St. Loman’s GAA

St Loman’s GAA Mullingar are a football club in the heart of Mullingar. Seven Time Wesmeath Senior Champions. Leinster Finalists in 2017.

Club History

At the dawn of the present century Mental Hospital/St. Lomans were not represented as a club in county competitions, individual members of that time assisted clubs like Cullion, The Downs and other clubs in the area. This state of affairs continued until 1910 when, with Christy Thorpe as Secretary, Mental Hospital G.A.A. Club came into existence. Registered under the title of Springfield Stars the team at that time wore blue and white jerseys with a star inserted.

From 1910 to 1915 the team competed in Junior football competitions without success. Then came a break of four years from competitions due, in the main, to depletions caused by the Great War then raging.The year 1919 saw the re-organisation of the club, catering for both hurling and football. In later years the club changed its name to Mental Hospital, adopting its present name in the late fifties.

Success for the new club was not long delayed and in 1921 they annexed their first title, the Junior Football Championship. Two years later, having won the Junior Hurling Championship, they were promoted to senior level and in 1924 they appeared in their first, and last, Senior Hurling final where they beat Castletown-Geoghan 2-5 to 1-4.

For a number of years the club struggled without material success and, oddly enough, it was the hurlers that broke the impasse with the second Junior crown in 1939. Not to be outdone, the footballers followed with a second Junior award in 1941, a victory that was to herald the first appearance in a Senior decider in 1948.

A four point win, 0-4 to 0-1, over Athlone gave the club its initial senior title and a place among the elite of Westmeath football.The club contested the County Final the following year, but lost by a point, 0-7 to 0-6, as Athlone atoned for the failure of the previous year. In 1957 and 1958 the club also made it to the last two, only for Athlone to deny them ultimate honours, beating them, 2-8 to 1-5 in 1957 and 0-9 to 0-8 the following year.

Despite such setbacks, the club continued as a dominant force and reward came in 1961 when they bear St. Marys , 0-10 to 1-5, to take the second senior crown.

Two years later, St. Marys , again, provided the opposition in the county decider and the game ended all square, St Loman’s GAA 0-8, St. Marys 1-5. The replay was a one-sided affair as St Loman’s GAA strolled to victory, 2-7 to 0-1, taking senior honours for the third and last time.

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