Wee County Louth Yearbook 2013

A look back at 2012 IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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ANNAGHMINNON ROVERS ........................ 224 CLAN NA GAEL ............................................150 COOLEY KICKHAMS ................................... 230 CUCHULLAIN GAELS ................................. 376 DOWDALLSHILL ......................................... 138 DREADNOTS................................................. 122 DUNDALK GAELS ....................................... 258 GERALDINES ................................................ 210 GLEN EMMETS ............................................ 216 GLYDE RANGERS ........................................ 128 HUNTERSTOWN ROVERS ........................... 190 JOHN MITCHELS ......................................... 146 KILKERLEY EMMETS ...................................324 KNOCKBRIDGE ........................................... 283 LANNLEIRE .................................................. 356 MATTOCK RANGERS .................................. 366 NA PIARSAIGH ............................................ 200 NAOMH FIONNBARRA ................................ 350 NAOMH MAIRTIN ...........................................394 NAOMH MALACHI ........................................ 184 NAOMH MONINNE ........................................ 312 NEWTOWN BLUES ...................................... 250 O’CONNELLS ............................................... 114 OLIVER PLUNKETTS ...................................196 O’RAGHALLAIGHS ...................................... 292 PEARSE OG ................................................. 142 ROCHE EMMETS ......................................... 316 SEAN MCDERMOTTS ...................................306 SEAN O’MAHONYS ..................................... 161 STABANNON PARNELLS .......................... 264 ST BRIDES ................................................... 329 ST FECHINS ................................................. 298 ST JOSEPHS ................................................ 270 ST KEVINS ....................................................166 ST MARYS, ARDEE ..................................... 238 ST MOCHTAS ............................................... 286 ST NICHOLAS ...............................................363

County Editor’s welcome ..............................................................2 Senior Football ................................................................. 4 Senior Hurling ................................................................ 12 U21 Football ................................................................... 18 Aidan O’Rourke............................................................... 24 Gerard Hoey .................................................................... 26 Ladies Football................................................................ 30 Pat Clancy........................................................................ 36 Minor Football .................................................................40 Derek Crilly ...................................................................... 44 Peader McPartland ......................................................... 48 Colleges ........................................................................... 50 Denis McCourt..................................................................54 Team of the Year ............................................................ 60 Cic Saor.............................................................................62 Junior Football ............................................................... 64 Bartle Landy ....................................................................66 Poc Fada ......................................................................... 68 Artie Clifford .................................................................... 70 Paddy Malone ...................................................................73 Padraig Hamill ................................................................ 76 Purcell Construction .......................................................78 Handball ............................................................................82 Heinz .................................................................................85 Keith Lynch...................................................................... 90 Louth Council ...................................................................94 Padraig O’Neill..................................................................98 Simon Mulvany...............................................................100 Dr Owen Clarke ............................................................. 103 Tom Condon ...................................................................106 Aine Kerr .........................................................................109 Jim Judge ...................................................................... 112 Donal Kearney .............................................................. 134 Dee McCarthy .................................................................278 David Rogers ................................................................ 336 Karen Brehony ...............................................................342 Boyne Valley ................................................................. 380 Noel O’Connor .............................................................. 384 Friends we lost ............................................................. 389

LOUTH GAA YEARBOOK WEE COUNTY

ST PATRICKS 174

Published by Lynn Group Media Kells Business Park, Kells, Co Meath Telephone: (046) 9241923 Fax (046) 9241926 Email: contact@lynngroupmedia.com Website: www.hoganstand.com

WESTERNS ..................................................

WOLFE TONES FOOTBALL .......................

WOLFE TONES HURLING ...........................

YOUNG IRELANDS ......................................

156 205 276 345

CONTRIBUTORS Eunan Whyte Shane Corrigan Stephen Reilly Gerald Robinson Randal Scally

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication can be published or reproduced in any way without the written permission of the author or Lynn Group Media © Copyright Lynn Group Media 2012 The opinions expressed in Wee County do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, publishers or their agents. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors that may appear.

EDITOR’S NOTE

W

ith the dust having just about settled on another fantastic season of GAA activity in Louth, it is my pleasure to introduce the latest edition of the Wee County GAA Yearbook. There was no shortage of action on pitches around the county – and beyond - during the 2012 calendar year and, as ever, we have chronicled it all in the pages that follow.

On the club front, pride of place once more went to St Patricks, who completed back-to-back SFC successes for the second time, retaining the Joe Ward Cup with a run of five convincing championship victories. Dreadnots did brilliantly to reach the county final. At intermediate and junior championship levels, O’Connells and Glen Emmets both shook monkeys off their backs as they defeated unlucky Clan na Gael and Lannleire teams in their respective county finals.

Meanwhile, in hurling, Pearse Og returned to the top of the pile, while the county team yet again went all the way to the Nicky Rackard Cup final. Alas, for the fourth time, defeat was to be their lot in the All-Ireland decider. Three Louth players received Nicky Rackard All Star awards for their efforts.

The Louth ladies also made it to Croke Park, only to be edged out by Antrim in their All-Ireland junior final. Earlier in the year, they claimed major silverware by winning the Leinster junior ladies league.

In senior county football, Louth preserved their Division Two status with that famous win over Meath at Pairc Tailteann but the championship was a non-event really and Peter Fitzpatrick’s reign as Wee County boss came to an end. His replacement is Aidan O’Rourke.

Louth also reached the 2012 Leinster U21 FC final, so there would appear to be plenty of young talent at the new manager’s disposal as well as the tried and trusted. Of course, emigration wreaked havoc with the county team last year; let’s hope the situation on that particular front eases somewhat in the months ahead!

I’d like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to everybody who made this publication possible – writers, photographers, researchers, interviewees, club contributors etc. Not forgetting the legion of players and clubmen who put their bodies on the line week in, week out!

Sponsors and advertisers have kept the Yearbook alive during increasingly-difficult economic times, so I would ask you to please support the businesses who have advertised in ‘Wee County 2013’.

Sadly, a number of much –loved Louth gaels passed away during the course of the year. We remember them here, also.

Take care, Gerry Robinson

2

The starting XV that defeated Westmeath in the first round of the Leinster SFC at Pairc Tailteann, front l/r: Jamie Carr, Darren Clarke, Derek Crilly, Derek Maguire, Gerard Hoey, Padraig Rath, Adrian Reid. Back: Ronan Carroll, Neil Gallagher, Jim McEneaney, Liam Shevlin, Paddy Keenan, Mark Brennan, Declan Byrne, Ray Finnegan

LOUTH SENIOR FOOTBALLERS

SENIOR FOOTBALLERS Darren Clarke gets in his pass as Westmeath's Michael Curley closes in

I

TOO MUCH TO BEAR ...

Emigration and injuries dominated the year Crippling toll made it a campaign to forget Staying in Division Two was an encouraging accomplishment Championship: what championship?

n the end, league survival was the highlight of Louth’s otherwise eminently-forgettable year.

The dramatic circumstances in which the Wee County assured themselves of Division Two survival (beating arch rivals Meath at Navan in a winner-takes-all encounter) sparked much celebration - but it proved to be a false dawn as the championship was a total let-down.

Plagued by the emigration of a veritable army of key men, not to mention a slew of injuries at the worst possible times, Louth never got up and running in the main competition. After a decidedly fortuitous victory over Westmeath at Navan, their season petered out with a roasting at the hands of Dublin and a disappointing Qualifier defeat in a rematch against Westmeath.

It would not be a stretch to

5

say that – apart from the first-round Leinster SFC victory over the Maroons at Navan – Louth didn’t get the rub of the green in 2012. By the time they faced the Lake County again - in a firstround SF Qualifier at Mullingar six weeks later, they were lining out without the likes of Paddy Keenan, Ronan Carroll, Brian White, Brian Donnelly, Andy McDonnell, Derek Maguire and Shane Lennon. Even the manager was missing!

Peter Fitzpatrick was in hospital; Lennon missed the entire year with a groin problem; midfielders Keenan and Carroll were both ruled out by injury; White, Maguire, Donnelly and McDonnell were amongst the alarmingly-high number of county players who opted to emigrate.

When Mark Brennan and Darren Clarke were both dismissed with straight red cards before the break, the

Reds were suddenly missing NINE key men. Ten including their manager! Could any team cope with this? Hardly a surprise that they lost, really, despite producing a gutsy display…

In the first competitive game of the year - at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday, January 15th, Louth, who were fielding five senior intercounty debutants, lost to neighbours Meath in the O'Byrne Cup - 0-11 to 0-5.

Good victories over Down (0-8 to 07 in the McGeough Cup final), Crossmaglen Rangers (2-10 to 1-9) and Roscommon (3-14 to 1-16 at Darver) constituted more-thanadequate preparations for the league.

Darren Clarke was racking up huge personal tallies in those matches and the addition of legendary All-Ireland winning former Dublin goalkeeper John O'Leary to the backroom team also represented a significant coup.

On the downside, the Johnny Hanratty transfer saga ended in frustration as the former Armagh player’s switch to the Wee County was ultimately thwarted by the CCCC. The season would begin and end against the same team…

Jim McEneaney made his debut in

Peter Fitzpatrick celebrates the championship win over Westmeath

the league opener against Westmeath at Haggardstown as Louth beat the Lake County by 0-12 to 1-6 thanks to a run of six unanswered points between the 39th and 62nd minutes. Darren Clarke and Paddy Keenan hit four points each.

The team on duty was: Neil

Declan Byrne holds off Dublin's Eamon Fennell

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Gallagher; Ronan Greene, Dessie Finnegan, Gerry Hoey; Ray Finnegan, Derek Crilly, Liam Shevlin (0-1); Paddy Keenan (0-4), Brian Donnelly; Jim McEneaney, Ronan Carroll (0-2), Adrian Reid; Derek Maguire, James Califf, Darren Clarke (0-4). Subs: Padraig Rath, Aaron

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Mark Brennan and Jamie Carr returned for the second-round trip to Salthill and, having trailed by six points at one stage, the Wee County produced a stunning fightback to earn a 0-11 to 1-8 draw with Galway on February 12th. The following personnel participated in the game at Pearse Stadium: Neil Gallagher; Padraig Rath, Dessie Finnegan, Gerry Hoey; Ray Finnegan, Jamie Carr, Liam Shevlin; Paddy Keenan (0-1), Brian Donnelly; Derek Crilly (01), Ronan Carroll (0-1), Adrian Reid (0-1); Mark Brennan (0-1), Andy McDonnell (0-1), Darren Clarke (0-3).

Subs: JP Rooney, Eoin O'Connor, Declan Byrne, Jim McEneaney, Aaron Hoey.

Following a 2-13 to 1-13 victory over Cavan in a challenge at Darver, Peter Fitzpatrick was able to include Michael Fanning - who had returned from Australia - in his side to face Tyrone. However, at Drogheda on March 4th, the O'Neill County

claimed a 2-13 to 0-13 victory, courtesy of goals from half backs Peter Harte and Damien McCaul.

