THE ROSCOMMON TEAM retreated to the quiet surroundings of the Abbey Hotel for their post-match meal in the hours after their Connacht final success.
The County Board wanted the group to share that private time together. Only the families, wives and partners were present.
Kings of the province for the first time since 2019. The end of a 36-year wait for a home championship win over Galway, who were chasing a fifth consecutive title. And all in front of a packed-out crowd at Hyde Park. Plenty to savour during those intimate celebrations.
Meanwhile, the party roared to life throughout the rest of Roscommon town. The crowds converged on Main Street and quickly found their voice for a few renditions of The Rose of Castlerea.
Roscommon’s Robert Heneghan celebrates with fans after winning the Connacht final. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Roscommon chairman Tom Murray didn’t get a chance to sample the carnival atmosphere that evening but was heartened by the video clips that captured the scenes. He comes from the St Dominic’s club in Knockcroghery, which is close to Athlone where celebrations have been taking place on both sides of the Shannon after Westmeath’s Leinster success last week.
And as Roscommon prepares for the next phase of their championship journey, Murray is anticipating another hectic weekend of colour and cheer for the visit of Tyrone.
Over 12,000 tickets have been sold for their All-Ireland Round 1 tie, 16,000 are expected to attend, and the word so far is that accommodation around Roscommon is scarce.
“To the best of my knowledge, there aren’t any rooms to be got in Roscommon,” Murray says. “Tyrone are good to travel. They’ll be down the night before in large numbers, and I’m delighted for the businesses in Roscommon because they’ve been very supportive to us and they’re able to get something back from it.”
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Diarmuid Murtagh’s acceptance speech touched on some of the key moments that have summed up Roscommon’s season so far. He opened with some references to the county’s minor captain Tadhg Fallon, and the U20 skipper Eoghan Carthy who had lifted Connacht trophies in the weeks before.
That laid the groundwork for Roscommon’s first-ever provincial sweep across those grades.
Their minors are now back-to-back Connacht champions with an All-Ireland semi-final to look forward to next month against the winners of the Ulster competition.
The U20s, managed by Enda Smith’s brother Cian, bowed out after a heroic extra-time effort against Kerry last week in Thurles. And while both Cian Smith and Kerry manager Tomás Ó Sé condemned the GAA for the midweek scheduling of their All-Ireland semi-final, Roscommon were backed by a big travelling support.
“One is definitely helping the other,” Murray says about the increase in crowds at Roscommon matches this year. The sell-out attendance at the Connacht senior final is a testament to that groundswell of support.
Murtagh covered this point too. Towards the end of his address, he thanked the supporters for undertaking this journey with them, and for travelling to places like Killarney and New York along the way.
That trip to Kerry for their Division 1 opener ultimately signalled their intent for 2026.
Roscommon have struggled to maintain their position in the top tier in the past, but their performance against the All-Ireland champions in January indicated a change in that trend. Jack O’Connor’s side needed a buzzer-beater point from Tomás Kennedy to snatch the victory that day.
And while Roscommon were unfortunate not to come away with a result, that game sent them on a path towards four victories from seven league games.
There was even a possibility of Roscommon contesting the Division 1 final coming into the final round after a campaign which featured impressive wins against Armagh, Galway and Donegal.
Their league showing provided the springboard for their charge at the Connacht championship, culminating in that image of Murtagh reminding the home crowd of the long road that they had travelled together.
He also paid tribute to Roscommon’s 2001 team, who were receiving their jubilee recognition that day. They were the last side to win a Connacht final at home in Hyde Park, which brought an air of serendipity to the occasion. But it was the deceased heroes of that time that Murtagh wanted to acknowledge.
The Roscommon team before the 2001 Connacht final. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
“It was an absolute honour for us to know that you were going to be here today,” he said. “But let’s not forget the people who couldn’t be here with the 2001 team – Conor Connelly, Don Connellan and Ger Michael Grogan, we’re thinking of ye today. I can be sure ye were looking down at us with eight minutes to go and we needed every bit of it.”
And in a respectful nod to the defeated Connacht finalists, Murtagh also mentioned the late Michael Lyster, who was a proud Galway supporter and long-time presenter of The Sunday Game.
Poignant moments of deserved remembrance before the celebrations commenced.
