He helped Cavan reach the All-Ireland Under 21 Football Championship final in 1988, but they were defeated by Offaly.
In 1989, Cavan had a great run in the National Football League claiming the Div.
In the same year he won a Dr McKenna Cup medal when Cavan defeated Derry in the Final.
But, in 1997, Carolan scored 10 points to help Cavan claim their only Ulster Senior Football Championship title in 28 years, beating Derry in Clones.
[4] Carolan is his county's top scorer in National Football League history, finishing his career with 19–387 (444) in that competition.