Connacht Club Football Championship 2026-27

Club football in Connacht runs deep, and July marks the beginning of the road for Leitrim’s best. Once the county senior championship wraps up each summer, the winning club picks up the banner and carries Leitrim into the Connacht Senior Club Football Championship - a knockout provincial competition that has been running in its current form since the early 1970s. For anyone who follows their local club side, or who simply loves watching football played with serious intent, this is a fixture worth tracking down.

What to expect

The Connacht Club Championship brings together the senior county champions from Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo, and Leitrim, with the London champions also involved since 2018. The format is straight knockout, so every match matters from the first whistle. The prize on offer is the Shane McGettigan Cup - named after an Allen Gaels and Leitrim player who died young in 1998, and a reminder that this competition carries genuine local pride alongside provincial prestige.

Leitrim clubs have featured in finals but the cup has yet to come home to the county, which gives each campaign a particular edge. Galway and Roscommon clubs have dominated historically, so any Leitrim side making a run through the rounds is punching with purpose. Matches are held across the province depending on the draw, with venues ranging from county grounds to club pitches.

The atmosphere at club championship matches is often more intense than inter-county days - smaller crowds, tighter sidelines, and supporters who have watched these players since underage.

Getting there

Fixtures at this stage rotate across Connacht venues, so check the Leitrim GAA website or the Connacht GAA fixtures page for confirmed match locations once the draw is made. If a home draw falls to a Leitrim venue, the county town of Carrick-on-Shannon is the main hub - reached via the N4 from Dublin (roughly two hours) or the N16 from Enniskillen. Irish Rail serves Carrick-on-Shannon on the Dublin Heuston to Sligo line, with several services daily. Away fixtures in Galway, Roscommon, Mayo, or Sligo are all within 1.5 to 2 hours of Carrick by road. Parking at GAA grounds in the province is typically free on the day.

While you’re in Leitrim

The county has quiet lakelands, the Shannon-Erne waterway, and a scattering of walking trails that reward a longer visit. There is more to see in Leitrim and across Co. Leitrim.

Good to know

• Dates: Rounds begin from July 2026, with later stages in autumn and winter
• Time: Various - check leitrimgaa.ie for confirmed fixture times
• Price: Admission charged - prices vary by venue and round
• Fixtures and draws: leitrimgaa.ie and connachtgaa.ie
• Organiser: Leitrim GAA / Connacht GAA