LGFA Titles – SFC

Longford Slashers 0-11
Clonguish 0-7

Final played on 7th October 2023.

(Longford Slashers won 5-in-row of Ladies SFC titles)

Longford Slashers 0-10
Clonguish 1-06

🏆 Longford Slashers went on to win the Leinster Intermediate Club Championship in 2022 and with victory over Charlestown in the All-Ireland Semi-Final, the ladies of Longford Slashers reached the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship final on 10th December 2022 in Croke Park, winning the All-Ireland title by defeating Mullinahone (Tipperary) by 4-11 to 2-8. This was the first time a club from Longford (in either LGFA or GAA) had ever reached an All-Ireland club final in any grade, and the first time a club from Longford had won an All-Ireland club championship title in any grade across LGFA and GAA.

Longford Slashers 2-9
Carrickedmond 1-11

Longford Slashers 2-15
Carrickedmond 1-9

Longford Slashers 4-9
Clonguish 2-9

Carrickedmond 5-7
Killoe 0-12

Clonguish 0-9
Mostrim 0-6

Clonguish 0-9
Mostrim 0-9

Killoe 1-14
Mostrim 1-3

Clonguish 1-8
Killoe 0-10

Killoe 3-10
Ballymore 1-11

(Killoe won the first 5-in-row of Ladies SFC titles)

Killoe 2-14
Clonguish 2-5

(This was the first 4-in-row of Ladies SFC titles)

🏆 Killoe went on to win the Leinster Senior League title in 2013.

Killoe 2-14
Clonguish 2-4

2012 was the first presentation of the new Alison Smyth memorial cup to the winner.

Alison Smyth died suddenly aged 29 in December 2011. Alison who played with Rathcline and was a midfielder on the Longford Ladies team, was one of the most talented sportswomen of her generation. Ali had been an All-Star nominee in 2009 and a county player from the age of 19, winning the coveted Longford ‘Ladies Player of the Year’ award in 2009. As well as enjoying success with Longford and her club Rathcline, Alison had also helped Ballymahon Convent of Mercy to an All-Ireland title in 1999 and as a basketball player with the Falcons, had guided them to a national title in 2000.

Killoe 1-12
Ballymore 2-8

Killoe 0-11
Clonguish 1-4

Clonguish 1-6
Killoe 1-5

Note: This championship was played under the banner of an ‘Intermediate A Championship’ for bureaucratic purposes (i.e. to enable the winner to compete in Leinster Club IFC rather than SFC following a series of large defeats in the Leinster Club SFC in previous seasons). The Championship included four clubs – Clonguish, Killoe, Rathcline and Carrickedmond. 

Killoe 3-9
Clonguish 0-7

🏆  Killoe went on to win the Leinster Intermediate Club Championship title in 2008.

Note: This championship was played under the banner of an ‘Intermediate A Championship’ for bureaucratic purposes (i.e. to enable the winner to compete in Leinster Club IFC rather than SFC following a series of large defeats in the Leinster Club SFC in previous seasons). The Championship included four clubs – Clonguish, Killoe, Rathcline and Ballymore. 

Clonguish 1-11
Killoe 1-6

Note: At the Ladies Board Convention in December 2006 it was decided that Longford County Senior Football Champions would play in the Leinster Club Intermediate Championship. 

Killoe 3-14
Clonguish 1-7

Clonguish 2-11
Ballymore 0-10

🏆 Clonguish went on to win the Leinster Intermediate Club Championship title, becoming the first club from Longford to win a provincial football title.

Clonguish 2-10
Killoe 2-8

Ballymore 1-11
Rathcline 1-8

Rathcline 2-11
Killoe 2-4

Winner received the Park House Hotel Cup.

Rathcline 3-10
Clonguish 0-9

Rathcline 3-4
Killoe 2-6

Ballymore 5-9
Killoe 4-8

Captain was presented with the Park House Hotel Cup which was the cup for SFC for a number of years.