Goalkeeper Neil Gallagher pulled off a great penalty save from Harte to keep the hosts in it after the restart but the northern raiders simply had too much quality on the day, beating the following Louth combination: Neil Gallagher; Gerry Hoey, Dessie Finnegan, Jamie Carr; Ray Finnegan (0-1), Michael Fanning, Liam Shevlin; Paddy Keenan (0-1), Brian Donnelly (0-1); Derek Crilly (0-2), Andy McDonnell (0-1), Adrian Reid; Derek Maguire (0-3), Ronan Carroll, Mark Brennan (0-1). Subs: Ronan Greene, Jim McEneaney, Darren Clarke, Brian White (0-1), Eoin O’Connor.

Monaghan provided opposition in Round Four and, after much toing and froing, the match was finally played in Clones. The Farney men had originally lost home advantage due to their brawl with Kildare, but they subsequently won an appeal, so Louth travelled up the road to St Tiernach’s Park (and had no

Adrian Reid leaves Cian Ward in his wake

9

complaints about doing so, it must be said). But it was a day to forget as they slumped to a 2-24 to 1-15 defeat.

Incredibly, Louth led by 1-14 to 1-2 ten minutes into the second half but the dismissal of Declan Byrne for a second bookable offence turned the match on its head. Jamie Carr was also sent off at the death on a day when the Reds sorely missed the presence of injured Pats duo Paddy Keenan and Ray Finnegan. The team V Monaghan was: Neil Gallagher; Gerard Hoey, Dessie Finnegan, Padraig Rath; Declan Byrne (0-1), Jamie Carr, Liam Shevlin; Ronan Carroll (0-2), Brian Donnelly (0-1); Derek Crilly, Conor Rafferty, Andy McDonnell (0-1); Derek Maguire (0-2), Mark Brennan (0-1), Darren Clarke (0-4). Subs: Adrian Reid (0-1), Jim McEneaney (0-2), Ronan Greene, Brian White, Stephen Fitzpatrick.

Things went from bad to worse as news broke shortly after the Monaghan game that Shane Lennon

Padraig Rath, Dessie Finnegan, Jamie Carr (0-1); Ray Finnegan (0-1), Declan Byrne, Liam Shevlin; Ronan Carroll (0-1), Brian Donnelly; Derek Crilly, Mark Brennan, Adrian Reid (0-1); Derek Maguire (0-1), Jim McEneaney (0-3), Darren Clarke (1-7).

Subs: James Califf, Andy McDonnell, Aaron Hoey, Stephen Fitzpatrick, Brian White (0-1).

The defeat of Derry meant there would be an Easter Sunday shoot-out at Navan.

Relief and joy as Meath are beaten and Louth’s Louth faced Allianz FL Division 2 status is secured neighbours Meath and the losers would be something to cheer when Darren relegated. Here was a chance to Clarke pointed them ahead from a avenge that 2010 Leinster final farce! third-minute free.

The Royals, as ever, were favourites With the wind behind them, playing but Louth chose this moment to into the town end, Louth had further deliver their best performance of the points from Clarke (2) and Adrian calendar year, roaring to a Reid to take control as we came scintillating 2-14 to 1-8 victory in one towards the end of the first quarter, of the most-hyped league games of with captain Paddy Keenan the year. This was a humiliating dominating at centrefield. A 28thdefeat for Meath, who were minute goal from Derek Maguire completely outclassed and finished made it 1-8 to 0-1 to Peter the match with 13 men.

Fitzpatrick's team and Louth had also The Reds dominated the first half hit six wides. Ronan Carroll stretched entirely to lead by 1-12 to 0-3 at the their advantage and the Royals were interval, two of Meath's three points in serious trouble. Clarke had scored coming within a minute just before four for Louth already and Carroll, the short whistle. A large travelling Ray Finnegan and Derek Crilly got crowd turned out at Pairc Tailteann their other first-half points. for this one and they were given Stephen Bray pointed after ten seconds of the second half and Tom Walsh added a Meath goal after a bad mix-up in the Louth defence. But the visitors responded with a second Maguire goal after Keenan and Carroll worked a quick free - 2-12 to 1-4 after 45 minutes. Twenty-five minutes later, the following men were celebrating a huge win: Neil Gallagher; Padraig Rath, Dessie Finnegan, Gerry Hoey; Ray Finnegan, Jamie Carr, Declan Byrne (0-1); Paddy Keenan (0-1), Ronan Carroll (0-3); Derek Crilly, Mark Brennan, Adrian Reid (0-1); Derek Maguire (2-2), Jim McEneaney, Darren Clarke (0-6). Subs: Andy McDonnell, Liam Shevlin, Brian White.

From here, things just went downhill. Brian White and Brian Paddy Keenan with Meath's Conor Gillespie during the O'Byrne Cup Donnelly headed to the States;

- who had been expected to return in time for the Leinster SFC - would be ruled out for the entire season by a persistent groin injury that required surgery.

Kildare were the visitors to Drogheda on March 18th and Louth fell to a third successive defeat, 2-15 to 0-17, on a day when Darren Clarke raised eleven flags. All of a sudden, relegation looked likely - but the Reds simply refused to give up... Against Kildare, the Louth side was: Neil Gallagher; Jamie Carr, Dessie Finnegan, Gerard Hoey (0-1); Declan Byrne, Derek Crilly, Ray Finnegan (01); Brian Donnelly, Paddy Keenan (01); Andy McDonnell, Ronan Carroll, Jim McEneaney (0-2); Derek Maguire, Mark Brennan (0-1), Darren Clarke (0-11). Subs: Liam Shevlin, Brian White, Stephen Fitzpatrick, Adrian Reid, JP Rooney.

There were two games left in the league and Louth couldn't afford to lose either of them. On the back of those three successive setbacks, the trip to Celtic Park on March 25th had a decidedly daunting look about it.

But an unbelievably-resilient display earned the visitors a thrilling 1-16 to 0-19 draw, with substitute Brian White and Darren Clarke floating over vital late levelling scores. Derry had led by 0-18 to 1-11 with ten minutes left but overs from Ray Finnegan, Clarke and Jim McEneaney kept Fitzer’s charges in it and they came away from the northern cauldron with a point that would ultimately ensure them of survival. The team that frustrated the Oak Leaf was: Neil Gallagher;

10

others would follow...

The championship was a near-write-off.

County training had to be cancelled on one occasion because only a handful of players were available; the headlines that delivered this news in the media were most unwelcome.

There was a dead-cat bounce at Navan as the Reds claimed a victory they scarcely deserved in the first round of the Leinster SFC, beating Westmeath by 2-9 to 0-14 thanks to substitute Danny O’Connor’s goal in the fifth minute of injury time.

Hoey; Ray Finnegan (0-1), Jamie Carr, Declan Byrne; Paddy Keenan, Ronan Carroll (1-2); Derek Crilly (02), Mark Brennan, Adrian Reid; Derek Maguire, Jim McEneaney, Darren Clarke (0-4). Subs: Andy McDonnell, Ronan Greene, Danny O’Connor (10), Conor Rafferty, JP Rooney.

At Croke Park on Sunday June 3rd, Dublin blitzed the following Louth team on a scoreline of 2-22 to 0-12: Neil Gallagher; Padraig Rath, Dessie Finnegan, Gerard Hoey; Ray Finnegan (0-1), Jamie

plethora of defections and injuries (including three midfielders) was added to by the manager’s illness, which forced him to miss the game, and two first-half red cards – vicecaptain Mark Brennan in the 25th minute and Darren Clarke in injury time.

Amazingly, the 13 men battled like demons in the second half but they eventually ran out of steam, having levelled the scores at 0-11 each on 65 minutes. In the last five minutes, the Lake men flooded them with a run

Ray Finnegan in control during the famous league win over Meath

Ronan Carroll’s 21st-minute goal separated the sides at half time, 1-6 to 0-7, but a run of six successive points seemed to leave the Lake County in control. The Wee County struggled in the second half but O’Connor’s dramatic intervention got them out of jail and set up a glamorous quarter-final meeting with defending provincial and All-Ireland champions Dublin at Croke Park.

The Louth team that defeated Westmeath in the first round of the Leinster SFC was: Neil Gallagher; Padraig Rath, Liam Shevlin, Gerry

Carr, Declan Byrne; Paddy Keenan, Ronan Carroll (0-1); Derek Crilly, Mark Brennan, Adrian Reid (0-1); Derek Maguire, Jim McEneaney, Darren Clarke (0-8). Subs: Ronan Greene, Andy McDonnell, Liam Shevlin, JP Rooney (0-1), David Reid.

And the season came to a disappointing end at Mullingar on Saturday night, June 30th. Louth went into the first-round Qualifier protecting a perfect record against Westmeath under Peter Fitzpatrick but this time they ran out of luck as a

11

of 1-4 to a solitary reply to run out 115 to 0-12 victors. And that, as they say, was that.

The last team fielded by Louth at intercounty level in 2012 was: Neil Gallagher; Padraig Rath, Dessie Finnegan, Gerard Hoey; Ray Finnegan (0-1), Michael Fanning, Declan Byrne (0-1); Jim McEneaney (0-3), Mark Brennan; Adrian Reid, Aaron Hoey (0-1), David Reid; Derek Crilly (0-1), JP Rooney (0-1), Darren Clarke (0-4). Subs: Jamie Carr, David Collier, Ruairi Moore, Danny O'Connor, David McCormish.

The Wee County squad that contested the Rackard Cup final in Croke Park, front l/r: Derek Horan, David Mahony, Donal Rafferty, Diarmuid Murphy, Shane Fennell, Shane Callan, Adrian Wallace, Donagh O'Sullivan, Darren O'Hanrahan, Kevin McNally, Mark Wallace, Johnny Carter, David Dunne, Brian Corcoran. Back: Gary O'Brien, David Stephenson, Gerard Smyth, Wesley Morrissey, Ronan Byrne, James Connolly, Eddie McArdle, Shane Maguire, Daire McKiernan, OisĂ­n Drumm, Domhnall McArdle, Andrew McCrave, Gary Rellis, Andrew Mackin

LOUTH SENIOR HURLERS 2012

SENIOR HURLERS Brian Corcoran up against Armagh's Conor McKee during the Rackard Cup final

I

FOURTH TIME AROUND Louth qualified for their fourth Nicky Rackard Cup final in 2012 and the outcome was the same as on the previous three occasions: runners-up; gallant losers; so-near-and-yet-so-far. In the championship there is no such thing as a moral victory so ultimately – in spite of how well Pat Clancy’s charges did to get to a fourth final in eight years – the mood in the camp at the end of the campaign was a familiar one: disappointment.

n 2005, Louth qualified for the inaugural Nicky Rackard Cup final but lost to London. Three years later, they were back in the third-tier senior hurling championship decider but this time came unstuck against Sligo. In 2011, London spoiled the party again as the Wee County returned to yet another AllIreland final. Twelve months later, the sense of déjà-vu was all too palpable as the Reds returned to Croke Park for yet another Rackard Cup decider, this time losing to neighbours Armagh.

