Longford Club History

Football

Founded in 1889. First GAA club in the parish of Abbeylara. Also known as Abbeylara Davitts.

Played in the 1890 Senior Football Championship.

Renamed Faugh a’ Ballagh part-way through the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship.

Faugh a’ Ballagh (also Fág a’ Bealach) is an old Irish battle cry which translates as ‘clear the way’.

Club was also referred to by the shorthand ‘Ballywillan Faughs’.

Hurling

Brief references found to Abbeylara hurlers and Abbeylara Davitts hurlers from 1902.

Played friendly games against Longford Leo Caseys in March 1903 and May 1903, but no games in official competition. Played Longford (Leo Caseys) on 29th March 1903 in the Park Grounds in Longford. The game ended Longford (Leo Caseys) 2-9, Abbeylara Davitts 0-0. The match report notes that it was the first game Longford Leo Caseys won since the team was started (club was formed in October 1902). The club was due to play a friendly against Longford Leo Caseys on 24th May 1903, but the game was cancelled at the last minute. No references thereafter.

No record of any competition hurling games played.

Football

First recorded in competition in 1911 as Carra or Carragh Gaels.

Reached the final of the 1917 Junior League-Championship competition.

Name briefly changed to Ballymore Gaels in 1919.

Ballymore Gaels reached Junior League-Championship final of 1920.

Name reverted back to Carra Gaels (or Carragh Gaels) shortly thereafter.

Competed intermittently in the 1920’s up to 1927 and found in 1927 Junior competition as Carra.

Failure to field against Granard Shamrocks in the Junior Championship of 1928 marked the demise of this club.

Football

Recorded against Abbeylara in a Junior challenge game in 1917.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Today’s Abbeylara club was first affiliated back in 1928 after football was re-organised in the parish. The GAA in the parish of Abbeylara can trace its roots back to the formation of the first club in the parish (Ballywillan Michael Davitts) in 1889. The name Abbeylara comes from ‘The Abbey of Lerha‘ which was built by Richard Tuite, Baron Palatine of Moyashel, for the Cistercians in 1205. The ruins of the abbey remain to this day and can be seen in the crest of the Abbeylara GAA club.

Abbeylara went into decline and disbanded shortly after affiliation in 1928 and was replaced in the locality by the Ballywillan St. Bernards club before returning briefly in 1940 after the Ballywillan St. Bernards club disbanded. The Abbeylara club lapsed again soon after and was reformed and affiliated in 1946, winning the Junior Championship & Junior League titles that year.

Abbeylara combined with St. Marys Granard as ‘United Gaels’ in Senior competition from 1947 to 1948. By 1949 the combination had disbanded and Abbeylara was affiliated separately once again. In 1953 Abbeylara was combined with Mullinalaghta and some players from St. Marys Granard (St. Marys was inactive at the time) as ‘United Gaels’. The combination lasted for one season. Abbeylara affiliated on it’s own following the end of the United Gaels combination at the end of 1953 and competed on and off throughout the 1950’s. A notice appeared in the Granard notes in January 1960 of a meeting to be held on January 22nd and that “the purpose of the meeting will be to form a GAA Parish club”. Abbeylara is noted as re-organised and back in competition in Junior League in February 1960 against Éire Óg (Drumlish). The match preview notes that Abbeylara had re-organised after a lapse of two years.

The club was affiliated at Junior grade from 1960 but struggled initially to make the breakthrough in the 1960’s. Following defeats in the Junior Championship finals of 1966 and 1968, success arrived in 1973 after a wait of twenty one years for a major title. Now in Intermediate ranks for the first time in its history, the club contested nine Intermediate Championship Finals between 1974 and 1994, winning the IFC title in 1976, 1985, 1987, 1991 and 1994 and runners-up in 1974 (after a replay), 1986 (after a replay), 1988 and 1989. A new milestone was reached in 1995 when the club entered Senior ranks and has held its own with the top teams in the County and retained Senior status ever since. The club won the Senior Football Championship in 2000 and 2006 and won Senior Football League (Leader Cup) titles in 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2009.

Note: References to the club in the late 1960’s refer to ‘Abbeylara St. Bernards GFC’, however while the underage and schools team were called St. Bernards, we did not find much evidence of adult teams playing under the St. Bernards name during this period.

Competitions won by Abbeylara:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Intermediate Football Championship
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League
• Under 21 Football Championship

Football

Formed in the 1930’s on the initiative of Rev. Pat McCarthy C.C. who was a playing member of a team which included Lynch, Mallon, Reilly, Malone, Fox, Donlon, Kiernan, Smallhorn and Fitzsimons names among others. Was formed in the absence of any other club in the parish at the time.

Competed briefly in Junior competition from 1935 to 1937, but faded away in the years thereafter. Many players transferred to St. Marys Granard by the end of the decade, with a number appearing on the panel of the 1941 St. Marys SFC winning side.

(St. Bernards is the name of the National School in Abbeylara and the name used by Abbeylara underage until Northern Gaels was formed in 1980’s).

Football

Founded in 1889. Played in 1890 & unfinished 1891 Senior Championships.

Prior to the foundation of the GAA, football activity was recorded in the district known as the ‘old road’, comprising mainly of the townlands of Lisiniskey, Oldtown, Ballinruddy, Keelogues and Drimroe. With the official formation of the Ardagh St. Patricks club in 1889 the centre of activity seems to have shifted to the Loughill area with the Baxter and Farrell families much to the fore. The first club chairman was Patrick Baxter of Grillagh, secretary was Charlie Baxter, Treasurer was Thomas Hanley and team captain was Thomas Keenan. The above list of officers are contained in an extract from the R.I.C Crimes Special Branch papers in the state Paper office in Dublin Castle for the year 1890. It further states the approximate number of members for the club was 30 and that none of the above named were suspected of IRB membership.

The club can be found in friendly games in early 1890 and competed in the 1890 Senior Football Championship, defeating Newtowncashel in the first round by 0-2 to 0-0 at Kenagh. Ardagh were beaten later on in the competition by Rathcline in what the Longford Leader briefly describes as a controversial game. Amongst the early players on the Ardagh team were names such as Baxters, Halligans, Keenans, Peter Farrell, Cartrongarrow, Leaveys from the Ferefad area and the ‘old road’ area represented by the Keenans (Keenas), ‘Seery’ Jones from Ballinruddy and the ‘Jowler’ Keegan.

Ardagh St. Patricks is found in local tournaments up to 1896, including against Carrickedmond and Cartron Emeralds in tournaments and challenges in May 1896. The club is found again in May 1903 playing Longford Shamrocks. Ardagh are beaten by Longford Leo Caseys in a tournament game in November 1904 and the club played a number of friendly matches in the opening years of the 20th Century. The club competed in the 1904 Senior Football Championship when GAA was revived in Longford and is also found in tournaments during these years. Cited in a tournament at Longford in August 1907, drawing with Longford Leo Caseys (0-6 each).

Ardagh St. Patricks competed in the League-Championship of 1916 which eventually concluded in March 1917 with Granard Shamrocks beating Ardagh St. Patricks in the League-Championship final by 0-2 to 0-1. This was sometimes claimed as the 1916 Senior Football Championship final, but was in fact the League-Championship final. Some prior records also claim Ardagh won the 1916 SFC title, but available evidence doesn’t support this claim.

The club re-organised in 1924-25 and is noted as revived and affiliated again in 1931 while records show the club was in active competition for most of the time from 1927 to 1944 (winning the Junior Championship title in 1927, 1930 & 1934), with a brief period lapsed as indicated by a notice in the Longford Leader in March 1938 of a meeting in Glen School to re-organise the Ardagh Football Club. The club won the Senior Championship for the first time in 1936 and following that up with a second title in 1942 (with help of some Whiterock Slashers players who joined the Ardagh team in 1942). The club went into decline thereafter, and the efforts of Sonny Trautt and Frank Regan helped form a Minor Club in 1945, before the adult club re-emerged and reached the Junior Championship final in 1949 and won the Junior Championship title in 1954, making a return to Senior Football from 1955, reaching the County Final and winning the Leader Cup that year.

In total, Ardagh St. Patricks won the Junior Football Championship in 1927, 1930, 1934, 1949 & 1954, Intermediate Football Championship in 1971, 2006 and 2013, Senior Football Championship in 1978 & 1987 and Leader Cup in 1955 & 1993.

From 2016 to 2018 Ardagh St. Patricks and Moydow Harpers competed jointly in competitions as a Group Team called Ardagh/Moydow. In January 2019 the Ardagh St. Patricks and Moydow Harpers clubs officially united to create the Ardagh Moydow club (📷 Link).

(Note: Longford Yearbook 1980/81 claims that Ardagh St. Brigids was the first club in the parish, and played Newtowncashel in the ‘Championship’ in 1888. However no proof can be found to support this claim and no championship competition was played in 1888. Furthermore, GAA Annuals from the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s as well as local media rolls of honour from 1933 & 1944 shows Ardagh St. Brigids winning Senior & Junior Championship titles in 1916, however the available records disprove this position)

Competitions won by Ardagh St. Patricks:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Intermediate Football Championship
• Intermediate Football League
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League

Football

Founded in 1889 (reputedly by Leitrim school teacher Michael Guihan). Also referred to as Moydow Irish Harpers.

Earliest football played at Toneen, Auganaspic in a field at the crossroads adjacent to today’s GAA pitch in Moydow. The club was named after the ‘Ancient Irish Harpers’ who were considered professionals of the highest order and found patrons in Gaelic aristocracy and later Norman Irish families.

The club can be found in friendly games in early 1890. On 27th April 1890 a tournament game was arranged in Kenagh, involving Carrickedmond O’Connells & Moydow Harpers. Moydow won by 1-5 to 0-0. This game was marked by an injury to a player (Dowd from Moydow) who broke his leg in kicking a ball around before the game started. This is thought to be the first accident on a Gaelic field in Longford.

Moydow Harpers played in the 1890 Senior Football Championship in March 1890 and competed in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championships too. In September 1890 Moydow Irish Harpers played in a tournament in Lanesboro together with Clough Dillons, Ballymacormack Grattans, Newtowncashel Sons of St. Kieran, Rathcline John Martins & Killashee John Mitchells.

The club is cited later in May 1903 in a game versus Ballymacormack Grattans. The club is mentioned again in a game against Clough Dillons in 1905 and can be found in active competition in 1912 and 1913. No mention thereafter until 1923 when the club is reported as affiliated again, and noted as affiliated in 1924 too. Club appeared to lapse soon thereafter and was reformed and affiliated again in 1937 and back on the playing fields in 1938, winning the clubs first title (Junior Championship) in 1939. During this period, club affiliations are noted in 1923, 1938-42, 1946-47 and 1950-51.

Club went into decline for a long period after 1951 and was reformed in December 1975 by a group comprising Micko Doyle, PJ McDermott, Seamus Kenny and John Donlon. The club was back in active competition from 1976. Moydow Harpers won the Junior Football Championship in 1939, 1986 & 2011.

From 2016 to 2018 Moydow Harpers and Ardagh St. Patricks competed jointly as a Group Team called Ardagh/Moydow. In January 2019 the clubs of Moydow Harpers and Ardagh St. Patricks officially united to create the Ardagh Moydow club (📷 Link).

Competitions won by Moydow Harpers:

• Junior Football Championship

Football

Name appeared briefly in January 1898 in a challenge game between the Longford Light Blues and Moydow St. Patricks.

The match report noted the following…. “The visitors were ‘not in it’, with the locals, two of whom, Messrs Williams and Shields, displayed the highest scientific ability. The game was splendidly contested from the start. When the whistle sounded for half time the game stood Longford 1 goal and 1 point, Moydow Nil. In the second half things fared worse for the visitors, the score at the end being Longford 3 goals and 1 point, Moydow Nil. Everything passed off most pleasantly, the duties of the referee being ably and fairly discharged by M. Devlin”. 

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Recorded in a challenge match against Ardagh St. Patricks in 1903.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Recorded in a Junior challenge game in 1905.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Cited briefly in 1906 in a game against Manor Erins from Edgeworthstown. Based in Treel in the Foxhall area of Ardagh.

Played challenge game against Longford Shamrocks in 1907 as ‘Ardagh Davitts’.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Today’s Ardagh Moydow club was formed on 13th January 2019 when Ardagh St. Patricks and Moydow Harpers clubs united (📷 Source).

Both clubs had been competing jointly as a Group Team called ‘Ardagh/Moydow’ from 2016 to end of 2018, but the clubs then formally amalgamated to create the Ardagh Moydow club in January 2019.

This is the newest GAA club in County Longford.

Competitions won by Ardagh Moydow:

• ACFL Division 2

Football

Founded in February 1889 (3rd club founded in the county after Granard Healy’s and Longford Davitts).

The club was named after William O’Brien, the Nationalist M.P. from Cork who was imprisoned in Clonmel at that time. P. Noonan was Hon Secretary and W.J. Brown and Dan Molloy were noted as members. Also referred to as Ballymahon William O’Briens. This was the first club in the parish of Shrule and sometimes referred to as Ballymahon William O’Briens. The club officers elected in 1889 were: Chairman – Joe Cox, Secretary – James Mulvihill, Treasurer – James Farrell, Committee – Thomas Geraghty, J. Bolger, J. Butler, P. Newman, Henry Cowper, T. Carrigy, E. O’Hara and J. Yorke.

First recorded in action against the Longford Davitts club in a challenge game played on the fair green in Ballymahon on 24th February 1889, which seems to have been the first match played under GAA rules in Longford. The return game was played in Longford on 24th march 1889. A range of other games followed including against Clough Dillons in the Summer of 1889. We then find Ballymahon O’Briens and Carrickedmond O’Connells playing a Junior challenge in February 1893.

No record of any competition games played as Ballymahon O’Briens.

The club united with Shrule Leos to create Ballymahon Leos on 5th October 1890 at the Annual Convention.

Football

Founded in 1890. Played in 1890 Senior Football Championship.

United with Ballymahon O’Briens to create Ballymahon Leos in 1890 as agreed at the first Convention on 5th October 1890.

The Leo name was in honour of John Keegan Casey (aka Leo Casey) who was an Irish poet, orator and republican and one of the central figures in the Fenian Rising of 1867. He was born in Mount Dalton near Mullingar and moved to Gurteen near Ballymahon in the mid 1850’s. He joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood in Ballymahon in the 1860’s and wrote regularly for the nationalist newspaper ‘The Nation‘ under the name ‘Leo‘. His writings include the famous composition ‘The Rising of the Moon‘ which commemorates the 1798 Rebellion.

Football

Formed at the County Convention on 5th October 1890 when Shrule Leos and Ballymahon O’Briens united to create the Ballymahon Leo’s club which was then extended to Ballymahon Leo Caseys and later shortened to Ballymahon.

The club’s first meeting was on 6^th October 1890. Officials elected included Michael Finn as President, James Delany as Vice President, J. Mulvihill as Secretary, J. Farrell as Treasurer and Charles Reynolds as Captain. Charles Reynolds had previously applied to have the name of Shrule Leos changed to Ballymahon O’Briens at the County Board meeting in October 1890 as members of the latter had by then joined the Leo’s. After an argument, the club name of Ballymahon Leo’s was agreed and ratified.

Ballymahon Leo’s played Newtowncashel St. Kierans in a local tournament in December 1890. The club entered the unfinished 1891 Senior Championship, but didn’t compete in it. Name was extended from Ballymahon Leo’s to Ballymahon Leo Caseys at some point in the 1900’s.

Ballymahon Leo Casey’s recorded beating Athlone in a local challenge in November 1909. Ballymahon Leo Caseys (sometimes also cited as Shrule Leo Caseys) mentioned in 1919 and in mid to late 1920’s, reaching the clubs first Junior League final of 1927 (losing to St. Marys Granard by 0-5 to 0-1 in January 1928). The club was reformed in 1936-37 and reached the Junior Championship final of 1937, losing out to Colmcille by 1-5 to 0-2. Ballymahon Leo Casey name is found in Junior competition for a number of years thereafter. The Leo Caseys name was still in use by the Ballymahon club up to around 1942 and dropped shortly thereafter.

Ballymahon’s first appearance in the Senior Championship final was in 1946 and the club was back in the final again in 1950. Ballymahon won the Junior Football Championship in 1960 and went on to also win the Leader Cup (SFL) that year as a Junior club! In total Ballymahon has won the Junior Football Championships of 1945, 1960 & 2010, Intermediate Football Championship in 1969, 1984, 1998 & 2022, Senior Football Championship in 2002 and Leader Cup in 1960.

Since 2022 Ballymahon & St. Munis Forgney compete as a combined Group Team called Ballymahon, via Rule 3.17(n)(ii).

Hurling

Ballymahon hurling team was cited in March 1931 when a practice game was scheduled against Drumraney.

No record of any competitive games played as Ballymahon until 1980’s when Ballymahon hurlers competed in an combination with Wolfe Tones (Mostrim) in Senior Hurling Championship in 1983, 1984 & 1985 as Wolfe Tones/Ballymahon or Edgeworthstown/Ballymahon. Ballymahon and Cashel play as a combined team in the revived Senior Hurling League in 1990 and formally come together to form the Ballymahon/Cashel hurling club in March 1991. By 1993 we see Ballymahon referenced in hurling but not Ballymahon/Cashel. A few years later we see Ballymahon competing as Ballymahon Gaels.

Football

Ballymahon Emmets appeared briefly in 1896.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Gurteen briefly fielded a team in 1897.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Recorded in the 1905 Senior Football Championship.

No record thereafter.

Football

Recorded briefly in 1905.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Earliest record against Granard Shamrocks in a challenge in February 1905.

Also played Kilcommock St. Patricks in a challenge match in 1905.

Played Killoe in a tournament at Longford in August 1907. Final score was Killoe Young Emmets 3-11, Ballymahon Inny Rovers 0-3.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Organised in 1906 and due to play in 1907 Senior Football Championship, but pulled out.

Re-organised in 1908 and active up to 1909, though no official competition in these years.

A notice of the club’s meeting in 1907 was titled ‘Ballymahon Gaels’, so seems club was referenced as either Ballymahon Gaels or Goldsmith Gaels. 

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Played Moate Emmets in a Junior challenge in 1908.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Recorded in Junior training in 1908 and 1909.

No record of any competition games played.

Hurling

Hurling club formed in Ballymahon in 1990.

Ballymahon had played in underage hurling for some years prior. Ballymahon senior hurlers had also previously competed in a combined team with Wolfe Tones in the Longford Senior Hurling Championship in 1983, 1984 and 1985. Ballymahon and Cashel combined to compete in Longford Senior Hurling League in 1990. In 1991 the County Board requested Ballymahon and Cashel formalise their hurling arrangement and in March 1991 the Ballymahon/Cashel hurling club was formed. The club competed as Ballymahon/Cashel for a couple of years, but by 1993 we see the team referred to as just Ballymahon. Later in the 1990’s we see the emergence of Ballymahon Gaels in adult competition between 1999 & 2002.

Ballymahon Gaels reached the Senior Hurling Championship final in 2000 & 2001. The club name also appears as ‘Ballymahon Region’ in the match report from the 2001 SHC final. The club did not win major titles at adult grade.

The club did not field in 2002 & 2003, offering a walkover in the 2003 SHC semi-final. The adult hurling club folds thereafter.

Note: Reference is found to ‘Ballymahon Gaels’ playing Killoe Young Emmets in September 1907, however the use of ‘Gaels’ at the time was likely a descriptor combined with a geographic reference, and likely a reference to the Ballymahon Leo’s club playing Killoe in football.

Football

Founded in 1890 as Carrickedmond O’Connells and later shortened to Carrickedmond.

Played in 1890 Senior Football Championships. Entered the 1891 unfinished Championship but did not play in it.

Carrickedmond O’Connell’s noted as playing against Ardagh St. Patricks in a tournament game in May 1896.

Noted in a challenge game in 1909 and competed in local challenge games in 1910 and later in official competition from 1925 to 1927.

Briefly combined with Carrickboy in 1926. Carrickedmond O’Connells club disbanded in 1928.

The club re-organised in 1937 and competed until end of 1939 season, reaching the Junior League final in 1939.

The Carrickedmond O’Connells disbanded in 1940 until are reformed in 1945 as Carrickedmond.

Carrickedmond was combined with Kenagh as St. Martins in Junior (1971-1973) and Senior (1971-1975).

Carrickedmond reformed and affiliated on it’s own after the St. Martins combination ended.

Carrickedmond won the Junior Football Championship in 1955 & 1962, Intermediate Football Championship in 1978, 2001, 2010 &  2014 and Leader Cup (SFL) in 1956.

Note: Records indicate that a team existed in the parish as far back as 1879, however we examine clubs and teams formed under GAA rules post the foundation of the GAA. 

Football

Played in Junior tournament in 1915.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Referenced in a challenge game against Carra in 1922.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

St. Riochs club was formed in 1935 and competed for two seasons (1935 to 1936) in absence of any other club in the parish at the time.

Named after St. Rioch of Inchboffin who was a brother of St. Mel of Ardagh and St. Munis of Forgney.

St. Riochs disbanded after 1936 and the Carrickedmond O’Connells club then reformed in the parish in 1937. St. Riochs is sometimes conflated with the O’Connells club (and therefore with the current Carrickedmond club) as all being the same club unit, however the published evidence suggests it was a separate club unit formed in the same parish during a period when there was no other club in the parish.

Football

Founded in 1890 as Newtowncashel Sons of St. Kieran, then later renamed Newtowncashel St. Ciaráns and then shortened to Cashel. The club played in the 1890 & unfinished 1891 Senior Championships.

The club had exactly 30 members at it’s foundation in 1890, and the first officers were:

John Farrell: Chairman and Captain
Michael Mulvihill: Treasurer
Joseph Mc Nally: Secretary

The club’s debut in the Senior Football Championship of 1890 was a short one, conceding in the first round to Ardagh St. Patricks. After the county-wide and country-wide demise of the GAA during the Parnell Split years, the club re-organised in 1905 but lapsed soon afterwards. There followed a lean period with no club activity until the 1920’s. The first games played in Cashel were in a field opposite Claris House. Many matches were played between different townlands as well as with other clubs like Rathcline, Moydow, Ballymahon and Kiltoon. Football in the 1920’s was played in Bornaveera and Cashel and in different fields around the village.

No specific mention of the ‘Kieran’ or ‘Ciaran’ part of the club name in 1920’s when club resumed activity. Referred to as Newtowncashel during this period. Newtowncashel Sons of St. Kieran wore the colours of blue and white, but in 1926 the Newtowncashel changed to black and amber.

The club lapsed briefly and was reformed as Newtowncashel St. Ciarán in early 1932 (different spelling to previous ‘Kieran’) under the stewardship of Fr. A Lynch. The clubs colours changed from black and amber to saffron in 1933. The Newtowncashel St. Ciaráns club did not affiliate for some of the 1930’s, and submitted a request for affiliation in June 1935 which was accepted by 5 votes to 2. The club did not affiliate again from 1938-1941. The St. Ciaráns name was used frequently by the club during the 1930’s and up to 1943.

