Club Titles – JFC

Ballymore 1-10
Killoe Young Emmets 1-5

Young Grattans (Grattan Óg) 0-16
Ballymore 0-11

Note: 2022 was the first year that Junior ‘B’ Championship winner competed in the Junior ‘A’ Championship at the semi-final stage alongside the top three Junior ‘A’ teams after all group games were played. 

Legan Sarsfields 1-15
Ballymore 0-13

🔗 Match Programme Link

Colmcille (awarded)
Killoe Young Emmets

The 2020 Junior Championship knock-out stages were postponed until 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions. The final between Colmcille and Killoe Young Emmets was scheduled for Wednesday 1st September 2021. Killoe requested a postponement to a later date but this was not agreed to, and Colmcille were awarded the title due to Killoe not fulfilling the fixture on the scheduled date.

Kenagh 0-12
Killoe Young Emmets 1-8

Killoe Young Emmets 1-8
Clonguish 0-7

No Junior Football Championship played in 2017.
Was replaced by Intermediate ‘B’ Championship instead.

No Junior Football Championship played in 2017.
Was replaced by Intermediate ‘B’ Championship instead.

Mostrim 1-11
Killoe Young Emmets 0-10

Longford Slashers 1-11
Killoe Young Emmets 0-7

Young Grattans (Grattan Óg) 2-13
Longford Slashers 0-8

Note: This was the 2nd JFC final played between two clubs from the same parish. The 1st was in 2002 when Shroid Slashers played Young Grattans. 

Legan Sarsfields 1-10
Moydow Harpers 0-6

Moydow Harpers 2-13
Shroid Slashers 0-6

Ballymahon 1-8
Carrickedmond 0-10

St. Munis Forgney 1-12
Carrickedmond 1-8

Shroid Slashers 0-9
Moydow Harpers 0-4

Mostrim 1-14
Ardagh St. Patricks 2-4

St. Munis Forgney 2-4
Moydow Harpers 1-4

Fr. Manning Gaels 1-10
Rathcline 1-7

Young Grattans (Grattan Óg) 2-11
Rathcline 1-5

Clonguish 1-10
Moydow Harpers 1-4

Shroid Slashers 1-8
Young Grattans (Grattan Óg) 1-5

Shroid Slashers 1-9
Young Grattans (Grattan Óg) 1-9

Note: This was the first JFC final played between two clubs from the same parish. 

Longford Slashers 3-14
Rathcline 0-11

Legan Sarsfields 0-9
Ardagh St. Patricks 1-6

Rathcline 5-6
Dromard 1-12

Colmcille 1-10
Legan Sarsfields 1-6

Shroid Slashers 1-15
St. Munis Forgney 0-7

Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 1-10
Shroid Slashers 1-8

Ballymore 3-9
Moydow Harpers 0-2

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).