The long and the short of all this is that Louth have appeared in half of all Nicky Rackard Cup finals since the third-tier competition was conceived but have yet to collect the silverware.

Westmeath native Pat Clancy returned to the helm in 2012, having had a

13

previous three-year stint in charge of the Louth hurlers up until 2009. He succeeded Paddy Kelly as Wee County senior hurling boss in January and received an immediate boost as Louth’s respectable standing in the game was underlined by the inclusion of three players – David Dunne, Shane Callan and Adrian Wallace – on the 2011 Nicky Rackard Championship 15.

The new manager had barely settled into the hotseat when the first game of the year arrived – a meeting with St Patricks College, Drumcondra in the Keogh Cup at Darver on Sunday, January 22nd, which Louth lost on a scoreline of 2-14 to 1-10.

Defeat consigned the Reds to the Keogh Shield and their involvement in that particular Mickey Mouse puck-around was duly

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14

ended by Fingal at Darver, 1-12 to 18. The north Dublin side would also provide opposition in the first round of the national hurling league…

In the league, Louth staged a strong finish – managing two draws and two victories from their last four outings – but this wasn’t enough to secure a place in the final (which, incidentally, was never played).

The familiar venue of Darver provided the setting for Louth’s first league match of the year and they were edged out by Fingal – 1-13 to 012 – on February 26th. A fortnight later, there were mitigating circumstances as they were held to a draw by Sligo at Markievicz Park: the away party left Dundalk at 6.30am for a 12.45 throw-in!

A 1-9 each draw with Monaghan ensued at Inniskeen on March 18th and seven days later Louth recorded their first victory of the calendar year when thumping Donegal by 4-24 to 0-12 at Darver, with full forward Brian Corcoran doing a good imitation of his Cork namesake as he claimed 33. Hitting form just in time for the start of the championship, Louth closed out their league campaign with a 024 to 0-16 win over Tyrone at Dowdallshill.

The Nicky Rackard Cup started on May 5th and Louth surrendered their four-game unbeaten run when they went under to 13-man Armagh – 0-20 to 1-8 at Dowdallshill. Wesley Morrissey had clipped over the opening point for the hosts but the Orchard men gradually got on top to lead by 0-9 to 0-6 at half time.

The sides were level when Adrian Wallace pounced for the only goal of the game five minutes after the restart and Armagh had also been reduced to 14 men. But Louth could never get their noses in front and the fact that both Brian Corcoran and Diarmuid Murphy had second-half penalties saved tells its own story about the frustrating nature of that particular game.

Despite losing, Louth still had a chance of coming through the back door…

Louth, 2012 Nicky Rackard Cup V Armagh: James Connolly; Domhnall

McArdle, Wesley Morrissey, Mark Wallace; Donagh O'Sullivan, Ronan Byrne (0-1), Derek Horan; Shane Callan (0-1), Darren O'Hanrahan; David Dunne, Shane Fennell (0-3), Diarmuid Murphy; Kevin McNally, Brian Corcoran (0-2), Adrian Wallace (1-0). Subs: Gary Rellis (01), Gerard Smyth.

Conor Kerrigan

Manager Pat Clancy

Ronan Byrne

15

A semi-final berth was secured two weeks later when the Wee County easily got the better of Sligo at Markievicz Park, 3-15 to 1-9. Louth were forced to travel west without a number of first-team regulars and the game was held up for half an hour as the referee didn’t make it – unusual circumstances going into a championship match for sure!

Shane Fennell’s free had the victors ahead by 1-7 to 1-6 at the break (with Darren O’Hanrahan striking the three-pointer) and Gerard Smyth’s goal after the restart set them up for a strong second-half display. David Dunne fired in the third major in injury time to effectively put the Yeats County out of their misery.

Louth, 2012 Nicky Rackard Cup V Sligo: James Connolly; Domhnall McArdle, Wesley Morrissey, Mark Wallace; Donagh O'Sullivan (0-1), Ronan Byrne, Derek Horan; Shane Callan (0-3), Darren O'Hanrahan (10); David Dunne (1-2), Shane Fennell (0-7), Diarmuid Murphy; Kevin McNally (0-1), Gerard Smyth (1-0), Adrian Wallace (0-1). Subs: Gary Rellis, Brian Corcoran, Shane Maguire.

On May 26th, Louth made it backto-back Nicky Rackard Cup final appearances when they walloped Donegal on an emphatic 3-18 to 0-7 scoreline in a surprisingly one-sided encounter at Letterkenny. Again, most of the damage was done in the second half as the winners took some time to settle into their stride before moving up a gear to see ten different players raise flags.

The sides were level coming up to the end of the first 35 but injury-time points from Shane Fennell and Derek Horan ensured the Wee County of a 0-8 to 0-6 lead at the

short whistle. Fennell’s goal soon catapulted Pat Clancy’s men into a 110 to 0-7 lead and they never looked back, with David Dunne bagging a brace of three-pointers.

Louth, 2012 Nicky Rackard Cup V Donegal: James Connolly; Donal Rafferty, Wesley Morrissey, Mark

which had a 2pm throw-in at Croke Park on Saturday, June 9th.

Unfortunately, opponents Armagh justified their favouritism with a strong display to prevail by 3-20 to 1-15.

Not for the first time in such a match, it was all over bar the shouting at the interval as the Orchard County turned on the style to lead by 3-13 to

point interval leeway.

In summing up, a bit of good and a bit of bad for Louth’s hurlers in 2012.

Good in that they reached a fourth Nicky Rackard Cup final; bad in that they lost a fourth Nicky Rackard Cup final! Plenty here to work with in 2013, however, and hopefully the elusive silverware will soon be on its

Shane Fennell breaks away from Armagh’s Ciaran McKernan

Wallace; Donagh O'Sullivan (0-1), Ronan Byrne (0-1), Derek Horan (01); Shane Callan (0-1), Darren O'Hanrahan; David Dunne (2-9), Shane Fennell (1-4), Diarmuid Murphy (0-5); Kevin McNally, Brian Corcoran (0-1), Adrian Wallace (0-4).

Subs: Gary Rellis, Gerard Smyth (01), Shane Maguire, David Mahoney, Daire McKiernan.

Manager Pat Clancy kept faith with the same starting XV for the final,

0-8 at the turnaround. Clearly, there was no way back from there, but at least Louth ‘won’ the second half…

After the first six points after the resumption were traded, Louth goalkeeper James Connolly saved a penalty as the Leinster county refused to give up the ghost. Louth fought right to the end and were rewarded when Brian Corcoran finished off a brilliant goal in the 59th minute but they were never realistically going to overturn the 14-

16

way to the Wee County!

Louth, 2012 Nicky Rackard Cup finalists V Armagh: James Connolly; Donal Rafferty, Wesley Morrissey, Mark Wallace; Donagh O'Sullivan (0-1), Ronan Byrne, Derek Horan; Shane Callan (0-1), Darren O'Hanrahan; David Dunne, Shane Fennell (0-9), Diarmuid Murphy (0-1); Kevin McNally, Brian Corcoran (1-2), Adrian Wallace (0-1). Subs: Gary Rellis, Gerard Smyth, Domhnall McArdle, Shane Maguire.

Brian Corcoran during the Rackard Cup final

The team that recorded a brilliant win over Offaly in the Leinster U21FC semi-final at Pairc Tailteann, front l/r: William Woods, Patrick Reilly, Joe Flanagan, Michael McKeown, Ruairi Moore, Tiernan Hand. Back: Anthony Williams, Barry Hamilton, Ciaran Murray, Shane O'Hanlon, Eoin O'Connor, Cathal Bellew, Dermot Campbell, Ben Rogan, Peter Kirwan

LOUTH UNDER 21 FOOTBALLERS 2012

UNDER 21 FOOTBALLERS Ben Rogan gets the better of Dublin's Luke Fletcher

SECONDBEST TEAM IN THE PROVINCE Louth’s U21 footballers were nothing short of sensational in 2012. The Wednesday Night Crew qualified for a first Leinster final in this grade since 1996 with thrilling victories over Longford and then Offaly after a facile opening-round annihilation of hapless Kilkenny. For Colin Kelly and his charges, it’s certainly a campaign they can look back upon with tremendous pride.

T

he Wee County U21s played four times in 2012 and they were underdogs on all but one occasion. The only time they were actually fancied to win, they romped to a crushing 6-34 to 0-2 victory over Kilkenny at Freshford. Otherwise, they were outsiders against Longford, Offaly and Dublin.

Eventually, they came unstuck at the provincial final stage – against an exceptionally-gifted combination from the capital – but it had been a wonderful effort and the Reds came closer to a first Leinster crown in 31 years than the final scoreline of 116 to 0-8 suggests.

Alas, as 7/1 outsiders, they couldn’t quite keep apace with Jim Gavin’s top-quality side…

The Kilkenny game took place on Leap Day

19

(Wednesday, February 29th) and the Wee County were never in any trouble as they chalked up a massive 1-21 before the short whistle. In the end, they had 50 points to spare. O’Raghallaighs clubman Ruairi Moore struck the opening goal in the tenth minute and the floodgates opened before the end with Barry Hamilton (Geraldines), Eamonn O’Neill (St Mochtas), Derek Kierans (St Nicholas), Cathal Bellew (Kilkerley) and Ben Rogan (O’Raghallaighs) all finding the net as the manager emptied his bench.

Louth, Leinster U21 FC V Kilkenny: Joseph Flanagan; Ciaran Murray, Dermot Campbell; Tiernan Hand; Mark Neary, Paddy Reilly, Eoghan Duffy (0-1); Eoin O'Connor (0-3), Shane O'Hanlon (0-4); Ruairi Moore (1-1), Cathal Bellew

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(1-4), Peter Kirwan (0-3); Ben Rogan (1-1), William Woods (0-4), Brian Berrill (0-6). Subs: Niall Devlin (0-3) for O'Connor; D Kierans (1-0) for Berrill; Eamonn O'Neill (1-2) for Moore; Shane McMahon for Hand; Barry Hamilton (1-2) for Woods.

Seven days later at Fortress Haggardstown, despite being reduced to 14 men, the Wee County powered to a magnificent 3-6 to 1-10 quarter-final victory over Longford.

Without the benefit of a proper workout the first day, they couldn’t get going in the opening half-hour and William Woods’ (Naomh Fionnbarra) goal had them ahead by 1-2 to 0-4 at the break. But it was looking bleak as captain Eoin O’Connor from the St Patrick’s club had been dismissed with a second yellow card shortly before the short whistle.

