Longford Hurling Story

🗓️ 1902-1919:

A form of hurling was played in many parts of Ireland including Longford in the years, decades and centuries prior to the formation of the GAA in 1884. While Gaelic Football under GAA rules did not arrive in Longford until 1888, Hurling under GAA rules did not arrive in Longford until 1902.

In 1889 Tom Belton from Rathcline won a Leinster SHC title with Dublin and played in the 1889 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final when Dublin (Kickhams) beat Clare (Tulla) by 5-1 to 1-6 at Inchicore on 3rd November 1889 to win their first All-Ireland SHC title. Tom played at #13 in the All-Ireland SHC Final in 1889 (teams were 21-a-side). He won another Leinster SHC title in 1892 and was back in the All-Ireland SHC that year at #9 when Dublin lost out to Cork (teams reduced to 17-a-side by then). The 1892 All-Ireland SHC Final was played at Clonturk Park on 26th March 1893 and was unfinished, with Cork awarded the title, leading by 2-4 to 1-1 when play ended. He is the only Longford native to win an All-Ireland SHC medal.

Hurling in Longford begins in 1902 when the first hurling club was formed in Longford town and named Leo Caseys. The club was associated with the town’s branch of the Gaelic League and in those early years of the 20th century Hurling had a far greater impact in Longford town than Gaelic Football. A number of friendly club matches and tournaments took place across Longford in the early years of the new century, as well as games against clubs from Roscommon, Westmeath, Leitrim and Cavan. On 7th December 1902 a hurling friendly was played between Longford (Leo Caseys) and Roscommon (Gaels) which appears to be the first inter-county hurling game played by a Longford side. Roscommon Gaels won by 2-6 to 1-4 and the match report notes that the recently formed Leo Caseys team “has been practicing only for about three weeks“. The return tie took place in Roscommon in mid February 1903 with Roscommon Gaels winning 2-5 to 0-1. The Leo Caseys club represented Longford in hurling and football inter-county games in those first years of the 20th Century, including (but not limited to) Leinster Cup (Hurling) vs Meath in 1903, Leinster SFC vs Westmeath in November 1903, Goodwin Cup (Football) vs Cavan in March 1904 and Croke Cup (Football) vs Kilkenny in May 1905.

Longford’s first competitive inter-county hurling game was in the ‘Leinster Cup’ competition on 19th July 1903 ( here), losing to Meath in the first round by 2-10 to nil at Jones’ Road (Longford represented by the Longford Leo Caseys club). The Leinster Cup was a separate competition to the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, with Meath beating Longford and Wicklow before losing out to Laois in 1903. Longford’s first game in Leinster Senior Hurling Championship was scheduled for 22nd November 1903 against Wexford at Jones’s Road (Leo Caseys to represent Longford). However shortly before the fixture, Longford contacted the officials in Wexford to advise that they could not field in hurling but wanted instead to play in Football. The hurling game was therefore recorded as a walkover for Wexford and the fixture on November 22nd became the Leinster Senior Football Championship clash of Wexford and Longford, which Wexford won.

The following year in 1904, Longford hurlers played Westmeath in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship on 31st July 1904, losing by 2-9 to 1-0 in what was in practical terms Longford’s first and last hurling game played in Leinster SHC competition ( here). The team that day was made up of players from three clubs: McLoughlin, Glancy, P Early, M Smith, J Mullen (All Clonbroney), Morgan, Hagan, Hughes, Collum, Breslin, Duffy, Murphy (All Killoe Young Emmets), J Maloney, Falkner, Kiernan, Collins, Brady (All Longford Leo Caseys). The star of this era for Longford was ‘Towney Boy’ aka James Maloney of Longford Leo Caseys who was regularly cited in match reports. That July 1904 game marked the end of Longford’s involvement in hurling at senior grade. Published records are unclear on whether the ties vs Wexford in November 1903 and vs Westmeath in July 1904 were the 1903 and 1904 Championship respectively or the delayed 1902 and 1903 Championships respectively. A foremost authority on the records of this era suggests it was the latter.

Longford’s remaining inter-county hurling games in this period were played at Junior grade in the Leinster Junior Hurling Championship, starting with Longford losing to Westmeath by 5-13 to 2-2 on 4th February 1906. The following year on 17th February 1907, Longford conceding to Westmeath (game abandoned after 25 minutes). In 1908 Longford met Westmeath in the Leinster JHC on 17th May 1908, losing by 1-9 to 1-4. Longford conceded the 1910 JHC game to Westmeath and in 1911 Longford and Westmeath meet again in Leinster JHC with Westmeath winning 3-2 to 2-0. Longford conceded the 1912 JHC tie to Westmeath and in 1913 the sides met again with Westmeath winning by 5-3 to 1-1. Games scheduled for 2014, 2015 and 2016 were all conceded to Westmeath with Longford unable to field a hurling team. Thereafter there is no sign of Longford appearing in fixtures again until 1929.

At club level, the first Longford Senior Hurling Championship was organised in late 1904 with the final played in February 1905 and replayed (following an objection) in May 1905 with Longford Leo Caseys emerging as winners over Killoe Young Emmets. Club activity was mainly confined to the later part of the year to avoid clash the farming activity during the good months of the year. Club hurling competition was short-lived with only one further SHC competition completed in 1907 and won by Killoe Young Emmets. We find no organised club hurling in Longford from 1908 to 1931 (inclusive). At inter-county level, the Longford hurlers played from 1905 to 1911 at Junior grade in Leinster Junior Championship and after 1911 we find no inter-county hurling until 1929. There is some mention of hurling clubs forming or reviving in the 1910’s and 1920’s however with a couple of exceptions, no games were played and there was no official club hurling competition in Longford in the 1910’s and 1920’s.

