubs. ( Source) (📑 Read More)

Drumlish titles include those won as Drumlish and as Young Irelands (later Éire Óg). The Fr. Manning Gaels club was formed when the clubs of Éire Óg and Ballinamuck united in 1969. Any titles of Fr. Manning Gaels are kept separate from those of the older Drumlish or Ballinamuck clubs. Prior to 2014, some publications displayed titles as ‘Drumlish/Fr. Manning Gaels’, however for consistency we display and count titles separately by club, not by parish. ( Source) (📑 Read More)

The Ardagh Moydow club was formed when the clubs of Ardagh St. Patricks and Moydow Harpers united in 2019. Any titles of Ardagh Moydow are kept separate from those of the older Ardagh St. Patricks or Moydow Harpers clubs. ( Source) (📑 Read More)

Clonbroney won the 1919 SFC title (apparently as Camlin Rovers) and the club was later renamed Seán Connollys.

Other sites or publications may display some of these title allocations differently, and that is their prerogative. On this website we aim to consistently allocate titles to club units and delineate, for historical accuracy, between newly formed clubs and previous club units.

Further details on title allocation logic used on this website can be found here.

The following changes to SFC titles resulted from research carried out from 2014 to 2021.

1891
Was: Longford Shamrocks
Now: None

1896
Was: Longford Shamrocks
Now: None

1912
Was: Killoe Young Emmets
Now: None

1917
Was: Clonbroney Camlin Rovers
Now: None

1919
Was: Clonguish
Now: Clonbroney

1922
Was: Longford Wanderers
Now: None

1923
Was: Longford Wanderers
Now: None

1925
Was: Game Abandoned (Granard v Mullinalaghta)
Now: None

The 1919 SFC was won by Clonbroney (possibly using Camlin Rovers name). The club was later renamed Seán Connollys. Some records prior to 2014 stated that Clonguish won the 1919 Championship beating Mullinalaghta in the final. However this is not accurate.

The 1919 Senior Championship draw was made immediately following the playing of the delayed 1917 League-Championship final in March 1919. The county final was held on 3rd August 1919 with Clonbroney beating Killoe Young Emmets by 1-3 to 0-3 in a replay at Longford Park (later the greyhound stadium). The Clonbroney club was later renamed Sean Connollys. It is worth noting that published records of the time all cite ‘Clonbroney’ in competition in 1919 whereas the ‘Camlin Rovers’ name is cited years later in a Roll of Honour published in Longford Leader in 1933. That roll has a range of errors, including naming errors and so is not an entirely reliable source. We are unable to assert with confidence, based upon all published sources analysed, that the name used in 1919 was Clonbroney Camlin Rovers rather than Clonbroney.

📷 1919 Senior Championship Final

(Medal image supplied by relative of a player from the 1919 Clonbroney team)

The 1919 League-Championship draw was made on 23rd July 1919 and competition started on August 10th 1919, but continued into 1920 with Clonguish (winners of the Southern Division) beating Mullinalaghta (winners of the Northern Division) in the 1919 League-Championship final, played on 11th April 1920 (reported in the newspaper on 17th April 1920). The delay was caused by objections and lack of light at afternoon matches which ran into evenings. This League-Championship title was previously and incorrectly assumed for almost a century to have been a Senior Championship title. See the source detail at the link below.

📷 1919 League-Championship Final

Five clubs achieved 3-in-a-row of Senior Football Championship titles between 1890 and 2022.

• St. Marys Granard (2): 1929-1931 and 1933-1935
• Clonguish (1): 1962-1965
• Longford Slashers (1): 1989-1991
• Fr. Manning Gaels (1): 1996-1998
• Mullinalaghta St. Columbas (1): 2016-2018

Note: Prior to our research of titles in 2014, the first 3-in-a-row of Senior Football Championships had been allocated to Killoe Young Emmets (1911-1913) and remained on the record books as such for over a century from 1913 until 2014. Our research found sufficient circumstantial evidence in digital archives to show that the 1912 title was in fact the completion of the delayed 1911 Championship and not a separate competition for 1912. Hence the 1912 title was voided which in turn voided the 3-in-a-row. 

One club has achieved 4-in-a-row of Senior Football Championship titles between 1890 and 2022:

• Clonguish (1): 1962-1965

The article below from the Longford Leader in 2015 looks back at those wins.

The names of all winners and finalists are displayed in the roll of honour in line with the name used by those clubs at the time of that final, to preserve that historic record.

The following name clarifications apply to SFC finalists down the years:

• Mullinalaghta added St. Columbas to the club name from 1955 onward.
• Clonguish was called Clonguish Gallowglasses in the early years of competition.
• Rathcline was called Rathcline John Martins in the early years of competition.
• Killoe Young Emmets also uses the Irish version of Emmet Óg since the early 1960’s.
• Clonbroney adopted the Seán Connollys name from 1928 and it appeared in fixtures from 1935.
• Columbkille St. Columbkilles was shortened to Columbkille, then to Columcille and finally Colmcille.
• Edgeworthstown Volunteers was shortened to Edgeworthstown in 1910’s and added Young Irelands in 1930.
• Longford Leo Caseys club was last recorded in action in 1912. The club is no longer in existence.
• Ballinamuck 98’s was mostly referred to as Ballinamuck (no 98’s) from 1933-1949 and 1967-1969.
• Drumlish re-organised & adopted the name Young Irelands from 1951 and this changed to Éire Óg from 1958.
• Fr. Manning Gaels was formed in March 1969 when the Éire Óg (Drumlish) and Ballinamuck clubs united (📷 Source).
• Longford Slashers was formed in 1954 when Longford Wanderers and Whiterock Slashers clubs united (📷 Source).
• Ardagh Moydow was formed in 2019 when Ardagh St. Patricks and Moydow Harpers clubs united (📷 Source).