Newtowncashel St. Ciaráns returned to action in 1942 and won the Junior Championship in 1943. The clubs colours changed in 1946 from black and amber to green and red. Newtowncashel St. Ciaráns club name was shortened to ‘Cashel’ from around 1947.

Cashel briefly combined with Rathcline as Shannon Gaels from 1952 to 1953 and combined with Kenagh St. Dominics as Clanna Gael in 1959.

The club colours changed in 1970’s to the now familiar red and black.

Hurling

Cashel played underage hurling throughout the 1980’s while it’s senior players played for the most part with the Naomh Ciaráns (Rathcline) club. In 1987 Cashel and Naomh Ciaráns combined to compete jointly in Senior Hurling Championship and Senior Hurling League that year as ‘Naomh Ciaráns/Cashel’ and the combination was terminated at the end of 1987. In 1990 Cashel combined with Ballymahon to compete as Ballymahon/Cashel in the Senior Hurling League. In 1991 the County Board requested that the clubs formalise their union and the Ballymahon/Cashel hurling club was formed in March 1991. By 1993 we see no further sign of the ‘Cashel’ name in the hurling context and Ballymahon goes on to compete in hurling as Ballymahon and then Ballymahon Gaels for rest of 1990’s and early years of the 2000’s too.

It is worth noting that the Cuchullains underage hurling club was formed in Cashel on 10th January 2002

Football

Founded in 1890 as Clonbroney Esmondes.

Named after Dr. John Esmonde, a member of the United Irishmen who was hanged in 1798.

Edmondes first game was in August 1890 against Cranley Hearts of Erin.

The club played in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship.

The Clonbroney Esmondes name is found up to 1895, playing Edgeworthtsown Volunteers in March 1895, and is not found much thereafter during the lean ‘Parnellite Split’ years with no official competition during most of the 1890’s.

(Note: Some publications claim that a club called Erins Isle was founded in 1884 and was the first club in Clonbroney parish. However no published evidence has yet been found to support this claim. It may well be that a team existed in Clonbroney bearing that name prior to the formation of the GAA in 1884, but the first club formed under GAA rules in Longford was Granard Healys in 1888 and the first GAA club in Clonbroney parish formed under GAA rules was Clonbroney Esmondes)

Football

When GAA activity restarts in Longford in 1904 after a long gap since the last official competition in 1891, the GAA club in Clonbroney parish is called Clonbroney Clan O’Farrells, though the name initially appears in hurling fixtures.

Played as Clonbroney Clan O’Farrell in Senior League-Championship (Football) in 1912 and in Granard tournament (Football) in September 1912.

There is little evidence of the name thereafter.

Hurling

Longford Leo Caseys beat Clonbroney Clan O’Farrells in a Longford Feis hurling game in March 1905.

Hurling team also referred to as Clonbroney Hurling Club. Appears to be the same hurling team that played Killoe Young Emmets in the inaugural Senior Hurling Championship in early 1905.

Football

Originally formed as Clonbroney Camlin Rovers or Ballinalee Camlin Rovers in 1905. The name comes from the Camlin river, a tributary of the River Shannon and the longest river in Longford which runs through the parish. Rising near Granard, it flows through Granard, Clonbroney, Killoe and Longford parishes en-route to the Shannon. The Clonbroney Camlin Rovers name first appears in tournaments in 1905, including Mullinalaghta Tournament in June 1905. The name appears later in Junior competition in 1915 and 1916 and mentioned in challenge game against Coolarty in 1916.

From the mid 1910’s the club is mostly referenced as Clonbroney. The club won that 1919 Senior Football Championship beating Killoe Young Emmets in a replay. It is reputed that Seán Connolly was captain of that winning 1919 Clonbroney team (We didn’t find any evidence to support that, but it may well be the case). The 1919 championship win was incorrectly referenced for many years as the 1917 Championship, however our research proved this was not the case. The 1919 Senior Championship draw was made immediately following the completion 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 winning squad was: Paddy Callaghan, Seán Connolly, Charlie Miner, Peter McGrath, Michael Donohoe, Johnny Smith, James O’Connor, Harry Grier, Johnny Donohoe, Mick Kenny, Fred Browne, Tommy Connolly, Joe Donohoe, John McDowell, Pat Donohoe, John McCarthy, James Feeley and Mick Burke. Contemporary reports from 1919 and the years just before and afterwards do not show ‘Camlin Rovers’ as the name of the Clonbroney club that won the 1919 Senior Championship, however it may well be that the club was named Clonbroney Camlin Rovers at the time, but was not recorded as such in published media of the day, or was recorded by the shorthand ‘Clonbroney’.

Here is a timeline of Clonbroney club for 1919-1920.

• Feb 1919: Clonbroney affiliated for the coming year.
• Apr 1919: Clonbroney met Granard in the first round of senior. Later the same month Clonbroney Juniors met their Drumlish counterparts in a challenge game.
• June 1919: Clonbroney met Ardagh in the next round of the Senior Championship. At the same time, teams are affiliating for the upcoming Junior League-Championship and Carrickathane Wolfe Tones is listed in fixtures for the first time. They are beaten by Drumlish in Round 1.
• July 1919: Clonbroney and Killoe Young Emmets draw in the Senior Football Championship final.
• Aug 1919: Clonbroney defeat Killoe in the replay to become Longford champions. In the same week Carrickathane Wolfe Tones are noted as affiliated for Round 2 of Junior competition. However when fixtures appear that month, they are not included and not recorded in fixtures for rest of 1919.
• Sep 1919: Clonbroney are awarded a walkover against Killoe in the opening round of the Senior League-Championship.
• Nov 1919: Clonbroney draw both home and away games v Columbkille in Senior League-Championship.
• Jan 1920: Clonbroney defeat Mullinalaghta in Senior League-Championship, originally fixed for November 1919.
• Mar 1920: Mullinalaghta wins the return tie. In the same week, the teams for Junior competition are listed including Carrickathane Wolfe Tones. The Carrickathane club is found in Junior League-Championship fixtures in May, June, July and August 1920, and is not found thereafter.

Clonbroney competes in the 1920 Senior Football Championship in May and July 1920. There was no Senior League-Championship competition that year and no competition of any kind in 1921. In February 1922 Clonbroney is listed in fixtures vs Killoe Young Emmets in February and March in Senior League-Championship. Clonbroney continues to appear in competition during the 1920’s, in those few years when competition took place from 1922-1926. Clonbroney takes part in both Junior and Senior competitions in 1927, reaching the Senior League-Championship final in early 1928 as well as losing to Drumlish in Senior Football Championship in March 1928.

(1919 SFC medal as provided by relative of the Clonbroney team)

In 1935 the Clonbroney club was re-organised and a new club secretary appointed (Paddy Kenny). From this point we find the club name changed to Seán Connollys or Clonbroney Seán Connollys. Seán Connolly was a former footballer with the club and local hero in the War of Independence who died in action in 1921 and who was a member of the Clonbroney team who won the SFC title in 1919. Prior records suggest that the Seán Connollys name was adopted by the Clonbroney club in 1928. It is claimed that the name was proposed and ratified at a meeting of the Clonbroney club held in Ned Tynan’s cottage at Drumeel in October 1928. The meeting chairman Mr. James Mannix (a Kerryman from Annascaul who had been appointed Principal of Ballinalee N.S.) asked for a proposal to name the club. Johnnie Cahill from Ballinalee put forward the proposition that the club be named after Seán Connolly. John Devine seconded the proposal, and the new name was carried unanimously. While this may indeed be the case, our assessment shows that the club name in published media remained as Clonbroney throughout the 1920’s and only changing to Seán Connollys from 1935.

Seán Connollys won the Junior Football Championship in 1935 and went on to win the Leader Cup (Senior Football League) for the first time on 21st June 1942, with victory over Clonguish by 2-11 to 0-2. One source claims that in 1945 the club joined forces with Mostrim, however fixtures that year show Mostrim in competition but no Seán Connollys. Whether the clubs players went to complete with Mostrim that year or the combination competed with the ‘Mostrim’ name, is not clear. What is clear from the evidence of the day is that fixtures in 1945 contained Mostrim, with no mention of Seán Connollys. The club was reformed at a meeting on 19th February 1946 and was back in competition thereafter.

Over the years Seán Connollys won the Junior Football Championship in 1935, 1950, 1967 & 1975, Intermediate Football Championship in 1982, 1988 & 1989 and Leader Cup (SFL) in 1942 as Seán Connollys. The 1919 Senior Football Championship title won by Clonbroney is assigned to Seán Connollys on the basis that both are the same club, renamed from 1935.

Note on Camlin Rovers name: The Camlin Rovers name also appears in published records from 1925-1930 for Association Football (Soccer) and briefly in Hockey competition in Longford and is also found in a local tournament in Clonbroney in 1927 against Lislea Hebodomarians and Helvetians. The name was not found in any contemporary accounts relating to the 1919 SFC title win, and the reference to the Senior Football Champions as ‘Camlin Rovers’ doesn’t come until years later in 1933 when a Rolls of Honour (with a number of errors) refers to Clonbroney Camlin Rovers as 1917 winners. The Camlin Rovers name is found in parish league in Clonbroney in 1933 and in Longford town parish league in 1940’s as well as Association Football (Soccer) at various stages for years and decades thereafter. The Camlin Rovers name re-emerged in GAA circles in Minor teams in 1999 (Killoe/Ballymore) and 2000 (Killoe/Ballymore) and Juvenile team in 2000 (Clonbroney/Dromard). It is worth stating that contemporary reports from 1919 and the years just before and afterwards does not show Camlin Rovers as the name of the Clonbroney team that won the 1919 Senior Football Championship, however it may well be that the club was named Clonbroney Camlin Rovers at the time, but was not recorded as such in published media of the day.

Football

Found in competition in 1919 & 1920 – Played in Junior League-Championship.

June 1919: Wolfe Tones club in Carrickathane is affiliated ahead of the upcoming Junior competition and is listed for the first time in published media. They are defeated by Drumlish in Round 1.

Aug 1919: Carrickathane Wolfe Tones are noted as affiliated for Round 2 of Junior competition. However when fixtures appear that month, they are not included and are not recorded in competition for rest of 1919.

Mar 1920: Teams are listed for Junior competition including Carrickathane Wolfe Tones. The club is found in Junior League fixtures in May, June, July and August 1920.

No published record of Carrickathane Wolfe Tones after 1920.

Football

Recorded in a challenge game in 1927.

Played a local tournament in 1927 against Ballinalee (Clonbroney) Rovers and Helvetians.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Recorded in a local tournament in 1927 against Ballinalee Rovers and Lislea Hebodomarians. The Helvetians were a Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Founded as Clonguish Gallowglasses on 20th October 1889 in what was then Thompsons pub in the village of Newtownforbes (later The Castle Inn). E. Thompson was President, P. Nolan was Secretary, M. McGann was Treasurer, John Flynn was Captain and D. Nolan was Vice-Captain. The club colours were emerald green and yellow. Newtownforbes was known locally as ‘Gallowglass country’. The Gallowglasses were elite mercenary warriors and members of the Norse-Gaelic clans of Ireland between the mid 13th and late 16th centuries.

The clubs first match was against Killoe Erins Pride in a tournament in Drumlish on December 8th 1889. Clonguish Gallowglasses played in the 1890 Championship (losing to Drumlish Robert Emmets by 0-2 to 0-1) and also featured in the unfinished 1891 Championship. Clonguish played in the curtain-raiser to the first ever County Final between Rathcline and Colmcille in 1890, playing Moydow Irish Harpers. The Gallowglasses are active until 1895 and appear that year in a friendly against Rooskey which Clonguish won by 0-3 to 0-1. The club is then mostly inactive for the remainder of the decade and until the club is reformed in 1902 after lapsing during the inactive ‘Parnell Split’ years of the GAA in Longford. After a few years of challenge matches, the club competed in the 1904 Senior Football Championship when official GAA competition revived in Longford in 1904. In the 1905 Championship, Clonguish Gallowglasses were beaten by Leo Caseys who went on to beat Edgeworthstown Volunteers in that years Senior Championship final, which was played in July 1906. The club also played in and won the Dromod Traders Tournament of 1905, 1906 & 1907 and won the Newtownforbes Tournament in 1906 and competed in the Killoe Tournament in March 1906, among other tournaments in those years. In the 1907 Championship, Clonguish were beaten by Killoe Young Emmets in the first round, with Killoe going on to win that years Championship by beating the Drumlish & Ballinamuck 98’s combination in the County Final in Newtownforbes in July 1907. Clonguish are found in tournaments and revival games in the years that followed. A club revival takes place in 1909, and various challenge games take place in 1910. Clonguish Gallowglasses had their first major win by capturing the newly inaugurated Senior League-Championship (aka League) in 1911. Clonguish Gallowglasses reached the 1915 Senior Championship final, losing to Killoe Young Emmets by 3-0 to 0-3 in a delayed final played in July 1916. From 1914 Clonguish are found wearing white jerseys with green collar, cuff and bottoms with letters ‘C.G.F.C’ (Clonguish Gallowglasses Football Club) and the club’s shamrock emblem in green across the front.

The club lapsed for a period after the 1915 final and was re-organised in 1918 thought the influence of John V Ralph. The name Gallowglasses no longer being used and the club is referred to as Clonguish. The club entered and won the 1918 Junior League-Championship, beating Mullinalaghta by 1-1 to 0-2 in the delayed decider in Edgeworthstown on June 8th 1919. The club returned to Senior grade as Clonguish (no Gallowglasses) and entered the Senior League-Championship (aka League) which got underway in July 1919. Clonguish reached the Senior League-Championship final and beat Mullinalaghta in the delayed decider in April 1920, also by 1-1 to 0-2. For many years afterwards this final was conflated with the Senior Championship title of 1919, which Clonbroney (later Seán Connollys) actually won.

Clonguish played in light blue jerseys with black togs for a period in the 1930’s and in the preview of the 1947 Junior Football Championship final in the Longford Leader, they were noted as playing in blue jerseys with gold sash.

Clonguish combined with Longford Wanderers to play as United Gaels from 1933-34. When the combination ended, Clonguish re-organised in 1935. The club announced it would be competing from 1935 as ‘Clonguish’ following the clubs convention on Friday 12th April 1935, stating “It was decided to use the word Clonguish as name of the club in future and not United Gaels as in the past“. An interesting footnote from that same convention was a special committee formed to ask permission from Lord Granard to allow the club to fill in a quarry hole directly behind the playing pitch in Curry which caught any ball kicked over the end line, causing big inconvenience and lost time as the hole contained a lot of water!

Clonguish dominated the 1960’s in Longford and went on to win Senior Football Championship titles in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1981, 2003, 2004 & 2009 and has the distinction of being the only club to win four-in-a-row titles (1962-1965). The club also won the Junior Football Championship in 1928, 1941, 1947, 1959, 1992 & 2003, Intermediate Football Championship in 1997 and U-21 Championship in 1964, 1965, 1971, 1972, 2000, 2017 & 2022.

(Note: Published GAA Annuals in the 1930’s and 1940’s along with rolls of honour published in local media in 1933 and 1944 shows ‘Clonguish Red Branch Knights’ winning Senior and Junior Championship titles in 1910 and/or 1911, however no record of this club name was found in any competition in those years. A correction to the roll of honour in 1933 noted that the correct club name in those years was Clonguish Gallowglasses not Clonguish Red Branch Knights, though the name continued to appear in GAA Annuals into the late 1950’s)

Football

Junior team recorded in 1904.

Record of Newtownforbes Leo Caseys versus Clonguish Gallowglasses match in 1904. Also record of Newtownforbes Leo Caseys playing Longford Lord Edwards in a tournament in April 1904. All friendly matches, never in official competition. The Leo name was in honour of John Keegan Casey (aka Leo Casey) who was an Irish poet, orator and republican who was famous as the writer of the song “The Rising of the Moon” and as one of the central figures in the Fenian Rising of 1867. He lived for many years in Gurteen, near Ballymahon.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Cited in early 1900’s – Likely a short lived Junior team.

Also referenced as Newtownforbes Shamrocks.

No record of any competition games played.

Hurling

Mentioned as playing Longford Leo Caseys in a Junior hurling game in 1905 (not official competition).

No record of any competition games played.

Hurling

Clonguish Gaels hurling club was formed on 20th July 1998 and participated in Senior Hurling Championship for the first time in 1999.

First appearance in Senior Hurling Championship final was in 2003.

Clonguish Gaels won SHC titles in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2019, 2022 & 2023.

Clonguish hurlers had competed in adult hurling competition in Longford prior to the formation of the Clonguish Gaels club in 1998. A Clonguish team had previously competed in the Senior Hurling League (sponsored by Tangled Web) in the early 1990’s as Lough Forbes Gaels.

(Worth noting that while the ‘Clonguish Gaels’ name is associated with the Hurling club, there is some evidence that the Clonguish Junior Football team was known as Clonguish Gaels in 1918 when they won the Junior title of that year, but it is also likely that this was a descriptor of the Clonguish team as many teams would be referred to as ‘gaels’ in publications of that era.)

Football

Founded in 1889 as Columbkille St. Columbkilles and later shortened to Columbkille or Columcille and eventually as Colmcille.

Competed in the first Senior Football Championship in 1890, becoming the first winner of the Longford SFC title after beating Rathcline John Martins in the final on 8th June 1890. Also competed in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship.

Colmcille was home to one of the earliest recorded GAA tournaments in County Longford following the establishment of the GAA in the county. The Tournament was held in November 1889 at the townland of Cornadrung and involved Drumlish Robert Emmets, Mullinalaghta Leaguers, Killoe Erins Pride, Dromard O’Briens and Ballywillian Davitts.

In March 1891 the Columbkille St. Columbkilles club received an invitation to play in a tournament in Bornacoola alongside Rathcline John Martins, Strokestown St. Patricks, Kilmore Diehards and Mohill Faugh-a-Ballaghs and others. Columbkille St. Columbkilles name also appears in a tournament game in 1900. The Columbkille St. Columbcilles name next appears in 1912 when a tournament is organised in Rathmore on 21st July 1912 involving Longford Commercials, Clonguish Gallowglasses, Columbkille St. Columbcilles, Tyreconnells, Clonbroney Clan O’Farrells and Arva Davitts and appears again in a tournament in Ballinagall, Granard in September 1912.

The club won the Foresters Cup tournament in 1913 as Columbkille (cup is currently on display in the Colmcille Clubhouse). Columbkille (and sometimes Columbcille or Columcille) was the dominant spelling for the club name throughout the 1910’s, 1920’s and 1930’s, with very brief references to St. Columbkilles in a 1912 tournament and in 1930 Junior League final report. Columbkille or Columcille was also used as late as 1948 for Junior Championship Final preview (when the club is noted as having Black and Amber colours). We find the use of Colmcille as the dominant spelling for the club name from the end of the 1940’s.

The club did not affiliate in 1934, but was back and affiliated from 1935 onward. Colmcille won the Junior Football Championship in 1937, 1979, 1998 & 2020, Intermediate Football Championship in 1986, Senior Football Championship in 1890, 1938, 1949, 1952, 1958, 2008 & 2022, Leader Cup (SFL) in 1954, 1957, 1990 and U-21 Football Championship in 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2015.

Football

Recorded briefly in tournaments between 1901 and 1905.

No record of any competition games played.

The St. Mary’s name re-appeared briefly in 1927 when a new short-lived team emerged in the parish.

Football

Recorded briefly in Arva tournament in 1905.

No record of any competition games played.

(Note: Columbkille St. Patricks is referenced in GAA Annuals in the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s and in published rolls of honour in local newspapers from 1933 and 1944 as winning Senior Championship titles in 1912 and 1915, and winning Junior league titles in 1912 and 1915. However the evidence and records from those years disproves this claim and Junior competition didn’t start until 1917. No evidence of any Columbkille St. Patricks club has been found in any of the vast collection of printed sources assessed by our team)

Football

Competed in 1918 & 1919 Junior competition alongside the Columbkille (Colmcille) club.

Also called Columcille O’Rahillys – Likely formed around the Colmcille O’Rahilly Sinn Féin club of the time.

Football

Founded in 1889 – First GAA club in the parish of Dromard.

Spelled either Dromard O’Briens or Drumard O’Briens in early published sources.

The club played in the 1890 Senior Football Championship as Dromard O’Briens.

In 1890 Dromard O’Briens united with Dromard Owen Roes to create Dromard Hugh Roe O’Donnells – The union was proposed and ratified at the Annual Convention on 5th October 1890, with the name proposed by the President of the Committee Mr. J.P Farrell. The O’Donnells competed in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship. As with many other clubs in the 1890’s, the Dromard O’Donnells club disbanded during the Parnell Split years of the 1890’s.

We see Dromard O’Briens name re-appear in November 1905 in Drumlish tournament, in December 1905 in Dromard tournament and in March 1905 in Killoe tournament. Dromard O’Briens compete in the 1905 Senior Football Championship. It is not clear whether this was the original Dromard O’Briens club (pre merger) or whether the old Dromard O’Donnells club had been renamed once competition resumed in Longford in the early 1900’s.

The Dromard O’Briens club lapsed for a number of years after 1905 and appears to re-organise later as ‘Dromard’ (no O’Briens).

Football

Founded in July 1890.

This was a separate club to the Dromard O’Briens club.

John McNamee applied to have a new club called Dromard Owen Roes affiliated at the July 1890 county board meeting. Dromard O’Brien’s were noted as affiliated but subsequently withdrew as a consequence of their game with Killoe Erin’s Pride which was played in Drumlish and awarded to the Killoe side when it was determined that the Dromard team fielded players from Cavan. It was then agreed to approve the affiliation of the Owen Roes club.

There is confusion around the two clubs in the parish as noted at the county board meeting later in October 1890. The O’Briens delegate said that “they never ceased to exist”. The Owen Roe’s delegate John McNamee noted that as “they (O’Briens) were not holding meetings or any sign of club going on in the parish, they (Owen Roe’s) were entitled to start a club”. A suggestion to amalgamate both clubs was proposed to which both delegates agreed. J.P. Farrell as County Board President suggested the name Dromard Hugh Roe O’Donnell’s which was adopted.

Owen Roes’s united with O’Briens on 5th October 1890 to create the Dromard Hugh Roe O’Donnells club.

No record of any competition games played as Owen Roes.

Football

Formed at the Annual Convention on 5th October 1890 when O’Briens and Owen Roes agreed to unite to create Dromard Hugh Roe O’Donnells.

Chairman was Michael Doyle, Secretary was Bernard Reilly and Treasurer was John McNamee. By October 1890 there was confusion around the two clubs in the parish as noted at the Annual Convention of the County Board. The O’Briens delegate said that “they never ceased to exist”. The Owen Roe’s delegate John McNamee noted that as “they (O’Briens) were not holding meetings or any sign of club going on in the parish, they (Owen Roe’s) were entitled to start a club”. A suggestion to amalgamate both clubs was proposed to which both delegates agreed. J.P. Farrell as County Board President suggested the name Dromard Hugh Roe O’Donnell’s which was adopted.