Reference can be found to Killoe Hurling Club in November 1919 when a meeting was proposed to make arrangements for coming match, but no record of any games played. Longford Hurling Club is noted in August 1920 and again in May 1922 with practice ongoing in Longford Park. A friendly match is noted on 15th August 1924 between Longford and Lismacaffrey as part of the Street Annual Sports event. The Athlone District Notes in the Westmeath Examiner in June 1925 mention Hurling and Football Championship matches between the Army’s Eastern and Western Commands to be held on Monday 29th June 1925 in Longford in connection with the Chaplains’ and Medical Services Cup competition. On 27th August 1925 a hurling friendly was played in Longford Park between a Longford selection and the Army’s 6th Western Battalion, with Longford winning by 0-17 to 0-15. Another game took place in October 1925 between Longford hurling club and the Army’s 10th Battalion, with the Military running out 6-4 to 2-3 winners on that occasion. Another friendly is recorded between Longford hurling club and Lismacaffrey in November 1925, with Longford winning by 6-5 to 6-4. A friendly is played between Longford and Elphin Hurling Clubs in May 1926 and it is noted in June 1926 that the Longford hurling club is not affiliated with the County Board. In 1926 there is a brief reference to Lanesboro Hurling Club in context of organising a dance ‘under the auspices of’ the club, but no record of any games played by the club. In May 1928 a hurling challenge match between Westmeath and Tipperary drew big crowds to Longford Park. In June 1928 Longford Hurling Club applied to the Urban Council for permission to practice on the Fair Green in the town. The application was granted with the sum fixed at 2/6 a week and hours from 8pm to 10pm. The application also noted that until recently Longford had been the only county in the country without a hurling club. Various challenge games are noted in 1928 including one on 11th November 1928 in Granard between a Longford Selection and Westmeath (Castlepollard). It is noted that Garda Molloy in Granard (former Galway football captain) was instrumental in getting members of the local Gardaí involved in hurling in the area.

🗓️  Inter-County Hurling Games (1902-1919)

🗓️ 1920-1928:

There is some mention of hurling clubs forming or reviving in the 1920’s however with a couple of exceptions, no games were played and there was no official club hurling competition in Longford in the 1920’s.

Longford Hurling Club is noted in August 1920 and again in May 1922 with practice ongoing in Longford Park. A friendly match is noted on 15th August 1924 between Longford and Lismacaffrey as part of the Street Annual Sports event. The Athlone District Notes in the Westmeath Examiner in June 1925 mention Hurling and Football Championship matches between the Army’s Eastern and Western Commands to be held on Monday 29th June 1925 in Longford in connection with the Chaplains’ and Medical Services Cup competition.

On 27th August 1925 a hurling friendly was played in Longford Park between a Longford selection and the Army’s 6th Western Battalion, with Longford winning by 0-17 to 0-15. Another game took place in October 1925 between Longford hurling club and the Army’s 10th Battalion, with the Military running out 6-4 to 2-3 winners on that occasion. Another friendly is recorded between Longford hurling club and Lismacaffrey in November 1925, with Longford winning by 6-5 to 6-4. A friendly is played between Longford and Elphin Hurling Clubs in May 1926 and it is noted in June 1926 that the Longford hurling club is not affiliated with the County Board. In 1926 there is a brief reference to Lanesboro Hurling Club in context of organising a dance ‘under the auspices of’ the club, but no record of any games played by the club.

In May 1928 a hurling challenge match between Westmeath and Tipperary drew big crowds to Longford Park. In June 1928 Longford Hurling Club applied to the Urban Council for permission to practice on the Fair Green in the town. The application was granted with the sum fixed at 2/6 a week and hours from 8pm to 10pm. The application also noted that until recently Longford had been the only county in the country without a hurling club. Various challenge games are noted in 1928 including one on 11th November 1928 in Granard between a Longford Selection and Westmeath (Castlepollard). It is noted that Garda Molloy in Granard (former Galway football captain) was instrumental in getting members of the local Gardaí involved in hurling in the area.

🗓️ 1929-1936:

In 1929 the Longford County Board decided to revive hurling and enter a team into the Leinster JHC. At that stage Longford was the only county in Leinster not competing in a provincial hurling championship. Longford played Offaly in 1929 Leinster JHC, losing by 10-3 to 1-0 on 21st April 1929. Offaly went on to beat Cork in the All-Ireland JHC Final later that year. Longford did not compete in JHC in 1930, 1931 or 1932. In 1933 Longford returned to Leinster JHC, meeting Offaly again and losing by 9-7 to 1-1 on 9th April 1933. That same year Longford entered a Minor hurling team into the Leinster MHC for the first and only time, losing to Offaly by 7-5 to 0-0 on 23rd April 1933. In 1934, Longford played Offaly in the Leinster JHC and once again lost, this time by 10-2 to 3-3 on 29th April 1934. In 1935 Longford played Westmeath in the Leinster JHC, losing heavily by 11-5 to 2-1 on 14th April 1935. In 1936 Longford met Westmeath again in the Leinster JHC on 19th April 1936, losing heavily again by 11-6 to 4-1. 1936 marked the end of inter-county hurling activity in Longford until a brief revival in 1958.

Meanwhile at club level, the Longford Hurling Championship was revived in Longford in 1932, with Granard Hurling Club winning three-in-a-row of SHC titles in 1932, 1933 and 1934 before club hurling competition came to an end. The SHC competitions of 1932 and 1933 were played on a league basis, with Granard topping the league at the end of the season, thus winning the title. The clubs involved in 1932 were Granard HC, Longford HC and Edgeworthstown HC while the hurling clubs involved in 1933 competition were Granard HC, Longford HC and Lisryan HC. For 1934, three hurling clubs competed in the Championship. Granard beat Lisryan (4-1 to 4-0), and Longford beat Lisryan. In the County Final Granard made it three in a row titles with victory over Longford by 3-2 to 1-3 on 22nd April 1934.