Legan Sarsfields 2-5
Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 0-8

St. Brigids Killashee 0-7
St. Munis Forgney 0-6

Clonguish 1-9
Ballymore 0-6

Shroid Slashers 1-8
St. Brigids Killashee 0-5

Legan Sarsfields 0-10
Ballymore 0-2

St. Brigids Killashee 1-9
St. Marys Granard 0-11

Killoe Young Emmets 3-2
St. Brigids Killashee 0-9

Rathcline 0-11
Longford Slashers 1-5

Moydow Harpers 1-6
Killoe Young Emmets 1-3

St. Brigids Killashee 2-9
Moydow Harpers 1-6

Rathcline 1-6
Mostrim 0-7

Young Grattans (Grattan Óg) 2-7
St. Marys Granard 1-8

Longford Slashers 4-8
Ardagh St. Patricks 3-6

Shroid Slashers 2-6
Mostrim 1-1

Shroid Slashers 1-3
Mostrim 0-6

Ballymore 2-6
Cashel 0-6

Colmcille 1-13
Longford Slashers 0-4

Longford Slashers 3-5
Ardagh St. Patricks 0-3

Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 2-8
Ballymore 0-4

Kenagh 1-5
Longford Slashers 0-7

Seán Connollys 2-10
Longford Slashers 1-8

Fr. Manning Gaels 1-14
Kenagh 2-2

Abbeylara 3-8
Mostrim 2-5

Rathcline 0-13
St. Marys Granard 2-5

St. Munis Forgney 2-4
Abbeylara 2-3

Dromard 1-5
Ballymore 0-3

Shroid Slashers 1-6
Dromard 0-3

Shroid Slashers 1-4
Dromard 0-7

Legan Sarsfields 4-4
Abbeylara 1-9

Legan Sarsfields 2-4
Abbeylara 0-10

The replayed final was a tense affair to put it mildly and became known locally as the ‘Battle of Pearse Park‘. Referee Tommy O’Brien wrote in the following weeks Longford Leader that… “after 20 minutes I lost complete control of this game“.

Seán Connollys 1-7
Legan Sarsfields 0-6

Seán Connollys 1-8
Legan Sarsfields 2-5

The following summary of the above situation was captured in the local newspaper in September 1975 in the preview to that years JFC final which featured Seán Connollys. “The first match lasted 69 minutes due to the fact that the referee’s watch went haywire. Teams were level at the 60 minute mark so a replay was required. Legan lodged an objection which then held up the replay, which then didn’t take place until May 1968 due to precautions taken by the G.A.A. against the spread of Foot and Mouth disease which was raging in England“.

Mostrim 2-2
Abbeylara 1-4

St. Brigids Killashee 3-5
Kenagh St. Dominics 1-4

Cashel 1-6
Killashee St. Brigids 1-2

Rathcline 3-5
Ardagh St. Patricks 0-8

Carrickedmond 2-6
St. Brigids Killashee 1-3

Teams in 1962 Junior Football Championship:

Carrickedmond
Mullinalaghta St. Columbas
Ardagh St. Patricks
Rathcline
Seán Connollys
Mostrim
Abbeylara
St. Brigids Killashee
Shroid Slashers
Dromard
St. Munis’ Forgney
St. Dominics Kenagh
Éire Óg (Drumlish)
Cashel
Ballymahon
Killoe Young Emmets
Longford Slashers
Colmcille
Clonguish

Cashel 0-7
Seán Connollys 0-3

🏆 A trophy was first introduced for Junior Championship winner in 1961.

Ballymahon 3-5
Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 0-0

Clonguish 2-6
St. Brigids Killashee 0-6

St. Marys Granard 1-7
Mostrim 1-3

Killoe Young Emmets 3-11
Clonguish 1-4

Killoe Young Emmets 0-8
Clonguish 1-5

Rathcline 2-4
Mullinalaghta St. Columbas 0-0

Note: The Junior Championship was put on hold for over two months in November & December 1956, and the final was eventually played in 1957. Rathcline lodged an appeal to the Leinster Council regarding a decision by the Longford County Board to uphold an objection by Clonguish (who were beaten by Rathcline in the previous round). The Leinster Council found that Clonguish was a suspended team, and could not consequently participate in the actives of the Association. The Rathcline win was upheld, and they progressed to the semi-final of the Southern Section against Killashee St. Brigids, and then to the Southern Section final against Kenagh St. Dominics, before defeating Mullinalaghta in the Junior Championship final. Mullinalaghta, who lost the final, had previously defeated Killoe Slashers (amalgamation of Killoe Young Emmets and Whiterock Slashers) in the Northern Section final which led to an objection from Killoe Slashers as to the constitution of their team. So it was a season of objections and delays in the Junior Championship. 

