Westmeath star Dolan retires from inter-county duty
James Dolan, one of the most accomplished Westmeath players of his generation, has decided to retire from inter-county football.
Dolan has given lengthy and distinguished service to the maroon and white jersey, and his footballing ability will be sorely missed.
His decision to retire comes in the wake of Westmeath's defeat to Derry in Newry last Saturday night which saw the Lake County eliminated from the All-Ireland SFC.
Dolan was a key figure on the Westmeath teams which reached consecutive Leinster finals in 2015 and 2016 under the management of Tom Cribbin.
In another era, contesting successive finals would have given the county a great chance of winning at least one of them, but Westmeath had the misfortune of coming up against a very formidable Dublin team in both deciders.
In addition to his defensive guile and ability to read the game, Dolan was renowned for his capacity to score goals despite generally operating in what was probably his favoured position of wing-back.
Indeed, it was notable that in the 2016 championship campaign, the stylish defender contributed the only two goals Westmeath scored. One was crucial in securing a Leinster semi-final victory over Kildare; the other came against Mayo when Westmeath caused the eventual All-Ireland finalists plenty of problems in a qualifier clash at Croke Park.
The 2015 campaign is mainly remembered for Westmeath's first ever senior championship victory over Meath which came after a truly remarkable comeback.
Dolan has been part of a core group of long-serving Westmeath players that also included such influential figures as Kevin Maguire, Ger Egan, John Heslin and Kieran Martin.
Egan had already retired a couple of years ago after injuries took their toll on the Tyrrellspass stalwart, and Westmeath supporters will be hoping that at least some of the remaining veterans will stay on board for at least another year.
Garrycastle's James is a first cousin of former Westmeath stars Dessie and Gary Dolan, and he had the opportunity to play inter-country football under the management of Dessie for the past two seasons.
James was part of a talented Westmeath U21 team which contested the 2010 Leinster final against Dublin - a game Westmeath could have won, with the final scoreline flattering the Dubs. In any case, that U21 team has yielded a rich harvest for Westmeath at senior level.
Dolan won a Tailteann Cup medal in the competition's inaugural staging in 2022, and he has played for Westmeath in all four divisions of the Allianz Football League, enjoying Division 3 success on two occasions.
A winner of five Westmeath SFC medals with Garrycastle, James also enjoyed Leinster senior club success with the men in green and red in 2011. He played in the 2012 All-Ireland final against Crossmaglen Rangers in which the Armagh kingpins needed a replay to prevail.
It was revealed during this year's league campaign that Dolan had clocked up 130 senior appearances for Westmeath, some 13 years after making his debut, when he came off in the bench in the league victory over Limerick.
At this stage it was stated that Dolan had scored 18-25 during his senior inter-county career and he has added a few more points since. Indeed, it was quite fitting that he marked his last competitive appearance by scoring a point against Derry at Páirc Esler last Saturday.
James is a son of Patricia (Trish) and Ken Dolan, with Trish the current Garrycastle GAA chairperson. His sister Sarah has played football for the Westmeath ladies team at all levels and his brother Kenny also plays for Garrycastle.