The O’Donnells played in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship.

Club was also known by the shorter name Dromard O’Donnells.

Club lapsed during the Parnell Split years with no competition in Longford during the 1890’s.

Football

Local tournament team – No record of any competition games played.

Played Legan O’Briens in a challenge game in Ballyduffy in March 1901. Legan won 0-3 to 0-1.

Played against Legga in a local game in early 1930’s.

Football

Short lived Junior team organised briefly in 1922.

Spelled either Young Drumard or Young Dromard.

Played against Edenmore in a friendly game in August 1922.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Short lived Junior team organised briefly in 1922.

Played against the Young Dromards in a friendly game in August 1922.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Local tournament team – No record of any competition games played.

Played against Ballyduffy O’Briens in a local game in early 1930’s.

Football

Seems to be the reformed and renamed Dromard O’Briens club, shortened to ‘Dromard’.

Dromard club name found in Junior competition from 1917-1919 and in 1923 Junior competition.

The club is then noted as ‘registered with County board‘ as Dromard in 1924 alongside 17 other clubs that year. The club is noted in a 7-a-side tournament in Gelsha in October 1926. Dromard are noted in active competition from February 1930 and competes during the 1930’s. In February 1937, a report from the County Convention cites ‘Dromard St. Stephens’ but there is no further published record found of any St. Stephens name used by the club at any point before or after.

The club lapses towards the end of the 1930’s and in October 1943 an effort was made by Fr. James Reynolds to restart football in the parish. A committee met on Monday 18th October 1943 in the Latin School in Moyne to re-organise the club and enter a Junior team into the 1944 Junior League and Championship. Eugene ‘Stevie’ O’Reilly and Frank McNerney who were playing with Drumlish at the time, signified their intention of returning to the club and hoped to bring Peter Duignan back with them. Fr. Reynolds and Pearse Daly were appointed to interview James J Donohoe to see if he would let them have a pitch in Kiltycon. Dromard started playing from Kilticon from March 1944 and the field would later be officially opened as the JJ Donohoe Park. Dromard are reported as being back in competition from 1944 and made an immediate impression, winning the Junior Championship and League titles in 1944 and Junior League in 1945 and gaining promotion to Senior from 1945 and winning the Senior Championship title in 1946. The club didn’t affiliate in 1949 and was reformed but were back in competition from 1950.

Dromard won Senior Football Championship titles in 1946, 1999, 2005 & 2007, Intermediate Football Championships in 1979, 1992 & 1995, Junior Football Championships in 1944 & 1970, Leader Cup (SFL) in 2001 & 2006 and 5-in-a-row U-21 Football Championships in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009.

Competitions won by Dromard:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Intermediate Football Championship
• Intermediate Football League
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League
• Under 21 Football Championship

Football

Formed in August 1889.

Francis Sheridan was Chairman and Patrick Kelly was Secretary.

Drumlish Robert Emmets (also called Drumlish Emmets) club organised one of the early GAA tournaments held in Longford on 8th December 1889 (delayed from an originally planned November date) with Drumlish Robert Emmets, Killoe Erins Pride and Clonguish Gallowglasses taking part.

In the inaugural 1890 Senior Football Championship, Drumlish Emmets beating Clonguish Gallowglasses by 0-2 to 0-1, but were beaten by Ballymacormack Grattans by 0-5 to 0-3. In 1891 Senior Football Championship, Drumlish Emmets were awarded the game against Drumard Hugh Roe O’Donnells but lost out to Edgeworthstown Volunteers in the 2nd round by 1-0 to 0-1. Drumlish lodged an objection but by that point the entire Championship had descended into farce with objections lodged to all Round 2 games. By the time the objections were heard in late 1891, the County Board had been dissolved and the 1891 championship was therefore abandoned.

Drumlish Emmets not noted in any published records after 1891.

Football

Formed in October 1890.

On 5th October 1890 a letter was read out at the first Annual Convention of the Longford County Board in which Fr. McCabe (C.C. Ballinamuck) noted that the “young men around Ballinamuck are anxious to establish a branch of the G.A.A. in this side of the parish of Drumlish”. A proposal was placed before the meeting to affiliate the new club in Ballinamuck. The Drumlish Robert Emmets delegate Francis Sheridan noted that their club had no objection, and Ballinamuck 98’s (or ‘ninety-eights’) club was therefore affiliated, becoming the second affiliated GAA club in the parish of Drumlish.

The club name was a nod to the 1798 rebellion against British rule and the key role Ballinamuck played in that struggle. The main organising force of the 1798 rebellion was the Society of United Irishmen, a Republican revolutionary group influenced by the ideas of the American and French Revolutions. Originally formed by Presbyterian radicals angry at being shut out of power by the Anglican establishment, they were joined by many from the majority Catholic population. This included a French expeditionary force which landed in Mayo and were eventually defeated in the Battle of Ballinamuck on 8th September 1798.

Ballinamuck 98’s played their first game in a tournament in Drumlish on 19th October 1890. The following year in 1891 the club contested the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship, getting a walkover in Round 1 over Ferefad Mandervilles. In the 2nd round, Ballinamuck 98’s beat Mullinalaghta by 0-1 to 0-0 in a game which was abandoned. Club activity in Longford faded away for most of the next 15 years as the impact of the Parnell split decimated the GAA across the country. The next reference to Ballinamuck 98’s comes in 1906 when the club is noted ‘in training‘. In October 1906 the clubs of Ballinamuck 98’s and Drumlish Wolfe Tones (both from same parish) combine forces to compete jointly as Drumlish & Ballinamuck 98’s for a period. The combinations first game was against Gorletteragh St. Patricks on 27th October 1906. Drumlish & Ballinamuck 98’s was recorded in official competition once, in the 1907 Senior Football Championship, reaching the county final and losing to Killoe Young Emmets after a replay. There is a lull in club activity thereafter in Longford, and in 1911 we find Drumlish cited separately in Senior League-Championship and Senior Football Championship while in September 1912 the Ballinamuck 98’s club name is noted separately in a Granard tournament (as Ballinamuck 98’s not as the Drumlish & Ballinamuck 98’s combination).

By 1916 the Ballinamuck 98’s club seemed to be revived and in active competition. The club went on to reach the Junior League-Championship final of 1919 where Edgeworthstown beat Ballinamuck 98’s by 1-3 to 0-5 in the decider, played in January 1920. Ballinamuck objected and the game was replayed in March 1920 with Ballinamuck 98’s winning by 1-2 to 1-1 [ Report] [ Report]. Further context on Junior League-Championship competition history and title winners (as distinct from JFC) can be found here. Ballinamuck 98’s competed in senior grade in 1920 and won the Senior Football Championship that year with 1-4 to 0-0 win over Longford Wanderers on 17th October 1920 at Longford Park, becoming the first club from the parish to win a SFC title. The club is found in active competition during much of the 1920’s when many other clubs had lapsed, reaching the Senior League-Championship (aka League) final of 1922 (completed in May 1923) losing out to Longford Wanderers by 0-6 to 0-0, and reaching the Senior League-Championship final of 1923 (completed in September 1925) losing out again to Longford Wanderers by a point. By 1926 Ballinamuck 98’s are competing in both Senior and Junior competition, while neighbours Drumlish are also competing in both Junior and Senior competition. Following a game between the two clubs in September 1926, local notes make reference to the strength of football in the parish and cites onlookers at the game saying “If the teams united what a splendid 15 could be picked; why they would have the Gaelic Football of the county at their feet“. Drumlish played against Ballinamuck 98’s in the Senior Football Championship final of 1927, the first title for the Drumlish club and the second for the parish. This is the first and only time that two clubs from the same parish played each other in the SFC final.

Ballinamuck 98’s lapsed for a period after 1927, and is reformed and back in competition from 1933 at Junior grade. From this point the club is mostly referenced in published records as ‘Ballinamuck’ (no 98’s) with some references to 98’s but mostly referenced as ‘Ballinamuck’ from that point.

Competitions won by Ballinamuck 98’s:

• Senior Football Championship
• Junior Football League

Football

Drumlish Wolfe Tones name appears in 1904 and is assumed to be the revived Drumlish Emmets club when club competition resumed in Longford in the early 1900’s. The club is noted as putting up medals for a tournament in Drumlish in August 1904, with following teams involved: Drumlish Wolfe Tones, Longford Leo Caseys, Ardagh St. Patricks, Edgeworthstown Volunteers, Killoe Young Emmets, Clonguish Gallowglasses and Bornacoola. Longford Leo Caseys is cited as beating Drumlish by 2-6 to 1-3 in the opening game of that tournament in September 1904. The final of the Drumlish Tournament was due to take place on 16th October 1904, with Longford Leo Caseys due to play Ardagh St. Patricks in the decider. However Ardagh did not turn up due to the wet weather, and the final had to be re-arranged. Drumlish Wolfe Tones were due to play Killashee John Mitchells in a friendly following the tournament final, but that game didn’t happen either because Killashee did not turn up (likely due to the weather too). So instead Longford Leo Caseys played Drumlish Wolfe Tones in a friendly that day, with Leo Caseys winning by 5 points to nil.

Drumlish Wolfe Tones entered the 1904 Senior Football Championship when club competition restarted in Longford after a gap since 1891, and were beaten 1-4 to 0-3 in the semi-final played in March 1905. Newspaper references alternate between ‘Drumlish Wolfe Tones’ and the shorthand of ‘Drumlish’ during this period. The club competed as Drumlish Wolfe Tones in Dromard tournament, Drumlish tournament and Longford Feis games throughout 1905 and Killoe Tournament in March 1906. Drumlish Wolfe Tones also took part in St. Patricks Day procession and games in March 1905, playing Longford Leo Caseys and beating them by 1-10 to 0-1.

Drumlish Wolfe Tones and Ballinamuck 98’s clubs joined forces in October 1906 to compete jointly as Drumlish & Ballinamuck 98’s for a period. The combination reaching the 1907 Senior Football Championship final where they were beaten by Killoe Young Emmets after a replay.

Football

Drumlish Wolfe Tones and Ballinamuck 98’s clubs (both clubs in same parish) came together in October 1906 to compete jointly for a period as Drumlish & Ballinamuck 98’s. The combination’s first game was against Gorletteragh St. Patricks on 27th October 1906. The team was recorded in official competition once – in the 1907 Senior Football Championship, reaching the county final and losing to Killoe Young Emmets after a replay. Thereafter there was a lull in GAA activity in Longford for a number of years. From the early 1910’s we see the constituent clubs referenced separately in published sources as Drumlish (cited from 1911 in League and Championship) and Ballinamuck 98’s (cited from 1912).

In 1912 the Ballinamuck 98’s and Drumlish clubs formed a joint committee with a view to completing together in 1913 competition. In January 1913 we find a reference to the ‘Drumlish and Ballinamuck‘ club and to Drumlish 98’s (possibly shorthand for the combination) in a tournament in April 1913. The next reference to a club from the parish playing in official competition is when Drumlish competed in the Senior League-Championship of 1913 (noted in published articles as Drumlish) and Drumlish is also cited in Newtownforbes Tournament in March 1913. Both Drumlish and Ballinamuck 98’s clubs continue to be referenced separately during the rest of the 1910’s and into the 1920’s with Ballinamuck 98’s winning the 1919 Junior League-Championship and the 1920 Senior Football Championship.

In December 1926 a combined Drumlish & Ballinamuck team is proposed for an exhibition game vs Longford Wanderers in aid of the County Board. The team is referenced as ‘Drumlish & Ballinamuck United‘. The game was then postponed and re-arranged for 5th December 1926 in Ballinalee. No evidence found of the match being played. On the same page as the notice of the above game in aid of the County Board in December 1926, a summary is provided of clubs represented at the Longford County Convention, including Drumlish (Senior and Junior), Ballinamuck 98’s (Senior and Junior), Longford Wanderers (Senior and Junior), Clonbroney (Junior) and Killoe Young Emmets (Junior). Fixtures outlined in the same article show that Drumlish and Ballinamuck 98’s were competing as separate clubs at that time.

In 1927 both clubs reached the Longford Senior Football Championship final where Drumlish beat Ballinamuck 98’s to win the title for the first time in the clubs history and bring the title back to the parish for the second time. This is the only time two clubs from the same parish competed in the SFC final.

Football

Recorded briefly in 1907.

Played against Ballinamuck 98’s Junior team in a challenge in 1907.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

The Drumlish Wolfe Tones club which had competed jointly with Ballinamuck 98’s for a period from October 1906, appeared to re-emerge as ‘Drumlish’ in the early 1910’s. The club is cited in the inaugural 1911 Senior League-Championship competition as Drumlish. The Drumlish club is cited again in the announcement of the draw for 1911 Senior Football Championship in August 1911, where the club is listed against Longford Commercials in a game to be played on 18th October 1911 with Mr. Burns from Ballymahon appointed as referee. Drumlish are beaten at the semi-final stage of the 1911 Senior Football Championship by Killoe (fixtures and match reports refer to Drumlish, not to Drumlish & Ballinamuck 98’s). This match is noted in November 1911 as being the final of the County Championship and for a century it had been assumed that the County Final of 1911 was played between Drumlish and Killoe. However our research in 2014 discovered that this was more likely the semi-final with the 1911 County Final actually played in March 1912 (previously assumed to be the 1912 final).

Drumlish are noted in local tournaments in 1912 and in November 3rd 1912 Drumlish are cited against Clonguish for a set of medals and a silver cup presented by Rev. W. Prunty from New York, and Philip Cassidy from Dublin (again cited in published reports as Drumlish, not as Drumlish & Ballinamuck 98’s). Thereafter references to Drumlish in competition are few and far between until 1919 when the club is revived and recorded in challenge matches, and then in active competition in 1919 and 1920. Drumlish won the 1925 Junior League (League-Championship) title by topping the table at the end of competition in June 1926. By 1926 Drumlish is competing in both Senior and Junior competition, while neighbours Ballinamuck 98’s are also competing in both Junior and Senior competition. Following a game between the two clubs in September 1926, local notes make reference to the strength of football in the parish and cites onlookers at the game saying “If the teams united what a splendid 15 could be picked; why they would have the Gaelic Football of the county at their feet“. Drumlish played against Ballinamuck 98’s in the Senior Football Championship final of 1927, a first title for the Drumlish club and second for the parish. This is the first and only time that two clubs from the same parish played each other in the SFC final.

Drumlish went on to win eight Senior Football Championship titles in 1927, 1928, 1932, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1943, 1945. Both Drumlish and St. Marys Granard were the dominant sides of the 1930’s and Drumlish continued the success into the 1940’s too. The SFC final of 1945 ended Drumlish 1-7, Longford Wanderers 1-6. However at the County Board meeting on 18th October 1945 a decision was taken to suspend the Drumlish club and award the title to Longford Wanderers. This decision cited the referee’s report which alleged rough play and threats to himself on the part of members of the Drumlish team. The Drumlish players denied the allegations but the vote was 6 to 4 in favour of awarding the title to Wanderers and suspending the Drumlish club. The club escalated their objection to the Leinster Council who upheld it on the grounds that five days notice had not been served on Drumlish by the Longford County Board. The original county final result stood and the suspension was voided. In 1946 Drumlish won the Leader Cup but lost out to Ballymahon in the first round of the Championship. In 1947 Drumlish were back in the Leader Cup final losing out to Mullinalaghta and once again lost to Ballymahon in the first round of the Senior Championship. The club did not affiliate in 1948 or 1949 with many of their players lining out for Dromard in these two years. In November 1949 a report in the local newspaper suggested that the lapsed Drumlish club and the active Ballinamuck club may be combining forces for the upcoming 1950 season. Instead Drumlish affiliated in 1950 and re-entered competition while Ballinamuck did not affiliate in 1950 and the club was not active again until December 1966.

The Drumlish club was re-organised at the start of 1951 and adopted the name ‘Young Irelands‘.

Competitions won by Drumlish:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Junior Football League

Football

Described as ‘newly organised’ in local media by 1917.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Cited briefly in 1918 as a Junior team.

Recorded in challenge matches. Possibly Ballinamuck Republicans renamed?

No record of any official competition games played.

Football

Ballinamuck 98’s lapsed for a period after 1927, but from 1933 is revived and was back in competition at Junior grade. From this point the Ballinamuck club is referenced in published records as either Ballinamuck 98’s or Ballinamuck. with the vast majority of references as Ballinamuck (without the 98’s). In February 1937 a list of affiliated clubs in Longford includs Ballinamuck 98’s and in reports later that year the club is cited briefly as Ballinamuck 98’s. However for the most part the published references to the club in 1930’s and 1940’s showed Ballinamuck (no 98’s), though it is one and the same club as the Nighty-Eights.

The first fixture after the clubs return in 1933 was against Dromard in Junior competition in June 1933 and was the first game played at the new Gaelic Grounds at Kelliher Barracks, which was later developed into Pearse Park. That Ballinamuck v Dromard game took place ahead of the 1933 Fr. Lynch Cup final in which neighbours Drumlish beat Killoe to win the cup. The Ballinamuck club lapsed again for a period and was re-organised in March 1937 at Junior grade. Among the games played that year was a Junior League with Ballinamuck vs Drumlish in March 1937 (Drumlish club had teams in both Senior and Junior, while Ballinamuck were Junior only at this point). Ballinamuck won the Junior Football Championship title in 1938 (medals presented in April 1940) beating Mostrim by 2-7 to 1-1 in a replayed final on 20th November 1938 ( Source). After 1938 the club lapsed as playing activity in Longford declined somewhat during the war years. Ballinamuck reformed again in 1943 and reached the Junior League final that year, beaten by Cashel in the decider. The club continued to compete in Junior competition until the end of the 1949 season and in November 1949 a report in the local newspaper noted that the lapsed Drumlish club and Ballinamuck may be combining forces for the upcoming 1950 season. Ballinamuck did not affiliate in 1950 (Drumlish does affiliate that year) and the club appears to disband after 1949 with many of the players competing with Drumlish thereafter. The next reference to the Ballinamuck club comes in December 1966 when the club is reported in published records as ‘returned to the football scene‘.

Ballinamuck football club was revived in 1966 ( Source), with club officials elected in January 1967 ( Source). It is clear from the published records of the era that the Ballinamuck club formed in 1966 shares DNA with the previous football club in Ballinamuck, which existed for half a century from 1890 to 1949 (17 years prior to 1966) and was by any objective assessment a revival of that old club. The Ballinamuck club appears in Junior fixtures from January 1967 ( Source), and is noted in local newspapers as ‘returned to the football scene’ in February 1967 ( Source). Initially described in local media as ‘reformed‘ or ‘returned‘ and initially cited as 98’s when announced in the clubs own notes in January 1967, the club name appears in fixtures and match reports from 1967 to 1969 as Ballinamuck, just as it had appeared for most of the period from 1933 to 1949. Reports in local media in early 1967 showed players transferring from neighbouring clubs (including Éire Óg and Dromard) to the revived Ballinamuck club ahead of the start of competition that year. There is no published evidence of any change to the status of the Éire Óg club during that period, and the two clubs co-existed in the same parish from January 1967 to March 1969, just as both clubs had previously co-existed in the same parish from their respective formation in 1889 and 1890 until the end of 1949. The published evidence shows this to be a revival of the old Ballinamuck club which had previously won Senior and Junior Championship titles and was disbanded in late 1949 due to immigration and other factors.

Ballinamuck goes on to compete in Junior competition from the start of 1967 until March 1969. At the start of the 1969 season, Ballinamuck had played Colmcille in the the Junior League in February, and had just beaten Dromard 5-2 to 2-7 in Junior League on 9th March (fixture originally set for 23rd February). The fixtures showed Ballinamuck due to play Mullinalaghta in the next round of the Junior League on 23rd March 1969. However less than 10 days after the game with Dromard, the Ballinamuck club and Éire Óg (Drumlish) club decided to unite to create Fr. Manning Gaels (📷 Source).

Hurling

Ballinamuck is noted in underage hurling in late 1960’s which was primarily organised through the National Schools. Reports of Ballinamuck in U-14 Hurling League action in 1966 and in U-16 Hurling League action in 1967 with M Whelan, P Whelan and Quinn from Ballinamuck all nominated to play in the Longford U-16 Hurling team in an inter-county competition that year. M Whelan from Ballinamuck is noted as playing for Longford U-14 Hurling team in a game against Cavan in October 1967. Ballinamuck is listed as one of the six teams competing in the U-16 Hurling Championship of 1969, however by the time competition gets underway, the Ballinamuck and Éire Óg (Drumlish) clubs had already come together to form the Fr. Manning Gaels club, and we do not find Ballinamuck referenced in hurling competition thereafter. No evidence of any adult hurling played in Ballinamuck.

Competitions won by Ballinamuck:

• Junior Football Championship

Football

The Drumlish club was re-organised at the start of 1951 and adopted the name ‘Young Irelands’. The Young Irelands name first appeared in fixtures in February 1951 ( Source). The club was initially referenced in published records in 1951 as Drumlish Young Irelands and then more commonly thereafter by the shorter version of Young Ireland (often with the ‘Drumlish’ suffix in parenthesis). The club won Senior Football Championship titles in 1951, 1953 and 1955 and Leader Cup in 1953 as Young Irelands.

The name change to the Irish version of Éire Óg becomes visible in published records from late 1958, but not before. For a period of time after 1958 the records show the Éire Óg name being used alongside the Young Irelands name, while the club name is almost exclusively Éire Óg throughout the 1960’s. 

Note: The first evidence of the Young Irelands name in the parish came with the formation of the ‘Young Irelands Minor Club’ in the parish of Drumlish in 1949 under the driving force of Fr. Seán Manning. The announcement of the formation of the Minor Club in local newspapers at the time stating that the club would “represent the united parish of Drumlish & Ballinamuck”. 

Competitions won by Young Irelands:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League

Football

The Young Irelands club name gave way to the Irish version of Éire Óg from late 1958. This was exactly the same time that other club names were being cited ‘As Gaeilge’ in local newspapers for the first time. For a period after 1958 we find both Éire Óg and Young Irelands names in published records and then exclusively Éire Óg throughout the 1960’s, however there is no published record of the Éire Óg name being used prior to late 1958. The Young Irelands or Éire Óg name was often used in published records with ‘Drumlish‘ in parenthesis after it.

With the 1969 season already underway, Éire Óg were struggling to fulfill fixtures at senior grade due to emigration, retirements, loss of some players to the reformed Ballinamuck club since 1967 and the loss of some young players who were in higher education in various parts of the country and abroad. In the Leader Cup fixture on 2nd March 1969, Éire Óg conceded the game to Mostrim. Two weeks later the Éire Óg (Drumlish) and Ballinamuck clubs decided to unite to create Fr. Manning Gaels (📷 Source).

