Leitrim's footballers will be without their talisman Emlyn Mulligan for 2015 in a major blow to the Connacht county's hopes.

The influential forward has informed new Leitrim manager Shane Ward that he intends to go traveling for 2015 and he will not be available for inter-county duty.

"It probably came at the right time. It is no harm to get a bit of a break from competitive football. Over the years I've put so much into football. The saying goes that 'you get out of it what you put into it' and I don't really feel that. I've been putting a lot into the game and not getting much out of it," he admitted.