****
Under the new championship format, a win over Tyrone this Sunday would see Roscommon close in on a place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals. Their most recent showing at that stage of the championship was just two years ago when they lost to eventual All-Ireland champions Armagh.
Incidentally, they reached the final eight after a surprise preliminary quarter-final win against Tyrone.
Darragh Canavan on the ball for Tyrone in the 2024 All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Roscommon. Leah Scholes / INPHO
Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO
Armagh’s goals in either half from Conor Turbitt and Barry McCambridge curtailed Roscommon, who also lost key defender Ruaidhrí Fallon to a red card in the first half of that quarter-final.
Fallon continues to play an important role for Roscommon, although his impact is coming from the bench lately. He was introduced in the second half of the Connacht final along with his St Brigid’s teammates Conor Hand and Shane Cunnane, bringing a final burst of power to dethrone Galway.
Robbie Dolan and Brian Stack were included on the match-day panel too, while goalkeeper Conor Carroll — who transferred to St Brigid’s from Oranmore-Maree last year — played the full game.
St Brigid’s have contested two of the last three senior All-Ireland club finals, but as former Roscommon forward Cathal Cregg explains, the layout of the current team is a reflection of the quality at Mark Dowd’s disposal. Injuries to players like Stack and Fallon have also contributed to the selections.
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“Brian Stack would definitely have been a nailed-on starter. He was carrying quite a bad injury up until recently,” Cregg says.
“Shane Cunnane has played quite a bit over the last couple of years, but Conor Ryan and Keith Doyle have done very well at midfield. Conor Hand would be the other one that people would be talking about. A really good player, but we’ve seen what Darragh Heneghan can produce.”
That panel depth will be all the more important for Roscommon in the coming weeks as they look to evolve again in 2026.
“They need to get to the All-Ireland quarter-final and possibly try and win one to try and establish themselves as a real high level team,” Cregg says, laying out the challenge that Roscommon now face.
“They have done it to a certain extent by beating Mayo and Galway, who are two good Division 1 teams. But the next step is [to] get to that All-Ireland semi-final and being competitive at the later stages of the championship.”
Tickets are selling fast. Accommodation is selling faster. Hyde Park could be the setting for another memorable day.
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'There aren't any rooms to be got in Roscommon' - Connacht champions begin All-Ireland journey
THE ROSCOMMON TEAM retreated to the quiet surroundings of the Abbey Hotel for their post-match meal in the hours after their Connacht final success.
The County Board wanted the group to share that private time together. Only the families, wives and partners were present.
Kings of the province for the first time since 2019. The end of a 36-year wait for a home championship win over Galway, who were chasing a fifth consecutive title. And all in front of a packed-out crowd at Hyde Park. Plenty to savour during those intimate celebrations.
Meanwhile, the party roared to life throughout the rest of Roscommon town. The crowds converged on Main Street and quickly found their voice for a few renditions of The Rose of Castlerea.
Roscommon chairman Tom Murray didn’t get a chance to sample the carnival atmosphere that evening but was heartened by the video clips that captured the scenes. He comes from the St Dominic’s club in Knockcroghery, which is close to Athlone where celebrations have been taking place on both sides of the Shannon after Westmeath’s Leinster success last week.
And as Roscommon prepares for the next phase of their championship journey, Murray is anticipating another hectic weekend of colour and cheer for the visit of Tyrone.
Over 12,000 tickets have been sold for their All-Ireland Round 1 tie, 16,000 are expected to attend, and the word so far is that accommodation around Roscommon is scarce.
“To the best of my knowledge, there aren’t any rooms to be got in Roscommon,” Murray says. “Tyrone are good to travel. They’ll be down the night before in large numbers, and I’m delighted for the businesses in Roscommon because they’ve been very supportive to us and they’re able to get something back from it.”
****
Diarmuid Murtagh’s acceptance speech touched on some of the key moments that have summed up Roscommon’s season so far. He opened with some references to the county’s minor captain Tadhg Fallon, and the U20 skipper Eoghan Carthy who had lifted Connacht trophies in the weeks before.
That laid the groundwork for Roscommon’s first-ever provincial sweep across those grades.
Their minors are now back-to-back Connacht champions with an All-Ireland semi-final to look forward to next month against the winners of the Ulster competition.