While the club won the Féis Cup twice in the 1960’s, no key titles were won under the name Éire Óg.

Football

The Fr. Manning Gaels club was formed on 18th March 1969 when Éire Óg (Drumlish) and Ballinamuck clubs decided to unite. The club was named in honour of Fr. Seán Manning who had been curate in the parish from 1948 to 1954 and was a leading figure in the development of the GAA in Drumlish, St. Mels College and at county board level in both Longford and Leitrim.

The two clubs then announced their intention to Coiste Chontae an Longfort and a notice appeared in local media on 22nd March 1969 confirming the union. The new club name was then announced in local media on 29th March 1969 (📷 Source).

The union of clubs was announced in local media on March 22nd 1969 under the headline ‘Clubs Unite’, as follow:

Éire Óg and Ballinamuck clubs, both from the same parish, have decided to unite. Delegates from the clubs stated at Tuesday nights Co. Board meeting that they were no longer in a position to field two teams from the parish, emigration and retirals being the reason given for the present position. A joint meeting of the two clubs will be held in the ’98 Memorial Hall, Ballinamuck, on Monday night next, March 21st at 9 o’clock and all interested are urged to attend. The name of the club will be decided on at Monday’s meeting and representatives will later meet the County Board Executive from which recommendations will be submitted to the next Board meeting.

The following week on March 29th 1969, local media reported the following under the headline ‘New club select fitting name‘:

At the joint meeting of the Ballinamuck and Éire Óg clubs in the ’98 Memorial Hall on Monday night it was agreed that the clubs should unite and seek affiliation under the name of Father Manning Gaels. It was an appropriate selection because the late Father Manning while serving as curate in Drumlish, did much good for football in the parish. And if the new club display the determination and dedication of the great sagart, it will not be long until their famed footballing parish will be back in its rightful place in Longford Football.

Research of available published sources shows this to be the union of two clubs into a new combined new club unit. In the ‘Longford GAA History (1980-2005)’ book, the origin of the Fr. Manning Gaels club was described by the club’s own PRO as follows… “In 1969 Drumlish/Ballinamuck reformed the ways of Gaelic football in the parish by coming together to form the Fr. Manning Gaels club“. In the GAA local history project in 2011, members of the club refer to the formation of Fr. Manning Gaels in 1969 as follows… “We decided it was going to be a complete start” and discuss very clearly and openly the dynamics of getting the two clubs to play as one combined club. Listen back at 🔊 GAA Oral History project.

Fr. Manning Gaels competed in Intermediate grade from their formation in 1969 (different from the clubs that merged to form it, which had competed in Senior (Éíre Óg) and Junior (Ballinamuck) grades prior in early 1969). The club’s first game was against Colmcille on 20th April 1969 ( Source) in the newly formed ‘Special League’ (mixed competition for all grades). The club then competed in the Intermediate Football Championship later that year, losing out to Ballymahon in the first round.

Fr. Manning Gaels elected to regrade from Intermediate to Junior grade for the 1970 season, and completed in Junior competition in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 & 1974, winning the Junior Championship in 1974 and gaining promotion to Intermediate grade and then winning the Intermediate Championship in 1975 and gaining promotion to Senior thereafter. In 1973 the club combined with fellow Junior club Mullinalaghta and the combination won the Intermediate Championship that year – the first and only time a combination team won the Intermediate Championship. In 1975 the club combined with Dromard (both Intermediate at the time) to compete in the Senior Football Championship through a Qualifier route for Intermediate combinations. The team was known as Northern Gaels and reached the semi-final of the 1975 Senior Football Championship. Once gaining promotion to Senior in 1975, the club then competed at Senior grade until relegation to Intermediate in 2017. The club won promotion back to Senior at the end of the 2019 season but were relegated to Intermediate in 2021 and currently competes at Intermediate grade.

Fr. Manning Gaels won Senior Football Championships in 1996, 1997, 1998 & 2001, Intermediate Football Championships in 1975 & 1978 (and in 1973 in a tea, with Mullinalaghta), Junior Football Championships in 1974 & 2005, Senior Football Leagues in 1986, 1987, 1997 & 1999 and U-21 Football Championships in 1981, 1983, 1993, 1995, 1999 & 2013.

Competitions won by Fr. Manning Gaels:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Intermediate Football Championship
• Intermediate Football League
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League
• Under 21 Football Championship

Football

Founded in 1889. Also referred to as Mostrim Volunteers. Named after the 18th century Irish Volunteers.

Played in the 1890 & unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championships. Noted as playing Rahowen Leaguers in February 1891 in a field owned by the Greene family at Rathaspic. Mostrim own 0-4 to 0-0. Edgeworthstown Volunteers appeared in friendly matches between 1894 and 1897 including a friendly against Ballinalack Inny Rovers in February 1895 which Edgeworthstown won. The club lapsed briefly and was reformed in December 1897 in a meeting attended by P Lee, J Greene, M Greene, P Galligan, M Burke, M Gavin, T Flynn, P Grimes, D Grimes, W Doris, J Doris, A Cauly, P Quinn. Those present elected P Lee as captain and M. Burke as treasurer. It was decided to stick with the old ‘Volunteers’ name.

In April 1897 a report is carried on a game between Edgeworthstown Wolfe Tones and Granard Slashers. A letter to the newspaper by the Volunteers club corrected the name error as well as other aspects of the report on the game. Edgeworthstown Volunteers noted as playing a practice match in the Longford Leader in January 1898 and in a challenge game against Longford Wanderers following a challenge issued by Wanderers on 15th January 1898 to any club in the county, which was taken up by the Edgeworthstown Volunteers. Final result was Wanderers 1-0, Volunteers 0-0.

The Volunteers competed in friendly games and tournaments in the early years of the 1900’s, and competed in the 1904 Senior Football Championship when GAA revived in Longford. The club reached the 1905 and 1911 Senior Championship finals, losing out on both occasions.

The club is cited as Edgeworthstown Volunteers up to 1912. When club appears again thereafter, in 1919, the name has been shortened to Edgeworthstown.

It is worth noting that Edgeworthstown Volunteers is incorrectly cited in Comóradh an Chéid (Published 1987) against Killoe Young Emmets in the semi-final of the 1905 Senior Hurling Championship. However that Hurling Championship contained just three teams: Longford Leo Caseys, Killoe Young Emmets and Clonbroney. 

Football

Founded in 1890. Played in unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship.

Thomas Farrelly applied to the County Board in July 1890 to have a second club (Cranly) affiliated in the Mostrim parish. The club was affiliated provisionally subject to no objections from the Edgeworthstown Volunteer club.

Spelled as Cranly or Cranley.

Name not recorded thereafter. May have changed to Cranley Emmets?

Football

Cited against Edgeworthstown ‘De Wets’ in a game in April 1901 which the club won by 1 point. Team was captained by J Carleton.

The sides played again in April 1901 with De Wets beating Cranley Emmets by 1 goal to nil.

Short lived club name. May have been renamed Cranley Hearts of Erin?

Football

Played against Cranley Emmets in early 1901 (lost by 1 point). Led by Captain Michael Monahan.

The sides played again in April 1901 with De Wets winning by 1 goal to nil.

Named after the Boer War General. May have been a short-lived renaming of Edgeworthstown Volunteers.

Football

Cited briefly in 1906 – Possibly a Junior team.

Recorded in a challenge match against Old Road Davitts in 1906.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Edgeworthstown Volunteers name seems to be shortened to Edgeworthstown during the 1910’s.

The club lapsed in the mid 1910’s with some players competing instead with Ardagh St. Patricks.

The club re-organised at Junior grade in 1917 and competed from that point as Edgeworthstown (no Volunteers), lapsing briefly in the second half of the 1920’s.

In April 1928 Edgeworthstown are announced as a ‘new team‘ in competition and are due to play Rathcline (also noted as ‘new’ to competition) in Junior grade on Sunday 15th April 1928. This seems to be the re-emergence of Edgeworthstown in the late 1920’s after a brief lapse.

The club won the 1929 Junior Football Championship title as Edgeworthstown in the delayed final played in Lacken in early 1930. Players included P. Tallon, Doherty brothers, P. Murphy, Joe Greene, Ted Morgan, J Nolan, T Kenny, T McLoughlin, P. Turner, Bill Devine, B. Langan, N. Mallon and Harry Greene.

Club name was changed to Edgeworthstown Young Irelands in 1930.

Competitions won by Edgeworthstown:

• Junior Football Championship

Hurling

Formed in late 1931 and competed in the 1932 Senior Hurling Championship.

First game (vs Granard) was played in June 1932 and the following played for Edgeworthstown: R. Walsh, J. Cullen, F. Cullen, V. Gillie, J. Gogan, P. Connolly, F. Cofffey, J. O’Reilly, M. Dunne, John Breen, M. Carters, F. Greene, P. Murphy, W. McNally, Jim Bates, P. Morgan. Granard won this game by 2-1 to 1-2 on 5th June 1932.

Appeared to be active at start of 1933 but did not compete in either the 1933 or 1934 Hurling Championships.

Football

Mentioned briefly in a challenge game in 1912.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Recorded in 1918 and 1919 Junior competition.

The club started but did not complete the 1918 Junior competition.

Longbridge played against Edgeworthstown in Junior in 1918 and 1919.

Football

Edgeworthstown added Young Irelands to the name in 1930.

Edgeworthstown Young Irelands is referred to in media as the same team that won the 1929 Junior Championship as Edgeworthstown (in February 1930).

In 1931 Edgeworthstown Young Irelands reached the Senior Football Championship final, losing out to St. Marys Granard by 1-9 to 0-3 on 6th September 1931 at Longford Park. In 1932 the Young Irelands won the Intermediate Football Championship beating Mullinalaghta on 29th May 1932 at Granard.

The Edgeworthstown Young Irelands club name is found up to the 1934 convention but is not found in active competition after 1934.

A split occurred in the GAA in Mostrim in 1932 leading to the emergence of the Edgeworthstown Geraldines club who competed alongside Edgeworthstown Young Irelands during this period as two separate club units in the same parish.

Competitions won by Edgeworthstown Young Irelands:

• Intermediate Football Championship

Football

Formed in 1932 following  a split in the Edgeworthstown Young Irelands club around political allegiances. The Geraldines competed in Junior competition.

The Geraldines name was in honour of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, the Irish Patriot.

The club was still around by the 1934 convention but is not found from 1935.

Football

Manor Rovers name is first cited in 1933.

Manor Shamrocks club affiliates at start of 1934, but name is Manor Rovers when competitions are listed.

Club competed in the parish at same time as Edgeworthstown Young Irelands and Edgeworthstown Geraldines.

Manor Rovers is mentioned in a report in July 1938 as having ‘ceased to exist’ in years previously.

Football

This club name is first referenced in February 1906 in a friendly match between an Edgeworthstown ‘Wolfe Tones’ team and Granard ‘Young Bloods’ team (Junior). The name is not found again until the 1935 and it is not clear if this 1906 reference was a naming error at the time or a conflation of the Edgeworthstown Volunteers and the Drumlish Wolfe Tones team names of the era.

Edgeworthstown Wolfe Tones appears in the 1935 and 1936 seasons. Sometimes referred to as Mostrim Wolfe Tones.

Club is noted as being a ‘united club‘ – It may have been an amalgamation of Young Irelands and Geraldines?

No record of Edgeworthstown Wolfe Tones or Mostrim Wolfe Tones after 1936.

The next time the ‘Wolfe Tones’ name appears at adult grade is 1982 when the Mostrim hurlers adopt the name.

Football

Club formed in 1937 using the Mostrim Eoin Ruadhs name for one season.

The ‘Eoin Ruadhs’ part of the name is dropped from 1938, and just ‘Mostrim’ thereafter.

This appears to be the origin of the modern Mostrim club. Our research did not find any direct link with the Edgeworthstown Young Irelands or Wolfe Tones clubs which preceded it, beyond the fact that all were clubs in the same parish. This appears to be a separate club unit formed after a short period of no clubs in the parish.

Football

This is Mostrim Eoin Ruadhs club, with name shortened to Mostrim from 1938.

Mostrim won the clubs first title in 1940 with victory over Killoe Young Emmets in the 1940 Junior Championship (awarded after an objection). In 1945 Mostrim and Seán Connollys appear to have joined forces that year (though all League and Championship fixtures show team name as ‘Mostrim’) while both clubs are found separately in competition from 1946. Mostrim reached the Leader Cup final in 1945, losing to Mullinalaghta in the final, and also reached the Junior Championship semi-final in 1948. The club did not affiliate in 1949. Manor Gaels emerged as a second adult club in the parish in 1948 and played against Mostrim in the 1948 Junior Championship. Manor Gaels competed at Junior grade in 1948 and 1949. By November 1949 Mostrim has stated its intention to re-organise for the 1950 season, and we see Mostrim back in fixtures from 1950 as the sole GAA club in the parish, with no mention of Manor Gaels in competition from that point.

In 1950 Mostrim reached the Junior Championship final against Seán Connollys. An all-out effort was made to win this game but disaster struck when Slim Cullen received an eye injury and was unable to play. Connollys ran out winners after a hectic game on the score 1-10 to 1-04. By 1954 a plethora of players had arrived in the town and the club entered the senior ranks voluntarily. The club was drawn against Young Irelands, the County Champions, in the first round and were well beaten. In 1955 Mostrim were drawn against Longford Slashers, who were then the County champions. Mostrim raised their game to unexpected heights and with only minutes to go Mostrim looked set to score a goal and win the match. However the ball went over the bar to draw the match. The replay was won by Longford Slashers but Mostrim were awarded the game after an objection. The semi-final was against Young Irelands (Drumlish), but defeat was the order of the day.

Emigration struck hard in those years and the senior team was decimated and regraded to Junior ranks in 1957. Mostrim reached the Junior Championship final in 1958 against St. Marys Granard – who had also been recently regraded, losing out on a scoreline of St. Marys Granard 1-07, Mostrim 1-03. In the early sixties the good work done at schoolboy level began to bear fruit and in 1966 the Junior Championship was won for the first time since 1940 with the assistance of a number of Minors. This was a lively encounter against Abbeylara with final scoreline of 2-2 to 1-4. In 1967 the club was promoted to Intermediate ranks and won the Intermediate Championship final against Cashel by 1-11 to 1-9 to gain promotion to Senior grade for the first time. Mostrim’s first Senior title was the Special Senior Championship, beating St. Dominics (Kenagh) by 1-7 to 0-9 in Newtowncashel on Sunday 7th December 1969.

In 1970 Mostrim won the clubs first major title at Senior grade with victory over Ballymahon in the Senior Football League (Leader Cup) final. A first U-21 Championship title followed in 1973 with victory over Rathcline after a replay. Mostrim finally reached the Senior Championship final in 1974 against old rivals and neighbours Ardagh. As the final drew closer excitement was at fever pitch in both parishes. The game itself was very sportingly contested. Mostrim held a slender lead coming into the last quarter but then Paddy Noonan was introduced and within five minutes had scored a goal and a point to ensure that the Connolly Cup was on its way to Edgeworthstown for the first time ever. The game ended Mostrim 2-6, Ardagh St. Patricks 1-5.

During the 1980’s Mostrim won the U-21 Championship in 1980, Leader Cup in 1984 and captured a second Senior Championship title in 1985 after a second replay following an epic series of games against Ardagh St. Patricks. The club were Senior Championship finalists in 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1989. Mostrim lost out in the Senior Championship final of 1990 to Longford Slashers. In 1992 Mostrim enjoyed its finest year ever, winning the Senior Championship for the third time and also winning the Leader Cup and U-21 Championship titles. Other successes would follow in Leader Cup in 1995, and Junior Championships in 2007 and 2015. Mostrim reached the Senior Championship final in 2021, losing out to Mullinalaghta in the decider.

In total Mostrim won Senior Football Championship in 1974, 1985 & 1992, Intermediate Football Championship in 1967, Junior Football Championship in 1940, 1966, 2007 & 2015, Leader Cup (SFL) in 1970, 1984, 1992 & 1995 and U20/U21 Football Championship in 1973 & 1980.

Competitions won by Mostrim:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Intermediate Football Championship
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League
• Under 21 Football Championship

Football

Manor Gaels was initially an underage club and later competed at Junior grade in 1948 and 1949.

Manor Gaels played against Mostrim in 1948 Junior Championship and competed in 1949 when Mostrim lapsed.

Club vanishes from adult grade after the Mostrim club was reorganised ahead of 1950 season. No evidence found of any merger, so assumption is taht players were absorbed into the Mostrim club while Manor Gaels was dissolved.

Not clear why Manor Gaels emerged in 1948-49 in competition to Mostrim in the same parish.

Hurling

In 1959 a meeting of the ‘St. Mary’s hurling club’ for the Mostrim-Lisryan area was announced in the Longford Leader for 26th December 1959, in the the same week that a motion is recorded from the Mostrim club to establish Hurling in Longford. No hurling club was subsequently formed.

In 1982 a newly formed adult hurling club in Edgeworthstown was named St. Mary’s (Mostrim). The club was earmarked to play in the re-organised Longford Senior Hurling Championship in 1982 as St. Marys (Mostrim), scheduled to play Naomh Ciaráns (Rathcline) in Round 1, Slashers Gaels in Round 2 and United Gaels in Round 3. However when activity got underway, neither Mostrim nor United Gaels played any games. The club name name was then changed to Wolfe Tones (Mostrim) immediately thereafter. In 1983, 1984, & 1985 the hurling club (now Wolfe Tones) amalgamated with Ballymahon to compete in Senior Hurling Championship. Thereafter the club competed on it’s own as Wolfe Tones (Mostrim).

Hurling

The first mention of Wolfe Tones in hurling was in underage competition in 1968. In adult competition, the modern-day Wolfe Tones hurling club emerged in 1982 as St. Marys (Mostrim) and entered the newly revived Longford SHC in 1982 using that name, but did not play any games in the end. Shortly thereafter the club name changed to Wolfe Tones (Mostrim).

A combination of Ballymahon/Wolfe Tones competed in 1983, 1984 & 1985 Senior Hurling Championship alongside Slashers Gaels, Naomh Ciarán (Rathcline) and Bunlahy clubs before Wolfe Tones then emerged on its own from 1986.

Wolfe Tones appeared in their first Longford Senior Hurling Championship final in 1987.

Wolfe Tones won SHC titles in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020.

The club has the distinction of being the first to win five-in-a-row of Longford SHC titles (1992-1996), which they later repeated and added to with the first ever six-in-a-row of Longford SHC tites (2013-2018).

(Note: Mostrim underage hurling teams have been called Wolfe Tones since the 1960’s and Mostrim underage football teams are called Wolfe Tones Óg)

Competitions won by Wolfe Tones (Mostrim):

• Senior Hurling Championship
• Senior Hurling League
• Under 21 Hurling Championship

Football

Founded in 1889.

The parish consists of two half parishes along the Longford-Cavan county/provincial divide, namely Mullinalaghta and Gowna. The overall parish has a total area of 11,539 acres of which 6,060 acres is Mullinalaghta (11 townlands) and 5,479 acres is Gowna (20 townlands). The parish was previously known by the old name of Scrabby and Colmcille East, however in 1950, after a plebiscite of the villagers, the Scrabby name was officially changed to Gowna and the name of the parish evolved to Gowna & Mullinalaghta.

Mullinalaghta Leaguers did not compete in the 1890 Championship and was a late entry into the unfinished 1891 Senior Championship. The club requested affiliation to the County Council (Board) in March 1891. However a member of different club expressed concerns regarding potential trouble if affiliated, referring to the Leaguers as a “rough disorderly club” and questions were also raised around the fact that they were a border club (i.e. should they affiliated to Longford or Cavan). It was agreed to affiliate the club subject to a caution if they exhibit roughness!

Recorded as Mullinalaghta Leaguers in tournaments in 1901 and 1902. In 1904 a notice appeared in the Longford Journal stating that a meeting had been held on 4th September 1904 at Cloonagh, for the purpose of re-organising the Mullinalaghta Gaelic Football Club. The elected officers were: D Kiernan (Chairman), J Reilly (Treasurer) and O Flynn (Secretary). The Leaguers name was cited briefly in 1912 and also appeared in 1914 and 1917 when Mullinalaghta played against Mullahoran Dreadnoughts and Loughduff Volunteers.

Football

Short lived team – Played a challenge game in 1912.

No record of any competition games played.

Was called after Myles ‘The Slasher‘ O’Reilly who was a legendary hero of Ireland and County Cavan in the 17th century in his resistance to the new Covenanter Scottish and English settlers in Ireland. He was a descendant of the O’Reilly Princes of Breifni.

Football

Mullinalaghta Leaguers reformed in 1904 with name shortened to Mullinalaghta.

The Mullinalaghta name is used from 1904 until 1955 when St. Columbas was added to the name.

In 1904 a notice appeared in the Longford Journal stating that a meeting had been held on 4th September 1904 at Cloonagh, for the purpose of re-organising the Mullinalaghta Gaelic Football Club. The elected officers were: D Kiernan (Chairman), J Reilly (Treasurer) and O Flynn (Secretary). There is no mention of the word ‘Leaguers’ in the club name at this point.

Mullinalaghta are noted in the Loughduff tournament in 1916, with games arranged between Loughduff v Granard and Mullinalaghta v Ballymachugh. The club is noted in other tournaments and challenge games in the late 1910’s and 1920’s. Prior records credit Mullinalaghta with winning the Junior competition of 1924, however the 1924 Junior competition which was called the Junior League-Championship (aka Junior League) was won by Longford Rovers who defeated Clondra by 2-2 to 0-1 in a delayed final in September 1925. The only final contested by Mullinalaghta in that period was the 1925 Senior League-Championship (aka Senior League) final of 1925 which took place in July 1926 and was abandoned with no winner declared. In 1931 Mullinalaghta won the inaugural Intermediate Football Championship title, and in 1932 won the Colmcille 7-a-side Tournament.

The Mullinalaghta club enjoyed immense success in the mid 1940’s and 1950’s, making the major breakthrough to win the Senior Football Championship in 1948 (with a team comprised of the inhabitants of 10 houses), and from 1945 to 1952 won two Senior Championship titles, six Leader Cup (SFL) titles and Ballymahon and Newtowncashel Tournament titles. Mullinalaghta featured in seven Leader Cup finals in a row from 1945 to 1951, winning six of them.

In 1953 Mullinalaghta doesn’t affiliate and combines forces with Abbeylara and a few players from the lapsed St. Marys Granard club to compete as ‘United Gaels’. The combination lasted for one season before Granard and Abbeylara went their separate ways and Mullinalaghta did not affiliate at all in 1954. The club reformed in 1955 and added St. Columbas to the club name.

Hurling

Mullinalaghta briefly had a hurling team in 1936, but did not take part in official competition.

Competitions won by Mullinalaghta:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Intermediate Football Championship

Football

Mullinalaghta club reformed in 1955 and added St. Columbas to the club name.