Amazingly, Colin Kelly’s team came out at the start of the second period like men possessed and Shane O’Hanlon’s goal helped them hit 1-4 without reply to take command on the scoreboard. A third three-pointer from Woods had them looking home and hosed with ten minutes remaining and as many points between them, 3-

6 to 0-5.

The midlanders went all out on the attack, however, and landed five successive points before plundering an injury-time goal that made for a nervy finish. But Louth won by two and the scoreline at the end flattered the 15 men.

Louth, Leinster U21 FC V Longford: Joseph Flanagan; Ciaran Murray, Dermot Campbell, Tiarnan Hand; Mark Neary, Paddy Reilly, Cian McEvoy; Eoin O'Connor (0-1), Shane O'Hanlon (1-0); Ruairi Moore (0-1), Cathal Bellew, Peter Kirwan; Ben Rogan (0-2), William Woods (2-1), Brian Berrill. Subs: Barry Hamilton (01) for Berrill; Anthony Williams for McEvoy; Shane McMahon for Hand; Eamonn O'Neill for Kirwan; Stephen Reidy for Rogan.

On March 21st, Louth progressed to a first Leinster U21 final in 16 years when they edged past a highly-rated Offaly at Navan’s Pairc Tailteann.

The Faithful County – who have been red-hot at minor level in recent seasons - went in as favourites having already accounted for both Meath and Kildare but they found the Wee County in uncompromising

Eoin O'Connor is determined to get to the ball first

21

U21 manager Colin Kelly

mood as the east coast men mounted a determined backs-to-the-wall performance for the closing 20 minutes.

The winners led by 0-6 to 0-1 at the break (with Ben Rogan, Peter Kirwan, William Woods (2), Ruairi Moore and Shane O’Hanlon all on target) and they fired over the next three points in as many minutes (courtesy of Eoin O’Connor, Rogan and Barry Hamilton) to take total command, with O’Hanlon bossing the midfield exchanges and scores flowing freely from all over the pitch.

But Offaly finished strongly and Louth had to hang on with 14 men after Ruairi Moore picked up a second yellow. Towards the end, Offaly looked likely winners but substitute Brian Berrill lifted the siege with an injury-time point – Louth’s first in almost half an hour. It doesn’t seem to happen often but Lady Luck also seemed to favour the Wee County as the losers were guilty of some awful misses and also had a goal contentiously chalked off.

Provincial U21 champions previously in 1970, ’78 and ’81, Louth held on to confirm an April 4th Leinster final showdown with the Dubs.

Louth, Leinster U21 FC V Offaly: Joseph Flanagan; Ciaran Murray, Dermot Campbell, Tiarnan Hand; Michael McKeown, Paddy Reilly, Anthony Williams; Eoin O'Connor (01), Shane O'Hanlon (0-1); Ruairi Moore (0-1), Cathal Bellew, Peter

Kirwan (0-1); Ben Rogan (0-2), William Woods (0-2), Barry Hamilton (0-1). Subs: Eoghan Duffy for McKeown; Brian Berrill (0-1) for Hamilton; Eamonn O'Neill for Kirwan.

The Leinster final was a huge occasion for Louth football. There was a buzz in the county during the build-up and a large Wee County support travelled to Navan for the clash with the Dubs. The lads did their utmost to spring another upset but, alas, were beaten by slick opponents who were inspired by dual prodigy Ciaran Kilkenny (1-7).

As they had done throughout the campaign, Colin Kelly’s men performed with unbelievable heart and spirit but they were playing catch-up from the off as Kilkenny pounced for a first-minute goal.

Points from William Woods, Cathal Bellew and Ben Rogan had the Reds back within two with six minutes left before the interval but the winners reeled off three on the bounce to lead by 1-7 to 0-4 at the turnaround.

It could have been even worse for Louth but for brilliant goalkeeping from O’Raghallaighs clubman Joseph Flanagan and stout defending from Geraldines’ Tiarnan Hand.

Louth, however, still had hope as they would have the wind at their

Ruairi Moore keeps possession

backs after the resumption and early points from Barry Hamilton and Rogan kept them on course but the Dubs kept ticking over and led by seven at the three-quarters stage.

Barry Hamilton goes past Offaly's Jake Kavanagh

22

Ruairi Moore and Rogan (free) had the honour of clipping over the last two Louth scores of a gallant campaign. All in all, Louth’s U21 footballers produced some thrilling football in 2012 but it was their determination more than anything that stood out as they bravely upset the odds time and time again. They may not have got any silverware but Colin Kelly and his players deserve great credit for the pluckiness, hard work and no little skill displayed as they restored pride in Louth football.

Hopefully, future Louth U21 and minor sides can build on this…

Louth, 2012 Leinster U21 final FC V Dublin: Joseph Flanagan; Ciaran Murray, Dermot Campbell, Tiernan Hand; Michael McKeown, Paddy Reilly, Anthony Williams; Eoin O'Connor, Shane O'Hanlon; Ruairi Moore (0-1), Cathal Bellew (0-1), Peter Kirwan; Ben Rogan (0-4), William Woods (0-1), Barry Hamilton (0-1). Subs: Brian Berrill for Bellew; Eoghan Duffy for Kirwan; Shane McMahon for Reilly; Sean Donnelly for Hamilton.

Ronan Carroll

AIDAN O’ROURKE Louth manager Aidan O'Rourke

THE NEW BOSS The unveiling of a new team manager is always a time of great hope and optimism within a county. No matter what has happened under the previous regime, the arrival of a new boss raises expectations and supporters begin to hope of even better times ahead.

I

t is no different in the Wee County and after the progress made in recent seasons, Louth fans will be looking to Aidan O’Rourke as the man to lift the county to the next level.

If his first official function since being appointed to the position, is anything to go by, Aidan O’Rourke will be doing everything in his power to fulfil those expectations.

The Dromintee native exudes a confidence and has a clear belief in what he will attempt to do. This doesn’t come without foundation as his playing career – which speaks for itself – has been supplemented as a student the coaching side of the

24

game and involvement at the top level of the inter-county scene.

O’Rourke, whose exploits at county level earned him an All-Star in 2002 also spent two years as a member of James McCartan’s Down management team, and previously as assistant to his former colleague, Kieran McGeeney at Kildare.

At third level football, he won a Sigerson Cup with Jordanstown, a team that was captained by Donegal’s Jim McGuinness.

In terms of plans for the months ahead, Aidan speaks like a man who has a clear goal. He doesn’t take to wandering in his answers and sticks to the point at all

times. From his passion for the game and success, you can imagine that players will buy into his philosophy.

Those players can expect there is going to be now half-hearted involvement as the answer to the question, does he consider himself a disciplinarian, is a simple “yes”.

Aidan is not shy about referring to his links with Louth – his grandfather from Dundalk and wife from Bellurgan – while his proximity to the Border has provided him with an insight into Louth people and their passion for football.

He describes his admiration for the Louth spirit as one of the reasons he has taken on the job, along with fulfilling his own personal ambitions as a coach, but only doing so when he felt the time was right.

“I would have a long standing appreciation for the Louth mindset they are always a very competitive animal and I never like playing against them. I would have admired that mindset and approach in football terms so that is a huge starting point for any team.

“I have a huge respect for Louth football and believe that this young squad has a lot of potential’, explained Aidan who has clear goals as to what he hopes to achieve and pointed out that he will start with a clean slate in terms of who will be in the squad.

“In terms of where I am at, in relation to my career development I like to think I have served a good apprenticeship with good people at this level. I have coached and managed at club and university level myself and I suppose the next step

was inter-county management.

“I passed on management opportunities before because I didn’t think it was the right fit for me or the county. However, this is a good fit as Louth have the ambition and the playing capacity to make improvements and go forward, while I think I have the leadership and coaching capacity to help them do that,” explained Aidan who feels that he has developed other characteristics essential for the modern manager to succeed.

“I suppose three or four years ago when I was Sigerson Cup manager I was pretty raw but since them I have developed and devoted a lot of time and energy to the whole area of leadership and emotional intelligence I think I have matured in how I relate to players and how I motivate them,” explained the 36-year-old GAA Development Officer in Queens University makes no bones about the type of game he is going to play and believes that it will suit Louth.

“While I have worked with the likes of Kieran McGeeney and James McCartan recently, I am very headstrong in terms of game plan and tactics and very definite about how I want a team to play. That hasn’t been adjusted too much in the last three years so I suppose it was time to put up or shut up and take on the responsibility of being manager myself,” continued the new manager who will spend time assessing players before finalising a panel for the forthcoming O’Byrne Cup. “I will have to look at the capabilities

Aidan O'Rourke aims to have the fittest and strongest Louth team ever by the middle of the league

25

of the players to see what they can or can’t do well before we can come up with a game plan. However, I will start with a definite template and it is a matter of how the players adapt to that, but also from our point of view we will have to look to change and adapt certain things to suit the personnel that we have available.

“There are a few simple basics that I hold very dearly and any team that I coach will defend properly first and foremost - and I make no apologies about that. I like to see the ball moved very quickly, preferably with a kick. I prefer direct football but that will depend both on the players in the Louth jersey and the opposition,” continued Aidan who is fully aware of the necessity to have players in peak condition, physically and mentally, to compete at this level.

“Strength and conditioning will be a big thing for me. My aim is that by the middle of the National League, this will be the fittest and strongest Louth team ever seen. That is not to say that we will be over-doing the gym work but that is an area that can’t be neglected in modern game.

“Also, if you want to compete at this level you have to make sacrifices in terms of social life, work life and generally live and breathe football. If you can’t do that then it doesn’t matter how talented you are,” he explained.

The manager has also brought in a lot of talent and experience to assist him on the sideline, with his brother Martin, former Monaghan player, Bernie Murray and Gerry Reynolds as selectors, while the highly regarded, Mike McGurn has come in as strength and conditioning coach.

Aidan, along with this backroom team is very much looking forward to the new season, and although he is reluctant to outline any specific goals, he is clearly aiming to make a mark in both league and championship.

“My target is for the team to be very competitive in Division 2 next year and I would be very disappointed if we do not stay up, while I will be looking to make an impression on the Leinster Championship.

It certainly is an exciting time for Louth football, with the excellent training facilities on offer at Darver, the prospect of a new state-of-the-art county ground in the near future and the appointment of one of the brightest young managers in the game.

GERARD HOEY Gerard Hoey breaks out of defence

LEAGUE FORM TELLS TRUE TALE SAYS HOEY When reflecting on the fortunes of Louth Senior Footballers in 2012, many people’s thoughts may immediately focus on the events of the Leinster Championship and All-Ireland Qualifiers.

H

aving scraped past Westmeath in the opening round, Louth suffered a heavy defeat against All-Ireland champions, Dublin, in Croke Park. This was followed by a loss to Westmeath in the AllIreland Qualifiers.