Ballymore 5-13
Rathcline 1-14

Ballymore 5-10
Killoe 3-6

St. Helens / Rathcline 2-7
Ballymore 2-6

(The 1996 decider was notable for two reasons… Firstly, it was played in February 1997 due to the success of the Longford senior team in competition in late 1996. Secondly, the scoreboard at full time read 2-7 to 2-6 to the St. Helens-Rathcline combination. With the players celebrating, the referee was certain the scoreboard was incorrect and so counted his scores and informed both teams that Ballymore had won by 1 point. With Ballymore now celebrating and St. Helens-Rathcline having now objected, the ref counted the scores again and concluded a draw. A review of the video later found that the St. Helens-Rathcline combination had indeed won the game)

Ballymore 0-12
St. Helens 1-8

St. Helens 8-8
Clonguish 1-4

(This was the first 3-in-row of Ladies SFC titles)

St. Helens 7-15
Kenagh 2-3

St. Helens 8-14
Carrickedmond 1-3

Granard / Abbeylara 0-5
St. Helens 0-4

St. Helens 2-2
Carrickedmond 1-2

Clonguish 3-4
St. Helens 2-3

Note: McCabe cup inscribed with wrong winner for 1989. It has ‘St. Helens/Éire Óg’ when it should be Clonguish (📷 Source). It is worth noting that the Ladies Senior Club in Drumlish was founded as Éíre Óg, while a few years later the Underage Club in Drumlish was called St. Helens. By the end of 1989 both were called St. Helens. 

St. Annes 4-0
Carrickedmond 3-1

(St. Annes was a combination of Ardagh & Legan. The McCabe cup is missing the winner for this year)

Carrickedmond 4-3
St. Annes 1-5

(St. Annes was a combination of Ardagh & Legan)

Granard 3-7
Carrickedmond 0-1

(This was the first back-to-back of Ladies SFC titles)

Granard 4-5
Legan 0-0

Note: The McCabe cup is inscribed with wrong winner for 1985. It has ‘Ardagh’ when it should be Granard. 📷 here

Ardagh 2-4
Granard 0-6

Longford Slashers 2-3
Éire Óg 1-3

(Éire Óg was the name of the Ladies Club in Drumlish parish, later renamed St. Helens)

Ardagh 5-6
Éire Óg 0-0

(Éire Óg was the name of the Ladies Club in Drumlish parish, later renamed St. Helens)

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

The following clarifications apply to Ladies SFC winners down the years:

– St. Annes was a combination of Ardagh and Legan Ladies teams.
– Granard reformed as St. Marys Granard in 2023 (So far in non-competitive U6-U12).
– Ardagh reformed as St. Brigids Gaels in underage from 2012 and in all grades from 2021.
– Éire Óg was Senior club in Drumlish and St. Helens was underage. All became St. Helens in 1989.

A number of years ago Longford regraded to Intermediate status for club championship which meant that for many years up to 2023 the Longford SFC winner contested the Leinster Intermediate Club Championship while Longford IFC winner contested the Leinster Junior Club Championship.

In 2022 Longford Slashers won the Leinster (and All-Ireland) Intermediate Club Championship and upon retaining their Longford SFC title in 2023 qualified to contest the 2023 Leinster Senior Club Championship, the first Longford club to do so for many years. This meant that 2023 Longford Senior ‘B’ Champions (Clonguish) contested the 2023 Leinster Intermediate Club Championship, while 2023 Longford Intermediate Champions (St. Brigids Gaels) contested the Leinster Junior Club Championship.

The 2008 & 2009 Senior Championships were played under the banner of Intermediate ‘A’ Championship. Longford SFC winners of 2008 and 2009 would typically play in Leinster Club SFC competition. However due to a series of heavy defeats in Leinster Club SFC competition in the years prior, a decision was made to play the SFC as IFC instead in both years to enable the winner to play in the Leinster Club IFC competition. Hence Senior Championship was effectively played as an Intermediate Championship in 2008 and 2009 even though it was the same competition and trophy as previous and subsequent Senior Championships. In match reports for both years, you will see the decider referenced as Intermediate ‘A’ Championship final. In terms of rolls of honour, the 2008 and 2009 SFC winners technically won under the banner of Intermediate ‘A’ Championship but are kept with the SFC winners for continuity.

The first Ladies Senior Football Championship competition in Longford began in July 1982 with Ardagh winning the first title with victory over Éire Óg (Drumlish) in the final, thus receiving the new J.J. McCabe cup. The McCabe cup was presented to Ladies SFC winners for many years from 1982 onward and was replaced by the Park House Hotel cup some years later. Since 2012 the Alison Smyth cup has been presented to the winning captain.

Ladies competition in Longford had started two years prior, when a Senior Football League competition began in August 1980. The Senior League of 1980 was won by Killoe who beat Legan in the final, while the Senior League of 1981 was won by Ardagh who beat Longford Slashers in the decider. Both winners were presented with the Anthony Curren Cup which continues to be the cup presented to the Senior League winners to this day. By the 1982 season both Senior Championship and Senior League competitions were in place in Longford.