Tubberclair’s Kealan Connell and Chris Daly of Tyrrellspass in action during this year’s Westmeath SFC at Hogan Park, Moate. Connell was among those selected on the Westmeath SFC Team of the Year. Photo: Paul Molloy.

Teams of the Year picked from Westmeath club championships

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The Iarmhí Abú ‘Teams of the Year’ in the 2026 Westmeath senior, intermediate and junior football championships have been named.

Ray Gavin, regular host of the popular podcast, announced the teams on the Iarmhí Abú social media channels last weekend in advance of the Westmeath All-Stars awards ceremony which takes place in Clarke’s Bar Mullingar on Friday, November 27, at 8.30pm.

The Iarmhí Abú Podcast is a weekly show dedicated to all matters Westmeath football and hurling. Hosted by Gavin, it features commentary form former Westmeath senior football and hurling players, with Alan Mangan and Denis Glennon, regular contributors to the weekly show.

The Westmeath SFC Team of the Year includes Athlone’s Shane Allen, Tubberclair’s Kealan Connell and Robbie Forde of Moate All Whites. Connell, who was the top scorer from open play in this year’s senior championship, is listed in the half forward line. Allen is selected in the half back line, while Forde is named on the inside forward line.

Unsurprisingly, given their back-to-back Flanagan Cup success, The Downs feature prominently on the selected team with six players chosen by virtue of their senior championship performances. Josh Murtagh, Charlie Drumm, Ciaran Nolan and Joe Moran are selected in defence. Two of The Down’s chief scorers, Luke Loughlin and Niall Mitchell, who was awarded ‘Man of the Match’ in the county final win over St Loman’s, have been named in the full forward line.

Senior championship finalists, St Loman’s have four players dotted throughout the Team of the Year. The quartet consists of Eoin Hogan, All-Star nominee Sam McCartan, his brother Danny and John Heslin, who top scored for St Loman’s with ten points in the senior final.

The team is completed by goalkeeper Joe Hyland of Tyrrellspass and Coralstown/Kinnegad’s Brían Cooney, a regular at midfield for Westmeath this year.

Rosemount’s David O’Reilly is included in the Westmeath Intermediate Football Championship Team of the Year. O’Reilly, who is also a talented hurler, impressed in the black and amber side’s charge to the semi-finals of this year’s competition and has been recognised for his contribution to the Rosemount cause.

The team itself is dominated by the intermediate champions Milltown, who claimed their first Peter Geraghty Cup with a resounding win over Shandonagh in late October.

The champions have nine players named on the team, including goalkeeper Alan Geraghty, and defenders Sean Dillon, Matthew Gunning and Conor Gibney. Midfielder Dylan Murtagh is listed alongside O’Reilly, while forwards, Jack Duncan, Conor Dillon, Conor Lynn and Ben McGauran complete the Milltown contingent.

Despite the outcome of the final, Shandonagh have four players named on the team, including three defenders Maitiu Scully, Adam Treanor and Danny Scahill . The finalists have one forward named on the team, Brian Kavanagh, who occupies the No 14 position.

Completing the team is St Malachy’s attacker Shane Corcoran, who featured in Westmeath’s march to Leinster senior championship success this year.

Meanwhile, the Junior 1 championship Team of the Year is dominated by St Joseph’s, who claimed the Hugh Daniels Cup for the first time since 2004.

The Streamstown club have seven players named on the team, reflecting their dominance of this year’s championship, particularly the final, in which they defeated The Downs on a 3-12 to 0-15 scoreline.

Pearse Weir Norris claims the full back position with fellow defenders, Mikey Lynam and Daniel Keegan named on the half back line. In centrefield, Ros Elliffe (who was named ‘man of the match’ following a 2-3 scoring salvo in the championship final), is complemented by club colleague Ben McDonnell.

Team captain Jordan McDonnell occupies the centre forward position and is flanked by Dean Slevin, who contributed 1-3 to St Joseph’s total in the final.

St Joseph’s final opponents, The Downs second team, have four players named: goalkeeper Senan O’Driscoll, Conor Daly, Matthew Cunningham and Jack Carroll.

Kilbeggan Shamrocks duo Shaun Pidgeon and Nigel Scally and St Loman’s pair Tadhg Kenny and Eoin Meehan complete the team.

Westmeath Senior Football Championship ‘Team of the Year’: Joe Hyland (Tyrrellspass); Josh Murtagh (The Downs), Charlie Drumm (The Downs), Eoin Hogan (St Loman’s, Mullingar); Shane Allen (Athlone), Ciaran Nolan (The Downs), Joe Moran (The Downs); Sam McCartan (St Loman’s), Brían Cooney (Coralstown/Kinnegad); Danny McCartan (St Loman’s), John Heslin (St Loman’s), Kealan Connell (Tubberclair); Luke Loughlin (The Downs), Niall Mitchell (The Downs), Robbie Forde (Moate All Whites).

Westmeath Intermediate Football Championship ‘Team of the Year’: Alan Geraghty (Milltown); Sean Dillon (Milltown), Maitiu Scully (Shandonagh), Adam Treanor (Shandonagh); Matthew Gunning (Milltown), Conor Gibney (Milltown), Danny Scahill (Shandonagh); David O’Reilly (Rosemount), Dylan Murtagh (Milltown); Jack Duncan (Milltown), Conor Dillon (Milltown), Shane Corcoran (St Malachy’s); Conor Lynn (Milltown), Brian Kavanagh (Shandonagh), Ben McGauran (Milltown).

Westmeath Junior 1 Football Championship ‘Team of the Year’: Senan O’Driscoll (The Downs); Tadhg Kenny (St Loman’s), Pearse Weir Norris (St Joseph’s), Conor Daly (The Downs); Mikey Lynam (St Joseph’s), Daniel Keegan (St Joseph’s), Shaun Pidgeon (Kilbeggan Shamrocks); Ben McDonnell (St Joseph’s), Ros Elliffe (St Joseph’s); Matthew Cunningham (The Downs), Jordan McDonnell (St Joseph’s), Dean Slevin (St Joseph’s); Eoin Meehan (St Loman’s), Nigel Scally (Kilbeggan Shamrocks), Jack Carroll (The Downs).

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