On that basis, it would be difficult to argue a very positive slant on the season, but that would be to ignore Louth’s achievement in the National League which saw them build on their promotion in 2011 by retaining their hard-earned Division 2 status this season.

Louth defender, Gerard Hoey, is in no doubt that the Wee County season should be judged on a league performance that saw them achieve their objective in staying up.

26

Not only does the Geraldines man feel it was important in terms of the 2012 team but it is vital for the future that the Wee County establish themselves at this level if they are to make progress in the coming seasons.

“I think that overall you have look on the season as a success as we achieved our target of staying up in Division 2. Having worked hard to get there last year, our aim was to stay up as it is vital that we get to play against the top teams on a regular basis.

“You have to get used to playing at that level if you are going to improve and ultimately have a real crack at the championship”, explained Gerry.

Despite Louth’s determination to give the

league campaign their best shot, they knew it was going to be a tough challenge particularly with some very strong teams in the section, as Gerard explains.

“At the start of the league we had confidence in our own ability but we knew it wasn’t going to be easy with the likes of Tyrone, Kildare and Derry among others, but they are the type of teams that you have to test yourself against if you want to improve”.

Louth’s confidence was not misplaced in the early stages of the

gave the whole squad a real boost.

“We then travelled to Galway and very few people give us a chance but we played well and came away with a point. In the end we were probably disappointed not to have won that game as we had chances near the end to get the winner.

“It looked as if missing out on that point might have been crucial when it came to the end of the season but Galway are a good team and you had to be happy after coming away with something from the game,” he explained.

damage was already done. We managed to outscore them in the second half and that will give us encouragement for next year,” revealed Hoey.

The game against Kildare in Drogheda followed a similar pattern with a Louth comeback falling short as the visitors had built up a good lead in the third quarter.

In between, there was the visit to Monaghan and that defeat was probably the most disappointing of the campaign as the Wee County finished very poorly to see the hosts

Gerard Hoey puts the shackles on Westmeath’s David Glennon during the Leinster SFC match at Pairc Tailteann

competition as they got off to a flying start and although things started to go against the team, they rallied in the last two games to secure their status.

Hoey believes that the team showed great character to lift themselves out of the relegation zone when many people had written off their chances.

“Being drawn at home to Westmeath was a good start for us as we knew we had a chance of winning that game and getting a win that day

On the back of that encouraging start, there was even talk of Louth being in the shake-up for promotion if they could maintain that momentum but with some very tough games to follow, the reality of life in Division 2 soon kicked in.

“Facing the likes of Tyrone and Kildare in our next two home games were big tests for us and I think Tyrone was the hardest of all games in the league. They were beating us well in the first half and although we battled back after half time, the

27

score a comfortable win.

Those three defeats on the bounce left Peter Fitzpatrick’s charges in a very difficult position as they faced trips to Derry and Meath for their final two games.

However, once again the men in red rose to the challenge magnificently to get out of trouble. Darren Clarke’s late point rescued a draw in Derry to set up a showdown with Meath in Pairc Tailteann on Easter Sunday.

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up, and this time it was a brilliant display from Louth that saw them achieve their goal.

“You certainly don’t need any motivating to play against Meath and we were really up for that one, particularly after what had happened over the previous two years.

“I think the great thing about that game was that there was a lot of pressure on us because there was so much at stake. Despite that we played very well on the day and got our reward, and I suppose the bonus was that Meath were relegated as a result,” he continued.

The impressive showing against Meath created a huge sense of optimism throughout the county ahead of the Leinster Championship but the sense of optimism was somewhat tempered by the loss of some key players to America for the summer.

Ultimately, it proved to be a very disappointing campaign for Louth with a late Danny O’Connor goal securing what was for a long time an

unlikely win over Westmeath in Navan. The nature of that performance didn’t augur well for the next round against Dublin in Croke Park, and once again the Wee County didn’t give a good account of themselves against the Dubs on what Gerard remembers as a very difficult afternoon.

“That really was a tough day for everyone involved as it just didn’t go well for us from the start. We were managing to keep in touch and with 32 minutes gone we were only four points behind. However, they kicked two goals before the break which made it an impossible task in the second half.

“It was a difficult coming back out knowing you were so far behind and everyone knows that when Dublin get ahead in Croke Park they have a swagger about them and it is hard to get into the game.

“We always knew it would be a big ask to beat the All-Ireland Championship but the biggest disappointment was that we didn’t

manage to put them under any real pressure. We had been hoping to get in at the break still in the game and hopefully pick things up in the second half, but it just didn’t happen for us,” explained the Geraldines man.

It was a disappointing end to a campaign that has to be seen as a success and Gerard believes that his team can look ahead with confidence to 2013, and again the focus will be on the National League.

“I think next year we have firstly to make sure that we stay in Division 2 but also look to keep ourselves out of the relegation battle. I think we are good enough not to be involved at the foot of the table and hopefully we can learn from this year and make progress.

“Again it will be tough but this is the standard that we have to get used to if we are to advance, and we certainly don’t want to be going back down as it took a big effort to get out of Division 3 in the first place,” added Gerard.

Gerard Hoey puts pressure on Dublin’s Diarmuid Connolly during the Leinster SFC quarter-final in Croke Park

29

On duty for the All-Ireland ladies junior final at Croke Park were, front l/r: Gillian McDonald, Ciara O’Connor, Emer Brennan, Eibhlin Rice, Patricia Marmion, Michelle McMahon, Aine McGee, Ann Marie Lynch, Jenny McGuinness, Marie O'Connell, Deborah Heinz, Nicki Noone, Emily Norton, Vikki McGinn. Back: Maura Lynch, Grace Lynch, Ann Marie Murphy, Grace Rogers, Sandra Lynch, Kim Lynch, Rosanna Heaney, Kate Flood, Andrea Carney Lisa Kelly, Una Pearson, Kelly Cunningham, Susan Byrne, Emma Conlon, Shauna Finn, Laura O’Neill, Niamh Callan, Elaine Flood, Katie Ann Holcroft, Meabh O'Hare

LOUTH LADIES FOOTBALLERS

LADIES FOOTBALL Louth's Ciara O'Connor with Emma Kelly of Antrim

LADIES SO CLOSE AGAIN For the second time in three years, Louth were beaten in the All-Ireland junior ladies football championship final, losing the 2012 decider to Antrim at Croke Park on Sunday, October 7th. It was a gallant effort from John Hanratty’s charges, who went into the final as slight favourites but were caught in a Saffrons’ goal flurry as the title went north. Earlier in the year, the Wee County did capture some significant silverware, however, when the Leinster junior ladies championship crown was annexed in considerable style.

H

aving been beaten by a strong Limerick side in the 2010 All-Ireland junior decider, Louth’s ladies went into the 2012 campaign determined to bring the national silverware back to the Wee County. With Aine McGee as captain, they duly won the Leinster junior title before beating Antrim, Derry and Offaly to book their place in the All-Ireland.

Ladies All-Ireland final day was controversially pushed back a week to allow for a replay in the SHC decider between Kilkenny and Galway at HQ but the big day finally arrived on October 7th and Louth were on the undercard, facing Antrim as the support cast to Armagh V Waterford and Cork V Kerry. Alas, it was the northerners who claimed the prize for a second time

31

in four years by virtue of a 39 to 0-7 success.

When the sides had met in the first round of the competition, Louth had prevailed by nine points, so what we witnessed in the decider was effectively a 20point swing - hugely disappointing for a Wee County side that was brilliantly prepared but just didn’t show up on the day.

Two goals from Northern Ireland soccer international Kirsty McGuinness gave the winners a 2-3 to 0-2 interval platform, with the Reds failing to score until the 22nd minute. Even when Louth did manage to create scoring opportunities, they were foiled time and time again by Antrim custodian and Player of the Match Ciara McCoy. It was just one of those days when nothing seemed to click.

The Louth ladies team

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beaten in the 2012 All-Ireland junior championship final was: Una Pearson; Anne Marie Lynch, Andrea Carney, Aine McGee; Michelle McMahon, Marie O’Connell (0-1), Patricia Marmion; Grace Lynch (0-1), Sandra Lynch (0-1); Lisa Kelly, Anne Marie Murphy (0-1), Ciara O’Connor; Rosanna Heeney, Kate Flood (0-1), Jenny McGuinness (0-1).

Subs: Kelly Cunningham for McGuinness (15), Jenny McGuinness for Cunningham (23), Vicki McGinn for Marmion (h/t), Susan Byrne (0-1) for Flood (40), Emma Conlon for McGuinness (54).

When Louth started back together in December 2011, one of their main aims was to be the fittest junior team in the country. This was achieved and the fitness of the players was evident as they powered to Leinster junior glory, beating Offaly in the provincial final. It was the Faithful County who also provided opposition in the AllIreland semi-final, which the Wee County won by 2-12 to 0-12 at Clane on Sunday, September 2nd.

Emma Conlon’s goal on the hour finally confirmed Louth’s passage to the decider, while goalkeeper Una Pearson, defenders Anne Marie Lynch and Marie O’Connell and attackers Anne Marie Murphy (who fired the first goal after twelve minutes) and Jenny McGuinness (06) contributed to a deserved win.

Louth led the semi-final by 1-8 to 07 at half time but it was in the melting pot by the 58th minute, 1-12 to 0-12.

But Conlon had the last say and Antrim advanced from the other semi-final on a 3-11 to 3-10 scoreline against Wexford.

Derry had provided quarter-final opposition at Stabannon on August 4th and it was all too easy for the Wee County as they romped to an emphatic 9-25 to 0-4 triumph. Local girl Jenny McGee pounced for a brace of goals inside the opening two minutes and Kate Flood (2), Laura O’Neill and Jenny McGuinness added further majors as the hosts led by 6-12 to 0-1 at the interval.

Ciara O’Connor found the net twice in the opening two minutes of the second half and the impressive McGuinness brought her individual tally to 3-7 before the end of a game where Louth also had the luxury of 16 wides.

Would-be champions Antrim were Louth’s opponents in the opening round on July 29th and the visitors

secured a fantastic 3-15 to 1-13 success in a thriller at Casement Park. Fresh from their Leinster final triumph a fortnight earlier, Louth stormed out of the blocks confidently and led by eight points at the break.

The Saffrons battled back when the Wee County were reduced to 13 players but late goals from the everdangerous Jenny McGuinness (1-4) and Kate Flood (1-2) settled the game as a contest. Rosanna Heeney had pounced for the first-half threepointer.

Dr Cullen Park was the venue on Sunday, July 15th as the border girls claimed the Leinster junior ladies

football championship with a stunning 1-22 to 2-6 win at the expense of Offaly. Winners of the provincial title previously in 2009, Louth roared ahead by 0-4 to 0-1 inside 15 minutes thanks to Kate Flood, Rosanna Heeney, Jenny McGuinness and Ciara O'Connor.