St. Columba (also St. Colmcille) AD 521–597, founded Inchmore monastery on the nearby Lough Gowna which straddles the parishes of Colmcille and Abbeylara. The neighbouring parish and club of Colmcille is also named in honour of the Saint.

Mullinalaghta St. Columbas lapsed in 1957 and 1958 but reformed again in 1959 (with assistance of players from Colmcille).

Mullinalaghta reached the Junior Championship final against Ballymahon in 1960, the only highlight of those lean years. By 1977 a good group of players had come together to capture the Junior Championship with a victory over neighbours Ballymore. Although competitive at Intermediate grade, the breakthrough would not be easy. Losses by narrow margins in semi-finals and unsuccessful final appearances – against Forgney in 1980 and Ballymahon in Centenary Year 1984 – was to prove a disappointment. The 1980’s was also a period of development for the club with the formation of the Northern Gaels Minor club (together with Abbeylara) in 1985 enabling access to a competitive underage structure and well coached youngsters for adult grades. This collaboration as Northern Gaels has borne fruit with a National Féile title in 2010 and four Minor Championship titles over the years, and the success of those squads provided much of the basis for the club’s renaissance in the last decade. In 1987 Mullinalaghta officially opened the club’s current grounds at The Laurels in Derrycassan where the club had been resident since the 1940’s. In 1990 an Intermediate Championship was won by virtue of a narrow win over Ballymahon after a replay. Due to retirements and emigration, Mullinalaghta was forced to regrade to Junior status in 1994, but by 1996 Intermediate status had been restored. Two Intermediate Championships were to follow, with victories over Dromard in 2000 and Kenagh (after a replay) in 2007. Since 2007 steady progress was made at Senior level, culminating in a Leader Cup final win over Longford Slashers in 2013 and the club’s first appearance in a Senior Championship Final for 62 years against Killoe Young Emmets in 2014.

Though not successful on that first outing – losing 2-11 to 0-10 in that 2013 Leader Cup decider – that Leader Cup was a harbinger of what would become the greatest decade in the club’s history since the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. Killoe Young Emmets proved once again to be Mullinalaghta’s nemesis in the 2015 championship, with a couple of late scores in the quarter-final overturning a Mullinalaghta lead. 2016 saw the club back in the County Final of the Senior Championship under the stewardship of Mickey Graham. An early second-half goal from Aidan McElligott was to make the difference in a final scoreline of 1-8 to 0-8 over Abbeylara, and tremendous scenes accompanied the presentation of the Connolly Cup to captain Shane Mulligan as Mullinalaghta celebrated their first senior title in 66 years. The club’s first foray in Leinster brought victories against Stradbally of Laois and St. Loman’s of Westmeath before a semi-final loss against a more experienced St. Vincent’s team in Pearse Park. Domestically, Mullinalaghta added the Leader Cup to their haul for the year with a victory over Clonguish in the Leader Cup final. In 2017 Mullinalaghta found a path to the final once more, Abbeylara were once again the opposition in the decider and were once again on the wrong side of a three-point margin at the end, 0-13 to 1-7. The Leinster campaign brought a victory against Eire Óg of Carlow in the first round but Mullinalaghta then allowed a four-point lead, going into stoppage time against St. Loman’s, slip away to exit at the quarter-final stage. A domestic treble of Senior Championship, ACFL Division 1, and Leader Cup titles was completed along with a victory over a Grattan Óg/Rathcline combination in the Under-21 championship. The 2018 campaign saw Mullinalaghta in yet another County Final meeting with Abbeylara. A tight game in atrocious weather conditions produced a draw on a score of 0-6 each with Abbeylara narrowly missing the opportunity to wrap up the game in the final minute, however the replay the following week produced a clear win for Mullinalaghta on a score of 2-14 to 1-2. The Leinster campaign began with a close and dogged encounter against Rhode of Offaly in Tullamore with the match turning on a two-minute spell where Rhode had a goal disallowed followed by Mullinalaghta racing to the other end and slamming the ball in the net. A comfortable win over Eire Óg of Carlow in the semi-final brought Mullinalaghta to the first ever Leinster Club Final for a Longford club and a battle with Dublin kingpins Kilmacud Crokes. The story of that match and its aftermath is now part of GAA folklore with a coolly taken Gary Rogers penalty felling the Goliaths and a national media blitz landing on the shores of Lough Gowna before Christmas. The All-Ireland semi-final against Dr. Crokes of Killarney the following February, however, proved to be a step too far for the club and focus returned to domestic matters, with the club winning the ACFL Division 1 once again, but the Leinster campaign meant that the 2018 Leader Cup final against Killoe Young Emmets was never played.

The following three years produced mixed fortunes for the club; an exit at the 2019 quarter final stage to a hungry and determined Colmcille squad was compensated to some degree by a Division 1 and Leader Cup double, and the Covid-disrupted 2020 season saw Mullinalaghta reach the semi-final after a narrow victory over Colmcille only to see further activity postponed until this calendar year. In 2021 Mullinalaghta was back in the County Final, this time against Mostrim, and a comfortable win to take a fourth SFC title in seven years. In 2023 Mullinalaghta won the Senior League (Leader Cup) and ACFL Division 1 titles.

It is worth noting that the population of Mullinalaghta was 1,459 in 1891, fell to 515 by 1973 and is around 400 today. The overall parish consists of two half parishes along the Longford-Cavan county divide, namely Mullinalaghta and Gowna. The parish has a total area of 11,539 acres of which 6,060 acres is Mullinalaghta (11 townlands) and 5,479 acres is Gowna (20 townlands). The parish was previously known by the old name of Scrabby and Colmcille East, however in 1950, after a plebiscite of the villagers, the Scrabby name was officially changed to Gowna and the name of the parish evolved to Gowna & Mullinalaghta.

Competitions won by Mullinalaghta St. Columbas:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Intermediate Football Championship
• Junior Football Championship

Football

Founded in September 1888 – The first GAA club in Longford.

The club was named after Tim Healy, the Irish parliamentary Party M.P. for North Longford from 1886-1892 who also served as Governor General for the Irish Free State in 1922. The club’s first president was James Cosgrove, and Liam Cosgrove was captain.

First reference in local media was in Longford Independent on 27th October 1888 with the announcement… “A foot-ball club under the Gaelic Rules having for its title the ‘Granard Healys’ has been established in this town for the last month”. (source)

The clubs first match was against Arva Davitts in Arva on 24th February 1889. Granard Healys was cited in the Westmeath Examiner and Anglo Celt in March 1890 as having re-organised ahead of competing in the Senior Football Championship in Edgeworthstown in 1890. The Granard Healy club competed in the 1890 Senior Football Championship and in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship. Thereafter there is no mention of Granard Healys club name post 1891. It is noteworthy that in January 1891 a club called Granard Slashers was affiliated. By that time, Tim Healy (who the first Granard club had been called after) had become an ardent anti-Parnellite, so it is likely that Granard Slashers was formed to enable footballers to remain politically neutral, and therefore players moved across to play with Granard Slashers from 1891 thus leading to the end of Granard Healy’s.

Note: No direct link has been found thus far between Granard Healys and later Granard clubs such as Slashers or Shamrocks or St. Marys, beyond the fact that all clubs existed at different times in the parish of Granard (along with a number of other clubs that came and went). It is worth noting that Granard Healy’s and Granard Slashers co-existed briefly in 1891 and both played in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship, while Granard Shamrocks and St. Marys clubs co-existing in the parish for a period towards the end of the 1920’s.

Football

Formed in January 1891.

On 4th January 1891 Fr. O’Reilly (C.C. Granard) recommended the Granard Slashers club to the County Board for affiliation. By that time, Tim Healy (who the first Granard club had been called after) had become an ardent anti-Parnellite, so it seems likely that Granard Slashers was formed to enable footballers to remain politically neutral – But there is no evidence either way.

The club was named after Myles ‘the slasher’ O’Reilly who was a legendary hero of Ireland and County Cavan in the 17th century in his resistance to the new Scottish and English settlers in Ireland. He was reputedly a descendant of the O’Reilly Princes of Breifni.

The Granard Slashers club competed in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship and later contested an ‘unofficial’ Championship final in 1896. This was in fact an invitation extended by Granard Shamrocks to Longford Shamrocks to play a friendly game at Ballinalee, and somehow over the years was incorrectly assumed to be the Senior Championship final (likely because of the absence of any other games at that time). There is no record of Granard Slashers in competition after 1897 and no record when GAA activity in Longford resumes in 1904. The next mention of the club comes briefly in 1912 (may have been Junior).

Note: No direct link has been found thus far between Granard Healys and later Granard clubs such as Slashers or Shamrocks or St. Marys, beyond the fact that all clubs existed at different times in the parish of Granard (along with a number of other clubs that came and went). It is worth noting that Granard Healy’s and Granard Slashers co-existed briefly in 1891 and both played in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship, while Granard Shamrocks and St. Marys clubs co-existing in the parish for a period towards the end of the 1920’s.

Football

Played Ballinamuck 98’s in a tournament game in 1891.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Appeared in a tournament in 1891.

The club was named after Myles ‘the slasher’ O’Reilly who was a legendary hero of Ireland and County Cavan in the 17th century in his resistance to the new Scottish and English settlers in Ireland. He was reputedly a descendant of the O’Reilly Princes of Breifni.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Granard Shamrocks first cited in competition in March 1905. Played in 1905 Senior Championship and in local tournaments in 1905 and 1906.

Shamrocks appeared to lapse after 1906 and cited as reformed in August 1912 (referenced often in shorthand as ‘Granard’). The club hosted a tournament on 22nd September 1912 including Granard Shamrocks, Clonguish Gallowglasses, Killoe Young Emmets, Arva Davitts, Columbkille St. Columbcilles, Mullahoran Gaels, Edgeworthstown Volunteeers, Clonbroney Clan O’Farrells and Ballinamuck 98’s. Granard Shamrocks also competed in a Ballinamuck Tournament in October 1912, which included teams from Clonguish, Killoe, Drumlish, Colmcille, Granard and Bornacoola. The club is also referenced vs Colmcille in a tournament in Gelsha in April 1913 (Granard Shamrocks vs Columbkille at senior and Granard Junior Shamrocks vs Columbkille St. Columbkilles at junior).

Granard Shamrocks won the 1914, 1916 & 1917 Senior League-Championship (aka Senior League) titles, with the last of those played in March 1919. These have sometimes been confused with Senior Championship titles in the past, but research into those titles and the context around them indicates that they were not Senior Championship titles. Club is also noted in Loughduff tournament in 1916 vs Loughduff (other game was Mullinalaghta v Ballymachugh).

After the 1917 Senior League-Championship final in March 1919, Granard Shamrocks club is not found much thereafter until later in the 1920’s, and appears in Junior competition from 1927 to 1931. It should be noted that contemporaneous newspaper reports from the late 1920’s show that the Granard Shamrocks club co-existed for a period in the parish of Granard at the same time as the St. Marys club.

In an interview with the Longford Leader in August 1982, Joe Regan mentioned ‘Granard All Shamrocks’ and refers to most of their players being from Killasonna. Granard Shamrocks was also cited as reformed briefly in 1940’s in the GAA’s Oral History Project recordings.

Note: No direct link has been found thus far between Granard Healys and later Granard clubs such as Slashers or Shamrocks or St. Marys, beyond the fact that all clubs existed at different times in the parish of Granard (along with a number of other clubs that came and went). It is worth noting that Granard Healy’s and Granard Slashers co-existed briefly in 1891 and both played in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship, while Granard Shamrocks and St. Marys clubs co-existing in the parish for a period towards the end of the 1920’s.

Hurling

Hurling Club called Granard Shamrocks is announced in August 1912. Appears to have been formed primarily to stop the formation of a cricket club in Granard. The notice of the formation of the hurling club in the Longford Leader on August 10th 1912 notes:

“We believe an effort was made to form a cricket club in Granard but the Shamrocks would have none of it, and so it remained in oblivion. All honour to the Gaels who made the manly stand”. 

There is no record of any competitive hurling games played by Granard Shamrocks.

Competitions won by Granard Shamrocks:

• Senior Football League

Football

Short lived club, played in a tournament alongside Granard Shamrocks in 1905.

Not clear if this was an underage or Junior team.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Junior team recorded in a challenge match in 1905.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Junior team recorded in a challenge match vs Edgeworthstown Wolfe Tones in February 1905. This game may have been against Edgeworthstown Volunteers and the ‘Wolfe Tones’ was a typo or conflation with Drumlish Wolfe Tones of the era. Records are not clear on the matter.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Short-lived club, formed in 1908 as underage or junior club.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Short-lived club for non Locals who worked in pubs or shops in Granard town.

Recorded in a 1912 challenge game.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Killasonnagh Emmets Junior team mentioned in 1912 and again as Kilasonna in a tournament in 1926.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Junior team organised in 1916.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Junior team organised in 1917.

No record of any competition games played.

Football & Hurling

Short lived club founded on 4th November 1919.

Named in honour of John Boyle O’Reilly, an Irish poet, journalist, author, activist and member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

Club is noted in May 1920 as seeking a field for practice games in football and hurling.

No record of any competition games played.

Hurling

Granard hurling club was formed in 1931 and participated in 1932, 1933 and 1934 Senior Hurling Championships.

There were earlier reference to a hurling club in the town in the early 1920’s and again in November 1924, which seems to refer to the Boyle O’Reillys club in the parish at that time in both hurling and football (though never in official competition). Also potential signs of a hurling team in Granard by 1928, but not in any active competition. We did not find any contemporaneous evidence to confirm that Granard Hurling Club was the hurling section of St. Mary’s GFC.

On 11th November 1928 a hurling match takes place in Granard between Longford Garda Selection and Westmeath. The notice in the local newspaper notes that the Garda are taking a real live interest in the hurling revival. The Longford Garda Selection for the game was: F Fahy, P Horan, A Maher, R Cusack, T Molloy, M Burke, M Ryan, J Daly, J Malone, T Doyle, J Walton, J Costello, J Dermody, T Ryder and D Cahill.

Granard Hurling Club was formed in 1931 and competed in the 1932, 1933 and 1934 Senior Hurling Championships. The club played in the inaugural game of the 1932 Hurling Championship against Longford Hurling Club in April 1932. This was likely the first competitive hurling game played in Co. Longford since the 1907 Championship. That first game ended in tragedy however, when the Granard captain, Justin Manning, a native of Woodford in Co. Galway, collapsed and then 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.

That 1932 Championship game vs Longford was eventually re-fixed and played on 29th May 1932, with the following team representing Granard: M. J. Gaffney (captain), T. Kiernan, T. Finnan, P. McNally, T. Rudden, P. O’Dea, P. Hension, T. Manning, M. Reilly, M. Boyce, T. Gorman, H. Owens, S. Fagan, E. Fagan, M. Kiernan, T. Doherty, J. Sheridan, M. Gorman, W. Gaynor, J. Finnan and J. Geraghty. This was the first team to play a competitive hurling game for a club from the parish of Granard.

Granard hurlers won three-in-a-row hurling Championships in 1932, 1933 and 1934 along with the very first Senior Hurling League title in 1933. Club fades away after 1934 and is not found in the following years. The club was reformed in March 1949 and local notes in March 1949 state that “if no affiliation can take place with Longford County Board, they may be able to join with Cavan“. Granard went on to win the 1950 Cavan Senior Hurling Championship title. From 1949 to 1953 hurling flourished in Granard while there was no football club active in the parish with the footballers of Granard playing in the Abbeylara/Mullinalaghta combined team of United Gaels in 1953.

The Granard hurling club has the distinction of being the first to win three-in-a-row Longford SHC titles (1932-1934).

Competitions won by Granard Hurling Club:

• Senior Hurling Championship

Football

The St. Marys Granard club was formed in the parish of Granard in 1925. The catholic parish of Granard is dedicated to St. Mary.

No direct link has been found thus far between St. Mary’s Granard and earlier Granard clubs such as Healys or Slashers or Shamrocks, beyond the fact that all existed at different times in the parish of Granard (along with a number of other clubs that came and went). It is worth noting that Granard Healy’s and Granard Slashers co-existed in the parish at the same time in 1890-91, while Granard Shamrocks and St. Marys Granard co-existing for a period in the parish at the end of the 1920’s.

St. Marys went into decline and lapsed for a period in the late 1930’s but was back by the start of the 1940’s, reaching the SFC final in 1960 and winning the 1941 title. In 1942 St. Marys were beaten in the first round by Colmcille and the club lapsed thereafter. A notice appeared on 14th May 1944 seeking young players to assemble for a trial game. When St. Marys eventually returned it was in a combined team with Abbeylara as ‘United Gaels’ from 1947 to 1948 and again in 1951. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s hurling had become the dominant sport in the parish of Granard. In 1953 St. Marys footballers were again competing with players from Abbeylara and Mullinalaghta as ‘United Gaels’.

The St. Marys club was reformed in 1954 and has been continuously active ever since, with a period of domination in the 1960’s when most titles were shared between St. Marys and Clonguish. The club has the distinction of being the first club to win three-in-a-row Senior Football Championship titles (1929-1931) and followed this up almost immediately with another three-in-a-row from 1933 to 1935. St. Marys has won 11 Senior Football Championships in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1941, 1966, 1967, 1970 & 1982.

Competitions won by St. Marys Granard:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Intermediate Football Championship
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League
• Under 21 Football Championship

Football

The Ballymore club was formed in January 1967 after an absence in competition since the 1920’s. In the mid-1960’s the St. Mary’s club in Granard parish enjoyed a spell of dominance within the county. The fact that the town-based club had the resources to select a team from within its environs led to a separation within the parish along rural-urban lines. This was the impetus for the development of a separate club, with the Ballymore-Coolarty-Killeen-Bunlahy district deciding to go it alone. Hence in 1967 the Ballymore Gaelic Football club was established by a group including Bishop emeritus Colm O’Reilly (then Curate), Phil Reilly, John Drake, Jimmy Reilly, Patsy Cooke and Paddy Higgins. Phil Reilly was elected the first Chairman and Jimmy Reilly the first Secretary. Ballymore commenced activity in Spring 1967 with the clubs first game played against Mullinalaghta St. Columbas.

Earlier references to Ballymore are found circa 1915. Eugene McGee made reference to Marty Daly’s first game being for Ballymore against Ballinamuck 98’s in 1915 in an article in the 1981 Longford GAA Yearbook. Ballymore is also found in active Junior competition in 1919 and a challenge match was also recorded between Ballymore and Columbkille on 5th September 1920. In the 1920’s we find Ballymore playing in Junior League in 1926, and a letter sent by the Ballymore captain (P Rudden) to the local newspaper expresses his dismay that a game in Edgeworthstown could not go ahead because the referee appointed to it was a few hundred yards away enjoying a game of tennis, which he would not break from. In October 1926 we find references to Ballymore in Junior League against Clonbroney. Nothing significant is noted thereafter until the revival of the modern-day Ballymore club in January 1967.

Ballymore won the Junior Football Championship in 1980, 1995 & 2023 and Intermediate Football Championship in 2004.

Competitions won by Ballymore:

• Intermediate Football Championship
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League

Hurling

Bunlahy established an adult hurling club on 30th March 1984. The club competed in the 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 & 1988 Senior Hurling Championships and reached the 1986 Senior Hurling Championship final. The club lapsed after 1988.

Bunlahy was initially active in underage hurling in 1960’s and early 1970’s. Bunlahy competed in schools hurling (from 1966) and underage hurling (from 1967) following a hurling revival in Longford from 1965. Initially competing in Schools hurling competition through the National School in Bunlahy in 1966, Bunlahy made their underage debut in Under 14 and Under 16 Hurling League in 1967, reaching the Under 16 League final in 1967, beaten by Lanesboro by 4-3 to 4-1. In 1968 the Minor Board established a Schoolboys 9-a-side hurling league which Bunlahy competed in and won, beating Stonepark N.S. by 2-0 to 2-1 in the final on 30th March 1969 and lifting the new Corn Scóil. Bunlahy won the U-14 Hurling Championship final in 1969, beating Lough Forbes Gaels in the final by 4-0 to 1-1. Bunlahy reached the U-14 Hurling Final again in 1970, but this time lost out to Lough Forbes Gaels by 3-0 to 1-0 in December 1970. Bunlahy reached the U-14 Hurling decider again in 1971, this time against Legan on 19th December 1971. However the game was stopped at half-time when a Legan player had to go to hospital with a suspected broken arm. Bunlahy were leading at the time but there is no record of the game being replayed or a winner declared. Underage hurling lapsed in Longford for a number of years after 1971 and Bunlahy did not feature initially when competition was revived at end of the 1970’s.

Football

Founded in April 1889 (4th club in County Longford) by the driving force of Tipperary native Michael McGrath who was a school teacher in Kenagh for 40 years and died in 1909. He had been instrumental in the foundation of the Gaelic League, IRB and GAA in the Kenagh area and in the establishment of the GAA in Longford. Fr. J Geoghegan was elected as President with James Geraghty as Secretary and Michael McGrath as Treasurer.

The Clough Dillons name was a nod to John Blake Dillon (Member of Parliament) and the Dillon involvement in the 1867 Fenian battle in Ballingarry. Michael McGraths influence led to the club adopting the Tipperary colours of blue and gold.

The clubs first game was in a Tournament organised by the Longford Davitts club on Easter Sunday 1889 involving Ballymahon O’Briens, Clough Dillons, Rooskey Pat Molloys and Longford Davitts. The brand new club played a more experienced Rooskey Pat Molloys outfit and came away defeated by 2-5 to 0-0. In June 1889 Clough Dillons played Ballymahon O’Briens in a field near Kenagh provided by Thomas Gereghty. Clough emerged victorious in their first victory. The return game was played on 13th July 1889 on a field given by Michael Finn of Moigh. Ballymahon won by 1-6 to 0-2.

On 13th October 1889 two matches took place in Longford involving Longford Davitts vs Killoe Erin’s Pride and Drumlish Robert Emmets vs Clough Dillons. The Drumlish-Clough game had to end prematurely due to bad light, and Kenagh were leading at the time by 1-2 to 0-1. This was the first win by Clough Dillons. In November 1889 Clough Dillons played Moydow Harpers in a friendly, with Dillons winning 1-3 to 0-2.

Clough Dillons played in both the 1890 and unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championships.

In late September 1890 Clough Dillons played in a tournament in Lanesboro together with Ballymacormack Grattans, Newtowncashel Sons of St. Kieran, Rathcline John Martins, Killashee John Mitchells and Moydow Irish Harpers. Clough played Rathcline in the main match and won by 1-2 to 0-3. This was also the first participation in any tournament by Killashee and Moydow teams. By November 1890, such was the popularity of the game in Clough that the club was able to field a team of young players who were not on the Senior team, and a match was played between the Clough Junior Dillons vs Ballymahon Junior Leo’s. This may well have been the first underage GAA match played in Co. Longford (Junior was equivalent of Juvenile back then). In December 1890 Clough Dillons played Rathcline John Martins with Rathcline snatching a win by 0-1 to 0-0.

