Longford Officials

Longford County Board (Coiste Chontae an Longfort) was formed on 13th October 1889. The list below shows those who held key executive roles on the County Board 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 representatives from Ballymahon (3), Clonbroney (2), Rathcline (2) and 1 each from Abbeylara, Carrickedmond, Cashel, Clonguish, Drumlish, Forgney, Kenagh, Killoe Young Emmets, Legan Sarsfields and Mullinalaghta St. Columbas, while there have been 3 Chairs from Longford Town (1 each from Longford Slashers, Longford Wanderers and Longford Davitts clubs).

The position of Chairperson has been held by 25 different people since 1889, including 3 clergymen. The Chair has never been held by a club representative from the parishes of Ardagh-Moydow, Granard, Dromard, Edgeworthstown, Killashee or Colmcille (though Thomas O’Reilly who was a NT in Clonbroney was from Colmcille). Liam Mulvihill was just 24 years old when he was elected County Board Vice-Chairman in 1970 and just 25 when he became the youngest County Chair in the GAA the following year in 1971. There has never been an elected female Chairperson, though Bríd McGoldrick held the position of Chair temporarily from 9th November to 12th December 2019 following the resignation of the Chairperson.

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

4. 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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