The Faithful County replied with 1-1 to lead for the only time in the match but a McGuinness leveller was duly followed by an excellent Sandra Lynch goal. Flood then struck the crossbar before pointing again and Heeney and substitute Anne Marie Murphy made it 1-9 to 1-4 at half time.

Sandra Lynch gets away from Caitlin McHugh of Antrim

33

Heeney (0-2), Murphy and McGuinness stretched the gap and further points from Lisa Kelly, Grace Lynch, Ciara O’Connor and Heeney ensured there would be no way back for the midlanders. The winners led by 1-17 to 1-6 with six minutes remaining and there was time for Murphy (2), Laura O’Neill (2) and O’Connor to fire over five more points.

Newtown Blues girl Vicki McGinn – who would only play the second half

Carney, Aine McGee; Patricia Marmion, Marie O'Connell, Michelle McMahon; Grace Lynch (0-1), Vikki McGinn; Rosanna Heeney (0-8), Sandra Lynch (1-0), Ciara O'Connor (0-3); Susan Byrne, Kate Flood (0-2), Jenny McGuinness (0-2). Subs: Anne Marie Murphy (0-3) for S Lynch, Lisa Kelly (0-1) for S Byrne, Emer Brennan (0-1) for M McMahon, Laura O'Neill (0-2) for K Flood, Maura Lynch for A Carney. Rest of squad: Kelly Cunningham, Gillian

Jenny McGuinness chipped in with the third major late on.

The previous weekend, first-half goals from Kate Flood (3) and Susan Byrne helped Louth take a facile 4-19 to 0-3 win in Carlow to get their Leinster championship campaign up and running in style.

In Division Four of the national league, Louth reached the semi-final stage but lost to Limerick by 0-8 to 07 in Laois on April 22nd, thereby missing out on promotion. Grace

Dejection following their All-Ireland defeat

of the All-Ireland final - delivered a Player of the Match performance from midfield and it was left to corner back Aine McGee to collect the trophy as the Wee County girls celebrated a deserved success. The win brought a lot of satisfaction to the victorious camp, who had lost to the same opposition at the semi-final stage in 2011.

Louth – 2012 Leinster junior ladies football champions: Una Pearson; Ann Marie Lynch, Andrea

McDonnell, Kim Lynch, Katie Ann Holcroft, Niamh Callan, Evelyn Rice, Elaine Flood, Shauna Finn, Meabh O'Hare, Deborah Hynes, Emma Conlon. Management: John Hanratty, Paddy Curtis, Pat Reid and Anne Marie King.

Louth had booked their place in the final with a 3-14 to 2-5 victory over Wexford at Stabannon on July 2nd – despite being reduced to twelve players for three second-half minutes! Early goals from Kate Flood and Ciara O’Connor set the tone and

34

Lynch, Andrea Carney and Vicki McGinn were all named on the Division Four Team of the Year, with Lynch also selected to play for Leinster in the interprovincial championship.

The highlights of the league campaign had been wins over Carlow (4-12 to 1-2) and Offaly (2-13 to 012). But it was all about the championship for Louth’s ladies in 2012 and they won one of the prizes on offer before coming up just short in the main competition.

Paddy Keenan and Meath's Graham Reilly

PAT CLANCY Pat Clancy

H

aving

CLANCY LOOKING TO 2013 After a slow start to the year, Louth’s hurlers gradually built up a head of steam and motored through to their fourth Nicky Rackard Cup final appearance. Unfortunately, defeat was again to be their lot but manager Pat Clancy will leave no stone unturned in making sure the Wee County hit the ground running in 2013. Next year it’s going to be a clear case of ‘start as we mean to go on’…

enjoyed

a

happy with a final defeat,”

previous three-year

the

Westmeath

native

spell at the Wee

admits. “But considering the

County helm that ran until

low base we came from, I

2009, Pat Clancy returned to

would have been happy

the Louth hurling hotseat in

enough to have got that far.

2012, agreeing a fresh two-

“We got together late in the

year term. Clancy had been

year and had a couple of

in charge when the Reds

bad results early on and we

progressed to the 2008

didn’t get our first win in the

Nicky Rackard Cup final

league

against Sligo and he again

Donegal near the end of

masterminded

path

March, so it was a slow start

through to the third-tier

– but then we kicked on from

championship decider, only

there and gathered some

for Armagh to prove too

real

strong on this occasion.

season went on.

a

until

we

momentum

played

as

the

Was it a case of happy

“We probably should have

enough just to get back to

beaten both Monaghan and

Croke Park or disappointed

Sligo in the league, but we

with

final

didn’t. [Both games ended in

defeat? “You could never be

draws.] Having started the

36

yet

another

year so poorly, to end up in a Nicky Rackard final was brilliant because we had a couple of really good performances away from home against Sligo [3-15 to 1-9] and Donegal [3-18 to 0-7] in the quarterfinal and semi-final, which was encouraging.”

But the Orchard County proved a bridge too far in the final at Croke Park on June 9th, winning by eleven points…

“It was always going to be a struggle against Armagh given where they were coming from and what they are doing in terms of promoting hurling up there. We actually played better against them in the first round at Dowdallshill than we did in the final.

In the final, we didn’t perform in the first half at all and that was very disappointing. We matched them in the second half but the first-half performance had let us down.”

Louth keep getting to the final but there always appears to be a team waiting for them that’s head and shoulders above the rest in the thirdtier All-Ireland. A Sligo, London or Armagh.

“There seems to be and it’s the same in the Christy Ring Cup where my own county, Westmeath, won it three years in a row and other teams

weren’t getting a chance. In the Nicky Rackard, somebody will always drop down out of the Christy Ring and that side will usually be a cut above the rest.

“But another thing you have to ask is whether Louth are good enough to play in the Christy Ring Cup. I’m not even sure if we’d have been allowed to go up if we’d won the Nicky Rackard Cup final but, if we did go up, I don’t know if we’d be good enough to hold our own at the higher level. To be honest, I don’t think we could compete at that level at the moment. It’s a big step-up.

“We can compete where we are, though. If we get a good pre-season behind us and get two or three new lads in, then we can give it another real go in 2013. This year is going to be different because we can start training in November and make sure we have all the groundwork done and hopefully this time we’ll hit the ground running in the league.

“I’ll analyse the situation and see where we’re going. I think we have to look at the example being set by Armagh, who are bringing in big names to promote hurling and are reaping the benefits of that.

“They have developed good underage structures and also have

The Louth squad on Allianz HL duty

37

good U21 teams, whereas you saw what happened with the Louth U21s this year. Louth are working hard but they’re not quite there yet.

“In the meantime, we’ll be scouring the county and attending as many club games as possible in the hope of unearthing two or three new players who could make a difference.”

Despite finishing up empty-handed, Pat feels that the 2012 intercounty season was ultimately worthwhile from a Louth perspective: “It was a very enjoyable season. We had a good run and we exceeded expectations. Given the low starting base we came from and the ground we had to make up on other teams who started back earlier, we were getting there. Another game before the final against Armagh would have brought us on even further but we ran out of time. It’s a compact competition with only a handful of games and two of our four games were against the eventual winners.

“Donegal had beaten both Roscommon and Monaghan and we beat them on their own patch, so that was a great performance.”

Is there a danger of the Louth players consigning themselves to the inevitability of never winning the Nicky Rackard Cup. Having lost four

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Brian Corcoran in action against Armagh during the Nicky Rackard Cup final

one-sided finals, could they now be

coming through but I’ve probably

this year.

“In general, they would be a very

thinking ‘we’ll never win this’?

seen them all at this stage…”

“I wouldn’t imagine any of them

dedicated bunch of lads and the

think that but you’d have to ask the

support we get from Des and Aidan

individual players. I’d be disappointed

and Padraig on the County Board is

if they did because if they have that

great. They look after us and you

kind of defeatist attitude in their

realise how lucky you are when you

heads

no

see the way the boys were treated in

this time. We weren’t that far away

movement forward. In fairness to

Monaghan. I could never see a

from a final place this year despite

them, they love their hurling and they

situation like that arising in Louth.

making a slow start, so it’s important

then

there

will

be

go out every time to give it their best.

You couldn’t ask for more.

And, finally, what are the goals for 2013? “We’ll be looking at the national league first and foremost.

We will have to make a better start

“I’ve been to the club championship

we hit the ground running. When you

games and I’m trying to see as many

look at it, we lost two games to Fingal

“I suppose a lot will always depend

lads as I can. There may be a couple

on what teams are in the Nicky

of dual players there who would

Rackard and it’s a challenge to get

make a difference if they played

that belief into the players that they

hurling but they will always put

can beat anyone on the day. But we

football first in Louth. I’ll scour the

running early in the league and as

definitely believed we could beat

county again and see what’s there.

soon as it’s over we will take another

Armagh or at least run them close

There could be one or two lads

look at the Nicky Rackard Cup.”

39

and two to Armagh this year and we were a match for everybody else.

“We’ll be trying to get up and

The Louth minor panel which got the better of Westmeath in the Leinster championship at Haggardstown, front l/r: Keith Boylan, Robert Quigley, Mark Newell, Cian Doyle, Shane Matthews, Stephen Kilcoyne, Ciaran Ward, Josh Arrowsmith. Middle: Sean Crosbie, James Stewart, Kieran Lenehan, Cathal Costello, Darren Marks, Andrew English, Terry Donegan. Back: Darren McMahon, Conor Grimes, Conal Cooney, Shane McQuillan, Thomas McCann, Michael Kane, Colm Giggins, Sean McConnell

LOUTH MINOR FOOTBALLERS

MINOR FOOTBALLERS Stephen Kilcoyne gets away from Westmeath's David Lynam

W

WESTMEATH WIN THE HIGHLIGHT FOR MINORS With key man Ciaran Byrne missing the championship through injury, Louth’s minors were up against it in 2012. Thomas McNamee’s charges nonetheless delivered a scintillating second-half display to gun down Westmeath in the first round of the Leinster SFC at Haggardstown - but Kildare proved a bridge too far at the quarter-final stage in Newbridge five weeks later.

ith the schools football season up and running, and Dundalk Colleges at full tilt, the Wee County didn’t have their full complement for the Leinster minor football league - a competition of limited significance and worth as it realistically only provides managers with a chance to look at their fringe players.

Fielding what could be considered shadow teams, Louth played three Leinster league games in the space of a fortnight in March, losing heavily to Meath at Darver (311 to 0-6), beating Carlow by 1-9 to 0-5 and drawing with Wexford in Ferns on St Patrick’s Day (0-11 to 1-8). It’s hard to know what a manager can learn from these games.

Regardless, the championship commenced on Wednesday, April 14th and the Reds were certainly up against it as they were drawn against a fancied Westmeath outfit which had beaten Louth two years earlier at U16 level.

The midlanders also had Tommy Carr as manager, so their challenge could not be taken lightly.

