The Carlow county football team ( ) represents

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

in men's

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

and is governed by

Carlow GAA The Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) () or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the Carlow county teams. The Carlow county footbal ...

, the

county board A county board is a common form of county legislature, particular of counties in the United States. Related forms of county government include: * Board of Supervisors — a form of county legislature in some U.S. states * County commission, ...

of the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) () is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County (Gaelic games), County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions. Organised by the ...

, the

Leinster Senior Football Championship The Leinster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship and shortened to Leinster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster GAA, Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Asso ...

and the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

. Carlow's home ground is

Dr Cullen Park Dr Cullen Park, known for sponsorship reasons as Netwatch Cullen Park, is a GAA stadium in Carlow, County Carlow, Ireland. It is the home of the Carlow Gaelic football and hurling teams. It has a capacity of 11,000. History The ground's establ ...

. The team last won the Leinster Senior Championship in 1944, in Athy, but has never won a match in Croke Park or the All-Ireland Senior Championship or the National League.

History

Carlow have claimed very few honours at senior level. The team won a

(SFC) in 1944. The final was played in

Athy Athy ( ; ) is a market town at the meeting of the River Barrow and the Grand Canal in south-west County Kildare, Ireland, 72 kilometres southwest of Dublin. A population of 11,035 (as of the 2022 census) made it the sixth largest town in Kil ...

due to the war and Carlow defeated

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

by a scoreline of 2–6 to 1–6. Carlow also lost Leinster SFC finals in 1941 and 1942 to the same opposition. Kerry fisherman-publican Paddy Bawn Brosnan kept Carlow from reaching an All-Ireland SFC final in 1944. His second-half goal put Carlow out of the All-Ireland semi-final by a scoreline of 3–3 to 0–10. Ten years later Carlow reached the National League final with a famous 1–10 to 1–7 win against

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

, but were well beaten by Mayo in the final. Carlow won the 1994 All-Ireland B Senior Football Championship, and an

O'Byrne Cup The O'Byrne Cup is a Gaelic football competition organized by the Leinster GAA and first staged in 1954. History The competition is named in honour of Matt Byrne (b. 14 February 1870), a former Wicklow GAA club and county officer. By virtue of ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

. The team defeated

Wicklow Wicklow ( ; , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; ) is the county town of County Wicklow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had ...

by a scoreline of 2–10 to 0–8. Other significant performances include reaching the

Leinster Minor Football Championship The Leinster Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in gaelic football played in the province of Leinster. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it were replaced by an under 17 ...

final in 2007, when the team lost to Laois. The Carlow Vocational Schools team won the VEC All Ireland Championship in 1973, while Carlow CBS won an All-Ireland B title at

Croke Park Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...

in 2015. An under-21 team came within a point of defeating Dublin in 1984. In the 1980–81 National League Carlow once fielded a one-club selection so that Éire Óg could prepare for their first Leinster Club final. Tommy Dwyer, at 6'7, was one of the tallest midfielders in GAA history. Paul Bealin spent a year as manager. In late 2012, Anthony Rainbow was appointed manager of the senior county football team. Carlow played

Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

in a first round qualifier in 2013 — the first Friday night game in the history of the

Turlough O'Brien Turlough O'Brien is a Gaelic football manager. He managed Carlow between 2014 and 2020. In the 2018 National Football League, O'Brien led the team out of Division 4. This was their first promotion in more than three decades. In the 2018 Lein ...

managed Carlow between 2014 and 2020. In the 2018 National Football League, O'Brien led the team out of Division 4. This was their first promotion in more than three decades. In the

2018 Leinster Senior Football Championship The 2018 Leinster Senior Football Championship was the 2018 installment of the annual Leinster Senior Football Championship organised by Leinster GAA. Dublin county football team, Dublin, the defending champions, won their eighth consecutive ch ...

, he led Carlow to a quarter-final victory against

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...

O'Connor Park O'Connor Park () is a Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA stadium in Tullamore, County Offaly, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is one of the principal grounds of the Offaly GAA Gaelic football and hurling teams. It is known for sponsorship reas ...

. He resigned in June 2020. Also in 2018, Paul Broderick was nominated for an All Star, the first Carlow player to receive a nomination since Colm Hayden in 1994, which was the year Carlow won the All-Ireland Senior B Football Championship. In August 2020,

Niall Carew Niall Carew (born 1974) is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former Gaelic footballer and hurler. He is the former manager of the Carlow county team between 2020 and 2024. Carew previously managed Waterford and Sligo. Career Born in Sta ...

replaced O'Brien as manager.

Panel

^INJ Player has had an injury which has affected recent involvement with the county team.
^RET Player has since retired from the county team.
^WD Player has since withdrawn from the county team due to a non-injury issue.

