2006 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship the winners progressed to Round 2 and the losers were eliminated from the 2006 All-Ireland Football Championship, but could continue in the All-Ireland competition, the Tommy Murphy Cup. Due to a controversial blood substitution by Offaly against Kildare, Kildare decided to appeal the match result and therefore Offaly's continuation in the Leinster Championship. Eventually it was clarified that Offaly hadn't broken the substitution rules, Kildare then faced Cavan in the first round of the qualifiers and subsequently defeated them. Round one saw the exit of Antrim, Down, Waterford, London, Carlow, Louth, Cavan and Wicklow from the 2006 All-Ireland Senior Football
Midlands Gateway Offaly and County Westmeath. The neighbouring counties are County Cavan, County Laois, County Longford, County Meath, County Monaghan, County Roscommon, and nearby Ulster counties. The principle urban centres concerned with the Midlands Gateway are Athlone, Tullamore and Mullingar. The proposed combined County council strategy aspires to provide the basis for the development of a world class, knowledge-based and competitive gateway. The strategy is designed to create an integrated linked Gateway comprising Athlone, Tullamore and Mullingar together with the other surrounding towns in the region with the objective of developing internationally competitive Gateway. The designation and development of the Midlands gateway