Longford GAA Chairperson Derek Fahy looking ahead to a progressive future

A chairde,

I would like to begin by welcoming An tUachtarán, Seamus Mac an tSionnaigh, members of the Management Committee, and all our delegates to this year’s Chomhdáil Bhliantúil 2025.

We are delighted to return once again to the Fr. Campbell Memorial Centre in Abbeylara, and I want to sincerely thank Mainistir Leathratha for their tremendous work in preparing for and hosting this Convention.

It is a great honour and privilege to stand before you as Cathaoirleach Coiste Chontae Longfort to deliver my first address to Convention.

Our County Secretary, Peter O’Reilly, has provided a detailed and comprehensive report, which I commend him for. I want to reflect on some key areas that have shaped our year.

Taking Office – A Challenging Start

'Despite eight years of experience on the County Management Committee, I can say with certainty that nothing fully prepares you for the scale and responsibility of becoming County Board Chairperson.

To describe the beginning of the year as a baptism of fire would be an understatement.

Immediately, we were confronted with the stark reality of our financial position:• spiralling county team costs• significant monthly outgoings• obligations relating to the Setanta Programme• and the remaining Clan Credo loan arising from stand refurbishment at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park

The simple truth is that Longford GAA requires at least €20,000 every month merely to stay afloat—and that’s before we buy a football or a sliotar.

The extraordinary effort undertaken to meet our creditor commitments, as shown in Ciarán’s financial report, deserves huge credit. I will return to finance later.

Despite the difficult start, I believe we have worked tirelessly throughout 2025 to put Longford GAA in a more stable, responsible, and progressive position than we were at the end of 2024.

County Senior Football

The senior team faced what was always going to be a challenging year. Significant retirements in late 2024, combined with the arrival of new manager Mike Solan and his backroom team, meant rebuilding was inevitable.

Our National League campaign delivered mixed fortunes:• a fair opening draw with Limerick• a missed opportunity against Tipperary• a heavy defeat to Wicklow that effectively ended promotion ambitions• two good wins against London and Waterford that offered hope• followed by a difficult loss to Carlow

Our final game against Wicklow highlighted the current gap between top and mid-tier Division 4 teams.

However, our performance against Wicklow in the Leinster Championship was outstanding. The confusion surrounding the end of extra-time—due to the absence of the newly introduced clock buzzer system—proved hugely costly. I find it incomprehensible that Championship games can be subjected to two different systems for ending matches. There must be consistency.

We hoped that momentum would carry into the Tailteann Cup, but a second-half surge from Wexford and defeat to Fermanagh left us playing for pride—which the players delivered in a fine win over Carlow.

It disappointed me to hear some people claim that “there was no expectation” for Longford in 2025.There must always be expectation. At a minimum, supporters deserve performance, effort, and ambition.

Underage Football

Our Under-20s suffered early defeats to Louth and Wicklow, followed by a loss to Westmeath in the Andrew Corden Cup. Their campaign was over within three weeks. While preparation was strong, our county simply cannot afford to have four Under-20 players unavailable due to senior commitments.

We must implement a clear, binding pathway ensuring that players prioritise their own age grade. If agreements cannot be reached, they must commit to the Under-20 panel first.

Our Minor footballers opened with an encouraging draw against Kildare, followed by defeats to Westmeath and Meath. However, they showed remarkable character in the Electric Ireland All-Ireland Tier 3 Competition, securing victories over Fermanagh, Carlow and Sligo before a magnificent final win against Wicklow.We were proud to welcome home our Seamus Heaney Cup All-Ireland Champions.

Our U16s lost by a single goal to Kerry in the Fr. Manning Cup semi-final—an extremely encouraging result at any level.

County Academy & Player Pathways

Our Academy and Development Squads continue to improve, and I acknowledge the work ofMichael Kenny, Damien Sheridan, Paddy O’Connor, and our Games Promotion Officers Ciarán Carey and JP Bracken.

However, we must ensure development squads remain developmental.Every player must receive meaningful game time. Winning at this stage cannot outweigh player progression.

In early 2026, I will establish a working group to conduct a full review of county team structures.

Hurling

Hurling Chairperson Tommy Hawes has outlined a positive year. After entering 2025 without a manager, we were fortunate to secure Diarmuid Cahill, who delivered a solid Allianz League campaign.

We took five points from our first three Lory Meagher Cup games before defeat to Cavan and a controversial draw with Monaghan ended our challenge. It is baffling that such a decisive fixture was not allocated to one of the country’s top officials.

At underage level, our U15s won the Hibernia Cup, and our U17s won the Celtic Challenge final, both over Fermanagh. The future of Longford hurling is bright.

CCC & Club Competitions

Our CCC, under the steady leadership of James Clarke, successfully delivered almost 1,000 fixtures this year—an enormous achievement. This group not only schedules games but handles disciplinary matters, transfers, objections, and investigations. I commend every member for their dedication.

We saw strong attendance at club fixtures, helped by positive rule changes from the Central Football Review Committee. The “solo and go” and the two-point long-range score have reinvigorated Gaelic football. Credit to Uachtarán Jarlath Burns and the GAA for their vision.