The first game of the 1932 Longford Senior Hurling Championship between Granard HC and Longford HC in April 1932 ended in tragedy, when the Granard captain, Justin Manning, a native of Woodford in Co. Galway, collapsed and died while being removed to hospital. The game had been only twelve minutes in progress and the deceased had played a prominent part until the tragic event abruptly terminated the game. The Coroner in reviewing the evidence at the inquest said it was evident that influenza was indirectly the cause of death. The death was not caused by anything which happened in the game. Justin Manning had been working as a shop assistant in Mr. L. D. Kiernan’s of Granard for some time.

Club hurling went into rapid decline after 1934. Rathcline Hurling Club (sometimes cited as Lanesboro Hurling Club) was formed in July 1936 at a time when there was only one active hurling club in the county in Longford town. In the absence of any competitive games, Rathcline hosted Longford in a challenge game in late July 1936 (as part of Lanesboro Sports Day), with the Longford side winning 6-1 to 3-3. The return leg was in August 1936, with Rathcline winning by 5-2 to 2-2. There was no club hurling activity recorded for many years after 1936.

During the years and decades thereafter, and with no hurling activity in the county, Granard entered and won the Cavan Senior Hurling Championship in 1950, beating Ballyhaise by 5-3 to 1-1 in the final.

🗓️ 1954-1959:

Pearse Park hosted a rate inter-county hurling game in April 1954 when Westmeath beat Meath in the Leinster Junior Hurling Championship semi-final in a curtain raiser to the Leinster Junior Football Championship Round 1 game between Longford and Westmeath.

Inter-county hurling was briefly revived in Longford in 1958, helped in no small part by the work of Rathcline’s Jimmie O’Brien who put up a great fight to obtain consent for the county’s entry into the Leinster Junior Hurling Championship that year, for the first time since 1936. Ahead of competition, he organised a trail game between Rathcline (drawn mostly from Bord na Mona) and Rest of County on 23rd February 1958 in Pearse Park, which Rathcline won by either 5-2 to 4-3 or 3-3 to 2-3 depending on which report you read. Longford played Offaly in the first round of the Leinster JHC on 30th March 1958 and lost by 10-4 to 0-1 with a team made up of players from Rathcline, Mostrim, Cashel and Longford Slashers. The team that day was: F McGirr, M Quinlan, C Delaney, A Murray, J Rafter, D Dunne, R Groves, M Davis, F Clarke, J Kelly, B Donnelly. Sub: F Cronin for Grooves. That game was to mark the end of Longford’s involvement in adult inter-county hurling until Longford joined the National Hurling League in the 1981-82 season.

1959 saw the beginning of underage club hurling in Longford with a Schoolboys hurling league organised with four teams involved. Games began on 15th June 1959, with Shannon Gaels (Rathcline) defeating Leo Caseys (Ballymahon) by 4-2 to 2-1 and St. Michaels defeating Killoe by 7-3 to 0-0. St. Michaels won the league title beating Shannon Gaels in the final by 7-0 to 3-0. A local hurling league was also organised in 1959 for school-going boys in Longford town, with games played in the Fair Green. In June 1959 Longford played Westmeath in the first round of the Leinster Juvenile Hurling Championship, with the panel including M Breheny, Mel Duncan, B Flynn (Leo Caseys), TJ Eivers, N O’Dowd, J Feeney (Shannon Gaels), M Fox (Killoe), D Gray, T O’Brien, J White, J Savage, M Comer, M Shiels, A Dineen, S McMonagle, B McCormack, L Egan, M Wall (St. Michaels). The local hurling league competition for Longford town lads was also organised in 1960 with games played in the Longford Sportsfield on Park Road, but no reports of Schoolboys Hurling League for 1960 or the years thereafter. It appears that underage hurling lapsed from 1960 until 1966.

A notice was carried in the Longford Leader on 26th December 1959 announcing that a Hurling Club had been formed for the Mostrim-Lisryan area, bearing the name St. Marys. A list of officials elected at the inauguration meeting was also listed. Captain was named as J Carey and Vice-Captain as Pat McQuade. No evidence of this St. Marys team ever playing any games and there was no adult competition in Longford for them to compete in either. Interestingly when a newly hurling club was formed in Edgeworthstown in 1982 it was initially called St. Mary’s (Mostrim) and then changed to Wolfe Tones (Mostrim).

It is worth noting that St. Brigids Ardagh beat Ballylinan (Laois) in the Leinster Camogie Junior Club Championship final on Sunday 17th May 1959 at Ardagh. This was the first Provincial club title ever won by a team from Longford. The final score was Ardagh 3-2, Ballylinan 2-4. The team that day was: Rita Clyne, Dympna Clabby, Anna May Cahill, Mary Ward, Marie Keenan, Anne Bannon, Kathleen Farrell (0-2, Captain), Kathleen Trautt, Kathleen McKenna (1-0), Mary Dowler (1-0), Margo Keenan (1-0), Rose Ballesty. Subs: Lily Dowler and Mary McGarry.

🗓️ 1965-1971:

At the 1960 Longford GAA Convention, Mostrim moved a motion to re-establish hurling in the county. By the Convention of December 1962, it was noted that no headway had been made on hurling. Granard native Fintan Tierney as appointed an umpire for the 1964 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final. In April 1965 a bulletin on hurling revival is issued as part of a National Hurling Revival Scheme underway from Páirc an Chrócaigh as part of their five-year hurling plan. The bulletin reports that Longford held a prelim meeting in mid-February 1965 at which the hurling scheme was discussed, with Commandant D O’Callaghan (Westmeath) attending as a member of the Hurling Commission. Three regional meetings were held in Granard, Ballymahon and Longford on February 25th 1965 to which teachers in those areas were invited with a view to obtaining their assistance. An Coiste Iomana was to be selected the following week and an order of 300 juvenile hurleys was placed. The success of Longford footballers meant that no progress was made throughout 1965 on hurling revival.

