The Carlow county football team (/ˈkɑːrl/ KAR-loh) represents Carlow in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Carlow GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Leinster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.

Carlow
Sport:Football
Irish:Ceatharlach
Nickname(s):The Barrowsiders[1]
County board:Carlow GAA
Manager:Niall Carew
Captain:Sean Gannon
Home venue(s):Dr Cullen Park, Carlow
Recent competitive record
Current All-Ireland status:Leinster (PR) in 2022
Last championship title:None
Current NFL Division:4 (7th in 2022)
Last league title:None
First colours
Second colours

Carlow's home ground is Dr Cullen Park, Carlow. The team's manager is Niall Carew.

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

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Carlow team of 1944

Carlow have claimed very few honours at senior level. The team won a Leinster Senior Football Championship (SFC) in 1944. The final was played in Athy due to the war and Carlow defeated Dublin 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, but were well beaten by Mayo in the final.

Carlow won the 1994 All-Ireland B Senior Football Championship, and an O'Byrne Cup in 2002. The team defeated Wicklow by a scoreline of 2–10 to 0–8.

Other significant performances include reaching the Leinster Minor Football Championship 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 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 in a first round qualifier in 2013 — the first Friday night game in the history of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.[2]

Turlough O'Brien 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, he led Carlow to a quarter-final victory against Kildare at O'Connor Park. He resigned in June 2020.[3][4][5]

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 replaced O'Brien as manager.[6]

Current panel

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Team as per Carlow vs Longford in the Leinster SFC, 27 June 2021

No. Player Position Club
1 Ciaran Cunningham Goalkeeper Bagenalstown Gaels
2 Liam Roberts Right corner back Kildavin\Clonegal
3 Shane Redmond Full back Tinryland
4 Josh Moore Left corner back Rathvilly
5 Jordan Morrissey Right half back Éire Óg
6 John Murphy Centre back Grange
7 Seanie Bambrick Left half back Old Leighlin
8 Sean Gannon (c) Midfield Éire Óg
9 Eoghan Ruth Midfield Éire Óg
10 Ross Dunphy Right half forward Éire Óg
11 Colm Hulton Centre forward Éire Óg
12 Jamie Clarke Left half forward Bagenalstown Gaels
13 Conor Crowley Right corner forward Palatine
14 Paul Broderick Full forward Tinryland
15 Darragh Foley Left corner forward Kilbride
No. Player Position Club
16 Robbie Molloy Substitute Rathvilly
17 Mikey Bambrick Substitute Old Leighlin
18 Conor Lawlor Substitute Palatine
19 Jordan Lowry Substitute Éire Óg
20 Tomas Kenny Substitute Palatine
21 Conor Doyle Substitute Rathvilly
22 Jason Kane Substitute Palatine
23 Shane O'Neill Substitute Palatine
24 Chris Blake Substitute Éire Óg
25 James McGrath Substitute O'Hanrahans
26 Cormac Mullins Substitute Éire Óg

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.

Current management team

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Managerial history

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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).[8]

Luke Dempsey: 2004, on an interim basis

Luke Dempsey (2) 2009/2010/2011/2012

Dates Name Origin
?–? ?
?–? Paul Bealin   
2012–? Anthony Rainbow  
2014?–2020 Turlough O'Brien Club?
2020– Niall Carew  

Players

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Notable players

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Records

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  • 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[9] (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 of Westmeath, Longford and Carlow[10][contradictory]
  • 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
  • Brendan Murphy (Rathvilly) – Leinster MFC runner-up 2007, professional Australian rules player
  • Tommy 'The Boy Wonder' Murphy (Graiguecullen) – Team of the Millennium as Laois player, originally Carlow[citation needed] before the Graiguecullen expulsion
  • Brendan Hayden Snr (Tinryland GFC/St Fintan's HC) – Railway Cup SF
  • Vincent Harvey (Éire Óg) – former Carlow manager
  • 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 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

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Carlow has no All Stars.[11]

Honours

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National

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Provincial

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References

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  1. ^ "Team news: Carlow boss Carew rings changes ahead of derby". Hogan Stand. 29 May 2021. The Barrowsiders scored a 16-point victory over Waterford two weeks ago and return to duty this weekend with a host of changes to their team-sheet.
  2. ^ "Qualifiers include first ever Friday night game". RTÉ. 17 June 2013. Carlow will play Laois on 28 June in Dr Cullen Park, the first time a Championship game will take place on a Friday night.
  3. ^ "Turlough O'Brien steps down as Carlow manager". RTÉ. 6 June 2020.
  4. ^ Cooney, Gavin (6 June 2020). "Turlough O'Brien steps down as Carlow football manager". The42.ie.
  5. ^ Crowe, Dermot (7 June 2020). "Carlow football left shocked by O'Brien's early departure". Sunday Independent.
  6. ^ "Niall Carew appointed Carlow boss with Ger Brennan joining ticket". RTÉ. 18 August 2020.
  7. ^ Boyle, Donnchadh (22 August 2022). "Former Kildare skipper Eamonn Callaghan joins Carlow senior football backroom team". Irish Independent.
  8. ^ Breheny, Martin (24 November 2012). "The import and export business". Irish Independent.
  9. ^ "Johnny Nevin's amazing record". Hogan Stand. 8 August 2003.
  10. ^ Breheny, Martin (24 November 2012). "The import and export business". Irish Independent.
  11. ^ Breheny, Martin (2 November 2016). "All-Star path needs new direction". Irish Independent. Longford, Carlow, Limerick, Waterford and, of course, Kilkenny have never won a football All-Star award.