Carrickedmond 2-6
Dromard 0-2

Ardagh St. Patricks 2-5
St. Marys Granard 1-5

Whiterock Slashers 0-3
Dromard 0-1

Abbeylara 1-7
Whiterock Slashers 0-7

1952 Junior Football Championship draw was as follows:

North Section:
A) Abbeylara v Seán Connollys
B) Killoe Young Emmets v Colmcille
C) Dromard v Young Irelands
North Semi-finals was A v B
North Final was A/B v C

South Section:
A) Young Grattans v Longford Wanderers
B) Legan v Mostrim
C) Whiterock Slashers v Ballymahon
D) Kenagh St. Dominics v Killashee
E) Clonguish v Shannon Gaels
F) Carrickedmond v Winner A
G) Winner B v Winner C
H) Winner D v Winner E
South Semi-finals was H v F
South Final was H/F v G

Junior Championship Final
Winner North v Winner South

(Note: Shannon Gaels was an amalgamation of Rathcline and Cashel)

Killoe Young Emmets 0-5
Clonguish 1-0

1951 Junior Championship Draw:

The Junior Championship was divided into two groups – North and South.

Southern Division:
1. Killashee v Ballymahon
2. Mostrim v Clonguish
3. Moydow Harpers v Carrickedmond
4. Rathcline v Ardagh St. Patricks
5. Ballymacormack Young Grattans v Whiterock Slashers

Northern Division:
1. United Gaels v Colmcille
2. Killoe Young Emmets v Dromard
3. Drumlish Young Irelands v Seán Connolly

Seán Connollys 1-10
Mostrim 1-4

1950 Junior Championship Draw:

The Junior Championship was divided into two groups – North and South.

Southern Division:
1. Moydow Harpers v Ballymacormack Young Grattans
2. Mostrim v Ballymahon
3. Longford Wanderers v Killashee
4. Ardagh St. Patricks v Carrickedmond

Northern Division:
1. Colmcille v Abbeylara
2. Killoe Young Emmets v Drumlish
3. Seán Connollys v St. Marys Granard
4. Dromard a bye

Ardagh St. Patricks (awarded)
Killoe Young Emmets

Killoe Young Emmets beat Ardagh St. Patricks in the 1949 Junior Championship final, but Ardagh objected because Killoe were 11 minutes late in fielding. The objection was upheld as reported in the Longford Leader on 1st October 1949. While no explicit report exists stating that the upholding of the objection led to the awarding of the title to Ardagh, subsequent circumstantial evidence in 1950 supports the view that the title was awarded to Ardagh. This includes an article in local media on 27th May 1950 in which Ardagh are referred to as Junior Champions, and another article on 29th July 1950 in a game between Ardagh and Mullinalaghta where it states “ex champions Mullinalaghta take on 1949 Junior Champions Ardagh), and finally an article on 16th September 1950 which notes that Mullinalaghta “disposed of the challenge of the 1949 Junior Champions Ardagh”. So there is sufficient circumstantial evidence to support the fact that the 1949 Junor Championship title was awarded to Ardagh St. Patricks following an upheld objection.

📷 1949 Junior Championship Final
📷 1949 Junior Championship Objection

Cashel 2-5
Colmcille 2-3

Clonguish 4-3
United Gaels 2-1

Note: United Gaels was an amalgamation of St. Marys Granard and Abbeylara. 

1947 Junior Championship Draw:

The Junior Championship was divided into two groups – North and South.

Southern Division:
1. Carrickedmond v Forgney
2. Cashel v Clonguish
3. Ballymahon v Mostrim
4. Longford Wanderers v Ardagh St. Patricks

Northern Division:
1. Ballinamuck v Dromard
2. Killoe Young Emmets v United Gaels
3. Seán Connollys v Winner 1
4. Columcille v Winner 2

Abbeylara 3-8
Moydow Harpers 3-0

1946 Junior Championship Draw:

The Junior Championship was divided into two groups – North and South.

Southern Division:
1. Newtowncashel v Ardagh St. Patricks
2. Longford Wanderers v Forgney
3. Moydow Harpers v Legan
4. Ballymahon v Carrickedmond

Northern Division:
1. Seán Connollys v Whiterock Slashers
2. Clonguish v Killoe Young Emmets
3. Dromard v Abbeylara
4. Columcille v Ballinamuck

Ballymahon 3-3
Newtowncashel St. Ciaráns 2-1

(Note: Newtowncashel St. Ciaráns was shortened to Cashel from around 1947)

Dromard 1-7
Longford Wanderers 0-2

Some previous records omitted this year. Records from 1944 show that Dromard beat Longford Wanderers in the Junior Championship final and a full account of the match can be found in the Longford Leader of October 28th 1944.