41

But Louth had reached a provincial semi-final in 2011 and they still had a healthy smattering of those players available, in addition to manager Thomas McNamee.

Wee County football was also on a bit of a high at the time, with the seniors having clinched Division Two survival while the U21s were into their provincial decider; and the minor class of ’12 duly opened their account in style with a fantastic 2-10 to 0-6 midweek victory in Haggardstown.

A ten-point win against a decent side certainly represented an impressive start to the campaign. This match was a real slow-burner early on with only three points scored in the opening 20 minutes, the hosts leading by 0-2 to 0-1 thanks to Robert Quigley and Stephen Kilcoyne.

The Lake County – who had been denied a goal by a brilliant Shane McQuillan save – took control of the last ten minutes before the break and reeled off five successive scores to lead by four. It could have been worse for Louth but for a few Westmeath wides

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and one shot that rebounded off the foot of a post. As it was, they remained in contention at the short whistle as Shane Matthews’ point left them just three adrift: 0-6 to 0-3.

The second half was a totally onesided affair as a vastly-improved Louth – now with the wind at their backs tagged on 2-7 to no reply. Matthews took his second point within 30 seconds of the restart and a brace of Kilcoyne points had them level by the 42nd minute.

Louth moved emphatically ahead when Hunterstown Rovers clubman Matthews latched onto an Andrew English pass to sidestep the ‘keeper and roll the ball to an empty net. That score seemed to completely knock the stuffing out of the visitors.

Points from Kilcoyne and hardworking midfielder Conor Grimes had the winners five points clear with seven minutes left and there was still time for

Darren McMahon

Shane Matthews

substitute Cian Doyle to add a second major, following good play from Quigley. Josh Arrowsmith and Kilcoyne tagged on the last two scores on a satisfactory day for the Wee County.

Louth, 2012 Leinster MFC V Westmeath: Shane McQuillan; Conor McMenamin, Kieran Lenehan, Ciaran Ward; Thomas McCann, Andrew English, Darren Marks; Conor Grimes (0-1), James Stewart; Colm Giggins, Darren McMahon, Mark Newell; Shane Matthews (1-2), Robert Quigley (0-1), Stephen Kilcoyne (0-5). Subs: Michael Kane, Josh Arrowsmith (0-1), Cian Doyle (1-0), Sean Crosbie.

When the draw for the quarter-finals was made, Louth were paired with Kildare – at Newbridge on Saturday, May 19th. The winners would meet either Carlow, Westmeath, Wicklow or Wexford for a place in the final.

Unfortunately, Ciaran Byrne failed to recover from injury and the Reds were well-beaten by a strong Lilywhite selection, 2-16 to 2-8.

Once again, they reserved their best football for the second half. Trailing by a whopping 13 points early in the second period, they produced a remarkable revival to narrow the gap to a manageable five points, but a brave Louth side ran out of steam and Kildare knocked over the last three points to seal their progress to the last four.

Thanks to points from Robert Quigley and Stephen Kilcoyne, it was 0-2 to 0-1 after nine minutes. But Louth would only score twice more in the first half, while the hosts added 2-7 to their total to lead by 2-8 to 0-4 at half time.

It was 2-6 to 0-2 after 20 minutes (with the goals coming from full forward Paddy Brophy after nine and 16 minutes) and late points from Quigley and Kilcoyne just about kept the Wee County in touch – but they had a mountain to climb upon the resumption.

It got even worse when Kildare also added the next three points but Cian Doyle fired to the net, after taking possession from James Stewart and running 15 metres, to offer Louth the faintest of lifelines. Kilcoyne was on hand to fire a second goal and all of a sudden a remarkable comeback looked possible at 2-13 to 2-8 with 13 minutes left to play, Robert Marks notching the eighth Louth point.

Suddenly, Louth had a spring in their step and there was a palpable sense of excitement amongst the travelling supporters at St Conleth’s Park as they began to contemplate the most unlikely of wins. Alas, however, Kildare regained their composure to pull away once more for an eight-point victory.

43

Minor manager Thomas McNamee

Darren Marks

When the final whistle sounded at Newbridge, Louth’s year was over.

While the team management didn’t offer any excuses afterwards, it is only fair to point out that Ciaran Byrne was a massive loss. It’s hardly a stretch to suggest that Louth’s minors would have been a different proposition with the St Mochtas youngster in their ranks. As it was, being drawn away to Kildare proved too difficult a task for this team, who were beaten but displayed plenty of battling qualities and can look back on their efforts with a real sense of pride.

Louth, 2012 Leinster MFC V Kildare: Shane McQuillan; Eoghan Lafferty, Kieran Lenehan, Ciaran Ward; Thomas McCann, Darren McMahon, Darren Marks (0-1); Conal Cooney, James Stewart; Wayne Campbell, Conor Grimes, Kurt Murphy; Cian Doyle (1-1), Robert Quigley (0-3), Stephen Kilcoyne (1-3). Subs: Josh Arrowsmith, Marc Newell, Michael Kane, Shane Matthews.

DEREK CRILLY Derek Crilly drives upfield

MR. DEPENDABLE Derek Crilly was a mainstay of the Louth senior football team in 2012. While a host of others availed of the opportunity of playing their football abroad during the summer, the Dundalk Gaels clubman stayed at home and delivered a series of solid displays in a variety of positions. He was arguably the Wee County’s most consistent and reliable performer – who better to run the rule over the season gone by and to look forward to 2013?

L

outh were like the wild geese of the GAA in 2012. It seemed that with each passing week another of their players emigrated. It was a frustrating time for supporters of the island’s smallest county.

The antidote to the exodus was best epitomised by Derek Crilly who, in his sixth year as a county senior, rolled up his sleeves and gave 100% in every game, whether he was asked to play at centre back, wing forward or corner forward.

As more and more players

44

dropped off the panel, the versatile Crilly’s brief was chopped and changed accordingly by manager Peter Fitzpatrick. Where some might have complained, Crilly soldiered on, displaying the characteristics of a true team player. He was an ever-present, was he not?

“Yeah I played most of the games throughout the year, alright. It went pretty well in general but I had a bit of a slump in the middle of the league when I was being moved between the halfback and half-forward lines

against Tyrone and Kildare and was substituted in both those games. But I then had a strong enough finish to the league and I did okay in the championship.”

How does he feel about the team being blighted by so many defections? “It was disappointing but at the same time I can understand the lads going away if they aren’t working at home and they can get a few euro for playing football during the summer. They get to travel and also they get a few quid, so you can’t blame them. But it definitely affected Louth.

“Even at training, we wouldn’t have had the numbers and the same intensity then wasn’t there. As the numbers started to dwindle, we seemed to get weaker.”

An interesting point – the defections are probably felt more keenly at training than on match day… “Our

starting team was still quite strong but you hear a lot about other counties having great competitive matches at training and our A v B games certainly weren’t as intense as they used to be.

In the long run, that definitely told against us. In the end, we only had a squad of 24 or 25 lads and a 12 V 12 game at training isn’t really going to do you any big favours.”

So can the recession be partly blamed for Louth’s disappointing championship? “It has had an effect.

It’s a great opportunity for lads to go abroad and see a bit of the world and get some money for playing football.

In fairness, if there was more work at home I think a lot of lads would stick around for the summer, especially county footballers.”

Was the Dundalk Gaels stalwart ever tempted to go himself? “I wasn’t asked this year and wouldn’t have had any interest in going anyway. I’m

finished college a couple of years at this stage and I think it’s younger lads they are looking for. I was asked to go over in the past but was never tempted, to be honest.”

Have Louth moved forward or backwards since Derek joined the panel in 2007? “I think we have made progress. The fact that we stayed in Division Two this year should help us push on and Division Two is a good base to start from. Even since I’d been involved, Louth were more or less a Division Three team but to go up to Division Two and then stay there suggests that we’re now performing at a higher level.

“Bar 2010, our championship results have not been good so I suppose we need to find a bit more consistency in the championship.

Before that, in the league, we’d hope to stay in Division Two again or maybe even push for a place in

Derek Crilly makes a great catch against Westmeath in the Leinster SFC

45

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46

Division One.” And what of the wild geese? Will they be flocking home? “I would be hopeful that all the lads who went have that bit of travelling out of their systems now and that they will all be back on board and available for 2013.

Most counties are affected to some extent by emigration but it seemed to be worse for Louth and realistically we need to get all the lads out if we’re going to do ourselves justice.”

The number of players who were

awkwardly against Dublin, which we could have done without.”

Where did it go wrong for Louth in 2012? After a successful league campaign where Division Two status was retained, they seemed to bottom out: “Maybe this year we might have focussed too much on staying up in the league and then when we achieved that target we possibly switched off a bit for the championship. Maybe we weren’t as focussed for the championship as we

Louth need to focus on getting to an All-Ireland quarter-final, irrespective of how we get there.

“We saw Laois, Tipperary and Leitrim all put together good runs in the Qualifiers this year and there’s no reason why we couldn’t do something similar if we got a decent draw.

Setting a target of getting to the last eight is probably the way to go.

“There’s almost a perception that the year is over once you go out of Leinster but it’s knockout then and in a way the championship is only really

The heat of battle as Derek Crilly goes toe to toe with Dublin's Kevin McManamon

missing for the second half of the Westmeath qualifier in Mullingar was almost laughable. As well as those who had gone abroad, Darren Clarke and Mark Brennan had been sent off and Ronan Carroll and Paddy Keenan missed out due to injury.

Furthermore, the manager was in hospital so the Wee County were down to their bare bones. Bad luck?

“Yeah, we were really up against it and I suppose luck might play a part but at the same time you make your own luck. Ronan picked up a knock in a challenge game and Paddy landed

should have been – and that certainly shouldn’t be happening.

“We need to sit down again at the start of the year and set ourselves a target for next year, aware of the fact that the championship is what you are judged on. And I think we should ask players to make a commitment to the team for the whole year.

“It would be nice to get a run in Leinster but the problem in Louth is that this depends on the draw and Dublin are dominant with eight out of the last nine Leinster titles. So, realistically, taking that into account,

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starting. Maybe that’s a mindset that we need to change for next year…”

How do Louth compare to the best teams in the country, the likes of Donegal, Cork, Mayo and Dublin?

“On our day we are capable of playing very good football. Footballwise, I think Louth are quite good to watch. It’s just a matter of getting more consistency into our play. We are lacking physically – height-wise and weight-wise – compared to some of the other teams but we’d be hoping to compensate for this with good football.”

PEADAR McPARTLAND

Peader McParland (centre) receives the North Louth sports star award with two of the men who played a major part in his career, Mick Callaghan and Fr Martin Kenny

PEADAR McPARLAND A LIFE OF FOOTBALL In Louth football, whenever Peadar McParland’s name is mentioned, it is invariably linked with the great Cooley Kickhams team that dominated Louth football in the 1970’s. Big Peadar, as he was affectionately known, was very much a key player in that Cooley team. His high fielding and score taking ability was a constant feature when playing in his favoured midfield position. He also played numerous times for Louth throughout the decade, particularly in the mid-seventies under the team management of Jimmy Mulroy and Joe Carroll.

