Crucial appointments loom for County Roscommon GAA Club
Mark Dowd, the current manager of the Roscommon Gaels senior footballers, ahead of last year's county senior football final against Pádraig Pearses. Picture: Gerard O'Loughlin
With both its senior football and hurling teams out of the championship, the main action for Roscommon Gaels will take place indoors as the club must appoint new senior football and hurling managers.
After two years in charge, Mark Dowd has moved on to take over the county senior footballers, leaving the Gaels with a vacancy to fill. They will be disappointed with how their championship season ended. Last year’s beaten finalists only won two games against Oran and Castlerea St. Kevin’s — the latter ending up in a relegation battle.
If one was to rank the 12 senior teams in this year’s senior football championship, the Gaels would struggle to make the top six based on their performances. Michael Glaveys and St. Faithleach’s have moved ahead of them over the past 12 months.
The loss of key players left them short but they didn't have enough quality forwards to kick scores when the pressure was on to win big games and they subsequently bowed out meekly to St. Brigid’s.
The new manager will have some good young talent on the horizon to work with, but their quarter-final defeat against St. Brigid’s showcased the distance they have to travel to return to the business end of the championship, Meanwhile, after four great years in charge of the senior hurlers, Ronan O’Meara has stepped down, leaving a big vacuum to fill. Progress was made under O’Meara’s stewardship. The highlight was reaching a county senior semi-final in 2024 — the first time the Purple and Gold reached that stage of the championship in quite some time.
The Tipperary native, who is a Garda in Roscommon Town, led the club to the county junior championship title in 2024. The Gaels also reached three junior deciders, a senior league final and an U-21 final.
Up until a few years ago, the Gaels would have been the odd one out from the seven teams in the group stages of the senior hurling championship. It appeared that the group stages were a meaningless exercise just to eliminate them. Reaching the knockout stages would have been unheard of until O’Meara came along.
The departure of Mark Dowd and Ronan O’Meara has left big shoes to fill. Careful consideration will be needed before both posts are filled.
Remember, the club hasn’t won the senior football championship since 2004 and have been in the hurling wilderness in terms of senior silverware since 1970.
What a week for Roscommon hurling referee Matthew Farrell.
The Oran clubman, who works as a radiographer in Tullamore General Hospital, refereed last Saturday’s thrilling Offaly’s SHC semi-final between Kilcormac-Killoughey and Birr at Glenisk O’Connor Park. It underlined Farrell’s burgeoning potential to be entrusted with such a big game in a premier hurling county.
Last week's teaser was as tight as the Budget — there were few giveaways on offer.
Can you name the last player to have played senior championship football for and against Galway? It was Owen Gallagher who played for Antrim against Galway in 2018 before playing for the Tribemen in the 2022 championship.
Liam Dooley, Ballyhaunis, was first to get the VAT rate reduced. QPR, Frenchpark; Michael Scally, Ballaghaderreen; Murt Hunt, Ballyhaunis; Seán Farrell, Dublin; Pat, Sligo; Mary McCarthy, Holloway; Luigi, Ballyhaunis; Kevin Flanagan, Dartford; Seán Toolan, Heston, and Michael Kearns, Clapham, also enjoyed a little something extra in their pay packet.
This week’s teaser: Can you name the current Roscommon senior club footballer who played championship football for Galway?
Answers by e-mail to willieefc@gmail.com or by text to 086 8356227. This week’s teaser came from Sligo?
Star pupil: Eoin Colleran who delivered a polished display, scoring 2-4 for Pádraig Pearses during their SFC semi-final win over St. Faithleach’s.
Crucial win for: St. Barry’s who maintained their IFC status with victory over Kilbride, creating a magic moment to savour as they survived their first year in the second tier of championship football.
Much do better: St. Faithleach’s will be disappointed with their performance against Pádraig Pearses in the senior football championship semi-final.
Spot of bother: Kilbride being relegated to junior championship football for 2026 is a massive blow to the club — 25 years after they were crowned Roscommon senior football champions.
Weekend highlight: Everton’s favourite son, Jack Grealish, scoring the winner in stoppage time for the Toffees against Crystal Palace.
“Take risks. If you win, you will be happy. If you lose, you will be wiser.”
Pádraig Pearses are top dogs with 16 two-pointers in this year's Roscommon Senior Football Championship.
Shelbourne earned more money from their maiden Europa Conference group game against Hacken last Thursday night (€133,000) than they did for winning the League of Ireland Premier Division title (€110,000) in 2024, which took 36 games.
