County Offaly which had declined following the Norman Conquest of Ireland. Both Laois (Leix) and Offaly (Uí Failghe) were petty kingdoms in Gaelic Ireland located just outside the Pale (a region around Dublin and the mid east of Ireland that remained loyal to the English Crown following the Norman Conquest). The older kingdoms of Leix and Uí Failghe are not coterminous with the present day counties that were formed. The Kingdom of Uí Failghe from which the name Offaly is derived, was ruled by the Ó Conchobhair Failghe (anglicised as: O'Conor Faly) whose territory extended from the east of the county into
Cavan GAA with nearby Monaghan. Both counties were the strongest sides from Ulster during the 1970s and 1980s. The 1991 four-game tie added to the intensity between the two counties. The Cavan football team also share a rivalry with neighbours Fermanagh, Meath and Longford. On a national level Cavan’s had a rivalry with Kerry. They stopped Kerry’s bid for a 5-in-a-row in 1933 and they also bet Kerry at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Cavan GAA The Cavan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) () or Cavan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA