Longford Officials

Longford County Board (Coiste Chontae an Longfort) was formed on 13th October 1889. The list below shows those who held some of the key executive roles since 1889. From 1892 to 1903 the County Board (or County Council as it was known then) was not in existence and no official club competition took place in Longford in those years. The Chairperson role has been held by men from Ballymahon, Clonbroney, Rathcline, Colmcille, Abbeylara, Ballymore, Carrickedmond, Cashel, Clonguish, Drumlish, Forgney, Kenagh, Killoe, Legan and Mullinalaghta. Representatives from three clubs from Longford Town held the position of Chair over the years (1 each from Longford Slashers, Longford Wanderers and Longford Davitts clubs).

The position of Chairperson has been held by 26 different people since 1889, including 3 clergymen. Liam Mulvihill was 24 years old when he was elected Vice-Chairman in 1970 and 25 when he became the youngest GAA County Chairperson in the country the following year in 1971. There has never been an elected female Chair, though Bríd McGoldrick held the position temporarily from 9th November to 12th December 2019 following the resignation of the Chairperson. Bríd McGoldrick was also appointed National Chairperson of Health and Wellbeing Committee of the GAA from 2018 to 2021. The first woman elected to the Longford County Board was Margaret Farrell who was elected as Irish Officer in 2005. Peter O’Reilly is the longest serving County Secretary (17 years by 2026) in the history of Longford GAA, overtaking Mattie Fox who held the role for 15 years (1953-1967).

1. Eamon Reilly resigned as Chairperson on 9th November 2019. Bríd McGoldrick stepped into the role until the convention on December 12th 2019.

2. Chairman, Registrar, Central Council Delegate and Leinster Council Delegate all resigned in July 1967. The Chairman had proposed a suspension for Bobby Burns following a disagreement that arose prior to the Leinster Championship semi-final vs Offaly. However before the seconded proposal could be carried, a counter amendment was proposed and carried by 24 votes to 4. The Chairman and others immediately resigned. This was followed by many of the senior players resigning in protest at the resignation of the board officials. Rev. Canon McLoughlin was sent in as a mediator and the Central Council sent an observer to the next County Board meeting. The convention was brought forward to October 1967 and Jimmy Flynn was re-elected to the role of Chairman, with Seán Donnelly replacing Mattie Fox as Secretary. Sadly, Bobby Burns never played for Longford again and re-located to USA shortly thereafter. 

3. Fr. Andy Lynch from Pulladoey in Colmcille has the distinction of being Chairman of both the Longford County Board and Leitrim County Board. He was Cathaoirleach of Longford County Board from 1927 to 1930. Later, while serving in Kiltubrid, Co Leitrim, Fr Lynch was Cathaoirleach of Leitrim County Board from 1933 to 1942.

4. In 1896 a temporary committee was elected on 13th September with J.R. Dann as Secretary and delegates from Longford, Ardagh, Edgeworthstown and Ballymacormack clubs. The temporary committee had a mandate to contact various clubs in an effort to establish a County Board. However at the next meeting on 26th September, only four clubs sent delegates, but five were needed to formally elect a County Committee. Hence no County Committee was elected that year and no official competition could take place in Longford in 1896. 

5. County Secretary JH Dunne resigned in 1889 and was temporarily replaced by WJ Foran. 

Note: It is not entirely clear if the County Board Chairman in 1919 & 1920 was Seamus O’Connor or Jimmy Toher. 

The first Longford GAA Annual Convention took place on Sunday 5th October 1890 and included delegates from 13 clubs from the list of 26 clubs that existed in the county at the time. The meeting decided that Ballymahon O’Briens and Shrule Leo’s would join to become Ballymahon Leo’s (the meeting agreed that both would join to become Ballymahon O’Briens but after further debate later the agreed name was Ballymahon Leo’s), while Drumard O’Briens and Drumard Owen Roes agreed to join to become Drumard Hugh Roe O’Donnells (name suggested by the Council President J.P. Farrell). The meeting also heard a letter from Rev. McCabe C.C. who applied to have a new club formed in Ballinamuck and the club was duly affiliated as Ballinamuck Nighty-Eights.

Click below to see a list of elected representatives for all 26 clubs that existed (or were created) at the time of the first annual Convention. Those club delegates who attended that first Convention in 1890 are denoted with an asterisk. It is worth noting that the merging of two clubs into one in Dromard and Ballymahon via decisions made at the Convention meant that there were 24 clubs in Longford by the end of 1890.

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