📷 1944 Junior Championship Final
📷 1944 Junior Championship Confirmed

Newtowncashel St. Ciaráns 2-4
Longford Wanderers 2-3

(Note: Newtowncashel St. Ciaráns was shortened to Cashel from around 1947)

Longford Wanderers 2-5
Seán Connollys 1-5

Cashel had previously been recorded as winners of the 1942 Junior Championship, however available evidence show that Longford Wanderers defeated Seán Connollys in the Junior Championship final. Newtowncashel St. Ciaráns defeated Killoe Young Emmets in the Junior League final of 1942 and this may have been mistaken for the championship in previous records.

📷 1942 Junior Championship Final

Clonguish won
Moydow Harpers Lost

Mostrim (awarded)
Killoe Young Emmets

Mostrim 1-4
Killoe Young Emmets 1-5

Title was previously assigned to Killoe Young Emmets. Killoe defeated Mostrim 1-5 to 1-4 in the 1940 Junior Championship final, however Mostrim lodged an objection which was upheld in November 1940 and Mostrim were awarded the title and medals.

📷 1940 Junior Championship Final
📷 1940 Junior Championship Objection
📷 1940 Junior Championship Confirmed

Moydow Harpers 0-11
Drumlish 0-1

Ballinamuck 2-7
Mostrim 1-1

Ballinamuck 1-3
Mostrim 1-3

Final was played at Ballinalee on 20th November 1938. Ballinamuck club is referenced as ‘the 98s’ and Ballinamuck 98’s in some reports during the Junior Championship while references to the club in these years vary from Ballinamuck 98’s and the shortened Ballinamuck name. The final references the club name as Ballinamuck, which is what we use here.

1938 Junior Football Championship draw was as follows:

• Mullinalaghta v Carrickedmond O’Connells
• Moydow Harpers v Ballinamuck
• Killoe Young Emmets v Rathcline St. Dermots
• Columcille v Ballymahon Leo Caseys
• St. Marys Granard v Legan St. Josephs
• Mostrim v Longford Wanderers

Columcille 1-5
Ballymahon Leo Caseys 0-2

Whiterock Slashers 2-5
Dromard 2-3

Whiterock Slashers beat Dromard in the 1936 Junior Championship final. Dromard objected and were awarded the title. Whiterock Slashers counter-objected and were re-awarded the title. Hence the record shows Whiterock Slashers as champions.

Seán Connollys (awarded)
Whiterock Slashers

Whiterock Slashers defeated Seán Connollys in the Junior Championship final in late 1935. Seán Connollys objected and the available evidence suggests that this objection was upheld in early 1936 with the title going to Seán Connollys.

Ardagh St. Patricks 2-3
Whiterock Slashers 1-1

St. Brigids Killashee 4-4
Ardagh St. Patricks 2-3

Longford Wanderers 0-10
Drumlish 0-1

Killoe Young Emmets 4-6
Dromard 2-5

Killoe Young Emmets 1-1
Dromard 0-4

Ardagh St. Patricks (awarded)
Columcille

Ardagh St. Patricks 0-5
Columcille 0-5

Ardagh St. Patricks were awarded the replay of the 1930 Junior Championship final against Colmcille as the referee adjudged the latter not to have fielded in the allotted time.