Congratulations to our 2025 champions across all grades, including:• Killoe Young Emmets – Senior & Junior A Champions• Ardagh/Moydow – Intermediate Champions• Dromard – Junior B Champions• Killoe – Junior C Champions• Clonguish – U21 'A' Champions

St Mary’s Granard - U21 ‘B’ Champions • Longford Slashers – Senior Hurling, U21, and Minor Champions

A special mention to Clonguish Óg on their incredible achievement of five-in-a-row minor titles.

I also acknowledge St. Brigid’s Killashee for their impressive run to the Leinster Junior semi-final.

Refereeing & Respect for Officials

2025 saw Mark Glancy take on the role of Referee Coordinator—a difficult and often thankless job. Referee numbers remain low, and clubs must take greater responsibility in providing officials.

Abuse of referees—by spectators, players, or officials—is utterly unacceptable. Too often, offenders attempt to evade responsibility through unnecessary appeals, wasting volunteer time and undermining our disciplinary processes. This culture must stop.

Club Engagement & Communications

Many county committees have experienced declining engagement from clubs. Too often, listed club officers are no longer in their roles or are unaware they hold them. We must ensure that volunteers are not overloaded and that clubs maintain proper representation at county meetings.

Our Coaching & Games team, led by Damien Sheridan and supported by Paddy O’Connor, continues to excel. The positive feedback from Leinster and Croke Park is testament to their outstanding work.

Our communications output has grown dramatically this year, including the launch of the Longford GAA App, now providing global access to news, fixtures, results, sponsor links, live updates, and our 50/50 draw. I commend Colm Murray on an exceptional first year as Communications Officer.

Finance & Governance

Running Longford GAA in 2025 required expenditure of over €2.1 million.

This included:• €285,000 in historic debt inherited at the start of the year• €200,000 owed to Croke Park• provisions for Revenue liabilities from 2021–2024• significant 2025 exposure related to county team costs

The Revenue audit has been a wake-up call for counties. We cannot continue paying escalating managerial and backroom costs. As an amateur organisation, we must protect the values on which the GAA was founded.

I strongly advise clubs to ensure their own managerial payments comply fully with Revenue guidelines.

Our surplus of over €48,000 is the result of strict cost control, particularly the €80,000 reduction in mileage, achieved through player commitment to car-pooling and reduced travel to Abbottstown.

I thank all our county players for this reduction in costs.

If we continue on this path, I believe Longford can achieve best-practice financial governance within two years.

Fundraising & Club Longford

Club Longford has again stepped up significantly:• +€47,000 from the annual car draw• +€28,000 from signage• +€13,000 from the golf classic

Under the outstanding leadership of Derek Sheridan, Club Longford continues to provide essential funding for county teams and development squads.

Our Punchestown Raceday Committee, guided by Martin Skelly, delivered another hugely successful event.

We are also developing a Business & Marketing Plan aimed at raising €500,000 annually to support our growing ambitions.

Longford’s New Training Centre

Perhaps the most exciting development is our progress on the new state-of-the-art regional training centre at Pearse Park.

Longford GAA has now secured 36+ acres in total—land capable of delivering one of the largest sporting infrastructure projects in the region.

Intensive behind-the-scenes work has taken place:• soil and elevation surveys• conceptual designs• meetings in Croke Park and locally• engagement with local authorities• engineering consultations• fundraising planning

A key driving force behind this project has been Paul Rowley, whose experience with Rockland GAA in New York has been invaluable. His energy and commitment have opened doors both at home and abroad. Thanks to Paul for all his great work to date and I look forward to working with him in 2026.

With the support of Club Longford, our Diaspora, and potential government funding, we aim to lodge planning in Q1 2026 and begin a major new chapter for Longford GAA.

Acknowledgements

I extend my gratitude to:• all our sponsors, including our main partners Glennon Brothers, now in their 14th year of support

In 2025, Longford GAA is proud to celebrate the 14th year of our continuous partnership with Glennon Brothers, our main county sponsors. This commitment has been evident throughout the years, and our recent Longford Lunch in Croke Park is a clear reflection of the real value of having such a fantastic sponsor—one that always goes the extra mile to provide the resources needed to support the athletic development and preparation of all our Longford teams.

On behalf of Longford GAA, I want to extend a very special word of thanks to Mike, Pat, Billy, and the Glennon families for their generosity, continued commitment and support to Longford GAA, it’s truly appreciated.

Thanks to all competition sponsors and sign holders. Thanks to all clubs who hosted games or provided facilities. Thanks to everyone who supported our fundraising efforts. 

A special thank you to our staff at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park and congratulations to Lorraine on the birth of her first child.

I want to pay particular tribute to County Secretary Peter O’Reilly. We are extraordinarily fortunate to have one of the most experienced administrators in the country. His dedication, his countless volunteer hours, and his unwavering support throughout the year have been invaluable. I look forward to working with him again in 2026.

I also thank Ciarán Walsh, who undertook the role of County Treasurer in difficult circumstances and has performed exceptionally.

Sympathies

Finally, I extend sincere sympathies to all clubs and communities who have suffered bereavements during the year.

I especially want to acknowledge the tragic passing of our service provider Shane Carrigy, a gentleman whose support to Longford GAA was second to none. Our thoughts are with his wife Ann, his children Kayla and Ryan, and the entire Carrigy family—including on the recent passing of Shane’s father, Mickey.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.

Closing

I want to thank each of you for your commitment to Longford GAA throughout 2025.I wish you all a peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh.