Armagh–Roscommon Gaelic football rivalry
| Location | County Armagh County Roscommon |
|---|---|
| Teams | Armagh Roscommon |
| First meeting | 1954 |
| Latest meeting | 2024 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 8 |
| Most wins | Armagh (5) |
| Largest victory | 6 points (Roscommon - 1980) 6 points (Armagh - 2024) |
The Armagh–Roscommon Gaelic football rivalry stretches back to 1953 in championship football when the counties met for the first time[1] in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
Championship meetings
As Provincial Champions
Despite winning the second ever Ulster Senior Football Championship, Armagh were infrequent winners of the competition, which was dominated by Cavan and Monaghan[2] in the first half of the twentieth century. Likewise, Roscommon went without a provincial title for 38 years between 1915 and 1943.
The counties’ first championship encounter came in the 1953 All-Ireland semi-final, which Armagh won on a scoreline of 0–8 to 0–7.[3]
Armagh would not have another provincial title until 1977, when they once again met Roscommon at the semi-final stage of the competition. The first game was drawn[4] 3–9 to 2–12 with Armagh winning the replay a fortnight later again by a single point on a scoreline of 0–15 to 0–14.[5]
The sides would meet three years later in the 1980 semi-final, this time Roscommon winning 2–20 to 3–11.[6]
Qualifier Era
Armagh and Roscommon met in Round 3 of the All-Ireland Qualifiers in 2014, having both been eliminated at the semi-final stage of their respective provincial championships. Armagh won the game by 1–17 to 1–12.[7]
They met again in 2018 in Round 4 of the qualifiers at Portlaoise, Roscommon winning on this occasion by 2–22 to 1–19.[8]
Current format
The most recent encounter was in the 2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, which Armagh went on to win, eliminating Roscommon at the quarter-final stage by 2–12 to 0–12.[9]
1982 American Tour
Armagh and Roscommon embarked on a tour of the United States in the autumn of 1982 playing three games at Gaelic Park in New York, Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco and Downey, California.
With one win apiece and the aggregate score level, Roscommon were awarded the Lefty Devine Memorial Cup on their number of scores.[10]
References
- ^ "Armagh v Roscommon's Croke Park History". The Sideline Eye. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "'Back to the early men of Ulster GAA' - Monaghan-Cavan renew 136-year rivalry in provincial opener". The Irish News. 4 April 2024.
- ^ "Great Roscommon bid just failed". Roscommon Herald. 15 August 1953. p. 8.
- ^ "Armagh deserved ther second bite of the cherry". Newry Reporter. 18 August 1977. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "Brave Armagh reach senior final at second attempt". Lurgan Mail. 1 September 1977. p. 24. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "Fans filled with a mixture of pride and disbelief in team". Lurgan Mail. 14 August 1980. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "Armagh momentum builds as Rossies fall short in qualifier". the42.ie. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "All-Ireland qualifiers: Roscommon beat Armagh 2-22 to 1-19 to make Super 8s". BBC Sport. 7 July 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "Armagh beat 14-man Rossies to reach All-Ireland semis". BBC Sport. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ Niall McCoy (29 June 2024). "Teams America: When Armagh and Roscommon toured the USA". RTÉ.
It's no surprise Finneran has forgotten the specifics. The organisers needed someone to lift the O'Dwyer Cup as tour winners – and as Roscommon had managed more scores across the three games, they had the honours.