On 27th April 1890 Kenagh village hosted one of the Senior Championship games, between Killashee John Mitchells and Rathcline John Mitchells. A tournament game was also arranged on the same day in Kenagh village, involving Carrickedmond O’Connells & Moydow Harpers. Moydow won by 1-5 to 0-0. This game was marked by an injury to a player (Dowd from Moydow) who broke his leg in kicking a ball around before the game started. This is thought to be the first accident on a Gaelic field in Longford.

Club is referenced again in 1905 against Moydow Harpers. In 1911 Clough Dillons played a friendly vs Terlicken Rovers at Corina. The match ended in a draw and the panel of players included Jas King, P King, Bill Walsh, Tom Flanagan, James Lennon, PJ Lennon, Tom Egan, Tom Regan, Joe Healy, John Healy, Tom Kelly, Whitlow and Corrigan (Abbeyderg).

In 1917 Clough Dillons played Legan in the first round of the new Junior competition. Clough won by a point from a Jim Miley free. In the second round, Dillons defeated Clonahard, but were defeated by Longford Wanderers in the semi-final. In 1923 Clough and Cashel played in a close game and we find Clough in action in Junior competition (League-Championship) in the period 1920-1922. A story is told of a Clough Dillons game vs Legan Sunburst in 1923 hen a gun was pulled after a row. The Clough Dillons name is last found in 1923 and the club disbands soon after with players competing with Cashel in the years that followed.

Football

Short lived Junior team recorded in 1905 in a challenge match against Inny Rovers.

No record of any competitive games played.

Football

While the Kenagh club can trace its roots back to the Clough Dillons club that preceded it in the parish, the modern Kenagh club was formed in 1942. In the years prior to 1942, footballers from Kilcommock/Kenagh area competed with Cashel or Moydow, with some winning the 1939 Junior Championship with Moydow Harpers. In 1940-41 Moydow were in dispute with the County Board regarding the venues for Championship games and as a result didn’t compete in the Junior Championship that year. A team was therefore formed in Kenagh with assistance from a number of players from Moydow. From 1942 to 1956 Kenagh played at Junior grade in the Blue and Gold colours of the old Clough Dillons club.

Kenagh lapsed in 1946 and a club called Foigha was formed in the area and competed at Junior in 1948 & 1949. The club folded thereafter.

Kenagh was re-organised in 1952 and joined forces with Moydow Harpers under the name ‘St. Dominics‘ or ‘St. Dominicks‘. The combination competed from 1952 to 1953 but did not compete in 1954 or 1955 (as noted in the County Convention report).

Kenagh reformed on its own in 1956, co-opting the St. Dominics name and with new colours of Maroon and White.

Kenagh combined with Cashel as ‘Clanna Gael‘ in 1959. By 1960 the club affiliated on it’s own as Kenagh St. Dominics.

Kenagh won U-21 Championship in 1963 as ‘Kenagh St. Dominicks‘ and Intermediate Championship in 1966 as ‘Kenagh St. Dominics‘.

Kenagh combined with Carrickedmond as ‘St. Martins’ in Junior competition (1971-73) and Senior competition (1971-75).

The club reorganised and affiliated on it’s own as ‘Kenagh‘ at Junior grade from 1973 and won the Junior Championship in 1976.

Kenagh club won two JFC titles (1976, 2019), three IFC titles (1966, 1983, 2023) and four U-21 titles (1963, 1987, 1989, 1997).

(Note 1: Earliest reference to ‘Kenagh’ name in competition is 1905 challenge vs Ballymahon. It seems likely this was a geographic reference to Clough Dillons)

(Note 2: The ‘St. Dominics’ part of club name is not prominent in published sources after early 1970’s except for use as the name of the Minor Club and underage team name)

Competitions won by Kenagh:

• Intermediate Football Championship
• Intermediate Football League
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League
• Under 21 Football Championship

Football

Foigha club was founded in October 1947 in absence of any club in the area.

Foigha played in Junior competition in 1948 & 1949.

Football

Founded in 1890.

The club was named after the Irish Nationalist activist John Mitchell. Often referenced by the shorter name of Killashee Mitchells.

Played as Killashee John Mitchells in the 1890 Senior Football Championship.

In September 1890 Killashee John Mitchells played in a tournament in Lanesboro with Clough Dillons, Ballymacormack Grattans, Newtowncashel Sons of St. Kieran, Rathcline John Martins & Moydow Irish Harpers. This was the first game played by a Killashee team.

Club entered the unfinished 1891 Championship but didn’t compete in it.

Recorded in 1902 as Killashee Mitchells in a match against Ballymacormack Grattans, and is recorded in Roscommon Herald in 1903 against Longford Leo Caseys in a friendly game as Killashee Mandevilles (not clear if this was a typo – context suggests it was).

The club competed in the 1904 championship as Killashee John Mitchells when GAA revived in Longford.

Killashee John Mitchells played Ardagh St Patricks in a Championship fixture in January 1906 (likely the 1905 Championship).

Club name is next referenced briefly in a tournament in 1915 as John Mitchells.

When the Killashee club is noted as reformed and affiliated in 1932, the ‘John Mitchells’ part of the name was gone.

Football

This appears to be the Killashee Mitchells club with the name shortened to Killashee.

Competed as ‘Killashee’ in tournaments in 1905 and 1907 and in the late 1910’s, though this seems likely to have been shorthand for the Killashee John Mitchells name used by the club at the time.

The club was reformed and affiliated in 1932 by Fr. Peter Murtagh and Master Bannon, initially under the name Killashee and a couple of years later adding the ‘St. Brigids’ to the name from 1934. We find no reference to John Mitchells from this point.

Competitions won by Killashee:

• Junior Football League

Football

Local area team recorded playing Cornollin and Kilmore in a challenge match in 1905.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Local area team that played against Clondra Shamrocks in a challenge in 1905.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Short-lived club, played in Junior League in 1920 (reached the Junior League final vs Longford) and in Junior competition in 1924.

Hurling

Team cited in April 1926 in a friendly game against Longford hurling club, with Longford winning 4-4 to 3-3.

A club is mentioned in December 1931 but did not compete in 1932, 1933 or 1934 hurling competitions.

No record of any competition games played in hurling.

Football

This is the Killashee club with St. Brigids added to the name from 1934.

Killashee had six players represented on the Longford team that won the All-Ireland JFC title in 1937.

Club lapses for a few years at the end of the 1940’s and was reformed and affiliated again in 1950.

Killashee is the only club in the county to retain a ‘Sash’ design on their jerseys.

Competitions won by St. Brigids Killashee:

• Senior Football League
• Intermediate Football Championship
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League

Football

Founded in June 1889 – First GAA club in Killoe parish.

The club was founded as Killoe Erins Hope but was quickly renamed Killoe Erins Pride which was the name used when the club played in the inaugural Longford Senior Football Championship in 1890. It is not known why such a quick renaming of the club occurred in 1889. The ‘Erins Hope’ was a Fenian gun-running ship that traveled from the US in 1867 with the aim of assisting a rebellion with arms onboard.

No record of any competition games played as Killoe Erins Hope.

Football

This is the Killoe Erins Hope club which was swiftly renamed Killoe Erins Pride immediately following the club being founded in June 1889. It is not known why such a quick renaming of the club occurred in 1889. The first chairman was John Farrell, Keegan from Kiltyreher was Vice Chairman and Secretary was William Hughes. 

Killoe Erins Pride played it’s first game in the Colmcille tournament at Cornadrung in November 1899 and competed in both the 1890 Senior Football Championship and unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship. The club is last recorded in the 1890’s against Longford Shamrocks Junior team in March 1896. Club appears to lapse thereafter during the lean ‘Parnellite Split’ years of the 1890’s.

Worth noting that Killoe Erins Pride and Killoe McMahons clubs co-existed at the same time as separate GAA clubs in the parish of Killoe for a short period in the early 1890’s. They were not the same club, they were separate competing clubs within the same parish.

Football

Founded in 1890.

Played in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship.

Killoe McMahons & Killoe Erins Pride clubs co-existed at the same time in 1890 & 1891. The Killoe Erins Pride club actually objected to the formation of a second club in the parish at the time. In March 1890 Mr. James McCarthy came forward and said he had a club in Killoe to get affiliated. McCarthy claimed that the young men of the upper end of the parish were too far from where the Erins Pride played (he claimed it was four miles distance). Mr. W Hughes of Killoe Erins Pride objected to the formation of a second club, and cited rule 10 of the Association which says “No second club shall be formed in any parish or district unless the consent of the County Committee has previously been obtained”. He went on to point out that they already had one club in Killoe and this club which Mr. McCarthy asked to have affiliated was formed of players from their club, and had been organised without the consent of the Co. Committee. The County Board president asked if there was any chance of an amalgamation being made. Mr. McCarthy said no. Following that March 1890 meeting, James Donoghoe approached the County Board in November 1890 to have Killoe McMahons affiliated. Notice had been provided to W. Hughes of the Killoe Erin’s Pride club in advance who confirmed at the meeting that he did not intend to oppose the proposal. The affiliation was therefore approved at the meeting on 2nd November 1890.

A game was recorded on 7th February 1892 between Killoe McMahons and Crosskeys Fitzgeralds with Killoe winning 3-2 to 0-1. The game was played in Killoe, with Thomas Keenan, captain of Ardagh St. Patricks, as referee. On 6th March 1892 McMahons are recorded against Ballymacormack Grattans at Lisduff with Charlie Reynolds as referee.

As was the case with the majority of clubs in the 1890’s, the Killoe McMahons club was gone by the turn of the century.

Football

Ennybegs Kickhams is recorded in March 1891 playing against Kilnathmine Sarsfields.

Likely a local team. Reference to both teams belonging to the same parish, however it is unclear if Kilnathmine Sarsfields was Kilnathruhan Sarsfields but misspelled. This was a return match which implies the teams played against one another previously.

No record of any competition games played (either by Ennybegs Kickhams or Kilnatruhan Sarsfields).

Football

Short lived team recorded as playing Killoe Young Erin’s Pride in 1905.

No record of any competition games played.

Difficult to ascertain if this team was from Soran in Killoe or Clonbroney parish (Townland of Soran straddles both parishes).

Football

Short lived team who announced their intention to play challenge games in 1905.

The team captain was John McCarthy from Farragh.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Short lived team recorded as playing Soran O’Connells Sons in 1905.

Seems to be a local team as opposed to the re-organised and renamed Killoe Erins Pride club.

Team consisted mostly of players from the townlands of Dernacross, Drumnacooha & Cornafunshion.

No record of any competition games played as Killoe Young Erins Pride.

Football

Killoe Young Emmets name first appears in published sources (also as Killoe Emmets or Killoe Robert Emmets) in December 1903, playing exhibition games of hurling and football against Longford Leo Caseys. The naming of the club is linked to the 100th anniversary of the death of Robert Emmet which was commemorated across Ireland in September and October 1903, just prior to the emergence of the club name in December 1903. It is not clear if this was the reformed Killoe Erins Pride club or a new club in the parish.

Killoe Young Emmets competed in the 1904 Senior Football Championship when competition resumed in Longford for the first time since 1891, reaching the final which was played in April 1905, and losing out to Longford Leo Caseys. Killoe Young Emmets are then recorded against Dromard O’Briens in the Drumlish tournament in November 1905. Killoe lost the 1905 Senior Championship semi-final to Edgeworthstown Volunteers. In 1907 Killoe Young Emmets claimed their first football and hurling titles (and the first ever football/hurling double in Longford) and held onto the senior football title for 9 years, between 1907 and 1915. However, some of these championships were not finished, and the evidence shows that Killoe won four championship tiles in this period, with some championships taking two years to complete.

There was no official competition after 1907 and until 1911, though Killoe are recorded in challenge games including a tournament in Longford in on 25th August 1907 involving Killoe, Ballymahon, Longford Leo Caseys and Ardagh St. Patricks, after which Killoe were presented with their winning 1907 SFC medals. Another tournament game was played against Bornacoola Hugh O’Neills on 12th April 1908 in Longford Park. Previous records had credited Killoe with both the 1911 and 1912 SFC titles, evidence suggests that the records for both years are actually all from the same championship which spilled from 1911 into 1912. The previously assumed county final of 1911 appears on closer examination to be the 1911 semi-final, and after the delayed other semi-final was eventually played in early 1912, Killoe eventually played Edgeworthstown Volunteers in the decider in 1912 to win the 1911 title. In the 1913 Championship Killoe defeated Longford Commercials by two points to one in the replayed final in April 1914. In the 1915 Championship Killoe beat Clonguish Callowglasses in the final played in July 1916. With no championship competition for the years 1916-1918 due to unrest, rebellion and impact of the Spanish flu pandemic, it would be 1919 before Championship resumed in Longford and Killoe would once again find themselves in the County Final, this time against Clonbroney (later renamed Seán Connollys). The Clonbroney men won the title after a replay.

After losing out to Clonbroney in 1919, the Killoe club went into decline in the early 1920’s, lapsing for a few years and was re-organised on 17th October 1926, retaining the name Killoe Young Emmets and the colours of Green and White. The 1930’s saw success in Junior Championship in 1931 and Junior League in 1939 with further Junior Championships won in 1949 and 1951. In 1955 & 1956 the club joined forces with Whiterock Slashers as ‘Killoe Slashers’ and won the 1956 Junior League. A meeting of the Killoe members in Esker Hall resolved to end the combination and return to the field as the Killoe Young Emmets club in 1957. Killoe won the 1957 Junior Championship and returned to senior grade, reaching the Senior Championship final in 1959, losing to Longford Slashers. In 1960 the Club claimed their first Senior Championship in 45 years when overcoming Longford Slashers to become the first winners of the newly commissioned Seán Connolly Cup. After victory in the 1961 Leader Cup Final over Longford Slashers, Killoe’s fortunes declined with retirements and emigration and the club would eventually surrender senior status in 1965. In 1977 Killoe had one of their most successful seasons since the great days of the sixties when the Intermediate team remained unbeaten throughout to capture the Championship, Intermediate League and Special Intermediate League titles and gain promotion back to Senior grade.

Killoe reached Senior Championship finals in 1983 and 1987 only to suffer defeat on both occasions. Killoe won the Leader Cup for the first time in 1985 with a 3-point win over Longford Slashers. Killoe finally made the big breakthrough in 1988 and captured double honours in the process, becoming the first club to win Senior and Junior championships in the same year. The 1990’s saw Killoe’s Junior grade steal the limelight by winning five-in-a-row Special Junior Championships in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995. A further two Junior Championship titles in 1997 and 1999 and Junior League title in 1993 and 1994 ensured that Killoe were indeed kings of the Junior grade. Intermediate League (1A) was also captured in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997. In 1993 Killoe won the Senior Championship title for the 7th time with a two-point win over St. Marys Granard. In 1995 the Young Emmets showed fine spirit when capturing the club’s 8th Senior Championship crown, overcoming Ardagh St. Patricks in the final.

After a few lean years, Killoe was back to winning ways in the 2000’s, winning the Leader Cup and ACFL Division 1 titles in 2005 & 2010. In the 2010’s the club went on to win Senior Football Championships in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020 & 2023, reached the Leinster Club SFC semi-final twice and won the Senior Football League (Leader Cup) in 2012, 2014 & 2015.

Hurling

Killoe Young Emmets is first cited in hurling competition in an exhibition game against Longford Leo Caseys in December 1903. The club competed in the inaugural Longford Hurling Championship of 1904, reaching the SHC final on 19th February 1905 and losing to Longford Leo Caseys. The game was replayed on 7th May 1905 following a Killoe objection, and Leo Caseys won the replay. Killoe reached the Senior Hurling Championship final again in 1907, this time beating Longford Leo Caseys to win the very first Senior Football & Hurling Championship double in Longford. Cited as ‘county champions’ in a tournament in August 1907 at Longford against Ballymahon Inny Rovers (won 3-13 to 0-3). Fleeting references are found to Killoe Hurling Club in November 1919 when a meeting is proposed after practice on the following Sunday and to make arrangements for coming match. However no evidence was found of competitive hurling games played after 1907.

Killoe Young Emmets or Emmet Óg?

The club name is Killoe Young Emmets and the name itself is most likely linked to the 100th anniversary commemoration of the death of Robert Emmet which took place across Ireland in September and October 1903, immediately preceding the first record of the club name in December 1903. The club is also referred to by the Irish ‘Emmet Óg‘ since the 1960’s. A wider pivot to the use of Irish names dates back to 1958 when club notes in the local newspapers started to appear with the club name As Gaeilge, reputedly as a result of an initiative driven by the County Board secretary of the day. This led to most club names appearing in Irish in local media fixtures and club notes from the end of the 1950’s. This stuck for both Killoe Young Emmets and Young Irelands (Drumlish) in particular who continued thereafter to be referenced as Emmet Óg and Éire Óg in club notes, fixtures and eventually match reports throughout the 1960’s. This confusing dual-naming convention has continued ever since (even though the Irish translation of Killoe Young Emmets is ‘Na hEiméid Óga Cill Eo‘). All records from 1903 to 1960’s referred to the club as Killoe Young Emmets, while Emmet Óg was then used interchangeably with Killoe Young Emmets during the 1960’s and 1970’s, with a mixture of Emmet Óg and Killoe Young Emmets used in 1980’s and 1990’s, and mixture of Killoe Emmet Óg and Killoe Young Emmets used since the 2000’s.

Competitions won by Killoe Young Emmets (Emmet Óg):

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Senior Hurling Championship
• Intermediate Football Championship
• Intermediate Football League
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League
• Under 21 Football Championship

Football

Founded in 1890. Played in the 1890 and 1891 Senior Championships.

Also referred to as ‘Honest John Martins’.

Reached the final of the very first Senior Football Championship in 1890.

The club was named after the County Down Presbyterian Nationalist named John Martin. He was arrested for his Nationalist activities and sentenced in 1848 to 10 years transportation to Van Diemen’s Land. Martin returned to Ireland in 1856 having received a full pardon. He had a Longford connection having contested and lost the Longford Election in 1870 in what became a seminal period in Irish politics. He became the first Home Rule MP for Meath from 1871–1875 and was commonly known as ‘Honest John Martin’. When he died in 1875, his Home Rule party seat in Meath was contested and won a young Protestant from Wicklow by the name of Charles Stewart Parnell.

In March 1891 the club received an invitation to play in a tournament in Bornacoola alongside Columbkille St. Columbkilles, Strokestown St. Patricks, Kilmore Diehards and Mohill Faugh-a-Ballaghs and others. Rathcline John Martins club name is also found around 1896/1897. Rathcline competed in the 1904 Senior Championship when the GAA revived in Longford following an absence of activity since 1891. Cited as ‘Rathcline John Martins’ in a game vs Ardagh St. Patricks in December 1904 in Round 1 of the Championship. Also recorded in Championship in January 1906 vs Clonguish Gallowglasses (1905 Championship).

Another brief reference to John Martins is found in 1922, but the club is cited as Rathcline (no John Martins) in 1910’s and 1920’s.

Football

Rathcline (no John Martins) club name cited from 1910’s. Likely the same club with name shortened.

In April 1928 Rathcline are announced as ‘new’ in competition and are due to play Edgeworthstown (also noted as ‘new’ in competition) in Junior grade on Sunday 15th April 1928. This is likely the reforming of the club after a lapse. The club changed name a few times in the 1930’s (St. Michaels and St. Dermots) and then reverted back to Rathcline by the end of the 1930’s before a brief lapse.

In the 1940’s we see the club referred to as Lanesboro for a period. The Rathcline name is more frequently used from 1948 onward (instead of Lanesboro) with the names Rathcline or Lanesboro both used in various published sources during the 1940’s. Likely the use of Lanesboro was simply a mixing of club and parish names, which was not uncommon. Appears unlikely the club was officially renamed from Rathcline to Lanesboro in this period.

Rathcline won their first title in 1951 as ‘Rathcline’, beating Mostrim 1-5 to 0-2 in the Junior League final.

The club briefly combined forces with Cashel as ‘Shannon Gaels’ from 1952-53.

The club was re-organised and competed on it’s own as Rathcline from 1955.

Competitions won by Rathcline:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Intermediate Football Championship
• Intermediate Football League
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League
• Under 21 Football Championship

Football

The Rathcline club adopted the St. Michaels name from 1934-1937 seasons.

Football

Rathcline St. Michaels appears to change name to St. Dermots in 1938.

Name is shortened briefly to Rathcline in 1939 and club is then inactive for two years thereafter.

Hurling

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, nor was there any hurling competition in Longford at the time.

The first reference to an active hurling club in the parish is in July 1936 when the Rathcline Hurling Club (sometimes cited as Lanesboro Hurling Club) was formed. At the time the Longford Hurling Club was the only active hurling club in the county and there was no official hurling competition at the time. 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. Rathcline were represented by: Flaherty (Captain), Dolan, Hopkins, Hoey, Malone, Corcoran, Ryan, Rhatigan, Connor, Smyth, Igoe, McDermott, Kilcoyne and Skelly. Rathcline then traveled to Longford for the return leg of this friendly in August 1936, with Rathcline winning by 5-2 to 2-2.

Rathcline Hurling Club is not referenced after 1936. No record of any competition games played.

Football

Short-lived club consisting of Bord na Mona employees.

The club played competitively in 1948.

Hurling

Initially the name of underage hurling club in Lanesboro in the 1970’s & early 1980’s.

When adult hurling is revived in Longford in 1981, Rathcline Gaels competes in the new Junior Hurling competition, reaching the final and winning the title with victory over Slashers Gaels in October 1981. This is the one and only JHC ever played in Longford. The following year in 1982 the Senior Hurling Championship was revived and the club name was changed to Naomh Ciaráns. The club went on to win SHC titles as Naomh Ciaráns.

Also worth noting that Rathcline Gaels played alongside Slashers Gaels in the Connacht League in early 1980’s.

Hurling

Rathcline Gaels (hurling club) was renamed Naomh Ciaráns in 1982 and played in Senior Hurling Championships as Naomh Ciaráns.

The club won two Senior Hurling Championship titles and was runner up in four Senior Hurling Championship finals in the 1980’s.

Naomh Ciaráns contained players from Cashel in some years (references to Lanesboro/Cashel makeup) but the club was not a Rathcline/Cashel combination, it was a Rathcline hurling club. Cashel had an underage hurling club (which played against Naomh Ciaráns both as Cashel and in a combined team with Shroid) and in 1987 Naomh Ciaráns joined forces with Cashel to compete in Senior Hurling Championship and Senior Hurling League as ‘Naomh Ciaráns/Cashel’, but reverted back to Naomh Ciaráns (Rathcline) the following years. The club is described regularly in reports of the era as ‘Naomh Ciaráns (Rathcline)‘.

Naomh Ciaráns hurling club was no longer in competition by the mid 1990’s.

