Tom Conlon (Gaelic footballer)

Thomas Conlon (1925 – 23 January 1990) was an Irish Gaelic footballer. At club level he played with Stabannon Parnells and was also a member of the Louth senior football team.

Tom Conlon
Personal information
Irish name Tomás Ó Conalláin
Sport Gaelic football
Position Full-back
Born 1925
Stabannon,
County Louth, Irish Free State
Died 23 January 1990 (aged 64)
Drumconrath,
County Meath, Ireland
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Nickname Big Tom
Occupation Farmer
Club(s)
Years Club
1942–1960
Stabannon Parnells
Club titles
Louth titles 2
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1944–1957
Louth
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles 3
All-Irelands 1
NFL 0

Career

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Conlon first played Gaelic football as a minor with the O'Connell's club in 1941. The following year he played with the Ardee minors and was also a member of the beaten Mid Louth side in the county final. Conlon was still eligible for the minor grade when he won a Louth JFC medal with Stabannon Parnells in 1943 before winning a Cardinal O'Donnell Cup title in 1945.[1] He captained the club their inaugural Louth SFC title in 1949, before claiming a second winners' medal in 1954.[2]

Conlon first appeared on the inter-county scene as a substitute with the Louth minor team in 1942. He was just 19-years-old when he made his senior team debut against Meath in 1944. Conlon made his championship debut as captain during Louth's Leinster SFC-winning season in 1950, however, they lost the subsequent All-Ireland final to Mayo.[3] He claimed a second Leinster medal in 1953 before retiring from inter-county activity. Conlon was coaxed back to the Louth team and won a third Leinster medal in 1957. He was at full-back when Louth beat Cork in the 1957 All-Ireland final.[4][5]

Personal life and death

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Conlon spent his entire working life as a farmer in Stabannon. He died after a period of illness on 23 January 1990, aged 64.[6]

Honours

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Stabannon Parnells
Louth
Leinster

References

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  1. ^ "Cups of cheer". Hogan Stand. 20 November 2002. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Stabannon won the inaugural Joe Ward in 1949". Hogan Stand. 30 November 2001. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Leinster Senior Football Finalists" (PDF). Leinster GAA website. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Only 20 when he helped Louth to 1957 All-Ireland title". Irish Independent. 8 April 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  5. ^ "A book that tells the great story of Stabannon Parnells". Dundalk Democrat. 11 February 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Death of a legend". Dundalk Democrat. 27 January 1990. Retrieved 5 March 2018.