The U20s, managed by Enda Smith’s brother Cian, bowed out after a heroic extra-time effort against Kerry last week in Thurles. And while both Cian Smith and Kerry manager Tomás Ó Sé condemned the GAA for the midweek scheduling of their All-Ireland semi-final, Roscommon were backed by a big travelling support.
“One is definitely helping the other,” Murray says about the increase in crowds at Roscommon matches this year. The sell-out attendance at the Connacht senior final is a testament to that groundswell of support.
Murtagh covered this point too. Towards the end of his address, he thanked the supporters for undertaking this journey with them, and for travelling to places like Killarney and New York along the way.
That trip to Kerry for their Division 1 opener ultimately signalled their intent for 2026.
Roscommon have struggled to maintain their position in the top tier in the past, but their performance against the All-Ireland champions in January indicated a change in that trend. Jack O’Connor’s side needed a buzzer-beater point from Tomás Kennedy to snatch the victory that day.
And while Roscommon were unfortunate not to come away with a result, that game sent them on a path towards four victories from seven league games.
There was even a possibility of Roscommon contesting the Division 1 final coming into the final round after a campaign which featured impressive wins against Armagh, Galway and Donegal.
Their league showing provided the springboard for their charge at the Connacht championship, culminating in that image of Murtagh reminding the home crowd of the long road that they had travelled together.
He also paid tribute to Roscommon’s 2001 team, who were receiving their jubilee recognition that day. They were the last side to win a Connacht final at home in Hyde Park, which brought an air of serendipity to the occasion. But it was the deceased heroes of that time that Murtagh wanted to acknowledge.
“It was an absolute honour for us to know that you were going to be here today,” he said. “But let’s not forget the people who couldn’t be here with the 2001 team – Conor Connelly, Don Connellan and Ger Michael Grogan, we’re thinking of ye today. I can be sure ye were looking down at us with eight minutes to go and we needed every bit of it.”
And in a respectful nod to the defeated Connacht finalists, Murtagh also mentioned the late Michael Lyster, who was a proud Galway supporter and long-time presenter of The Sunday Game.
Poignant moments of deserved remembrance before the celebrations commenced.
****
Under the new championship format, a win over Tyrone this Sunday would see Roscommon close in on a place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals. Their most recent showing at that stage of the championship was just two years ago when they lost to eventual All-Ireland champions Armagh.
Incidentally, they reached the final eight after a surprise preliminary quarter-final win against Tyrone.
Armagh’s goals in either half from Conor Turbitt and Barry McCambridge curtailed Roscommon, who also lost key defender Ruaidhrí Fallon to a red card in the first half of that quarter-final.
Fallon continues to play an important role for Roscommon, although his impact is coming from the bench lately. He was introduced in the second half of the Connacht final along with his St Brigid’s teammates Conor Hand and Shane Cunnane, bringing a final burst of power to dethrone Galway.
Robbie Dolan and Brian Stack were included on the match-day panel too, while goalkeeper Conor Carroll — who transferred to St Brigid’s from Oranmore-Maree last year — played the full game.
St Brigid’s have contested two of the last three senior All-Ireland club finals, but as former Roscommon forward Cathal Cregg explains, the layout of the current team is a reflection of the quality at Mark Dowd’s disposal. Injuries to players like Stack and Fallon have also contributed to the selections.
“Brian Stack would definitely have been a nailed-on starter. He was carrying quite a bad injury up until recently,” Cregg says.
“Shane Cunnane has played quite a bit over the last couple of years, but Conor Ryan and Keith Doyle have done very well at midfield. Conor Hand would be the other one that people would be talking about. A really good player, but we’ve seen what Darragh Heneghan can produce.”
That panel depth will be all the more important for Roscommon in the coming weeks as they look to evolve again in 2026.
“They need to get to the All-Ireland quarter-final and possibly try and win one to try and establish themselves as a real high level team,” Cregg says, laying out the challenge that Roscommon now face.
“They have done it to a certain extent by beating Mayo and Galway, who are two good Division 1 teams. But the next step is [to] get to that All-Ireland semi-final and being competitive at the later stages of the championship.”
Tickets are selling fast. Accommodation is selling faster. Hyde Park could be the setting for another memorable day.
****
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All-Ireland Football Championhip Dr Hyde Park GAA Gaelic Football golden era Roscommon GAA Tyrone GAA