Mohill GAA

2015

2015 marked the 126th Anniversary of Mohill GAA Club. It turned out to be the most successful year ever in the Club's History winning three doubles, something that was never achieved in the County and it is probable that it has never been achieved in the Country.

In April our Minors made history by becoming the first ever team to win five in a row Minor Leagues. They beat Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins by 2 points in the League Final on a scoreline of 3-11 to 2-12.

In July, our Juniors won the Division 3 League for the first time since 1978 beating Ballinaglera by a point in a tight affair in Ballinamore. 1-8 to 0-10 was the final score with Captain Padraig Tighe getting the equaliser and the winner late on the snatch victory.

Then came the business end of the Championship and it was clear from early on in the Senior, Junior and Minor Championships that we would be competing for the big prize later on in the year. Our Seniors strolled through their group beating Allen Gaels, Drumreilly and Kiltubrid on the way and racking up an unbelievable 13-42 in three games. The Juniors didn't have it as easy edging out Dromahair and beating Carrigallen on the way to the Quarter Finals. At the Quarter Final stage of the Senior and Junior Championships, our Minors were half way through their Championship having lost twice to the favourites for the title Fenagh/Gortletteragh. Two wins out of four and they were still in the balance for a place in the Semi Finals.

Our Seniors beat Annaduff in the Quarter Final of the Championship on a scoreline of 2-13 to 0-9 with our Juniors beating Allen Gaels the following day to advance to their Semi Final. Our Seniors would set up a tie with neighbours Gortletteragh and the Juniors would meet Carrigallen who we had beaten in the group already.

The Senior Semi Final was well anticipated but it didn't live up to its expectations. We edged out on a scoreline of 0-8 to 0-6 after trailing 0-4 to 0-2 at the interval. Nevertheless, we booked a place in the Senior Championship Final vs the Kingpins of Leitrim Football in recent times Glencar/Manorhamilton. The Juniors beat Carrigallen well to set up a Final meeting with Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins. Our Minors at this stage had lost three games and won three games in the Championship which set up at Semi Final meeting with Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins to determine to who meet Fenagh/Gortletteragh in the Final after they strolled through the group stages. A fantastic win against Sean O'Heslins 1-12 to 1-9 meant we had qualified for our fourth Minor Championship Final in a row along with qualifying for the Senior and Junior Championship Finals.

Coincidentally, the Senior and Minor Finals went to Replays with the Junior A Final going to extra time. We won the Senior Final in dramatic fashion with a Ronan Kennedy goal with the last kick of the game beating Glencar/Manor 1-4 to 0-6. The first Minor Final was rescued in just a dramatic of fashion as our lads trailed 0-10 to 0-4 with 8 minutes remaining. They scored 2-1 including an injury time goal to salvage a draw. The Replay turned out to be just as entertaining as the last 10 minutes of the first game with our lads edging out in a thriller 4-11 to 3-11. This ensured the Minor double and left open the opportunity to become the first club to win a Minor-Senior double as we were awaiting Glencar/Manor in the Senior League Final. On the first Saturday in November, we left it late once again in the Division 1 League Final, and who else but Ronan Kennedy was the hero scoring a point with the last kick of the game to secure only the Clubs 2nd ever League title.

The following weekend, Ballinamore were the opponents in the Junior Championship Final and once again it went down to the wire. Level at full time, extra was confirmed. Conditions were very poor in Cloone but it didn't stop John McGuinness who scored the winning point in the last minute. 0-11 to 0-10 was the full time score. This win secured a historic "Triple Double" for 2015 with the Senior, Junior and Minor League and Championship titles making their way back to the town for the most successful and historic year ever seen for a club in the history of Leitrim GAA.

2015 Roll of Honour

Senior Championship

Senior League

Junior Championship

Junior League

Minor Championship

Minor League

U12 Div 2 Championship

History

Senior

Mohill have won the Senior Championship seven times. The years being 1890, 1910, 1914, 1929, 1971, 2006 and 2015. 2006 was our first Senior title in 35 years but amazingly was also our first time to contest a final since 1974. Many years of getting knocked out at the latter stages including two Semi Finals in 1988 and 1989 was all forgotten about in October 2006 when we completed a five-point comeback with six minutes remaining to win by a point. In December 2006 we completed a historic year for the Club winning the Division 1 League for the first time in the Clubs history defeating Aughawillan on a cold Decembers afternoon in Ballinamore. Both Mohill and Aughawillan had contested the Division 2 League Final of 2005 also with us taking the spoils.

We reached the Senior Championship Semi Final in 2010, narrowly losing to Glencar/Manor and in 2013 lost the Final to St Marys/Kiltoghert. We contested four League Finals in a row from 2013-2016, winning our first since 2006 in 2015 beating Glencar/Manor with an injury time point from Ronan Kennedy.

The Championship Final of 2015 was our third appearance in a final in 10 years. Glencar/Manor were back in their first final in three years. On the 27th of September the showpiece of Leitrim football ended all square in Pairc Sean MacDiarmada as we relinquished a four point lead in the last five minutes. Leading 0-12 to 1-5, Glencar/Manor scored four points on the trot to rescue the game with an injury time free forcing a Replay with the full time score at 0-12 to 1-9.

The Replay was an edgy affair and with time almost up we looked as if we surrendered our fight to become 2015 Senior Champions. The score stood at 0-6 to 0-4 and with one last throw of the dice, Ronan Gallagher let the ball into the square only to land in the possession of the North Leitrim men. But a fumble on the way out of the defence seen the ball scooped up by Alan McLoughlin who had a hit and hope shot from the edge of the D land in the hands of the coolest man in Carrick-on-Shannon Ronan Kennedy who coolly side-stepped Pat Gilmartin, took a hop and calmly placed the ball to the Glencar/Manor net to set Pairc Sean MacDiarmada alight and send the Mohill contingency into ecstasy. As soon as the ball hit the net, referee Ray McBrien blew the full time whistle amidst wild celebrations from the Mohill players, managers, supporters and also many neutrals.

In December 2016, we retained the Senior League for the first time ever beating Aughawillan after extra-time.

Junior Titles

Like every team, the heartbreak of Senior relegation occurred on a few occasions. In 1978 our first team won the Junior A League and Championship only seven years after claiming the Senior Championship. Our second and third teams have also tasted success winning the Junior B Championship in 1997 and the Junior C Championship in 2003. In recent years our second team have been unlucky not to be promoted to Division 2 and Intermediate Championship before 2013 after losing the Junior A Championship in 2011 and finishing just outside the top two in Division 3 on numerous occasions.

In 2013, we contested our first Senior Championship Final since 2006 but lost to St Marys Kiltoghert 2-14 to 2-8. A week later we contested the Junior A Championship Final for the second time in three years. We defeated St Marys on a scoreline of 2-12 to 1-8 winning our first Junior A Championship in 35 years. This win brought to a conclusion a week in which we won the Junior A and Minor A Championship and lost the Senior Championship Final.

In 2015, we topped off the most successful year in the Club's history by being promoted to Division 2 and the Intermediate Championship winning the Junior League and Championship, the first Junior double in the county since 1995 and our first since 1978.

St Manchans - U21 & Minor Titles

Mohill and Eslin amalgamate for Minor and U21 under the name St Manchans, named after the patron saint of the parish. St Manchans first amalgamated in 1975 and first tasted success in 1976, winning the Minor League. Manchans went on to win the Minor Championship in 1983 and 1986 before the amalgamation resolved until 2008 when it was revived once again. Since 2008, St Manchans have contested eight Minor League Finals in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 winning six in a row since 2011. They have also contested five Minor Championship Finals in a row from 2012-2016, winning in 2013 vs Sean O'Heslins and in 2015 after a replay vs Fenagh/Gortletteragh. St Manchans U21's have also been successful in recent years winning the Championship in 2016 and 2010 and contesting finals in 2012, 2013 and 2014 but unfortunately losing all three. On the topic of amalgamations Mohill and Gortletteragh have also amalgamated in the past to form Lough Rynn Gaels. They also tasted success in the late 70's winning the U21 Championship in 1977 and 1978 and the Minor Championship in 1979.

Mohill have always been very successful at underage level but have dominated in recent years. On three occasions Mohill have won four-in-a-row Minor Leagues in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986 and in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 and again in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 but finally made the breakthrough in 2015 creating history by achieving five in a row and added to this making it six in a row in 2016. Many of the players who won four Minor Leagues in the 80's also were victorious at U16 level winning four-in-a-row Championships in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984. Also the same in the 90's as we won three-in-a-row U16 Leagues in 1995, 1996 and 1997 and again in the naughties when we won three U16 Championships in a row in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Since 2000 Mohill have won numerous underage Leagues and Championships including a historic three-in-a-row Minor A Championships in 2003, 2004 and 2005, also winning the League in 2003 and 2004.

U16 Titles

At U16 level we have had major success in Division 1 in recent years but until 2011, Mohill hadn't won an U16 A Championship since 1997, although winning at lower grades before that. A Division 3 League in 2007 and Division 2 Leagues in 2003 and 2008. In 2014 our U16s retained the League title making it 3 in a row Leagues 2012, 2013 and 2014 and in 2013 they completed the double making it 3 in a row Championships for 2011, 2012 and 2013.

U14 Titles

At U14 level we have also been successful winning the U14 Division 1 League and Championship in 2011 and winning the Division 1 League in 2013 but unfortunately narrowly losing the Championship Final by a point to Fenagh/St Caillins. Before 2010 we competed at a lower grade in U14 winning a Division 4 Championship in 2006 and losing the Division 2 Championship Final in 2007, Division 2 League Finals in 2008 and 2009 and the Division 1 League Final in 2010.

U12 Titles

In 2010 a motion was passed to get rid of competitive football at U12 level but before that we won many U12 titles. In 2004 we won the Division 3 U12 League and retained it in 2005. In 2006 we lost the Division 3 Championship Final but this team, who were playing Division 3 at U12 level went on to contest the Minor A Championship Final in 2012 which shows the huge improvement levels at underage in our club. In 2008 we won the U12 Division 2 League and this turned out to be the last year the U12 League was played. In 2009, our U12s won the A Championship, winning our clubs first U12 Championship since 1993. With the U12 Leagues and Championships done away with after this, there was a blitz basis brought in with Finals to be played at the end of all the rounds. In 2011 our U12s won the Division 1 Shield on this basis. In 2014, a Championship basis was once again revived at this level and in 2015 our lads won the Division 2 Championship.

Pakie McGarty

Arguably Leitrim and one of Irelands greatest footballers, Packy McGarty was born in Mohill. McGarty had the distinction of playing for his county over 4 decades 1949-73 but his finest hour was in the 1958 Connacht Final despite the heart breaking defeat to Galway. Pakie played his final game for Mohill in a league game vs Gortletteragh in 1977 nearly 30 years after making his senior debut. There was in fact at one time 3 Senior teams in the parish as Gorvagh also had a Club. In fact Gorvagh were the kingpins of Leitrim football in the 1920s and won 4 titles in a row 1924-28, when they were led by their inspirational captain Jack Bohan.

Mohill GAA Club released a history book in December 2016 called 'Fág A Bealach - Clear the Way 1889-2015'

Mohill GAA Club is 128 years old in 2017.

Honours