Mullingar Shamrocks maiden voyage in the Leinster Club Championship was a short one. In 1986, Wexford champions Duffry Rovers provided Mullingar Shamrocks first provincial opposition. The game marked the return of Ned Moore from a period of residence in New York and the man who was to prove so influential in the club in later years was dispatched behind the goal to quickly retrieve the ball as Shamrocks enjoyed the advantage of a strong wind in the first-half. The same Ned Moore is the Mullingar Shamrocks team manager and was to win senior football championship medals with the club in 1987, 1990, 1992-1995 and 2000 captaining the club to the 1993, 1994, 1995 titles.

A near gale force wind accompanied by heavy squalls of rain made conditions deplorable during the game. In 1986, the championship had yet to attain its later significance and clubs that had suffered long spells without ultimate county championship glory tended to lose focus on the attainment of county glory. Such was the case with Shamrocks in 1986 and Duffry Rovers were worthy winners on a score of 1-9 to 1-7 in Cusack Park on 26 October 1986. The Wexford club had just won its first Wexford senior title. This 1986 championship began a period of success for the club and they won seven successive titles between 1986 and 1992 and their eight title in 1994. The club fielded one of the best place-kickers in football at the time in midfielder Louis Rafter, and the Shamrocks insistence of continuous fouling gave Rafter ample opportunity to display his skill to Westmeath football supporters. Rafter gave an exhibition of free taking in terrible conditions for a kicker and scored 0-7 from frees. According to the Westmeath Examiner report of the game Whether against the wind or with it, or from an angle, he was accuracy personified as Mullingar played into the hands of the opposition by conceding too many frees with a marksman like Rafter to take full advantage. A goal by J. Codd in the fiftieth minute proved decisive and when Seamus Fitzhenry gained possession from the kick-out and pointed, Shamrocks interest in the Leinster Club championship was effectively ended.

According to the Westmeath Examiner ‘a little better would have done to hold off a limited Wexford side’.

Mullingar Shamrocks: Stephen Fagan; Ritchie McKenna, Gerry Nohilly, Niall Devine; Patsy Fagan, Kevin Daly, Peter Smith; Peter Faulkner and Tom Ormsby (1-1); Denis Corroon, Mark Kelly (0-4), Finian Coghlan (Noel Dempsey); Sean Hynes, Michael O’Reilly (0-1), John Corroon (0-1).