The Longford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic AssociationThe Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
(GAA) or
Longford GAA is one of the 32
county boardsA Gaelic Athletic Association county is a geographic region within the Gaelic Athletic Association , controlled by a county board and originally based on the counties of Ireland as they were in 1884. While the counties of Ireland have changed since the foundation of that date, the GAA counties have...
of the GAA in
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and is responsible for
Gaelic gamesGaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...
in
County LongfordCounty Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
. The county board is also responsible for the Longford inter-county teams.
History
General
Despite the small population of the county, Longford emerged to win
National Football LeagueThe National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
and
Leinster Senior Football ChampionshipThe GAA Leinster Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of football played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council and are played during the summer months. The competition involves the counties of...
titles in both 1966 and 1968, and have since contributed some outstanding personalities to GAA history.
Colours
Green and white hooped jerseys were used by Longford up to 1918 when a royal blue jersey with a gold sash was adopted. Around 1930 the sash disappeared but the gold trim was retained.
Gaelic football
Jackie Devine set up two goals for Longford in the last six minutes of the 1968
Leinster Senior Football ChampionshipThe GAA Leinster Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of football played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council and are played during the summer months. The competition involves the counties of...
final to beat
LaoisThe Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois and the Laois inter-county teams.-History:...
by 3-9 to 1-4, where Sean Donnelly and Jim Hannify were the scorers. It was their only Leinster title, and it came two years after a great victory over
GalwayThe Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
by nine points to eight in the National League final.
When they lost a replayed Leinster semi-final in 1970 it was their fourth semi-final in six years. Victories over
WestmeathThe Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Westmeath...
and
WicklowThe Wicklow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wicklow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wicklow...
in 1988 left the county on the verge of a Leinster final after twenty years. The team played well against
DublinDublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
and led by three points at half-time. Team manager and sports psychologist Brendan Hackett has cited what happened next in his book as an example of lack of self-belief in extremis:
DublinDublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
drew level with twenty minutes remaining and won by 18 points.
Since first getting the taste in 1928, Longford like to beat
MeathThe Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...
in the Championship, and shocked them in 1982. They forced
OffalyThe Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...
to a replay in 1984, but all of the promise of the Under-21 teams who reached successive Leinster finals in 1981 and 1982 failed to materialise. In 2002 the county's minor team won the
Leinster Minor Football ChampionshipThe Leinster Minor Football Championship is a Gaelic football "knockout" competition played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council. Each county in the province fields a team in the competition. The term "minor" is given to players who are...
, the following year the county Vocational Schools team won the
All-Ireland Vocational Schools ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship is a Gaelic Athletic Association football and hurling competition. There are two levels of competition. Individual schools compete for county, provincial and All-Ireland competitions...
In 2010, Damien Sheridan won the All-Ireland Kick Fada Championship.
Honours
- All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship
The All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship is a Gaelic Athletic Association football and hurling competition. There are two levels of competition. Individual schools compete for county, provincial and All-Ireland competitions...
s: 1
- All-Ireland Junior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Junior Football Championship is a Gaelic Athletic Association competition for junior gaelic football inter-county teams in Ireland. The definition of what constitutes a junior player differs from county to county. In some, the junior team is the second team after the senior team...
s: 1
- National Football League
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
: 1
- Leinster Senior Football Championship
The GAA Leinster Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of football played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council and are played during the summer months. The competition involves the counties of...
s: 1
- Leinster Minor Football Championship
The Leinster Minor Football Championship is a Gaelic football "knockout" competition played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council. Each county in the province fields a team in the competition. The term "minor" is given to players who are...
s: 4
Hurling
- National league Division 4: 1
- All Ireland Minior Division 3:1:
- National League Division 3: 1
- Leinster Hurling Shield: 2
- Lory Meagher Cup
The Lory Meagher Cup is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 2009. It is a competition for the fourth tier of hurling teams in the Gaelic Athletic Association....
: 1
- 2010
The 2010 Lory Meagher Cup is the 2nd annual fourth-tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The teams competing are Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Longford, South Down and Warwickshire. The 2009 champions, Tyrone were promoted to the Nicky Rackard Cup for 2010,...
Camogie
Under Camogie’s National Development Plan 2010-2015, “Our Game, Our Passion,” new camogie clubs are to be established in Longford and a county board formed by 2015.
See also
- Longford Senior Club Football Championship
The Longford Senior Football Club Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the Senior grade clubs in Longford. The winners of the Longford Championship qualify to represent their county in the Leinster Senior Club Football Championship and in turn, go on to the...
- Longford Senior Club Hurling Championship
The Longford Senior Hurling Club Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the top Longford Clubs. The winners of the Longford Championship winners qualify to represent their county in the Leinster Junior Club Hurling Championship and in turn, go on to the...
External links