County Cavan - Sport

Sport

In Gaelic football, Cavan GAA competes annually in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, which it has won 5 times between 1933 and 1952. The team is currently in division 3 of the National Football League and division 4 of the National Hurling League. Hurling is a declining sport in the county and the Cavan county board has discussed disbanding the senior team to promote the sport at junior level. GAA football player Seanie Johnston was born in the county.

The first GAA club founded in Cavan was Ballyconnell in 1885. However the club didn’t affiliate to GAA Central Council until March 1886 so that can be taken as the founding of the GAA in Cavan and Ulster. The most successful club in Cavan is Cornafean with 20 Senior Football Championship titles, their last title was won in 1956. The most successful club in recent years has been Cavan Gaels GAA which has won 8 of the last 11 Senior Football Championships. Cavan Gaels are the current senior football champions, defeating Castlerahan in the 2011 decider. No team from Cavan has ever won a national or provincial title.

There is a strong history of athletics in Cavan, with a 300m Tartan track in Shercock and other athletics facilities throughout the county. There are five athletics clubs in the county at present, but there have been many more over the years. The current athletics clubs are Annalee AC, Bailieborough AC, Innyvale AC, Laragh AC and Shercock AC.

Fishing is a very popular activity in Cavan because of its complex of large rivers and lakes.

Below is a list of various sporting clubs in Cavan: