Classy Longford hurler Cathal Mullane set to bow out on a high

On a glorious day for Longford Hurling, Diarmuid Cahill’s charges ended a brilliant season with victory in Sunday’s Lory Meagher Final beating Leitrim by 1-18 to 1-13 in Croke Park. Captain Marvel, Reuben Murray scored the goal on the turn to direct the bouncing sliotar to the Leitrim net from Martin Farrell’s long puck and that galvanised the midlanders to victory.

Vice-captain Cathal Mullane celebrated his one hundred and first and probably his final appearance in a LongfordGAA jersey with three points to his name as he won his second Lory Meagher Cup to accompany the Meagher triumph he enjoyed in 2014.

Mullane is one of five of the current panel who tasted success back in 2014 along with Johnny Casey, the Murray brothers Reuben and Karl, and John Gaffney.

Speaking during the homecoming celebrations, Cathal acknowledged that after his injury stricken 2025 season, he could not retire on such a low, and that the drive to go out in style from the inter-county scene with a second Lory Meagher Championship inspired him to play one more season with Longford in 2026.

“It is funny how things go. I was going to retire after the Meagher final defeat in 2024, but we won the county title with Wolfe Tones and played in a Leinster competition, so it was a long season. I had a knee injury and a specialist told me that I had no cartilage in my knee and that my career was over.

“However, I had some procedures done in early 2025 and I kept telling myself that it would come good eventually, but it never did and unfortunately. I didn’t get to really play for the county team as a result last year.

“In the run up to last year’s county final and replay against Slashers in October I felt quite good and played in both games. Diarmuid (Cahill) asked me to come back and after getting through the first few training sessions, everything just went well from then on.

“It’s a dream come true for us all to be crowned Lory Meagher champions. That was our aim when training resumed. We might have gone about it the hard way, but in the end, we were deserving winners.

“We did not play well in the first half, but it’s been a theme with us this year that we come alive in the second half of our matches. We just seem to take a while to get going, and that was the same today.

“Even the first ten minutes of the second half, the teams were very much even, but once we got that goal from Reuben (Murray), we really did kick on. We started winning their puck outs, keeping possession, and tapping over the points.

“It was very sweet looking up at the scoreboard as the two minutes of injury time started to see that we were eight points up and that is when we knew we were going to be crowned champions. It is a great way to go out and now I can retire from playing for Longford having gone out on a high. I will miss it but it’s the right time, exit stage left.”

Cathal then stated the importance of the county team playing at a higher level in both league and especially in the championship to develop higher standards of hurling within the county to bring it to another level.

“Longford played six successive years in the Nicky Rackard Cup before being relegated back down to the Lory Meagher in 2020 when Leitrim relegated us, and it has taken us another six years to get back up to the Rackard Cup.

“Those six years playing at Rackard level was an achievement in itself but an unsung achievement as there was no championship silverware or appearances in finals, but you are playing and competing at a higher level and it is crucial for us to retain Nicky Rackard status and then try to get to Christy Ring level.”