1923 – Leinster Junior Football Champions
‘Notes – This jersey appears to be a dark base, with a hoop around the torso. In turn, that hoop is flanked by two lighter narrow stripes. Could it be a green jersey, with red hoop and yellow stripes? This paper cites Carlow registering their colours as red, yellow and green in 1931 and possibly as early as 1926 (as Milford won the 1926 County Championship, and it is commonly accepted Milford’s yellow was added to Graigue). ‘Notes – This jersey appears to be a dark base, with a hoop around the torso. In turn, that hoop is flanked by two lighter narrow stripes. Could it be a green jersey, with red hoop and yellow stripes? This paper cites Carlow registering their colours as red, yellow and green in 1931, and possibly as early as 1926 when Milford won the 1926 County Championship. It is commonly accepted Milford’s yellow was added to Graigue’s red and green to make the Carlow jersey as we know it, though the date of this is debated The above image appears to show three different colours in 1923.
1933 – Leinster Junior Football Champions
Notes – At this point, Carlow were wearing only red and green. Owing to Mayo also wearing red and green, Carlow wore blue following a coin toss when they faced each other in this All Ireland semi final. It appears Carlow added (or re-added) yellow to avoid this problem after this game. Blue may have been chosen as O’Hanrahans (‘The Blues‘) were the reigning county champions at this time.
1944 – The Leinster Champions
Notes – Probably the most famous photo of Carlow’s most celebrated football team. This colourised version gives us an idea of how the jerseys would have looked. Two types of jersey appear to have been used. One, a multi hooped affair with yellow also on the shoulder and the other, the classic red/yellow/green tricolor.
Unknown Year – Football challenge v Kerry
Notes – The year and location is unknown to me, but a suggestion is 1948. This would match up with the jerseys of the 1940s.
1955 – National Football League 1954/55 v Kerry, Dr. Cullen Park
Source: Old Carlow Pictures
Notes – I would love to know what colours these were and why they were worn. Perhaps a change was worn to differentiate with Kerry’s green and gold? MAY BE WRONG DATE OR VENUE In 1957, the minor footballers also appear to be wearing this jersey style. Regarding potential club colours being used, at this time, O’Hanrahan’s were again county champions, and had switched to wearing white briefly as a result of a merger with Shamrocks, also of Carlow Town. Eire Og, who wore white with a red hoop, were not formed until 1958.
1958 – Leinster Football Semi Final v Dublin, O’Moore Park
1959 – Footballers (game unknown)
Notes – This appears to around when the move to a “Wexford style” jersey of a green body with red upper chest and sleeves, and yellow being a trim colour used on the collar and cuffs. This style was worn until 1985.
1960 – Leinster and All Ireland ‘Home’ Junior Hurling Champions
1961 – National Football League v Cork, in Cork
1962 – All Ireland Intermediate Hurling Champions
1961 – National Football League v Kerry, in Tralee
Notes – Carlow on the day they beat Kerry in Tralee in the League
1965 – National Football League v Kildare, Croke Park
1966 – O’Byrne Cup v Kilkenny, Dr. Cullen Park
1973 – National Football League v Dublin, Dr. Cullen Park
1978 – Hurlers, unconfirmed game
Notes – Likely to have been taken against Down in the championship of that year.
Unknown year – Footballers
Notes – Though the details of the fixture are unknown, this is a nice colour photo of the of jersey worn from 1976 until possibly as late as 1982. It appears that it was worn in some matches in that time by the hurlers, but newspaper archive pictures are too low quality to confirm each game. Most notable is that 1976 appears the be the first time a Carlow jersey had a crest – a simple sewn-on patch of a Celtic Cross with a castle in the centre (based on the Carlow town coat of arms) and ‘Ceatharlach’ in the outer ring.
1978 – Leinster Senior Championship v Westmeath, O’Moore Park
1981 – National Football League v Limerick, Dr. Cullen Park
Notes – Due to a clash of jerseys with Limerick, Carlow donned Tinryland jerseys. Presumably chosen as the club had won the 1981 Carlow senior championship. A mixed set of old fashioned ‘rugby’ jerseys on some players, and a more modern jersey style on others.
1984/85 – National Football League, unknown game
Notes – A mix of the 70s style jersey and the newer v-neck style.
1985 – National Football League v Fermanagh, in Fermanagh
Notes – Due to Fermanagh wearing green jerseys with red trim at this time, a change of jerserys was required when the two teams met in the NFL. Carlow wore a set of Eire Og tops, who were the reigning club champions.
1985 – National Football League QF v Armagh, Croke Park
Notes – A nice close-up picture of Kevin Madden taken on the day of Carlow’s NFL quarter-final against Armagh. Carlow earned their spot, as well as promotion, after winning seven from seven in Division 4 (the only team to do so in the four divisions that year). Sadly, a league restructure meant they went into the following season into a newly enlarged and split Division Three, making that the lowest division, effectively nullifying the ‘promotion’.
1985 – Leinster Football Championship v Westmeath, Dr. Cullen Park
1985 – Leinster Football Championship v Laois, Dr. Cullen Park
Notes – The tricolour jersey returned for the championship of 1985, but with a difference. For 1985, 1986 and 1987 the yellow was at the bottom. Perhaps the yellow was re-introduced after that change of jerseys was required against Fermanagh, much like in 1933?
1987 – Leinster Football Championship v Laois, O’Moore Park
Source: Irish Newspaper Archive
1988 – Leinster Football Championship v Dublin, Dr. Cullen Park
Notes: Evolution, not revolution, as the yellow made its way to the middle of the jersey, a much more familiar look.
1990 – Leinster Football Championship v Louth, Dr. Cullen Park
Source: Irish Newspaper Archive
Notes – Carlow wore dark shorts for the 1990 and 1991 Championships, though in the League it appears white was still being used in some of the games at least. This experiment would would only last two for two summers, but would be seen again with the introduction of red shorts in 2022.
The Carlow Jersey 