(Note: Columcille was a previous spelling of the current Colmcille club)

Edgeworthstown 3-2
Ardagh St. Patricks 1-1

1929 Junior Championship final was played in February 1930.

Note: Edgeworthstown had originally been named Edgeworthstown Volunteers and by 1910’s the Volunteers had been dropped and the club was named Edgeworthstown. A few months after the delayed 1929 Junior Championship final in February 1930, the club was renamed Edgeworthstown Young Irelands. The Edgeworthstown club that won the Junior Championship of 1929 (in 1930) is the same Edgeworthstown Young Irelands club that reached the Senior Championship final in 1931 and won the Intermediate Championship title in 1932. Shortly thereafter the club split and this led to the formation of  the Edgeworthstown Geraldines club which competed alongside Edgeworthstown Young Irelands for a period. By the mid 1930’s both clubs are gone and we see the brief emergence of Edgeworthstown Wolfe Tones and Manor Rovers clubs in the parish, with both no longer evident by the end of 1936. In 1937 we see the formation of the Mostrim Eoin Ruadhs club which is then shortened to Mostrim from 1938. For consistency of title allocation, we keep the titles of Edgeworthstown (including Young Irelands) separate from those of the later Mostrim club. 

Clonguish won
Drumlish lost

Clonguish defeated Drumlish in the 1928 Junior Championship final. While no match report for the 1928 JFC final has be found, a report of a subsequent County Board meeting references Clonguish as winners. Granard were previously credited with this title but they reached the Junior League final only to be defeated 2-4 to 2-3 by Clonguish in September 1929.

Ardagh St. Patricks 0-4
Columcille 0-1

The first recorded Junior Football Championship winner was in 1927 with Ardagh St. Patricks defeating Colmcille 0-4 to 0-1 in the JFC final in April 1927. Granard had previously been credited with this title but they won the 1927 Junior League title, defeating Ballymahon by 0-5 to 0-1 in January 1928.

📷 1927 Junior Championship Final

(Note: Columcille or Columbkille was a previous spelling of the current Colmcille club)

Titles are allocated to club units (not parishes). Where a new club unit is formed by two or more clubs merging, the previous titles of the individual clubs prior to the union are kept separate in Rolls of Honour from titles won by the new club unit. For amalgamation winners, titles are allocated to the amalgamation team and not assigned separately to the individual club units within it (thus avoiding double-counting).

To allocate titles accurately and consistently to club units, it was necessary to dig into specific instances where key titles were won by different or differently named entities from the same parish down the years, and determine using as much primary evidence as possible how to allocate those titles to club units.

Longford has seen a large number of clubs come and go over the years, including multiple clubs in the same parish at the same time (This was true in multiple instances prior to the 2010’s, and is still true today for the Longford and Granard parishes). Historically there are a few instances of key titles won by different or differently named units from the same parish. Some were merely the same club renamed over time, while others were separate club units including new clubs formed by the merging of two or more existing club units.

There are five key examples of title allocations which needed clarification:

1. Longford Parish
2. Mostrim Parish
3. Granard Parish
4. Drumlish Parish
5. Ardagh & Moydow Parish

Note: Titles in this context refers to SFC, SFL, SHC, IFC, JFC or U-21 Championship titles.

Our research found the following JFC title changes which were supplied to and adopted by Coiste Chontae an Longfort.

1924
Was: Mullinalaghta
Now: No Record

1927
Was: Granard
Now: Ardagh St. Patricks

1928
Was: Granard
Now: Clonguish

1940
Was: Killoe Young Emmets
Now: Mostrim (Awarded)

1942
Was: Cashel
Now: Longford Wanderers

1944
Was: No Competition
Now: Dromard

We attempt to show winners and finalists with the name used at the time of the final, to preserve that historic record. More on Club Clarifications here.

The following name clarifications apply to JFC finalists down the years.

Junior competition began in Longford in 1917 when the first Junior League-Championship was played. The competition was played on a League basis and from 1917 was known as Junior League-Championship and then known as Junior League some years later. It mirrored the Senior League-Championship of the same era which ran from 1911 to 1935. The first knockout Junior Championship competition winner (separate from League) which we found was in 1927. Hence we record the first JFC winner in 1927 and do not include previous Junior League-Championship winners in Championship stats, consistent with published records for Junior Championship rolls of honour prior to our research.

