Connacht Senior Club Football Championship
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2014) |
Connacht Senior Club Football Championship | |
---|---|
Irish | Craobh Sinsir Peile Connachta na gClub |
Founded | 1966 |
Title holders | Castlebar Mitchels (4th title) |
First winner | Dunmore McHales |
Most titles | Clan na nGael (7 titles) |
Sponsors | AIB |
The Connacht Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament played between the seventy-two senior football clubs in Connacht, with one qualifying from each of the five respective county championships. The winners of the Connacht football championship go on to qualify for the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship semi-final.
Early History
Before the modern series started in 1970, the Craobh Rua club in Sligo organised an "unofficial" annual Connacht Club Championship tournament amongst the champions of Sligo, Mayo, Leitrim, Roscommon and Galway for the prize of the New Ireland Assurance Cup[1] in the 1950s. Tuam Stars, who won 7 Galway titles in a row between 1954 and 1960, were the inaugural winners of the unofficial Connacht Club Championship in 1955 and also won it in 1956,[2] 1957[3] and 1958.[4] At the 1961 Annual General Meeting of the Castlebar Mitchels club in Mayo, a motion was put forward "that an official Connacht club championship be inaugurated". This met with the response that the Connacht Council would sanction such a competition "but would not take responsibility for it".[5] The motion was subsequently passed at the Mayo County Convention in February 1962[6] and the competition commenced in April 1962 when Claremorris, who were first-time champions of Mayo, met Galway champions Dunmore McHales.[7] The 1962 Connacht Club championship was not finished in that year due to "poor organisation"[8] but when the final was eventually played on April 28, 1963, Dunmore McHales became the first "official" Connacht Club Champions by defeating Melvin Gaels of Leitrim.[9] This competition was short-lived because it did not have the full support of the Connacht Council and county boards. The Connacht GAA council first organised a Connacht club championship in 1966 with Dunmore McHales emerging as the first winners.
Roll of honour
Team | Winner | Winning Years | County | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Clan na nGael | 7 | 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 | Roscommon |
2 | Corofin | 6 | 1991, 1995, 1997, 2008, 2009, 2014 | Galway |
3 | St. Brigid's | 4 | 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012 | Roscommon |
Castlebar Mitchels | 4 | 1969, 1993, 2013, 2015 | Mayo | |
5 | St Mary's | 3 | 1977, 1980, 1983 | Sligo |
Knockmore | 3 | 1973, 1992, 1996 | Mayo | |
Crossmolina Deel Rovers | 3 | 1999, 2000, 2002 | Mayo | |
Ballina Stephenites | 3 | 1998, 2004, 2007 | Mayo | |
9 | Fr. Griffin's | 2 | 1970, 1972 | Galway |
Roscommon Gaels | 2 | 1974, 1975 | Roscommon | |
Killererin | 2 | 1976, 1978 | Galway | |
Salthill/Knocknacarra | 2 | 1990, 2005 | Galway | |
13 | Dunmore McHales | 1 | 1966 | Galway |
Castlerea St Kevin's | 1 | 1968 | Roscommon | |
Claremorris | 1 | 1971 | Mayo | |
St. Grellan's | 1 | 1979 | Galway | |
Garrymore | 1 | 1981 | Roscommon | |
Tuam Stars | 1 | 1994 | Galway | |
Charlestown Sarsfields | 1 | 2001 | Mayo | |
Caltra | 1 | 2003 | Galway |
Wins by county
# | County | Connacht Titles | Last provincial winners |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Galway clubs | 16 | Corofin, 2014 |
Mayo clubs | 16 | Castlebar Mitchels, 2015 | |
3 | Roscommon clubs | 14 | St. Brigid's, 2012 |
4 | Sligo clubs | 3 | St. Mary's, 1983 |
No club from Leitrim has ever won the Connacht Club Football Championship.
List of finals
References
- ^ Sligo Champion, May 7, 1955, p.11.
- ^ Irish Independent, April 30, 1956, p.13
- ^ Irish Press, September 9, 1957, p.7.
- ^ Sligo Champion, November 21, 1959, p.11.
- ^ Ballina Herald, December 23, 1961, p.4.
- ^ Western People, February 3, 1962, p.13.
- ^ Tuam Herald, April 28, 1962, p.5.
- ^ Connacht Tribune, January 5, 1963, p.16.
- ^ Tuam Herald, May 4, 1963, p.8.
- ^ "All-Ireland glory next big goal for Castlebar Mitchels". Irish Examiner. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ "Classy Corofin on course for greater glory". Irish Examiner. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Castlebar dethrone Brigid's AET". Hogan Stand. 24 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ "Mitchels stun St Brigid's in fiery thriller". Irish Examiner. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ "St Brigid's day in Connacht again". Irish Examiner. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ^ "Connacht club SFC: Clinical Corofin retain crown". Hogan Stand. 30 November 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ "Ballina's first half goals sink St. Brigid's". Hogan Stand. 26 November 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- ^ "Charlestown's Connacht title joy". Hogan Stand. 26 November 2001. Retrieved 30 April 2012.