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Westmeath GAA

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For more details of Westmeath GAA, see Westmeath Senior Football Championship and Westmeath Senior Hurling Championship.
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Irish:An Iarmhí
Nickname(s):The Lake County
Province:Leinster
Dominant sport:Gaelic football
Ground(s):Cusack Park, Mullingar
County colours:   
County teams
NFL:Division 2
NHL:Division 2A
Football Championship:Sam Maguire Cup
Hurling Championship:Liam McCarthy Cup
Ladies' Gaelic football:Brendan Martin Cup
Camogie:Nancy Murray Cup

The Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) (Template:Lang-ga) 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 inter-county teams.

Gaelic football

History

Westmeath's GAA history is that of a minor county which only recently rose to the higher ranks of Gaelic 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 beat Dublin to reach the 1931 Leinster final. They beat Carlow, Laois and Offaly to go into a 1949 final against Meath, but were well beaten on both occasions. Twenty years later they reached the National Football League semi-final. Westmeath beat Dublin again in the 1967 Championship and the 1984 Centenary Cup campaign and qualified for their second League semi-final in 1994.

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 Ger Heavin, Dessie Dolan, Rory O'Connell, Damien Healy and David Mitchell with other players to star from time to time 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.

Kerry footballing legend Páidí Ó Sé was brought in to manage the senior team some months later, after he had been removed from the Kerry Senior team management. The following year, Westmeath progressed to the 2004 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final and won their first ever Leinster senior football title with a replayed victory over Laois (having previously beaten Wexford, Dublin and Offaly). However the team tamely exitted 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. After a poor league campaign, in which they were nevertheless promoted from Division 2, the team was knocked out of the Leinster Senior Football Championship in the first round by Offaly. However wins over London, Limerick, Sligo and then a historic defeat of Galway in Pearse Park in Salthill set up a third All-Ireland Quarter Final for the team in six years - this time against Dublin. Westmeath did not live up to expectations in the Quarter Final meeting against Dublin and lost by 10 points.

Westmeath staged a strong second half display to capture the 2008 Division 2 National Football League title for the third time, and the first since 2003 following a five point win over Dublin at Páirc Tailteann, Navan. The score line was Westmeath 0-15, Dublin 0-10.

In the Quarter-Finals of the Leinster Championship in 2009 they were beaten by Dublin by 27 points. Ó Flatharta resigned as Westmeath manager after their defeat to neighbours Meath on 11 July 2009.

Honours

All Stars

Winners in bold. Nominations in plain text.

Current football squad

No. Player Position Club
1 Darren Quinn Goalkeeper Tyrrellspass
2 Mark McCallon Right Corner Back Garrycastle
3 Kevin Maguire Full Back Caulry
4 John Gilligan Left Corner Back Ballymore
5 Jamie Gonoud Right Half Back Tyrrellspass
6 Kieran Martin Centre Back Maryland
7 James Dolan Left Half Back Garrycastle
8 Paddy Holloway Midfield Castledaly
9 Paul Sharry Midfield St. Loman's
10 Callum McCormack Right Half Forward Maryland
11 Ger Egan Centre Forward Tyrrellspass
12 David McCormack Left Half Forward Rosemount
13 Ray Connellan Right Corner Forward Athlone
14 John Heslin Full Forward St. Loman's
15 Denis Glennon Left Corner Forward Tyrrellspass
No. Player Position Club
16 Gary Connaughton Substitute Tubberclair
17 Francis Boyle Substitute Killucan
18 Alan Coffey Substitute Tubberclair
19 John Connellan Substitute Athlone
20 Killian Daly Substitute Mullingar Shamrocks
21 John Egan Substitute Athlone
22 Darragh Daly Substitute Mullingar Shamrocks
23 David Lynch Substitute St Malachy's
24 Lorcan Smith Substitute Mullingar Shamrocks
25 David Whelan Substitute St. Loman's
26 John Stapleton Substitute Athlone

Squad as per Westmeath vs Galway, 2015 National Football League Round 2, 8 February 2015

Hurling

Westmeath's hurlers' best performance was a run 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. They 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 3 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.

Rickardstown's John 'Jobber' McGrath is considered the greatest player to ever play hurling for Westmeath, and as one of the greatest players never to have won an All-Ireland senior hurling title.

Christy Ring Cup wins

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 20th of April 2008 with victory in the NHL (Division 2), winning the final against Carlow. That day also saw the Westmeath footballers move into Division 1 of the NFL also with a win over Dublin.

Honours

Camogie

Westmeath won the Máire Ní Chinnéide Cup in 2006.[1] They were defeated in the final of the fourth division of the National Camogie League in 2009 and 2010.[2]

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,”[3] five new camogie clubs are to be established in the county by 2015.[4]

Ladies football

References

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