Offaly and Longford to meet in Eugene McGee memorial match

Longford and Offaly will honour the memory of Eugene McGee when they meet in a senior football challenge match this Sunday, April 10 at 3pm.

The memorial match will take place in Fr McGee Park, the home of Colmcille GFC in Longford, Eugene’s beloved native club.

Eugene is best remembered for guiding Offaly to their famous All-Ireland final victory over five-in-a-row chasing Kerry in 1982.

His death in May 2019 was widely mourned in GAA circles. McGee also managed UCD, Cavan and the Ireland International Rules team.

Eugene was also highly respected in the media world through his work with the Longford Leader newspaper and as a GAA columnist with the Irish Independent.

Colmcille GFC said it is looking forward to "a momentous day" for the club, stating that the match will bring together two places that Eugene held so dear as it celebrates his huge contribution to Gaelic football.

Admission is €10 per adult (children are free) and the game will be followed by a special guest appearance by GAA president Larry McCarthy and members of Offaly’s 1982 All-Ireland winning team. A presentation by the McGee family will also take place.

The match will act as preparation for both counties’ upcoming Leinster SFC campaigns. Offaly face Wexford in the first round on Sunday, April 24 at Chadwicks Wexford Park, while Longford take on neighbours Westmeath in a local derby quarter-final on Saturday, April 30 in Mullingar.

Offaly were relegated from Division 2 of the Allianz Football League, despite a spirted display against Cork in their last game, while Longford escaped relegation from Division 3 thanks to victory over Laois in their last outing.

This means the two counties will also meet in next year's league campaign, but there is a lot of football to be played before then, starting with Sunday's memorial match in honour of the late Eugene McGee.