In January 1966 a new Coiste Iomana was formed with Chairman Fr. Jeremiah Macauley and Secretary Gerry Murphy. GAA Central Council provided all 32 counties with a Cup for Juvenile (aka U-14) competition as part of a hurling revival effort in 1966. In June 1966 the U-14 Hurling League was revived, with competition including teams from Stonepark, Newtownforbes, Teffia, Ballinamuck & Lanesboro, with Lanesboro winning the title. Longford and Cavan met in an U-14 (called Juvenile) Hurling challenge in September 1966 with Cavan winning convincingly, while the teams met again as the opener to the National Football League final between Longford and New York in Pearse Park on 2nd October 1966 with Cavan winning by 5-2 to 3-2. The team that day was J. Gilmore (Lanesboro), J. McDermott (Stonepark), M. Whelan (Ballinamuck), B. Fanning (Teffia), T. Oates (Stonepark), P. Whelan (Ballinamuck), P. Connaughton (Teffia), C. Keaveney (Lanesboro), G. McGrath (Lanesboro), W. Keogh (Teffia), T. Dowd (Stonepark), P. O’Brien (Newtownforbes), T. Leavy (Ballymahon), J. Harte (Lanesboro), P. Hughes (Ballymahon). Sub Used: M. Quinn (Ballinamuck).

In July 1967 Longford took part in a Juvenile inter-county hurling competition involving 16 counties comprising Louth, Leitrim, Wicklow, Kildare, Roscommon, Sligo, Mayo, Down, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Cavan and Longford. The Longford U-16 hurling panel was made up of players from Stonepark, Bunlahy, Teffia, Ballinamuck and Newtownforbes teams. The panel was: Longford panel was: J Twaddle, T Dowd (Stonepark), P Cahill, B Kiernan, T Kilbride, C Treacy (Bunlahy), W Keogh, G Wall, B Fanning (Teffia), M Whelan, P Whelan, Quinn (Ballinamuck), J O’Neill, D Connaughton, J Harte, C Keaveney, G Kiernan, G Lennane, K O’Connor, N Ward, D O’Brien, G McGrath, P O’Brien (Newtownforbes).

At club level, U-14 and U-16 Hurling competitions continued in 1967 with Bunlahy making their debut in both competitions. We see U-14 and U-16 Hurling Championship competition taking place alongside existing League competition in 1967. Lanesboro beat Bunlahy in the U-16 Hurling League final by 4-3 to 4-1. In 1968 Longford (Slashers) hurlers and Wolfe Tones (Mostrim) hurlers joined the underage hurling family. In September 1968 an appeal goes out via local media for hurling coaches. In October 1968 the Minor Board organised a 9-a-side Schoolboys Hurling League involving 15 different teams from across the county. Competition started on weekend of November 23/24th 1968 with matches at 20 minutes each half and pitches 80 yards long by 60 yards wide, with parallelogram not in operation. The Minor Board noted with regret that only a few football clubs were backing the teams who have entered. The 1968 9-a-side Hurling League began in November 1968 with final played on 30th March 1969 in Pearse Park, with Bunlahy N.S. beating Stonepark N.S. by 2-0 to 1-1 to lift the new Corn Scóil. This competition included school teams from Fermoyle, Stonepark, Cloontagh, Newtownforbes, Bunlahy, Longford Slashers, Teffia, Wolfe Tones (Mostrim), Colehill and Lenamore.

In April 1969, the Minor Board meeting decided that Schoolboys, U-14 and U-16 Hurling Championship competition would be held, would be 13-a-side and would be 30 minutes each half. The 1969 Schoolboys Championship included Wolfe Tones, Fermoyle, Legan, St. Annes (Stonepark), Bunlahy, Cloontagh, with the title won by Stonepark St. Annes who beat Bunlahy in the final. The 1969 U-14 Championship included Lough Forbes Gaels, St. Annes (Stonepark), Lanesboro, Cuchulainns, Bunlahy & Longford Slashers, with the title won by Bunlahy who beat Lough Forbes Gaels in the final in December 1969 by 4-0 to 1-1. The U-16 Championship included Longford Slashers, Ballinamuck (in fixtures, but didn’t compete), Lanesboro, Bunlahy, St. Annes (Stonepark) & Lough Forbes Gaels and the title was won by Lough Forbes Gaels who beat Bunlahy by 7-3 to 0-1 in the decider. Pat Hunt and Pat Kenny became the first Longford players to win both Club Hurling and Club Football Juvenile Championship titles in Longford. Lough Forbes Gaels team was: J Blessing, D Barden, J Toher, M Kenny, P O’Brien, J Murray, T Barden, F Beirne, P Hunt, T McCormack, P Kenny, PJ Toher, S Nolan. Subs: G McGrath, T Casey, T Mahon.

Longford’s U-16 Hurling team trials arranged in April and May 1969 with game vs Roscommon in First round of Corn Ui Caoimh competition fixed for 23rd June 1969. Longford were beaten 8-8 to 2-0. Longford team: F. Glancy (Stonepark), T Barden (Clonguish), B Smith (Cashel), C Cashell (Ballymahon), C Twaddle (Stonepark, 1-0), G. McGrath (Lanesboro), B Fannin (Slashers), P Cahill (Bunlahy), M. Kelly (Forgney), T McCormack (Clonguish), F Kilbride (Bunlahy), PJ Oates (Stonepark, 1-0), M Esler (Carrickedmond), G Wall (Slashers), P Masterson (Lanesboro). Subs: J Mulhern and M Maguire (Stonepark), F Belton and J Farrell (Slashers).

1970 Schoolboys Hurling Championship included Legan Casements, Bunlahy, Cloontagh, Longford Slashers & Fermoyle with Legan Casements beating Fermoyle by 3-2 to 2-2 to take the title in August 1970. The 1970 U-14 Hurling Championship included St. Martins, Longford Slashers, Lough Forbes Gaels, Legan & Bunlahy. Lough Forbes Gaels beat Bunlahy by 3-0 to 1-0 in the final in December 1970.

