Sligo GAA

The Sligo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) (Irish: Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Contae Sligeach) or Sligo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Sligo. The county board is also responsible for the Sligo inter-county teams.

Sligo's senior Gaelic football team play in the Connacht Senior Football Championship but have only managed to ever win three senior provincial titles: each of these wins came after gaps of about fifty years, in 1928, 1975 and 2007. Sligo have never appeared in an All-Ireland final. In 1922, they came closest, defeating Roscommon, Mayo and Galway, to secure what they thought was the Connacht title, and Tipperary in their subsequent All-Ireland semi-final meeting. However, "a flimsy technicality" led to a replay of the Galway versus Sligo Connacht final, which Sligo lost. A Sligo team apparently on their way to All-Ireland success ended the season without even a provincial title to their name.

In 1954, Sligo reached the Connacht final against Galway, only for their equalising goal in the final minute to be disallowed. In 1962, Sligo reached the Connacht final against Roscommon, and led for much of the match only to be blighted by a sudden string of injuries, miss a 50 while two points ahead in the final minute, and then gift soon-to-be All-Ireland finalists Roscommon a goal in what is considered "one of the great football tragedies in Connacht". In 1965, Sligo reached the Connacht final against Galway, gained a seven-point lead only for one of their players to be "mysteriously sent to the full-forward spot", causing "the entire team momentum" and the match.

In the 2002 All-Ireland quarter-final against Armagh, Sligo's opponents were awarded a contentious point by an umpire, then Sligo did not receive a last-minute penalty it seemed they deserved. Their 2006 defeat to Westmeath was helped along by the referee red-carding Eamonn O'Hara in a case of mistaken identity, sending off two more players and Westmeath scoring a goal in the last minute. As a result of this unfortunate string of horrors, Sligo's senior Gaelic football team has become nationally renowned for repeatedly failing to succeed even when the odds are with them. Sligo teams tend to be regarded as less glamorous than their neighbours in Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, who have all enjoyed much more success.