Leitrim GAA


The Leitrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Leitrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Leitrim. The county board is also responsible for the Leitrim county teams.
Considered "Connacht's traditional minnows" and "one of the GAA's Cinderella counties", Leitrim are never considered seriously as likely to win a major title. The county football team play in the Connacht Senior Football Championship and compete in Division 3 of the National Football League. They have won the Connacht Senior Football Championship on two occasions, the first in 1927 and their second in 1994.

Football

Leitrim's football history has brought sparse reward. They first competed in the All-Ireland in the 1907 championship. They were beaten by Roscommon on a score of 0-03 to 0-01 in the Connacht semi-final in their first ever match. The county won its first ever match in the 1910 championship, beating Sligo in the Connacht quarter-final by 0-03 to 0-00. They were then beaten by Galway in the semi-final.
Leitrim did not record another win until the 1914 championship. They beat Sligo by 5-07 0-02 to qualify for their first ever Connacht final but were beaten by Roscommon in the decider. In the semi-final of the 1924 Connacht Championship, Leitrim forced Mayo to a draw, then refused to play extra-time. Galway went on to be beaten in the final by Mayo following a replay. In 1927, with training from Sean O'Hehir, father of the veteran radio commentator Micheál and with the help of good fortune when Connacht semi-finalists Roscommon had to line out without five players whose car had broken down, Leitrim won their first ever Connacht title. Leitrim won the Connacht title and held Kerry to two points in the semi-final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
John O'Mahony was appointed Leitrim manager to build on the success of the Under-21 team that won the 1991 Connacht Championship. He took Leitrim to the final of the 1994 Connacht Championship. Leitrim did not have an easy route to the final, beating Roscommon by a point and only overcoming Galway by a point in a replay. They took on Mayo in the final, overcoming O'Mahony's native county by two points in Hyde Park. O'Mahony's feat in leading the team that is traditionally the weakest in the province to that title is still heralded nationally to this day. Leitrim were ultimately beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final by Dublin at Croke Park. The first county to benefit under the parentage rule was also the first to lose their big catch, with the loss of Declan Darcy to Dublin depleting the panel in 1998, bringing Leitrim's most successful era to an end.
Leitrim won the FBD Insurance League in 2013, defeating their southern neighbours Sligo in the final. This was the county's fourth ever trophy and their first since 1994. They retained the title in 2014, defeating Roscommon in the final.
The county's Vocational Schools team have made it to two All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship Finals losing to Carlow in 1972 and Donegal in 1995.

Hurling

On the 20 May 2017 Leitrim beat Sligo in Round 5 of the Lory Meagher Cup on a scoreline of 3-15 to 3-08 to qualify for the final in Croke Park.
On June 22nd 2019 Leitrim defeated Lancashire on a scoreline of 2-23 to 2-22 after extra time to win the 2019 Lory Meagher Cup and qualify for the 2020 Nicky Rackard Cup.
Leitrim have the following achievements in hurling.
- Champions
- Runners Up
Manager: Liz Hurley
Leitrim have the following achievements in ladies' football.
Under Camogie's National Development Plan 2010-2015, "Our Game, Our Passion," three new camogie clubs are to be established in Leitrim and a county board assembled by 2015.