Published references oscillate from St. Ciaráns to St. Ciarán and some as St. Ciaráin.

Competitions won by Naomh Ciaráns:

• Senior Hurling Championship

Football

Founded in 1890. Competed in the 1890 and unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championships.

The ‘sunburst’ reference comes from the old Fenian Sunburst flag associated with early Irish nationalism, which is first thought to have been used in 1858 by the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

Legan Sunbursts lapsed for many years and reformed in 1934 (reported in the Convention report on February 3rd 1934), competing for one year. The club played matches at Carrickboy, hence fixtures would typically read ‘At Carrickboy: Sunbursts vs Other’. This may have led to confusion over whether the club name was actually Carrickboy Sunbursts. There was a team in Carrickboy in the 1920’s and some limited references exist to Carrickboy Sunbursts, but not in the 1934 period.

No references to Legan Sunbursts club found after 1934.

Football

Short-lived team, played Ballyduffy O’Brien from Dromard in a match in 1901.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Mentioned in 1905 as a Junior team, and again in October 1933 versus Manor Rovers.

No record of any competition games played.

Named in honour of Myles ‘The Slasher’ O’Reilly who was a legendary hero of Ireland and County Cavan in the 17th century in his resistance to Scottish and English settlers in Ireland. He was reputedly a descendant of the O’Reilly Princes of Breffni.

Note: It wasn’t unusual in the early years of the GAA in Longford for a clubs Junior team to have a different name to the Senior team. It is not clear whether Legan Slashers was the Junior team of the Legan Sunbursts club. 

Football

Legan club name is referenced in Junior challenge in 1915 and in 1919 Junior competition, and during activity in early 1920’s. No reference to Legan Sunbursts at all in this period (just Legan). Whether this is because of shorthand references by the journalists and writers of the day, or reflects a different club in Legan at the time, is not clear.

Club appears to change name to Legan St. Josephs during the 1930’s and up to mid 1940’s.

Club is then cited as Legan in 1946, and from 1952 to 1953 but does not affiliate in 1954 and lapses for a period thereafter.

Football

Junior team – Played competitively in 1925 and 1928 competition.

Noted as having joined forces with Carrickedmond in 1926 Junior competition.

Note: Carrickboy team was sometimes referred to retrospectively in later years as Carrickboy Sunbursts because when Legan Sunbursts reformed for a year in 1934 they played their matches in Carrickboy so the fixtures would appear as ‘At Carrickboy: Sunbursts vs Other’. Some limited references exist to a Carrickboy Sunbursts team, but not in the period cited above. The likelihood here is that this was the Legan Sunburst club being referred to as Carrickboy. 

Football

St. Joseph’s name first appears in 1935. Appears to be the Legan Sunburst club reformed and renamed.

Competed in Junior from 1935-38 as Legan St. Joseph’s. Name cited again in 1944 when the Legan club reformed.

Club is then referred to as ‘Legan’ in 1946, and again from 1952-1953. There is no football activity from early 1950’s until the club re-organises in 1965 as Legan Sarsfields.

Football

Legan club is re-organised in 1965 and appears back in competition as Legan Sarsfields from 1966 after lapsing since 1953.

Appears to be the same club as Legan St. Joseph’s (itself previously Legan Sunbursts) – reformed and renamed.

Club reforms initially at underage (Legan Casements) and then at adult (Legan Sarsfields).

The club was named after the Irish hero Patrick Sarsfield, Earl of Lucan.

Competitions won by Legan Sarsfields:

• Intermediate Football Championship
• Intermediate Football League
• Junior Football Championship

Football

Founded on December 2nd 1888 – First GAA club formed in Longford town, and the second in the county (after Granard Healys).

Ballot papers for club officials were issued at the first meeting on 2nd December 1888 and by 6th January 1889 the new Longford Davitts club had JP Farrell (founder of the Longford Leader newspaper) as Chairman, William Foran as Secretary, Francis McGuinness as Treasurer and Michael Toolan as Captain. The club was named after Michael Davitt.

First recorded in action against the Ballymahon O’Briens club in a game played on the Fair Green in Ballymahon on 24th February 1889, which seems to have been the first match played under GAA rules in Longford. The return match was played in Longford on March 24^th 1889.

The club competed in the 1890 Senior Football Championship.

Club is briefly cited as Longford Davitts and noted as revived in 1894.

Football

Formed on 16th December 1889, named after Henry Grattan and founded at a meeting in Rockspring House.

Dan Farrell was first President, J.P. Quinn was first Secretary and Joe Lyons was Captain.

Grattans competed in 1890 and unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championships. Ballymacormack Grattans club was active in friendly games in 1892, 1895, 1896 and 1897. The club was then cited briefly vs Killashee Mitchells in 1902 (won 0-2 to 0-1 in Loughanboy), and against Moydow Harpers in 1903 (played Moydow on 24th May 1903, winning by 3-9 to 0-1) and is cited again in 1904 in a friendly game against Longford Leo Caseys. The club is referenced as ‘Ballymacormack’ in friendly games in 1906-07, but the wider context suggests this was shorthand for Ballymacormack Grattans.

The modern day Grattan Óg club takes its name from the old Ballymacormack Grattans club.

Football

Founded in 1889. Played in 1890 Championship.

Named after the Normal Fitzgerald family and the ‘Crosskeys’ area at the end of the Battery Road – As you head out of Longford Town there are a row of houses opposite the roundabout towards the Demense, called The Crosskeys. The area was the home of Handball in Longford for many years in the early 20th Century.

Football

Founded in 1889. Played in 1890 & 1891 Championships.

Named after John Mandeville who was an Irish Fenian and member of the Irish National Land League.

Ferafad Mandevilles recorded in a tournament against Edgeworthstown Volunteers in May 1896.

Football

The Longford Commercials club was ‘formed by the local commercial young men of the town‘ on Sunday 26th November 1893. Elected officials were J.P. Farrell (President), E.P. Fitzgerald (Vice-President), C Brady (Secretary), F McGuinness (Treasurer), Thomas Coleman (Captain), Eugene O’Reilly (Vice-Captain). Reports in 1894 seem to alternate between calling the club Longford Commercials and Longford Shamrocks. Friendly game recorded against Edgeworthstown Volunteers on 15th April 1894, which the Volunteers won 1-5 to 1-3. In January 1895 the Longford Commercials played the Mullingar Commercials in Mullingar for the prize of a Silver Cup gifted by the Mullingar Catholic Commercial Club. The game ended 0-4 apiece.

At some point the Longford Commercials were renamed the Longford Shamrocks. By the time of the rematch of the Silver Cup Tournament against the Mullingar club in Rathowen in March 1895, the club was using the name Longford Shamrocks and won the match and cup by 1-6 to 0-1. This is the first time a Longford team won silverware outside the county.

The Commercials name is found again in 1905 and 1909 when we find references to shop assistants of Longford looking to organise as a football team. However it was not until 1911 that a team was formed to compete in official competition.

A club bearing the name Longford Commercials appears in 1911 and competes in 1911 & 1913 Senior Football Championships. This is a new and separate club to the Commercials club formed in November 1893.

Longford Commercials are drawn against Drumlish in the first round of the 1911 Senior Football Championship. In the 1913 Senior Football Championship, Commercials reached the final (conflated in some records with Longford Leo Caseys) and lost after a replay to Killoe Young Emmets in the decider played in April 1914. The club is also found in the Foresters Tournament vs Ardagh St. Patricks and in a friendly vs Clonbroney in March 1912.

Longford Commercials co-existed in Longford town at the same time as Longford Leo Caseys, but effectively took over as the preeminent Gaelic Football club in the town when the Leo Caseys club folded around 1912. We did not find any record to clarify what happened to Commercials, and no record of any renaming to become the Longford Wanderers club which took over as the preeminent Gaelic Football Club in Longford town from the end of the 1910’s.

Football

Initially formed as the Longford Commercials club on Sunday 26th November 1893. The club was renamed Longford Shamrocks with no reference to the club as ‘Commercials‘ after January 1895. Longford Shamrocks name is first cited in a friendly against Viewmount St. Patricks in a field lent by Mr. Michael Ross on the outskirts of Longford town on 25th November 1894. Shamrocks won by 2-3 to 1-2 and were best served by O’Connor, Captain Flanagan, P McKenna, M Phillips, F Murray, T Quinn and J Dunne.

On 20th January 1895 Longford Commercials traveled to Mullingar to play the local Mullingar club for a new Silver Cup presented by the Mullingar Catholic Commercial Club. The game ended in a draw (0-4 each). The return game took place in Rathowen on 24th February with Longford Shamrocks (now renamed) winning by 1-6 to 0-1. This was the first silverware won by a Longford team outside the county.

Longford Shamrocks noted in friendly games in 1895 including vs Ballymacormack Grattans. Longford Shamrocks also played in the 1896 ‘unofficial’ County final. Older records assumed that to be the Senior Football Championship final, but there was no official competition in those years and it was a one-off game, not an organised competition.

In February 1897 Longford played in a first ever competitive inter-county game in the delayed 1896 Croke Cup, with Longford Shamrocks representing Longford against Louth who were represented by Drogheda Emmet. The game took place in Oldcastle and Louth won by 2-10 to 0-3. The Longford County Committee had earlier met in October 1896, but there was not enough clubs affiliated, hence no County Board could be voted in. Longford Shamrocks gave a stinging criticism of the state of football in the county and especially that no team would meet them to decide who would represent Longford against Louth in the Croke Challenge Cup. The Shamrocks club took it upon themselves to represent the county rather than give Louth a walk over. Shamrocks initially challenged Rathcline to a game and in the event that the invitation was not taken up, the club would ask the Central Council to play Louth as representing the County. Shamrocks then submitted their request and received a letter from the Central Secretary relating to the match between Longford and Louth in the Croke Cup. The letter was understood to be an invitation for Shamrocks to represent the county.

By late November 1896 Longford Shamrocks are continuing to lay down challenges to teams to play them. Ballymahon were a possible prospect to play for ‘county honours’ and Granard Slashers offered to play any challenger in Ballinalee. The Granard challenge was taken up and the report to this game referred to it as the ‘County Longford Championship’. This was recorded in previous records as the SFC final, however there was no County Board at the time of the match, hence no official GAA activity in the county in 1896, and the match itself was a one-off game and not part of any larger competition with other clubs. Therefore we have concluded that the 1896 game was a one-off and not the Championship final.

In December 1897 Longford Shamrocks were noted in the Westmeath Examiner as follows… “The Longford Shamrocks challenge any Gaelic club in any of the following counties: Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim, Cavan, Meath or Westmeath, to contest for the silver cup won by them in 1895 from the Westmeath GAA, on Monday 27th December 1897 in Longford. All challenges must be in before 23rd inst”. The cup in question was that presented by the Mullingar Catholic Commercial Club for the Longford v Westmeath game in early 1895. It is not known if the challenge was met.

Longford Shamrocks was next recorded in a friendly match in 1903 against Ardagh St. Patricks (won 1-7 to 1-5 on 24th May 1903) and was cited again in 1904. The club was noted in 1905 as ‘newly organised’ as a Junior team of local shop assistants. The club was also noted in published records as ‘Longford Shop Assistants’. On 12th March 1905 Longford Shamrocks was noted as having organised a friendly with Kilmore Shaun O’Farrells. Noted in April 1905 as playing Longford Junior Leo Caseys, and played a number of non-competitive games between 1905 and 1908 – likely all at Junior.

Football

Formed in 1894 and recorded in a friendly against Longford Shamrocks in a field lent by Mr. Michael Ross on the outskirts of Longford town on 25th November 1894. Shamrocks won by 2-3 to 1-2. Keenan, Clabby, Cosgrove and Carney were cited as impressive for the Viewmount team.

No record thereafter.

Football

Played a challenge game in January 1898 against Moydow St. Patricks.

The match report noted the following…. “The visitors were ‘not in it’, with the locals, two of whom, Messrs Williams and Shields, displayed the highest scientific ability. The game was splendidly contested from the start. When the whistle sounded for half time the game stood Longford 1 goal and 1 point, Moydow Nil. In the second half things fared worse for the visitors, the score at the end being Longford 3 goals and 1 point, Moydow Nil. Everything passed off most pleasantly, the duties of the referee being ably and fairly discharged by M. Devlin”. 

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Longford Leo Caseys club was founded initially as a hurling club in October 1902. The Football Club was formed on 26th September 1903.

The Leo name was in honour of John Keegan Casey (aka Leo Casey) who was an Irish poet, orator and republican who was famous as the writer of the song “The Rising of the Moon” and as one of the central figures in the Fenian Rising of 1867. He lived for many years in Co. Longford.

Longford Leo Caseys footballers are cited playing Ardagh St. Patricks in December 1903, and again in February 1904 in a game which Ardagh won by 1-4 to 0-2. In March 1904 Longford Leo Caseys footballers played Ballymacormack Grattans and won by 0-4 to 0-2. These sides clashed again in May 1904, with Leo Caseys winning by 2-11 to 0-2. We find reference to Longford Leo Caseys playing Killashee in football in June 1904, with Leo Caseys winning by 0-8 to 0-3 in Killashee. Leo Caseys played Mullingar Young Irelands in June 1904 in a tournament in Ardagh with cup presented by the Longford Co-operative Dairy Society. In September Longford Leo Caseys played in a tournament in Drumlish, beating the local side by 2-6 to 1-3.

Longford Leo Caseys won the Senior Football Championship in 1904 and 1905. The club also won the inaugural Senior Hurling Championship of 1904 (final played in Feb 1905 and replayed in May 1905), becoming the first club to complete a Football-Hurling double in the same season. Cited in August 1907 in a tournament at Longford, in a draw game vs Ardagh St. Patricks (0-6 each). Leo Casey’s was the first Longford Town club to win titles under GAA rules, but was not the first club formed in Longford Town or in Longford Parish (Longford Davitts was the first club formed in Longford parish and there were a handful of other clubs that came and went in the parish before the Leo Caseys club was formed).

The club represented Longford in inter-county football in the early years of the 20th Century, including in 1904 Goodwin Cup vs Cavan in March 1904, Croke Cup vs Kilkenny in May 1905, Leinster SFC (1902) vs Wexford in November 1903, Leinster JFC (1906) vs Westmeath in February 1907 and Leinster JFC team vs Westmeath in 1908.

By 1911 another club called Longford Commercials was active in Longford town, and a heavy defeat in 1911 Senior Championship vs Clonguish Gallowglasses (1-5 to Nil) seemed to mark the end for this once great club. Last reference to Longford Leo Caseys found in 1912, having played 1911 and 1912 League-Championships.

Hurling

Longford Leo Caseys was formed initially as a hurling club on 1st October 1902, and was the first hurling club formed under GAA rules in Co. Longford. The club was associated with the town’s branch of the Gaelic League and in the following few years hurling had a far greater impact in Longford town than Gaelic Football.

The initial notice about the club in the Longford Journal was not complementary of the clubs first Chairman, J.P. Farrell (MP). The notice appeared in Longford Journal on 4th October 1902 noting that “meeting was held on Wednesday 1st October 1902 for the purpose of establishing a Gaelic Hurling Club in Longford at which Mr. J. P. Farrell M.P, attended and in the course of one of this usual tirades he attacked all the other young sportsmen in the town. We would be glad to see a successful club established but we think the promoters were badly advised in allowing Mr. Farrell have any part in the matter as his presence is sure to blight the undertaking. His violent and ungentlemanly conduct will prevent many young men from joining“.

On 7th December 1902 Longford (as Leo Caseys) played Roscommon Gaels in a friendly hurling game in the New Park in Longford. This appears to be the first inter-county hurling game ever played by a Longford team. Roscommon Gaels won by 2-6 to 1-4 and the match report notes that “the Longford team has been practicing only for about three weeks“. The team that day was: McAvock (Captain), Kiernan, McLoughlin, O’Sullivan, Conway, Collins, Tully, M. Conlon, Coulahan, Quinn, MacManus, Donlon, McGuinness, Hughes, Faulkner and Denning. The return tie took place in Roscommon on 15th February 1903 with Roscommon Gaels winning 2-5 to 0-1. In March 1903 Longford Leo Caseys played a hurling game against Abbeylara Davitts at the New Park in Longford, with Leo Caseys winning by 2-9 to 0-0. This is noted as the first win by the club since it was formed. Longford Leo Caseys played a hurling game against Mullingar Shamrocks in March and April 1903. In January 1904 Longford Leo Caseys played a hurling match against Mohill Faugh-a-Ballagh club. The game ended with a win for Leo Caseys by 1-1 to 0-1. The return tie took place in Mohill in early February 1904, with Mohill winning the game.

Longford Leo Caseys cited as beating Clonbroney hurlers in a friendly hurling match held on St. Patricks Day 1905. The club was part of the St. Patricks day procession that day along with Clonbroney Hurlers, Longford Leo Caseys Footballers, Killoe Hurlers and Drumlish Wolfe Tones Footballers.

Longford Leo Caseys won the inaugural Longford Senior Hurling Championship which was organised in 1904 and completed in 1905, beating Killoe Young Emmets in the final. The club reached the Senior Hurling Championship final again in 1907, with Killoe Young Emmets gaining the upper hand on that occasion.

The club represented Longford in inter-county hurling during the early years of the 20th Century, including in Leinster Cup (Hurling) vs Meath in July 1903 and Leinster SHC vs Westmeath in July 1904. The club was due to represent Longford in the Leinster SHC in November 1903 vs Wexford, however the game was switched to Football at the last minute when Longford could not commit to fielding in hurling. Wexford received a walkover. Leo Caseys are to the fore in an attempt to revive hurling in the county in 1910 & 1911 with challenge matches organised, and a game recorded between Leo Caseys & Mullingar Shamrocks in March 1911 (one of the first hurling games played for some time). Leading the charge in that revival attempt was the clubs most renowned player James Maloney (aka Towneyboy) who was originally from Tipperary and lived in Water Street having served in the barracks in Longford. James went on to fight in WW1 and suffered from gas poisoning as a result. Ultimately these attempts at a hurling revival proved futile and the club was gone after 1912.

Competitions won by Longford Leo Caseys:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Hurling Championship

Football

Recorded in a tournament against Newtownforbes Leo Caseys in April 1904.

Named after Lord Edward Fitzgerald, an Irish aristocrat and nationalist.

Club name is recorded twice in challenge games in 1905 and a team bearing the name ‘Clonahard’ played in competition in 1920.

Note: In Comóradh an Chéid (1987), it is claimed that Lord Edwards played a juvenile game against Seán O’Farrells on Sunday 25th January 1903, with Lord Edwards winning by 5 goals to nil. The details included a team list and the overall granularity suggests this claim has merit. However we were unable to find any published record of a club bearing the name Seán O’Farrells. 

Football

First appears as a Junior team in 1905, but not in competition. Cranley and Longford Emmets was cited previously in 1901, so it is not clear if that was an amalgamation and this is now the Longford Emmets competing on its own some years later.

Reorganises in Junior in 1920 – Cited as playing Edgeworthstown in Junior competition in May 1920.

Played Junior for one season in 1920, coinciding with the period when Longford Wanderers were Senior.

Football

Recorded as playing Newtowncashel Junior St. Kieran’s in 1906.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Played a challenge game against Clonguish Gallowglasses on 23rd March 1908 and won 0-3 to 0-2.

No record of any competition games played.

Note: ‘Towney Boy’ was also the nickname of a well known Longford and Leo Caseys played called James Maloney who was a famed player in the 1900’s and very much to the fore in hurling activity in Longford in those early years. He was originally from Tipperary and was stationed in the Barracks in Longford. He was often cited in match reports in the 1900’s as a significant player and character in those early years of GAA activity in Longford. 

Football

Recorded in 1909 playing in a local competition against Longford Wanderers, Ballymacormack Hazelites and Longford Rovers.

May be St. Mels College referred to in local media by another similar name?

Football

Short lived team, briefly noted in a tournament in 1909 versus St. Mels and Longford Wanderers and Longford Rovers.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Mentioned in a challenge game in 1912.

Likely based at the army barracks in Longford.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Longford I.N.F. or Irish National Foresters had a team in 1913.

No record of any competition games played.

Club organised a cup competition in 1912 which Colmcille won in the decider in 1913.

Football

Played in a tournament in 1915.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Formed in 1918, played Melview in a few matches.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

The name first appeared in 1909 in a local tournament against Ballymacormack Hazelites, Longford St. Mel’s and Longford Rovers, but the club did not play any competitive matches during that period. The Longford Wanderers name was mostly associated with soccer in the early 1910’s and earlier. We did not find any evidence that Wanderers was a continuation of the Commercials team in the town which was prominent earlier in the 1910’s.

Longford Wanderers was cited against St. Mels College in a friendly in April 1919, winning 2-2 to 0-2. The first evidence of the club in official competition is in 1922 in Senior League-Championship. The club won the Senior League-Championship title in 1922, 1923, 1927 & 1928. The 1922 and 1923 titles seemed to be won under the shorthand name ‘Longford’ but an assessment of players versus the earliest reference to Wanderers in competition shows sufficient overlap to conclude that it was the Wanderers club. The 1927 and 1928 titles were won under the banner of Longford Wanderers.

Longford Wanderers won Junior Football Championship titles in 1932 & 1942.

From 1933-34 Longford Wanderers joined forces with Clonguish as United Gaels and the combination contesting the SFC final in both years.

Longford Wanderers won Senior Football Championship titles in 1944 & 1947, but started to decline by the early 1950’s.

By the start of the 1954 season Longford Wanderers had been relegated to Junior grade, while neighbours Whiterock Slashers had gained promotion to Senior ranks. Both clubs were aware that they were struggling with numbers, so it was decided to invite members of the Longford Wanderers club to the AGM of the Whiterock Slashers club, where both clubs agreed to unite and create a new Longford Slashers club (using half of each clubs name).

Longford Wanderers united with Whiterock Slashers on 4th January 1954 to create the Longford Slashers club (link).

Competitions won by Longford Wanderers:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Junior Football Championship

Football

Recorded in club action in a friendly match versus Longford Wanderers in April 1919.

St. Mels College won the Junior League (League-Championship) in November 1920, after Ballymore failed to show.

Players from St. Mels also reported as playing for Longford Wanderers in this period too.

Hurling

A hurling team is cited as having been formed at St. Mels College in May 1928. No evidence that this team competed in Longford club competition – seems to be limited to Colleges action only.

Competitions won by Longford Wanderers:

• Junior Football League

Football

Recorded twice in 1920. Mainly challenge games.

No record of any competition games played.

Hurling

First cited in August 1920, with both ladies and men involved in practices in Longford Park. Reference found in May 1922 to Longford hurling club being in full swing with practices held in Longford park each evening. A friendly match is noted on 15th August 1924 between Longford and Lismacaffrey as part of the Street Annual Sports event. 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 is cited 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 in May 1926 and it is noted in June 1926 that the Longford hurling club is not affiliated with the County Board.

