Westmeath GAA is considered the greatest player to ever play hurling for Westmeath, and as one of the greatest players never to have won an All-Ireland senior hurling title. In 2015 the Westmeath minor hurlers surprised heavy favourites Wexford by two points in the Leinster quarter-final, the win has been regarded by the manager as the 'biggest result in history of Westmeath hurling'. The senior hurlers beat Carlow by 2 points in the Leinster Qualifier group and extended their winning run beating favourites, Antrim 1-21 to 0-7. The hurlers currently play in the third tier of the National Hurling League while the
Brendan Murphy (Carlow footballer) at Breffni Park. Carlow were beaten 0-12 to 2-13 by their Division 1 opponents. In the Carlow club championship, Rathvilly were beaten 2-13 to 0-12 in the county final by a Palatine team that was winning back-to-back Senior Championships for the first time in nearly a century. Rathvilly had topped their group by beating Old Leighlin, drawing with Eire Og, and beating Kildavin/Clonegal. They beat Old Leighlin again in the semi-final by 0-15 to 1-10. The 2017 league season was something of a mixed bag for Carlow. They opened with an exciting draw in Mullingar against Westmeath, with Shane O'Neill