Eldest Meehan to retire

Tomas Meehan, the eldest of Galway's footballing Meehan brothers, has confirmed his retirement from the inter-county scene.

The Caltra defender, who turns 29 in March, has been a member of the Galway panel for the past nine seasons, winning All-Ireland SFC medals in 1998 and 2001.

His younger brothers, half-back Declan and forward Michael, are mainstays of Peter Ford's current squad.

Meehan has cited the fact that he lives and works in Dublin, coupled with his lack of recent appearances for the Tribesmen - he earned game-time in just one of Galway's four championship matches last summer, as his reasons for retiring.

Meehan, who also claimed an All-Ireland Club medal with Caltra in 2004 and a Hogan Cup with St Jarlath's College, Tuam, in 1994, said: "I am not in a position to give the commitment that is required for inter-county football at this stage. There are lots of young eager defenders on the panel and I decided it was time to call it quits.

"The constant travel to and from Dublin was a real wrecker, and I just didn't want to do it for another year. Perhaps if I was based in Galway, who knows?," he told the Irish Examiner.