The Laois-Offaly Garda Division had football success to celebrate last week when they got the better of their Dublin South Central colleagues in the final of their annual All Ireland championship played in Cusack Park, Mullingar.
Managed by Ivan Cunnane from O’Dempsey’s and Mick O’Connell from Portlaoise, they saw of the challenge of the Dublin side who were under the management of former Dublin All Ireland winner Jack Sheedy.
The Laois-Offaly lads had earlier defeated Meath, Wicklow, the Garda Training College and a Kerry side containing former All Star Aidan O’Mahony.
The team compromises of players stationed all over Laois and Offaly who hail from counties Longford, Roscommon, Galway, Mayo, Limerick, Tipperary, Clare and of course Laois and Offaly.
It’s the first time the division have won the title since 2010 and before that it was 1998.
The team was managed by Sgt Mick O Connell, Garda Ivan Cunnane and Sgt PJ O’Brien.
Among the Laois players involved were Rob Foran from Ballyfin, Donal Bigley and Seamus O’Connor from The Heath while former Portlaoise player and Tipperary native Hugh Coughlan was also involved.
LAOIS-OFFALY: Rob Foran (Ballyfin, Laois), Tommy Mannion (Kilcony, Galway), Alan Mills (Kilcommon, Mayo), Diarmuid Ryan (Eire Og Annacarty, Tipperary), Seamus O’Connor (The Heath, Laois), Conor Shields (Clonguish, Longford), Enda Barrett (Newmarket on Fergus, Clare), Trevor Mullins (Monivea, Galway), Darren Gallagher (Granard, Longford), Donal Bigley (The Heath Laois), David Rooney (St Faithleachs, Roscommon), Conor Egan (Birr, Offaly), Hugh Coughlan (Moyne Templetuohy, Tipperary), Mick Lynah (JK Bracken’s Tipperary), Cathal Burke (Sylane, Galway), Dave Scahill (Shandonagh, Westmeath), Niall Quinn (Clarecastle, Clare), John O’Keeffe (Clonoulty, Tipperary), Daire Stapleton (Doon, Limerick), Mike Quilligan (Newcastle West, Limerick), Tom Dunne (Clodagh Gaels, Offaly)