In 1971 Fermoyle beat St. Anne’s (Stonepark) by 10-1 to 1-1 in July 1971 to win the Schoolboys Hurling Championship title of 1971. This was their first hurling title. The Schoolboys League 9-a-side final was between Legan (holders) and St. Annes (Stonepark), with St. Annes winning by 6-1 to 3-0. The 1971 U-14 Championship included Longford Slashers, Lough Forbes Gaels, Dromard, Fermoyle, Legan and Bunlahy. The Final was between Legan v Bunlahy but was stopped after a player had to go to hospital at half-time due to a suspected broken arm. The 1971 U-16 Championship included Longford Slashers, Fermoyle/Lanesboro, Legan, Lough Forbes Gaels, Dromard and Bunlahy but no record of any games played. An U-17 Championship was played in 1971 included Longford Slashers, Legan, Lough Forbes Gaels and Lanesboro/Fermoyle. The Final was between Lough Forbes Gaels vs Slashers but there is no record of any winner. Thereafter there is no underage hurling activity for many years in the 1970’s except for Féile na nGael which saw teams nominated in specific years to represent Longford at National Féile before a County Féile competition began in 1977.

🗓️ 1977-1989:

The start of a big hurling revival comes in 1977, initially in underage club hurling and eventually at senior club hurling leading to a revival of County hurling and Longford entering the National Hurling League for the first time. In 1977 we find Slashers Gaels, Wolfe Tones and Cashel in U-14 Hurling Championship competition which had revived for the first time since 1971. Rathcline Gaels are also involved in underage competition by 1978, while 1979 saw Killoe make a brief appearance in U-14 Hurling Championship. Juvenile Hurling was revived in 1979, while U-12 and Minor Hurling were introduced anew in 1980.

By 1980 seven hurling clubs were competing across various underage grades:

• Slashers Gaels (Longford Slashers)
• Naomh Ciaran (Rathcline)
• Wolfe Tones (Mostrim)
• Cashel
• Lough Forbes Gaels (Clonguish)
• St. Brendans (Stonepark)
• St. Mels (Shroid Slashers)

At adult club grade, Junior Hurling competition was organised in Longford in 1981, the first adult club hurling in the county since the 1934 Senior Hurling Championship. Initially called the Junior Hurling Tournament, by the time of the final in October it was called the Junior Hurling Championship, though the limited number of teams involved suggests it was always a tournament and never a Championship. The final saw Rathcline Gaels defeat Slashers Gaels by 6-10 to 1-2 on 4th October 1981. This Junior competition was only played once and was discontinued when Senior Hurling Championship arrived in 1982.

In 1982 the Longford Senior Hurling Championship was revived for the first time since the 1930’s, with Slashers Gaels (Longford Slashers) beating Naomh Ciarán (Rathcline) by 2-10 to 1-6 in the 1982 final to lift the new J.J. Duignan Cup as Longford champions. Teams from Slashers Gaels, Wolfe Tones (Mostrim), Naomh Ciarán (Rathcline), Ballymahon and Bunlahy competed in Senior hurling in the 1980’s with Wolfe Tones and Ballymahon amalgamating to compete in 1983, 1984 & 1985 Senior Championship. A new Senior Hurling League began in March 1986, with Slashers Gaels, Naomh Ciarán (Rathcline), Bunlahy and Wolfe Tones (Mostrim) taking part. The inaugural SHL title was won by Slashers Gaels who beat Naomh Ciarán (Rathcline) by 3-9 to 3-8 in the final. Slashers Gaels would go on to win 5-in-a-row of Senior Hurling League titles from 1986-1990. The Senior Hurling League competition faded out in the early 1990’s and despite a brief revival at the start of the 2000’s, it has not been played since.

The Guinness (Silver Tankard) Senior Hurling Tournament was organised and hosted by Slashers Gaels in 1983, 1984 & 1985. This tournament involved hurling teams from Longford, Cavan, Westmeath, Roscommon and Mayo, with Slashers Gaels, Wolfe Tones/Ballymahon, Naomh Ciarán (Rathcline), and Bunlahy teams taking part at various stages along with Woodford Gaels of Cavan, Castlebar of Mayo, Athleague of Roscommon and Southern Gaels of Athlone. The 1984 title was won by Southern Gaels (Athlone) who beat Castlebar in the final, while the 1985 title was won by the amalgamation of Wolfe Tones/Ballymahon who beat holders Southern Gaels (Athlone) by 1-5 to 1-4 in the final.

In 1985 St. Faithleachs (Ballyleague) joined the Féile na nGael competition in Longford. A new U-21 Hurling Championship was introduced in 1986. By 1987 there were nine hurling clubs in action across adult and youth grades in Longford including U-11, U-12, U-14, U-16, U-18, U-21 and Senior competition. Four of these (Slashers Gaels, Wolfe Tones, Naomh Ciarán and Bunlahy) competed in adult hurling competition at that stage. The hurling clubs in 1987 were as follows:

• Slashers Gaels (Longford Slashers)
• Naomh Ciarán (Rathcline)
• Wolfe Tones (Mostrim)
• Bunlahy
• Abbeylara
• Ballymahon
• Cashel
• Kenagh
• Lough Forbes Gaels (Clonguish)

At inter-county level, Longford entered the National Hurling League for the first time in 1982 with the first game against Leitrim in Pearse Park on May 2nd 1982. That first game ended Longford 8-4, Leitrim 1-1. Longford’s first ever score in NHL came from the Hurling Board Chairman John Collins, who opened the scoring with a goal and bagged a total of 3-1 in the game! As well as participating in the annual National Hurling League, Longford also participated in Leinster JHC competition from 1983 and competed in the 1985 Ford Open Draw Cup, losing to Wicklow in the first round on 24th March 1985 by 0-4 to 2-12. At U-21 level, Longford competed in Leinster Special U-21 Hurling Championship in 1985, 1986 & 1987.