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 was the only county in the country without a hurling club.

Club was re-organised in 1931 and competed in 1932, 1933 and 1934 Hurling Championships when club hurling was revived from 1932.

Longford playing Granard in the first game of the 1932 Hurling Championship on 10th April 1932. The team for that first game in 1932, and the very first Senior Hurling Championship game in Longford since the 1907 Championship was: A. Layden, J. Daly, M. Canning, R. Donohoe, T. Downes, P. Doyle, P. Beirne, J. McMahon, P. O’Keefe, P. Farrell, S. D. Kelly, P. McCoppin, J. Tierney, P. O’Sullivan, E. Banks. Subs: M. Nevin, J. Lyone, T. McGuire, M. Stack.

That inaugural game 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. The 1932 first round game against Granard was replayed on 29th May 1932.

Club was re-organised again in February 1936 after a gap with no hurling activity in Longford in 1935 and played challenge games in 1936 due to lack of any official hurling competition in Longford. Longford hurling club was the only hurling club in Longford in 1935 and up to mid 1936 when the Rathcline hurling club was formed in Lanesboro. The two clubs played each other in challenge games in 1936.

The Longford Hurling Club was still around and practicing in April 1937 and disbanded thereafter.

Football

Played in 1924 and 1925 Junior League-Championship and another Longford team took their place in Junior after they won the 1924 Junior League (League-Championship) beating Clondra in the final by 2-2 to 0-1.

References found include a game against Drumlish in the 1st round of the Senior League (League-Championship) in October 1925. Another reference is found to Longford Rovers in a Junior League (League-Championship) tie against Ballinamuck 98’s on Sunday 18th April 1926, which resulted in a walkover for the 98’s when the Longford team arrived too late to Ballinamuck.

Last game recorded by Longford Rovers was a drawn game against Colmcille in Junior in 1930. Last reference to the club was in March 1931.

Competitions won by Longford Rovers:

• Junior Football League

Football

The 6th Battalion are recorded at the start of Junior League competition in October 1925, beating Carrickedmond by 7-5 to 2-1. In December 1925 a game of football takes place between the 4th Infantry Battalion #2 Brigade vs the 2nd Infantry Battalion #1 Brigade. In March 1927 a friendly Army football match was played between Finner Camp and Athlone.

Army are cited again briefly in competition (including Leader Cup) between 1941 and 1945.

Teams were based at the Connolly Barracks in Longford town.

Hurling

The 6th and 10th Battalion hurling teams played friendly matches vs Longford hurling club in 1925. The 6th Battalion lose to Longford in August 1925 by 0-17 to 0-15, while the 10th Battalion beat Longford by 6-4 to 2-3 in October 1925. In December 1925 a game of hurling takes place between the 4th Infantry Battalion #2 Brigade vs the 2nd Infantry Battalion #1 Brigade. In March 1927 a friendly Army hurling match was played between Finner Camp and Athlone.

Teams were based at the Connolly Barracks in Longford town.

Hurling

Notice in the media on 16th June 1928 announced the formation of a new ‘Geraldines’ hurling club in Longford.

The announcement cites an application to the Urban Council for permission to practice on the Fair Green in the town which had been granted and that intending members of the Club should make early application to the Secretary and that the Geraldines club was about to be affiliated with a view to taking part in the County Championship contests.

No record of any competition games played.

Football

Available evidence suggests this is the old Ballymacormack Grattans club, reorganised and name shortened.

Cited in official competition in 1929 and 1930, initially in the Fr. Lynch Cup and then in Junior League.

Ballymacormack club name found in Junior League fixtures and results in the 1940’s.

Football

Founded in July 1933. Young Grattans took its name from the old Ballymacormack Grattans club which was formed in 1890. The club drew players from Stonepark, Curry, Lisduff, Clontern and Clonturk areas surrounding Longford town.

In July 1933 a notice appeared in the local newspaper announcing the formation of a ‘Young Grattans’ club. The notice (📷 Source) stated that “This is a newly formed club and takes its name from the old Ballymacormack Grattans who over thirty years ago were one of the foremost clubs in the county”. The first game was scheduled against Edgeworthstown Geraldines on 23rd July 1933, however the new club never actually materialised. A notice in February 1936 cites application for transfer of players to a ‘proposed Young Grattans club‘ but the transfers could not be granted as the club was not yet in existence. The Young Grattans name appears in a Longford Wanderers local league in the mid 1930’s and at various stages during the 1940’s, but there is no published evidence of any competitive games played using the Young Grattans name in the 1930’s and 1940’s. We do find Ballymacormack in Junior League fixtures in the 1940’s.

Young Grattans appears in official competition for the first time in Junior League in April 1950 and is often referred to in the 1950’s as Ballymacormack Young Grattans. The club competes at Junior for a few seasons and in 1952 is refused an application to affiliate by the County Board. The club appeals to the Leinster Council who grant their appeal and accepted their affiliation. The club disbanded in 1954 after failing to fulfill Junior League fixtures due to impact of emigration on numbers. In underage we find reference to Young Grattans in the 1954 Juvenile Championship Final vs Longford Slashers. The club remained inactive in adult competition until 1980 when it was revived as Young Grattans on 4th February 1980, and played it’s first game on 10th February 1980 vs Moydow Harpers in Division 3 of ACFL. The Irish version ‘Grattan Óg‘ has also used interchangeably as the club name since around 1982.

Competitions won by Young Grattans (Grattan Óg):

• Junior Football Championship

Football

Founded in 1934 to cater for GAA needs in an area to the east of Longford Town, stretching from the Ballynareegan-Ferafad district to the Killoe border at Kiltybegs. The club was named after Cavan native Myles ‘The Slasher’ O’Reilly who was a legendary hero of Ireland and County Cavan in the 17th century in his resistance to Scottish and English settlers in Ireland. He was reputed to be a descendant of the O’Reilly Princes of Breffni.

Whiterock Slashers won the Junior Championship in 1936 but struggled in the years that followed and throughout the war years. The club was reformed in the late 1940’s and won the Junior Championship in 1953, and gained promotion to Senior grade for the 1954 season.

By January 1954 Whiterock Slashers had gained promotion to Senior grade, while Longford Wanderers were relegated to Junior ranks. Both clubs were aware that they were struggling with numbers, so it was decided to invite members of the Longford Wanderers club to the AGM of the Whiterock Slashers club, where both clubs agreed to unite to create the Longford Slashers club (using half of each clubs name) on 4th January 1954 (link).

That should be the end of the story, however as the merger was being finalised, some Whiterock Slashers officials got cold feet and wanted to maintain a club in the Whiterock area, and decided to affiliate a new Whiterock Slashers club (Whiterock Slashers 2.0), despite the fact that the merger and creation of the new Longford Slashers club had gone through. Whilst a number of Whiterock players and officials moved across to the new Longford Slashers club, some remained and to play with the remaining Whiterock Slashers club which also affiliated in 1954.

Whiterock Slashers struggled to complete in the period that followed, and in 1955 & 1956 joined forces with Killoe Young Emmets under the name Killoe Slashers for a short period. The combination came to an end at a meeting of the two clubs in Esker Hall on 11th January 1957.

Whiterock Slashers lapsed once the combination with Killoe ended, and did not affiliate in 1957 or 1958. In November 1958 Shroid Slashers was formed as the revived and renamed Whiterock Slashers club. The revived club was initially cited as Whiterock Slashers, but by the time fixtures were published in early 1959 the club name was confirmed as Shroid Slashers.

Competitions won by Whiterock Slashers:

• Junior Football Championship

Football

Founded on 4th January 1954 when Longford Wanderers and Whiterock Slashers clubs united to form Longford Slashers (📷 Source). The fortunes of Longford Wanderers and Whiterock Slashers clubs were somewhat divergent by 1954, with Whiterock having been promoted to senior grade for the 1954 season, while Wanderers had struggled at Senior and had slipped down to Junior grade for the 1954 season. Whiterock Slashers club invited representatives of the Longford Wanderers club to their AGM on Monday 4th January 1954, ahead of the start of the season, and an arrangement was thrashed out which would see both clubs unite to form a new club called Longford Slashers.

The announcement of the new club in the Longford Leader on 9th January 1954 was as follows:

The [Whiterock] Slashers Club held their Annual Meeting on Monday night last in the Temperance Hall and there was a large attendance. The attendance included representatives of the Longford Wanderers Club who were invited to discuss a proposal that both clubs amalgamate with a view to forming a Senior and Junior team to represent the parish. After a discussion the proposal was adopted and it was agreed to form a Club to be known as Longford Slashers. This new Club will also field a Minor team and at least two Schools teams.

Both Whiterock Slashers and Longford Wanderers had won Football Championship titles (SFC/JFC) prior to the formation of Longford Slashers, hence the titles of Whiterock Slashers and Longford Wanderers are (and have consistently always been prior to our research) kept separate from those of Longford Slashers in the roll of honour and titles count.

The first club officials were Michael Farrell (Chairman), Aidan Davis (Vice Chairman), Noel Caslin (Sectretary), Noel Caslin (Treasurer), Selectors: Seamus Green, Ml Farrell, Ted Ward, Maurice McManus and Mick Donoghue. The new Longford Slashers club played their first match in Drumlish on 24th January 1954, when the then reigning Senior League and championship holders Young Irelands won the challenge game by two points 0-8 to 1-3. It was considered a very satisfactory outing. At a later meeting on the 25th January 1954 it was decided to affiliate Minor, Juvenile and Schoolboy teams in the various competitions (under the name St. Michaels). In the club’s first senior competitive game, Longford Slashers beat Ballymahon in the Leader Cup by a decisive 2-6 to 1-1. The team followed up this win with a hard earned 0-7 to 0-3 victory over Ardagh St. Patricks. Longford Slashers was well prepared for a first appearance in the Senior Championship and turned in a great display to score a surprise 4-7 to 2-4 win over Colmcille, and in doing so qualified for the final at the first time of asking. In the opinion of many, Longford Slashers were now odds-on to win the title, and they lived up to that billing in overcoming Seán Connollys by 1-6 to 1-3 to claim the clubs first senior championship title.

In 1955 Mostrim were the first opponents in the defence of the Senior Championship title. One of the best teams ever to come out of Mostrim held Longford Slashers to a draw the first day, but in the replay Slashers came out well on top, winning by double scores 2-10 to 0-8. However, Mostrim lodged an objection to the award of the match on the eligibility of Davy Sheeran and Longford Slashers were eventually removed from the 1955 championship which was later won by Young Irelands. However, Longford Slashers came bouncing back to win the Senior Championship again in 1956 and 1957 and in fact their first on-field defeat in the Longford Senior Championship did not come until 1958 when Colmcille defeated them at the semi-final stage. The club was by now donning new colours of sky blue – the decision to change was taken in 1957, the year the famed Tuam Stars came to Longford to play Slashers in a challenge game, which attracted a record crowd for an evening game.

The Senior Championship crown returned to Longford Slashers in 1959, as the great rivalry with Killoe Young Emmets began. The town side had to settle for a draw on the first day but overcame Young Emmets in the replay by 3-5 to 1-5. The two sides met again in the final of 1960 (this time with the new Connolly Cup silverware on offer), but Killoe, led by Billy Morgan and featuring former Slashers forward Davy Sheeran, gained revenge to bridge a 45 year wait for the senior championship title. Longford Slashers did bounce back the following year to overcome Eire Óg in the 1961 decider. Over the rest of the decade the Senior team came up against the great Clonguish and Granard teams, Clonguish in particular having a great side, many of whom formed the nucleus of the great county team of the late 60’s. It was not until 1971 that the Seán Connolly Cup finally arrived back to the town.

By the turn of the 1980’s, the Sky-Blues had added another three senior titles and seemed to be poised to push on further. However, the senior footballers struggled to make an impact for much of the 1980’s before a dominant spell came at the end of the decade. Dessie Barry was the star forward on the first side from the club to claim three senior championships in a row in 1989, 1990 & 1991. Barry was chosen as man-of-the-match for all three deciders and was captain for the latter two.

By now, there were a number of key rivalries for Slashers, including with Killoe. The two sides enjoyed some great battles in the early 1990’s, meeting in three consecutive years when all three ties went to a replay (the winners went on to claim the county title in each of these years). Slashers won title number 13 in one of the more memorable county finals against Colmcille in 1994. Despite returning to the county final stage in 1997, the team’s star began to wane by the end of the century. In 2000 Dessie Barry was selected on the Longford Team of the Millennium along with another former Longford Slashers great Seán Donnelly.

Having lost out to Abbeylara in 2006 and Colmcille in 2008, the club returned to winning ways in 2010 with victory over Dromard in the County Final. Slashers retained the title in 2011 with a narrow one-point victory over Clonguish, but the three-in-a-row was foiled by a re-emerging Killoe side who won the 2012 championship after a replay. Once again however, Slashers bounced back, and in October 2013, led by man-of-the-match Dermot Brady won their 16th and most recent senior title, defeating Dromard by 1-11 to 1-9. In the years that followed, Slashers fell behind Mullinalaghta and Killoe, but battled back to the county final stage in 2019 and 2020, losing out to Killoe in both finals. As of 2023, Longford Slashers holds the record for longest period in Senior Football having played in Senior Championship in every year since the foundation of the club in 1954, never being relegated to Intermediate or Junior grade.

It is worth noting that the name ‘Longford Slashers’ appeared briefly in Junior League competition in Autumn 1926, prior to the name being used for the formation of the newly merged club in 1954. It is not clear what happened to this 1926 Longford Slashers team.

Note: No direct link has been found between Longford Slashers and earlier clubs such as Longford Leo Caseys, Longford Shamrocks, Longford Commercials or Longford Rovers, beyond the fact that all existed at different times in Longford town. As this section shows, they were among many such clubs in the town down the years. The only evidenced link that exists is that between Longford Wanderers, Whiterock Slashers and the club the Longford Slashers club they merged to form. 

Hurling

The first mention of Longford Slashers in hurling was in underage competition in 1968. The adult hurling club was formed in 1981 and was called Slashers Gaels. In the early 200o’s the club changed name to Longford Slashers to ensure that all sections of the club (football, hurling, underage) were named Longford Slashers. Any hurling titles won from around or just after 2002 were as Longford Slashers, while hurling titles won before that were as Slashers Gaels.

See Slashers Gaels section for more hurling details.

Competitions won by Longford Slashers:

• Senior Football Championship
• Senior Football League
• Senior Hurling Championship
• Intermediate Football Championship
• Junior Football Championship
• Junior Football League
• Under 21 Football Championship

Football

Shroid Slashers was formed on 11th November 1958 as the revival of the Whiterock Slashers club in the area. On 19th November 1958 the following officers were elected: President: Fr. F O’Reilly, Chairman: Michael Killemeade, Secretary: Paddy Donovan, Treasurer: Thomas Lenihan, Captain: Mick Gannon, Vice-Captain: Charlie Flynn. Initially announced as Whiterock Slashers, the club name was quickly confirmed as Shroid Slashers in early 1959.

Shroid Slashers club catered for an area to the east of Longford town, stretching from Ballynareegan-Ferefad to the Killoe border at Kiltybegs, where the previous Whiterock Slashers club had competed for many years prior.

While it would be fair to assume that Whiterock Slashers vanished when the Longford Slashers club was formed via the union of Whiterock Slashers and Longford Wanderers clubs in 1954, that was not exactly the case. While Whiterock and Wanderers were concluding their merger to create the new Longford Slashers club, some officials within the Whiterock club got cold feet, and elected post the affiliation of Longford Slashers in 1954 to also affiliate a new Whiterock club (Whiterock Slashers 2.0), albeit without the players and officials who had opted to transfer to Longford Slashers. Hence while the old Whiterock Slashers and Longford Wanderers clubs merged to form the new Longford Slashers club, a club remained in the Whiterock area after the merger, bearing the same name as the club that it replaced. In the years that followed, the revised Whiterock Slashers club struggled with numbers and briefly joined forces with Killoe (as Killoe Slashers) in 1955 & 1956 before the club lapsed at the end of 1956. In November 1958 an attempt was made to restart a club in the area, and the Shroid Slashers club was formed as a revival of the Whiterock Slashers club.

Shroid Slashers has not participated in active competition since 2019.

(Note: A ‘Shroyd’ team is mentioned as playing Ardagh in a challenge in 1903)

Competitions won by Shroid Slashers:

• Junior Football Championship

Hurling

Slashers Gaels was the name of the hurling section of the Longford Slashers club from 1981 to early 2000’s.

Club competed in the newly organised Junior Hurling competition in 1981 and reached the final, losing to Rathcline Gaels. In 1982 the Senior Hurling Championship is organised for the first time since 1934 and Slashers Gaels competed in SHC competition from that point, and competed in SHC every year from 1982 to 2023 with exception of 2012 and 2013 when the adult hurling club lapsed.

Name changed from Slashers Gaels to Longford Slashers in early 2000’s as the club moved to bring all sections under one common club name. Hurling moved from Slashers Gaels to Longford Slashers while Underage moved from St. Michaels to Longford Slashers. The club is unique in Longford in that every part of it (Senior, Hurling, Underage, Ladies, Camogie) operates under one common club name.

Competitions won by Slashers Gaels:

• Senior Hurling Championship
• Senior Hurling League
• Under 21 Hurling Championship

Football

Forgney club name first cited in competition in 1920 and again in 1929 (recorded in a friendly against Ardagh in July 1929, and a number of friendly games against Tang & Tubberclair from Westmeath in 1929 too).

Club lapses in the early 1930’s and is reformed in 1936 as St. Munis Forgney.

Hurling

A hurling club was formed in Forgney in March 1931 with stated intent to enter a team in Junior hurling competition in 1931. Training for hurling is noted at the end of March 1931. However no evidence found of any competitive games played.

Football

The Forgney club adopted the St. Munis name when the club reformed in 1936. St. Munis was the brother of St. Mel of Ardagh and St. Rioch of Inchboffin, and was appointed Bishop of Forgney by St. Patrick.

The St. Munis club lapsed at various points from the 1930’s to 1950’s until the club was revived in 1959 and back in competition at Junior grade from 1960, with a notice in the newspaper in February 1960 reads “New team in action – The newly formed St. Munis’s (Forgney) will be anxious to start off on a high note when they travel to Killashee to take on the locals”.

St. Munis competed at various grades from Senior to Junior from 1960 until 2015 when the club did not compete. 2016 saw St. Munis return to the field at Junior grade, but by the end of that year the club had ceased all playing activity and disbanded. Since 2022 St. Munis Forgney and Ballymahon compete as a combined Group Team called Ballymahon, via Rule 3.17(n)(ii).

Competitions won by St. Munis Forgney:

• Intermediate Football Championship
• Intermediate Football League
• Junior Football Championship

Hurling

Lisryan is in the parish of Streete which straddles both Longford and Westmeath, with Lisryan in the Longford part of the parish.

Initially recorded as playing hurling in 1926 (though not in active competition).

Lisryan competed in the 1933 & 1934 Senior Hurling Championships alongside Longford and Granard hurling clubs.

Confirmed in year-end summary in Longford Leader on December 29th 1934 as having won the Hurling League title in 1934. This was achieved with two victories over Longford, one victory over Granard and one loss to Granard (4-1 to 3-2) to end the league season on 21st October 1934 at the top of the table and as League champions.

Football

Request received by Longford County Council (County Board) in November 1890 to have Raspathic Leagues affiliated in Longford as they had no County Council to affiliate with in Westmeath.

Club participated in the unfinished 1891 Senior Football Championship.

Football

Combination of Longford Wanderers and Clonguish from 1933-1934.

United Gaels reached Senior Football Championship final in both years.

Also a reference to some players from Ardagh in the team.

Football

Combination of Abbeylara and Granard from 1947 to 1948.

Reached Senior Football Championship final in 1947.

Played in the Granard colours of blue and white.

Football

Combination of Abbeylara and Granard in 1951 Junior Championship.

Football

Combination of Mullinalaghta and Abbeylara with players from St. Marys Granard (which was inactive at the time).

The combination lasted for one season.

Football

Combination of Rathcline and Cashel in February 1952.

Enters competition in 1953 but is reported as non-existent later that year.

Football

Combination of Kenagh and Moydow Harpers. Competed as St. Dominics from 1952-1953. St. Dominics did not affiliate in 1954 or 1955 (noted in the County Convention report) and the combination was over by 1956 when Kenagh affiliated on it’s own.

Kenagh club affiliated on its own in 1956 and adopted the St. Dominics name to become Kenagh St. Dominics.

Football

Combination of Killoe Young Emmets and Whiterock Slashers for 1955 & 1956 seasons (Junior).

Both clubs competed in adult and underage grades as Killoe Slashers during this period.

Won 1955 Junior League (final against Longford Slashers played in early 1956) as Killoe Slashers.

The combination was disbanded at a meeting of the two clubs on 11th January 1957 in Esker Hall.

Competitions won by Killoe Slashers:

• Junior Football League

Football

Combination of Kenagh St. Dominics and Cashel.

Football

Combination of Carrickedmond and Kenagh in Junior (1971-1974) and Senior (1971-1975).

Reached Senior Football Championship finals of 1971 & 1973.

(Note: Kenagh reformed at Junior grade in 1973 and were fully separate as an adult team from 1976)

Football

Combination of Killoe Young Emmets and Seán Connollys to compete in SFC Qualifiers.

The combination competed in Senior Football Championship Qualifier stage for a number of years from 1972 to 1977. At the time Intermediate clubs could combine to compete in Senior Championship, while also competing separately in Intermediate Championship. Killoe and Connollys combined forces to compete in SFC Qualifiers in 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976 & 1977, while in 1975 Killoe combined with Abbeylara instead.

Killoe won the Intermediate Championship in 1977 and were promoted to Senior grade thereafter.

Football

The combination of Fr. Manning Gaels and Dromard which won the 1976 U-21 Championship was referred to as Northern Gaels.

In this same period, a combination of Fr. Manning Gaels and Dromard had competed in 1975 Senior Football Championship and reached the semi-final stage, beaten by Mostrim. Both were Intermediate clubs at the time and the SFC structure permitted Intermediate combinations to compete in SFC via a Qualifier route while the individual clubs from the combination also competed separately in the Intermediate Championship. This team was called Northern Gaels and the name is noted throughout 1975 and 1976 in fixtures, match reports and local club notes.

Northern Gaels name was also used for underage Juvenile and Minor Championship combination of St. Vincents (Drumlish), St. Francis (Dromard) and St. Colmcilles (Colmcille) in 1975 and 1976. This combined team competed only in Championship and not in League. ( Image)

Note: This is a separate and different Northern Gaels from the later Minor club formed by Abbeylara and Mullinalaghta.

Competitions won by Northern Gaels:

• Under 21 Football Championship

Hurling

Scheduled to play in the newly revived Senior Hurling Championship in 1982.

Did not compete in the SHC after all and not found in action after the 1982 season either.

No information thus far on which clubs made up this team. If you know, please get in contact.