The significance of the Four-in-a-Row 1992-95 ...

Only an elite group of Westmeath football clubs have won four successive senior football titles. This is a club of just three members, Riverstown Emmet's, Athlone and Mullingar Shamrocks. Rosemount (twice), Kinnegad, The Downs, Garrycastle and St Loman's have won three successive titles but were unable to add a fourth to the sequence.

The great Riverstown Emmet's team from the Killucan area of the early 1900s was the first club to attempt the feat but they fell short at the final hurdle in 1909 when they were defeated by Athlone following a replay. The Riverstown men recovered from the setback and won county titles in 1910,1911, 1912 and in 1913 completed the first four-in-a-row title winning sequence beating The Downs comfortably in the final (1-4 to 0-1). The drive for five began for the Riverstown men (before the phrase was invented, no doubt!) and was completed with The Downs again going under in the 1914 final, this time on a 2-1 to 1-1 score-line. The Riverstown Emmet's record of eight championship titles over a nine year period is unmatched in Westmeath football.

Rosemount won three successive titles between 1939-1941 but were eliminated before the county title stage in 1942 when Milltown won the title. Kinnegad were next in line but their loss to Athlone in the 1947 final (2-9 to 2-3) cost them their place in Westmeath football's Royal Family. Rosemount also fell short in 1954 after winning titles in 1951, 1952 and 1953. However, Athlone then stepped up to the plate in style and dominated Westmeath football in the second-half of the 1950s. The fourth successive championship title was secured in 1958 when the Mental Hospital were defeated (0-9 to 0-8). Sean Dempsey played a key three point-scoring role in this final. The same Sean Dempsey was chairman of Mullingar Shamrocks when the club won the county title in 1986; his son Noel featured prominently for Shamrocks in that campaign. Sean's grandson, Shane was a key player in St Loman's four senior title victories this decade. Athlone extended their winning run in 1959 and 1960 to make it six successive titles. Alone they stand in the history of Westmeath football: the club's magnificent feat has never been equalled.

The Downs powerful squad of the late 1960s-1970s landed the three-in-a-row titles (1968-1970) but were eliminated in 1971 prior to the county final stage. Four successive titles also proved to be a mission impossible for the great Garrycastle team of the 2000s but the club came very close to joining the elite group. After losing to Castledaly in 2008, Garrycastle rebounded and defeated St Loman's in 2009 and Mullingar Shamrocks in 2010 and 2011 after a replay. However they were edged out by Shamrocks in the 2012 final replay by a single point (0-12 to 1-8). Mullingar Shamrocks also prevented St Loman's, from joining the distinguished group of clubs in Westmeath football - the four-in-a-row club - in the famous first local Derby Mullingar final in 2018.

Mullingar Shamrocks four successive titles were achieved with victories against Athlone (0-14 to 0-4) in 1992; Rosemount 0-13 to 0-4 in 1993; Tyrrellspass in 1-14 to 0-9 in 1994 and Rosemount again in 1995 on a 0-18 to 1-7. Shamrocks were captained for the third successive championship campaign by our current team manager Ned Moore and lined out as follows in 1995: Dermot Ryan; Ned Moore, Brian Lawlor, Paul Aherne; Michael Fagan, John Conlon, Bill Sex (0-1); Tom Ormsby and Kevin Cahill (0-1); Eddie Casey, Kieran Ryan (0-1), Denis Corroon; Bernard Flynn (0-10), Mark Treanor (0-3), Michael O’ Reilly (0-1). Substitutes: Paddy Monaghan for Paul Aherne; Eric Smyth (0-1) for Denis Corroon; Aidan Lyons for Eddie Casey.

Management: Gerry Nohilly (manager); Selectors: Tom Hunt, Patrick Dunne.

Ten players, Dermot Ryan, Ned Moore, John Conlon, Bill Sex, Michael 'Spike' Fagan, Tom Ormsby, Kieran Ryan, Denis Corroon, Michael O’Reilly and Bernard Flynn played in all four finals.

But for Matt Scally's heroics this sequence might well have equalled the Athlone six-in-a-row as the big goalkeeper was superb in his team's 1-9 to 0-9 victory against the defending champions, Shamrocks, in the 1991 final.