Management team

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

*Head coach: Ger Brennan * Selectors: Darren Leonard, Simon Rea *Performance coach:

Eamonn Callaghan Eamonn Callaghan is a former Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for the Kildare county team. He captained his county. In 2011, Callaghan was part of the Ireland team that won the 2011 International Rules Series against Australia ...

, since August 2022

Managerial history

Carlow have a history of appointing "foreign" managers, including Liam Hayes (Meath), Pat Roe (Laois), Paul Bealin (Dublin), Andy Shortall (Laois) and Bobby Millar (Laois). Luke Dempsey: 2004, on an interim basis Luke Dempsey (2) 2009/2010/2011/2012

Players

Notable players

Records

* Paddy Quirke (Naomh Eoin, Myshall) – dual All Star (hurling and football), Railway Cup Hurling and Football * Tommy Dwyer (Tinryland) – International Rules Football, Railway Cup Football * Luke Kelly (Leighlinbridge) – Leinster SFC winner 1944 * Jim Morris (Ballon) – Leinster SFC winner 1944 * Jimma Rea (O'Hanrahan's) – Leinster SFC winner 1944 * Simon Rea (Éire Óg) – Railway Cup SF * Mark Carpenter (O'Hanrahan's) – Railway Cup SF, Leinster Club SF 2000 * Tom "Drakes" Walker (O'Hanrahan's) – Railway Cup SF * Colm Hayden (Éire Óg) – Railway Cup SF, 5 Leinsters in 1990s with Éire Óg * Johnny Nevin (Old Leighlin GFC/Naomh Brid HC) - Railway Cup SF, SH, All-Ireland Senior B Football Championship 1994, Carlow Championship 1997, All-Ireland over-40s runner-up 2008 * Andy Murphy (Tinryland) – Railway Cup SF * "Paks" Connolly (Clonmore) – Railway Cup SF * Martin Molloy (Clonmore / Rathvilly) – Railway Cup SF * Luke Dempsey (Ballinabranna) –

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of ...

and Carlow * Thomas Walshe (Fenagh GFC/Ballinkillen HC) – Railway Cup SF * Cyril Hughes (St Andrew's, Bagenalstown GFC/Ballinkillen HC) – Railway Cup SF, manager of Carlow and

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

* Brendan Murphy (Rathvilly) – Leinster MFC runner-up 2007, professional

Australian rules Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

player * Tommy 'The Boy Wonder' Murphy (Graiguecullen) – Team of the Millennium as

player, originally Carlow before the Graiguecullen expulsion * Brendan Hayden Snr (Tinryland GFC/St Fintan's HC) – Railway Cup SF * Ned Doogue (O'Hanrahan's) – Railway Cup SF * Eamonn Long (O'Hanrahan's) – Railway Cup SF * Cran Hogan (Éire Óg) – Railway Cup SF * Willie Quinlan (Éire Óg) – Railway Cup SF, All-Ireland Senior B Football Championship 1994 * Andrew Corden (O'Hanrahan's) – O'Byrne Cup 2001 * Peeney Whelan (Tinryland) – Railway Cup SF * Garvan Ware (Éire Óg) – Railway Cup SF, 5 Leinsters in 1990s with Éire Óg * Joe Hayden (Éire Óg GFC/Carlow Town HC) – Railway Cup SF, 5 Leinsters in 1990s with Éire Óg * Richie Moore (Éire Óg GFC/Carlow Town HC) – All-Ireland Senior B Football Championship 1994 * Willie Doyle (O'Hanrahan's) – International Rules 1985 * Hugh Brennan (Éire Óg) – Mayo minor, 5 Leinsters in 1990s with Éire Óg, All-Ireland Senior B Football Championship

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

1994 * Ned Gladney (St Mullins) – All-Ireland and Leinster 1961, 1962, eight county titles, and full forward on Team of the Century. The first man to captain Carlow at senior level.

All Stars

Carlow has no All Stars.

Honours

National

**Semi-finalists (1):

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...

* All-Ireland Senior B Football Championship ** Winners (1): 1994 *

Tailteann Cup The Tailteann Cup is a Gaelic football competition held annually since 2022 and organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is contested by those county teams, which, in the given year, have not otherwise qualified for the All-Ireland ...

**Quarter-finalists (1):

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

** Runners-up (1): 1953–54 * National Football League Division 2 ** Winners (1): 1934–35 *

All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship The All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship was a Gaelic Athletic Association football and hurling competition. There are two levels of competition. Individual schools compete for county, provincial and All-Ireland competitions. County teams s ...

** Winners (1): 1973

Provincial

** Winners (1): 1944 ** Runners-up (2): 1941, 1942 *

** Winners (1):

* Leinster Junior Football Championship ** Winners (3): 1913, 1923, 1933 * Leinster Under-21 Football Championship ** Runners-up (1): 1984 *

** Runners-up (1): 2007

References

{{GAA National Leagues County football teams