Longford Juvenile hurlers won the All-Ireland Juvenile ‘C’ Championships (Willword Tailteann Cup) in 1982, 1984, 1985 & 1986. The 1982 win was the first national hurling silverware ever won by a Longford hurling team. The 1984 winning team was managed by Paddy McMahon, Anthony Casey and Billy Lynn. The 1985 presentation of the All-Ireland medals to the winning Longford Juvenile team by Dr. Mick Loftus in the Hogan Stand in Croke Park on Sunday 4th August 1985 was his first official act as new president of the GAA.

Longford Minor hurlers won the Leinster Special Minor ‘D’ League in 1982, 1983 and 1984. In 1984 the Longford Minors reached the All-Ireland Special Minor Hurling Championship final, but were beaten by Leitrim by 2-7 to 1-5 in Carrick-on-Shannon. The following year Longford Minors were back in the final again but this time lost out to Cavan in Carrick-on-Shannon by 2-8 to 2-4. Finally in 1987 the Longford Minors captured Longford’s first All-Ireland Special Minor Hurling trophy by beating Tyrone by 2-5 to 1-4 in front of 30,000 spectators on a memorable day at Croke Park. The victorious Minor team arrived back to Edgeworthstown that evening where bonfires were blazing and team captain and Wolfe Tones player Mark McNamara was met by County Board secretary John Green and Chairman Albert Fallon. The team were driven on a lorry through the town in celebration. The successful team was managed by Oliver Colohan, Eddie Coffey, Billy Lynn, John Collins and Peter Bannon. Later in 1987 Longford Minor hurlers reached the Leinster Special Minor ‘D’ League final, losing out to Meath by 5-3 to 0-10 in Pearse Park in December 1987.

By the late 1980’s Longford hurlers were competing at inter-county level at Senior, U-21, Minor and U-16 grades and had enjoyed victories across the decade in NHL Division 4 (1983/84 and 1987/88), All-Ireland Special Minor Championship (1987), Leinster Special Minor League (1982, 1983 & 1984) and All-Ireland Special U-16 (Willword Tailteann Cup – 1982, 1984, 1985 & 1986). This would prove to be a high point in terms of hurling activity in Longford.

🗓️ 1990-1999:

Longford Senior hurlers competed in the National Hurling League throughout the 1990’s with no success or title wins, and competed sporadically in the Leinster Junior Hurling Championship in 1992, 1998 and 1999. At U-21 level, Longford competed in Leinster Special U-21 Hurling Championship from 1993-1999.

Longford Minor hurlers reached the All-Ireland Special Minor League final in 1995, but lost out to Mayo in the decider in Athleague, having previously defeated Monaghan in the semi-final in Cootehill. The Longford Minors did find success in the All-Ireland Minor ‘C’ final in 1997, beating Mayo by 6-15 to 1-7 in the final in Croke Park.

Longford’s Juvenile hurlers reached the All-Ireland Juvenile ‘C’ final in 1995 but were beaten by Armagh in the decider played in Bailieboro on 2nd September 1995. An interesting note from 1995 was that Niall Mulleady from Drumlish lined out for the Longford U-16 footballers in winning the Fr. Manning Cup, then lined out for the Longford U-16 hurlers in the All-Ireland Juvenile ‘C’ final and lined out for the Longford U-18 hurlers in the All-Ireland Minor ‘C’ final. Niall played club football with the Fr. Manning Gaels club and club hurling with the Clonguish club.

At club level, the Senior Hurling League which began in March 1986 was re-branded and re-launched in May 1990 as the Tangled Web League and involving six teams, namely Lough Forbes Gaels (Clonguish), Ballymahon/Cashel, Wolfe Tones (Mostrim), Naomh Ciarán (Rathcline) and both Slashers Gaels & Longford Slashers (Slashers had two teams). The Tangled Web League was played in 1990, 1991 and 1992 and was then discontinued. From 1992 hurling began to go into rapid decline in Longford. Naomh Ciarán (Rathcline) bowed out of adult hurling after 1992 though remained involved in some underage grades, while Ballymahon emerged on their own in 1993 to compete alongside Slashers Gaels and Wolfe Tones (Mostrim) in a three-team SHC competition. By 1994 there were just two adult hurling clubs in Longford – Slashers Gaels and Wolfe Tones.

The 1990’s saw something of a revival of hurling in schools and underage clubs with U-11/U-12 championships and Mini Hurling Sevens competition which involved 32 schools across the county. There was also a brief period in the early-to-mid 1990’s with six clubs competing in U-11 & U-12 Hurling Championship (Wolfe Tones, Slashers Gaels, Ballymahon, Naomh Ciarán, Lough Forbes Gaels and Abbeylara), while we also find Killoe involved in U-14 Hurling League in 1995 during a brief revival of Hurling and Camogie in the parish. The youth revival did not sustain and the number of hurling teams in the county continued to decline while at adult club level the Longford clubs were taking heaving beatings in Leinster Club SHC. 1999 represented something of a low point in Longford Hurling with the county team unable to field against Donegal in NHL. Slashers Gaels were unable to field in the 1999 Leinster Club Championship against Kilmessan (Meath) when Wolfe Tones (that years County Champions) were unable to fulfill the tie due to a spate of injuries, and Slashers were asked to travel to Trim at short notice instead, but only 13 players showed up and Kilmessan received a walkover.

By 1999 there were four adult hurling clubs in Longford:

• Ballymahon Gaels
• Clonguish Gaels
• Slashers Gaels
• Wolfe Tones (Mostrim)

Ballymahon Gaels were revived in 1999 having not played in adult competition since 1993 while a new hurling club had recently been formed in Clonguish (Clonguish Gaels), entering the SHC for the first time in 1999. These four clubs competed in adult hurling from 1999 to 2002, with Ballymahon Gaels disbanding after 2002.

