The decade begins and ends with the old order of Galway and Mayo very much to the fore but in the intervening years a new football power was to emerge in the west in the shape of Roscommon. Sligo too, in the mid-forties had one of their finest teams pushing a great, All-Ireland winning Roscommon team to a replay in ’44.

While the Railway Cup football team was selected at Connacht Council meetings, it had been agreed to leave the selection of the railway Cup hurling team to galway, the stronghold of the game in the province.