Westmeath GAA

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Westmeath GAA
Westmeath GAA crest.jpg
Irish:An Iarmhí
Nickname(s):The Lake County
Province:Leinster
Dominant sport:Dual county
Ground(s):Cusack Park, Mullingar
County colours:  
County teams
NFL:Division 2
NHL:Division 1A
Football Championship:Sam Maguire Cup
Hurling Championship:Joe McDonagh Cup
Ladies' Gaelic football:
Camogie:O'Duffy Cup

The Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) (Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae na hIarmhí) or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Westmeath. The county board is also responsible for the Westmeath county teams.

Football[]

Clubs[]

Clubs contest the Westmeath Senior Football Championship.

Westmeath clubs have won the following:

County team[]

Westmeath's history is that of a minor county which only recently rose to the higher ranks of football. Its 2004 Leinster provincial title was presaged by a 1995 All-Ireland Minor title and victory in the 1999 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship.

Another generation of Westmeath players took part in the first week-night fixture in the GAA championship: on 20 June 1935 they played Meath in Kells and lost by 2-7 to 0-9. The footballers won the 1929 junior championship, lost to Dublin by ten points in 1960 and then defeated Dublin to reach the 1931 Leinster final. They defeated Carlow, Laois and Offaly to go into a 1949 final against Meath, but were well beaten on both occasions. Westmeath defeated Dublin again in the 1967 Championship and the 1984 Centenary Cup campaign.

In 2001, the team went on an All-Ireland journey through an unprecedented nine games including an extra-time win over Mayo in Roscommon. Notable players in this campaign were , Dessie Dolan, Rory O'Connell, Damien Healy and , with other players to star occasionally, including Martin Flanaghan, Fergal Wilson, Paul Conway, David O'Shaughnessy and Fergal Murray. Westmeath lost out to Meath in a quarter-final replay. Disappointing 2002 and 2003 seasons followed and Westmeath parted terms with its then manager, Luke Dempsey.

Under Kerry footballing legend Páidí Ó Sé, Westmeath progressed to the 2004 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final and won their first Leinster senior football title with a replayed victory over Laois (having previously beaten Wexford, Dublin and Offaly). However, the team tamely exited their second All-Ireland Quarter Final - losing to Derry. The documentary Marooned followed Westmeath during their 2004 season.

Ó Sé quit Westmeath at the end of a very poor 2005 season and was replaced by his assistant Tomás Ó Flatharta. Ó Flatharta resigned as Westmeath manager after their defeat to neighbours Meath on 11 July 2009. Westmeath reached consecutive Leinster Finals in 2015 and 2016.

Hurling[]

Clubs[]

Clubs contest the Westmeath Senior Hurling Championship.

County team[]

The Westmeath hurlers experienced a successful period in the mid 1930s, when they won the Leinster League twice in succession, the Junior Championship in 1936, and beat Laois to qualify for the 1937 Leinster Senior final. Rickardstown's John 'Jobber' McGrath, who played for the county in the 1950s and 1960s, is regarded as Westmeath's greatest hurler, and as one of the greatest players never to have won an All-Ireland senior hurling title. Westmeath played in the first division of the National Hurling League in 1985–86, and were the only team to beat Galway in an 18-month period. This team included the three Kilcoyne brothers and produced an All Star award for David, who was the team's free taker and top scorer in 1986. The first All Star award for any Westmeath player in hurling or football. In 2005, the county won the first Christy Ring Cup and thereby gained promotion to the 2006 Liam McCarthy Championship. In 2006, they beat Dublin in the first round of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship before losing the semi final to Kilkenny in Mullingar by 14 points. They then lost to Waterford, Galway and, disappointingly, Laois before tamely losing a relegation playoff against Dublin on a scorching July day in Tullamore. Despite progress made in 2006, the GAA condemned the county's hurlers to the Christy Ring Cup - this time without the prospect of promotion. Further rule changes and a Christy Ring win in 2010 allowed Westmeath back into the 2011 Liam McCarthy. Further progress came on 20 April 2008 with victory in the NHL (Division 2), winning the final against Carlow. That day also saw their footballing counterparts move into Division 1 of the NFL also, with a win over Dublin. In 2015, the Westmeath minor hurlers surprised heavy favourites Wexford by two points in the Leinster quarter-final, the win has been regarded by the manager as the 'biggest result in history of Westmeath hurling'.[1] The senior hurlers beat Carlow by two points in the Leinster Qualifier group and extended their winning run beating favourites, Antrim 1–21 to 0–7. A famous victory over near rivals Offaly was achieved in May 2016 in the Leinster Championship. Westmeath led by some distance for the entire game before winning 2–21 to 1–10.

Camogie[]

Westmeath won the Máire Ní Chinnéide Cup in 2006.[2] They were defeated in the final of the fourth division of the National Camogie League in 2009 and 2010.[3]

Mary Henry won the camogie All-Ireland Poc Fada Championship in 2006, the first Westmeath woman to win it. Tubberclair in 1987 and Cullion in 1992 won the Coiste Chontae an Chláir Shield at Féile na nGael in 1987. Aileen Lawlor refereed the All Ireland senior finals of 2002 and became president elect of the Camogie Association in 2011.

Under Camogie's National Development Plan 2010-2015, "Our Game, Our Passion",[4] five new camogie clubs were to be established in the county by 2015.[5]

Ladies' football[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Greville: biggest result in the history of Westmeath hurling". Hogan Stand.
  2. ^ 2006 Camogie Jun B final Westmeath 3-5 Monaghan 1-4 scorers in the Irish Independent
  3. ^ 2010 Div 4 Tyrone 3-12 Westmeath 1-9 report in Westmeath Examiner
  4. ^ "Irish Independent March 29 2010: Final goal for camogie".
  5. ^ National Development Plan 2010-2015, Our Game, Our Passion information page on camogie.ie, pdf download (778k) from Camogie.ie download site

External links[]

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