🗓️ 2000-2019:

The Longford Minor hurlers won the Connacht Minor ‘C’ Championship in 2000 and pushed on to regain the All-Ireland Minor ‘C’ Hurling Championship title which they last won in 1997, this time beating Donegal by 3-8 to 1-9 in the final in Brewster Park. The Longford Juvenile hurlers won the Connacht Juvenile ‘C’ Championship in 2000 and advanced to the All-Ireland Juvenile ‘C’ final, but lost out to Armagh in the final played at Garrison in Fermanagh. In 2006 the Longford Juvenile hurlers reached the All-Ireland Juvenile ‘C’ final again but lost out to Armagh.

Longford enjoyed more national success in Juvenile hurling in 2013, 2015 and 2019. In 2013 Longford defeated Louth by 2-4 to 0-2 at the Monaghan COE to win the National U-16 Hurling Academy Blitz (broadly equivalent to All-Ireland Juvenile ‘C’ Championship which preceded it). The team was managed by Niall Ward and Seán Mulhern. Longford regained the title in 2015 with a 5-6 to 1-2 victory over Louth in the deciding game of the group stages at Carrick-on-Shannon. In September 2019 Longford beat Leitrim by 4-0 to 1-5 in the final of the newly branded U-15 Hibernia Cup ‘C’ competition to lift the new Peter O’Keefe Cup. This competition was the successor to the previous National Hurling Academy Blitz competition which itself was the successor to the previous All-Ireland Juvenile ‘C’ Championship.

At adult grade, the Longford’s Senior hurlers beat Louth to claim the 2002 NHL Division 3 title and gain promotion to Division 2B for 2003. In 2005 Longford won the NHL Division 3 Shield title. The next title wins in National Hurling League came in 2013, 2017 and 2019 when Longford won NHL Division 4 in each year. Longford won the Lory Meagher Cup in 2010 and 2014.

In 2005 the Longford Senior hurlers competed in the new Nickey Rackard Cup (third tier of Hurling Championship), narrowly losing out to Tyrone in the quarter final. 2006 saw Longford go a stage further as the hurlers reached the Nickey Rackard Cup semi-final, only to lose to Donegal in Enniskillen. Donegal knocked Longford out in the 2007 Nickey Rackard quarter final, while 2008 was a major disappointment as Longford didn’t get out of the group stages of the Nickey Rackard Cup. A new Lory Meagher Cup competition (fourth tier of hurling championship) was introduced in 2009 which Longford immediately regraded to and competed in from 2009. Wins over Warwickshire and Donegal saw Longford reach the Lory Meagher Cup semi-final vs Tyrone in 2009, but Longford lost out by four points.

2010 saw the Longford hurlers win the Lory Meagher Cup for the first time. The opening round saw a defeat against Donegal, but wins over South Down, Warwickshire and Leitrim gained Longford a rematch in Croke Park where 1-9 from Garreth Ghee saw Longford defeat Donegal 1-20 to 1-12 and Seamus Hannon lifted the cup. The winning team and subs were: P Cullen, B Stakem, S Browne, C Finucane, C Egan, S Hannon, R Donnellan, M Coyle, E Donnellan (0-2, 1’65), S Stakelum (0-1), N Casey, D Tanner (0-2), G Ghee (1-9 (0-5f)), J O’Brien (0-3), J Newman (0-1). Subs: F Daly (0-1) for Coyle (blood 48-50m), Daly for Stakelum (52m), J Minnock (0-1) for Casey (67m), B Stakelum for Newman (69m), S Lynam for R Donnellan (70m).

In 2013 Longford reached the Lory Meagher Cup final, but were beaten by Warwickshire in Croke Park on 8th June 2013. The game is historic because it involved the first ever use of Hawkeye technology for a hurling match, and the first hurling action to be assessed via Hawkeye was a scoring effort by Warwickshire’s Sean Hennessy in the 30th minute (was deemed wide). Warwickshire ran out winners by 2-16 to 0-10.

In 2014 the hurlers were back in the Lory Meagher Cup final. Having reached the decider and won Division 3B of the National Hurling League in 2013, hopes were high of a good campaign. A narrow win over Leitrim and a comprehensive win over Warwickshire met Longford qualified for the final with a game to spare. Fermanagh were in the same position and they played out a draw in the group match. The final in Croke Park was a high scoring exciting affair, but Longford were deserving winners with Eoin Donnellan hitting 1-9 in a 3-18 to 3-16 win that allowed Martin Coyle to raise the cup. The winning Longford team was as follows: Paddy Cullen; Conor Egan, Brendan Stakem, Karl Murray; Paddy Corcoran, Conor Flanagan, Rory Donnellan; Johnny Casey (0-1), Declan Tanner; Eoin Donnellan (1-9, 8f, ’65), Martin Coyle, Kevin Connell (0-2); Joe O’Brien (2-2), Cathal Mullane (0-3), John Newman (0-1). Subs used: Gareth Ghee for Newman (41m), Cian Kavanagh for Corcoran (65m), Thomas Stakem for E Donnellan (70m).

Longford also competed in the Kehoe Cup and Kehoe Shield competition from 2003 to 2022, winning the Kehoe Cup for the first and only time following a one-point victory over Wicklow at Pearse Park on 11th February 2018. The game was played in difficult conditions, and Longford won on a scoreline of 0-11 to 0-10. Longford: C Gallagher; A Sheridan, G Moore, P Corcoran, K Murray, B Hanley, S Hannon, J O’Brien (0-4), P Walsh (0-1), P Barden, S Stakelum, D Duggan (0-1), D Connell, C Mullane (0-4), J Leonard. Subs: J Casey (0-1) for P Barden, R Murray for J Leonard, PJ Masterson for S Stakelum, J Leonard for S Hannon, S Stakelum for A Sheridan.