The earliest reference to Junior competition comes in 1905 when there are calls via local media to organise a Junior competition and efforts made at the time to organise one if enough teams affiliated. It was proposed that players that competed in senior could not play in the proposed Junior competition, but the difficulties of limiting it to a competition up to 17 years old were noted and alternate solutions were to be looked into. Nothing more came to pass on Junior competition until 1916.

In December 1916 a board overseeing Junior Football competition was announced in local media. Longford beat Carra Gaels 0-6 to 0-2 to win the first Junior League-Championship title in 1917. The 1918 Junior League-Championship was won by Clonguish who beat Mullinalaghta 1-1 to 0-2 in the delayed final which was played on June 8th 1919. The 1919 Junior League-Championship saw Edgeworthstown beat Ballinamuck 98’s by 1-3 to 0-5 in the decider, played in January 1920. However following an objection the game was replayed in March 1920 with Ballinamuck 98’s winning by 1-2 to 1-1. It should be noted that in every published record of Junior Championship titles prior to our research (books, booklets & newspapers), none of the Junior winners prior to 1927 were ever regarded as Junior Championship winners or included in JFC roll of honour. Our research did not alter that previous position. The 1920 Junior League-Championship was awarded to St. Mel’s College over Ballymore. No further Junior League-Championship titles are found until 1924 when Longford Rovers beat Clondra 2-2 to 0-1 in the final played in September 1925. Drumlish won the 1925 Junior League-Championship title by finishing top of the table at the end of all rounds played. There was no competition in 1926 and the Junior League-Championship then seems to continue as Junior League from 1927 onward (consistent with Senior League-Championship having continuity with todays Senior League), while a separate knockout Junior Championship completes with a clear winner in 1927.

Junior League-Championship Winners (1917 to 1926):

• 1917: Longford [Report]
• 1918: Clonguish [ Report]
• 1919: Ballinamuck 98’s [ Report] [ Report]
• 1920: St. Mels College [ Report]
• 1921-1923: No Record Found
• 1924: Longford Rovers [ Report]
• 1925: Drumlish [ Report]
• 1926: No Record Found
• 1927: St. Marys Granard
• 1928: St. Marys Granard
• 1929-2023: Junior League continued to the present day.

In 1920 St. Mels College entered Junior competition in order to keep football active in the college amidst travel restrictions during the War of Independence. The college President, Canon Masterson, allowed entry into the local Junior competition (League-Championship also referred to as Championship). All St. Mels games were played in the nearby Longford Park. St. Mels College won a number of their Junior league games and were due to play Ballymore in the final of the Junior League-Championship on 21st November 1920. That date became infamous as Bloody Sunday in Croke Park. When the Students arrived for the Junior final, they found the Black and Tans playing soccer on Longford Park, and no Ballymore team ever showed. Many of the Ballymore lads would have been involved in the fight for independence and would not have wanted to be near any Black and Tans. Hence St. Mels were awarded the 1920 Junior League-Championship title.

In official records prior to our research in 2014, Mullinalaghta were previously credited as the first winners of the Junior Football Championship in 1924. However we have been unable to find published evidence to support this claim, with the available evidence instead showing the first knockout Junior Football Championship winner was in 1927. For record purposes any Junior titles won from 1917 to 1926 as ‘Junior League-Championship’ are not merged with Junior Championship titles from 1927 onward, but are instead regarded as same as Junior League titles from 1927 onward. It is worth noting that for many Senior League-Championship and Junior League-Championship titles in the early years of competition, medals were inscribed with ‘Junior Champions’ or ‘ Junior Championship’ to help add to the confusion. Finally it is also worth noting that none of the previous published rolls of honour or previous Longford GAA publications prior to our research included Junior League-Championship winners in the Junior Football Championship roll of honour (all official rolls started with 1924 and then 1927 and thereafter). The changes we proposed to the existing JFC roll of honour can be seen in the ‘JFC Title Changes‘ tab at the bottom of the JFC page. All of those changes were reviewed and adopted in full by Coiste Chontae an Longfort.