Longford competed in the Leinster JHC from 2000 to 2004, reaching the Leinster JHC final in 2003 and 2004, losing to Meath in both years. This competition was discontinued after 2004. A new Leinster Junior Hurling Shield competition was introduced in 2005 and ran until 2011, with Longford winning the Leinster Junior Shield in 2005 and 2006. At U-21 level, Longford competed in Leinster Special U-21 Hurling Championship from 2000 to 2009 (renamed Leinster U-21 ‘A’ Hurling Championship in 2008, 2008 & 2009), and in All-Ireland U-21 ‘C’ Hurling Championship in 2015, 2016 and 2024.

Longford’s Minor Hurlers participated in Celtic Challenge competition from it’s introduction in 2016, and reached the Tom Hogan Cup final (tier 6) in 2019, losing out to Leitrim in the end. The Celtic Challenge Cup is a national Minor Hurling competition with 6 different tiers and cups.

At club level, the 2000’s started with four adult hurling clubs in the county, but within a couple of years the Ballymahon Gaels club had disbanded and by 2003 there were three adult hurling clubs in Longford:

• Clonguish Gaels
• Longford Slashers
• Wolfe Tones (Mostrim)

While that number dipped to just two clubs in the early part of the 2010’s, it has broadly remained at three adult hurling clubs from 2003 to 2024. A new Senior ‘B’ Hurling Championship was played briefly in the mid 2000’s, with Clonguish Gaels winning in 2005 and Wolfe Tones (Mostrim) winning in 2006. In the 2010’s underage hurling was mostly played between the three hurling clubs with no underage competition played in some grades in some years, especially in the late 2010’s.

🗓️ 2020-2025:

Longford Senior hurlers reached the Lory Meagher Cup final in 2022 but lost out to Louth by 3-14 to 3-27. The Senior team reached the Lory Meagher again in 2024 but lost out to Fermanagh by 2-20 to 3-22. In the National Hurling League, Longford reached the semi-final of Division 3B in 2022, 2023 and 2024 but lost out on all occasions. A restructure of the NHL for 2025 saw Longford’s division renamed from Division 3B to Division 4, while Longford played Senior Championship in the Lory Meagher Cup (tier 5) in 2025. In 2024 and 2025 Longford participated in the All-Ireland U-21 ‘C’ Hurling Championship for the first time since 2016.

Longford’s Minor Hurlers continued to participate in Celtic Challenge competition in the 2020’s, reaching the Michael Feery Cup final (tier 5) in 2021, losing out to Armagh on that occasion. In 2025 the Longford Minor Hurlers succeeded in winning Celtic Challenge silverware, with victory over Fermanagh in the Michael Feery Cup (tier 5) final at Breffni park on 7th June 2025. Longford topped the table at the end of the round-robin group stage, winning all five games against Fermanagh, Cavan, Louth, Monaghan and Leitrim, before accounting for Fermanagh in the decider by 3-13 to 2-10. This was Longford’s first Minor Hurling silverware for 25 years. The Celtic Challenge Cup is a national Minor Hurling competition with 6 different tiers and cups.

Longford’s Juvenile Hurlers regained the U-15 Hibernia ‘C’ Cup in 2025, with victory over Fermanagh in the final at Breffni Park. Longford had beaten Fermanagh, Cavan, Louth and Mayo en-route to the final and had last won the title in 2019.

Arrangements were made in late 2025 for Longford to participate in some Ulster Hurling competitions in 2026, namely in the Ulster U-20 Hurling Shield (along with Louth, Fermanagh, Armagh, Monaghan & Cavan) and Ulster Minor Hurling Development League (along with Louth, Fermanagh, Monaghan & Cavan).

On the club scene, by 2025 there were 3 active adult hurling clubs:

• Longford Slashers
• Clonguish Gaels
• Wolfe Tones (Mostrim)

That number had not increased for over 20 years, and reduced to just two clubs in 2012 & 2013. Longford adult hurling clubs also take part in the Cú Chulainn adult development hurling league which has been running since 2022.

By 2025 there were six teams in underage hurling in Longford:

• Longford Slashers
• Clonguish Gaels
• Wolfe Tones (Mostrim)
• St. Dominics (Kenagh)
• St. Francis (Dromard)
• Shannon Gaels (Rathcline)

St. Dominics and Shannon Gaels both compete at U-8 to U-10 Go Games, while St. Francis competes at U-8 to U-12 Go Games. Go Games are Camogie, Hurling and Gaelic Football for children up to and including 12 years of age, where every child gets to play (a Go) in every game, for the full game. The Dromard club is new to hurling in 2024 while Rathcline re-introduced hurling in 2024 for the first time in many years. In 2021 Carrick Hurling club from Leitrim was invited to participate in Longford underage hurling competition, while in 2024 Glencar/Manorhamilton from Leitrim also joined Longford underage hurling competition. Both Leitrim clubs play alongside Longford Slashers, Clonguish Gaels and Wolfe Tones in Longford Minor, Juvenile and U-14 hurling competition. Mullahoran (Cavan) also participated alongside Longford clubs in some underage competitions in 2025. Longford underage club teams also take part in the Táin Óg youth development hurling league which has been running since 2018.

At Primary School level, by 2025 indoor hurling competition involved the following:

• Clondra NS (5 teams)
• Killoe NS (5 teams)
• Ballinalee NS (3 teams)
• Colmcille NS (3 teams)
• Melview NS (3 teams)
• Newtownforbes NS (3 teams)
• Edgeworthstown NS (2 teams)
• Lanesboro NS (2 teams)
• Mullinalaghta NS (2 teams)
• Kenagh NS (1 team)
• Killasonna NS (1 team)
• Stonepark NS (1 team)
• Tashinny NS (1 team)

For history of Camogie in Longford see here.