By Sean Ross

P

eadar was born in Mullatee, Carlingford in 1947 to James McParland and Kathleen (Dullaghan) from Bush. His mother was an aunt of another great Cooley and Louth player, Gerry Farrell. Peadar has one brother, Séamus who also played with Cooley in his early years, and then went on to achieve great success his other sporting love, golf. In his formative years, Peadar attended Grange N.S., the same school that the famous Jimmy Magee (R.T.E.) attended in earlier years.

He then moved to Boher N.S. and played on the school team that won the North-Louth Schools’ League in 1958 and 1959.

The headmaster at Boher School, Mr. Paddy Walsh, was from Kilkenny and promoted both hurling and football in the school.

This had a great influence on all the pupils there. In 1960 Peadar went to Bush Vocational School. He left at age 15 to take up a position with Milestone Wines, Carlingford.

In the early 1960’s Cooley regraded to junior but people like Rev Father Mc Evoy, (R.I.P.) Mick Callaghan (R.I.P.) and Later Rev. Fr Martin Kenny would not be satisfied with junior football.

My own memories of Cooley people were of a very determined, forceful people who knew their football, and they wanted to be at the top. In 1964, Cooley won the Junior Championship, the McArdle Cup and Dundalk Junior League. This was the beginnings of the Cooley fight back to senior ranks. Peadar acknowledges the role that Mick Callaghan, who at that time was the team trainer and lived nearby, played in encouraging him and accompanying him to training sessions in his early years. But with John Woods and Pat Hanlon at centre field, Peadar was going to have to wait a while. Rev Father Mc Evoy, a native of Tyrone died in 1965 and Cooley mourned his passing. Peadar made the senior team in 1967, and in 1968 he was picked on the Louth junior team which were beaten by Meath in Pairc Tailteann. Cooley minors won the championship that year and Fr Mc Evoy Park was opened in 1969 too, as they say “the shoals of fish were all coming in together”.

By 1971, Peadar had become an established member of the Cooley senior team. He played in ten senior finals, this included two replays. Cooley won the championship in 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977 and 1978. As winners of the Louth championship they represented Louth at Leinster Club Level. In 1973 Peadar was

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the leading championship scorer with four goals and eight points, which led to him winning the North-Louth Sports Star award. In that same year, Cooley reached the Leinster club final but an all-star U.C.D team with players like Benny Gaughran, Kevin Kilmurray, John O’ Keefe, Jackie Walsh, Paddy Kerr, Ollie Leddy beat a Cooley team who did not play well on the day. In 1977 Cooley reached a second Leinster club final only to be beaten again, this time by a strong Portlaoise team in Croke Park.

Peadar’s other achievements with Cooley include winning eight O’Donnell cups and Five Old Gael cups.

At this stage, Peadar was now playing county football. He captained the Louth team on occasion in 1972 and he continued to play until the late 1970’s. Another strong influence on Peadar as a player was Jimmy Mulroy, who was Louth manager from 1973 to 1975. He remembers loads of games, but in 1974 he played against Brian Mullins and Bernard Brogan of Dublin in Navan. He believes that 1975 was the year in which he played some of his best football. He was training four nights a week for club and county. In this year, he particularly remembers scoring seven points from play against Wicklow in Croke Park in the first round of the Leinster championship and marking Paul McNaughton, later of rugby fame. Then, in the Leinster Quarter Final, Louth beat Meath, then the League champions, by 0-15 to 19. Dublin, defending All-Ireland champions were Louth’s semi-final opponents. After a thrilling game, Louth lost by four points to what was a star-studded Dublin team. In August 1975 Peadar got hit by illness/flu, and this kept him out of football for a couple of months that included missing the championship final against St.Marys of Ardee who won the final, and Peadar recalls some ding-dong battles with St.Marys, Newtown Blues, Mattock Rangers and many more heroic parish teams.

As Peadar looks back on that time, he remembers Rev. Fr. Martin Kenny as being the other major influence on his career. Fr. Kenny was Cooley trainer and selector through the club’s golden era of the 1970’s and, with his enthusiasm and passion, brought the best out of that group of players. Regarding opponents, Peadar has great respect for

people like, Mick Gartland (Roche), Leslie Toal and Jim Ryan (Clans), Seamus Kirk and Derry Maguire (St Brides), Larry Geraghty (Mattock Rangers), Michael Rice (St. Mary’s) and in particular Jackie Hanratty (Blues), who always proved a tough adversary. His most difficult opponent was Michael (Muckle) McKeown.

Looking back, Peadar believes that one of the reasons Cooley achieved so much success was the fact that they played in a lot of top class tournaments, mostly against other county champions. These matches helped to build a team spirit and the players got great enjoyment from playing against such strong opponents. Peadar believes that this enjoyment is missing from the game today and that clubs are not playing enough matches, partly due to county commitments.

Following his retirement from football, Peadar became very much involved with his local golf club in Greenore, both as a player and at committee level. He has twice held the office of captain, notably in the club’s centenary year of 1996. He has also served as club president.

Peadar is married to Anne (nee McInerney) whose brother Hugh won an Ulster championship medal with Cavan in 1969. He has a son and daughter, Ronan and Aideen. Peadar is currently employed by the Professional Golfers’ Association as a member visitation officer, which involves a lot of travel all over Ireland.

On the lighter side, Peadar remembers the first time he got to play on a Cooley team. He was going on as a sub in a second division championship match in St. Brigid’s

Park. Dowdallshill. His mentor, Mick Callaghan, sent him on to play at right full-back to replace Pat Finnegan (Clarke) R.I.P., a well-known character to Cooley people. Peadar went up to Pat and told him that he had to go off but Pat kept ignoring the request, saying that he was enjoying the game and didn’t want to leave the pitch! After a few more efforts of persuasion, Pat probably decided that he wasn’t enjoying the game anymore and quietly walked off. On the great Cooley teams that Peadar played on were men like Con Nolan, Peadar’s midfield partner, John Woods, the McCarthy brothers, Harry, Martin, and Peter (R.I.P).

Peadar Gallagher, Alo Mc Grath, Terry Brennan, Michael Boyle, Michael (Bramble) Malone, a real unsung hero who was the engine of the team. Jim Thornton was a great leader at full-back, his place kicks would reach their destination, and this writer would agree that Jim was very fair but a tough opponent.

Peadar remembers back to how it all began, kicking a small sponge ball up against the gable end of the house and dreaming of playing for his native Cooley. Peadar will live in the memory of all Louth Gaels for his midfield displays, for his defensive traits and the many sallies into his opponent’s goal-mouth. Peadar always played fair, got to know his opponents and always had time for people. He is an example to all Gaels in Louth and throughout Leinster.

Peadar’s memory is fantastic, and his appreciation of Father Martin Kenny, Mick Callaghan and Jimmy Mulroy shows that he never wavered far from the soil of Cooley.

The Cooley Kickhams county championship winning squad of 1971, front l/r: K Thornton, J Thornton, J Hanlon, G Rafferty, J Maguire, H McCarthy, M Malone, G Finnegan, Father McGrane.

Middle: M Callaghan, J Woods, W Kirk, J Murphy, C Nolan, P McParland, P Maguire, T Brennan, P Gallagher, Father Kenny. Back: M Thornton, M Farrell, G Malone, A McGrath, B Rafferty, M McCarthy, V Thornton, J Kirk, M Boyle

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COLLEGES

The Dundalk Colleges squad for 2011/12

H

A GALLANT EFFORT

Dundalk Colleges made a brave bid to retain the Leinster Senior Colleges ‘A’ Football Championship, seeing off St Mel’s of Longford and Knockbeg College, Carlow with spirited displays before falling to a very strong St Mary’s, Edenderry at the semifinal stage. While they didn’t manage to reproduce the heroics of 2011, it was nonetheless a commendable effort and the players can look back on their campaign with satisfaction. These titles are hard won and they gave it a good shot … that’s all you can ask for!

aving conquered the province in 2011, Dundalk Colleges went into the 2012 Leinster Senior Colleges ‘A’ Football Championship bidding for a historic backto-back victory. They had a few factors working in their favour: plenty of players left over from the previous year’s team; a rising sense of belief / confidence; and of course the inestimable input of team manager Leslie Toal, a man who is never found wanting when it comes to preparing his charges for battle. On the downside there were numerous injuries as well as the sheer enormity of the challenge facing them – it’s difficult enough to annex one crown at this level, let alone two on the bounce!

They opened their campaign against St Mel’s of Longford at Clonguish on the afternoon of Friday, January 27th. It was a tricky assignment and Dundalk Colleges were missing the injured Ciaran Byrne, while James Stewart was only fit enough to come on as a second-half substitute. But

50

they could still call on the likes of Darragh Smith, Kieran Lenehan, Conor McMenamin, Conall McKeever, Cian Doyle and Robert Quigley, all of whom had provincial medals in their pockets already.

The holders had prepared well with challenges against St Colman’s, Castleblayney and Bessbrook and this told as they hit the ground running with an excellent 1-7 to 0-9 success. It had looked like a hopeless situation at half time as the visitors trailed by seven points to no score, having played into the teeth of the strong wind.

Dundalk didn’t muster their first point until the 38th minute – a Cian Doyle free.

Sean O’Mahonys clubman Ben McLaughlin’s goal brought them right back into contention and a run of points from Doyle (2), Robert Quigley (free) and McKeever had them ahead by the 49th minute, 1-5 to 07.

Mel’s equalised and it was a tense finish but, with Colm Giggins on top at midfield, the defending champions had all the momentum now

Ardee CS celebrate their North Leinster Junior C Final win over Ratoath at Dunganny. The Louth school got to the Leinster decider but lost out to Old Bawn of Dublin

as well as wind advantage and they sealed passage to the next round with points from O’Connells’ Doyle and Clan na Gael ace McKeever.

On duty in the first round were: Stephen Murphy; Andrew Smith, Kieran Lenehan, Conor McMenamin; Josh Arrowsmith, Darragh Smith, Tom Murphy; Conor Noonan, Colm Giggins; Robert Carr, Cian Doyle (04), Mark Newell; Ben McLaughlin (10), Rober Quigley (0-1), Conall McKeever (0-2). Subs: James Stewart, Ross Kehoe, Daniel Bannon.

The quarter-finals were fixed for Saturday, February 11th and Dundalk Colleges were paired with Knockbeg College (who had beaten Malahide in the first round) at a familiar venue -

St Joseph's CBS captain Ciaran Downey receives the North Leinster Juvenile C Shield from Tom O'Donnell

Navan’s Pairc Tailteann. This time star man Ciaran Byrne was fit enough to start on the bench and he entered the fray after 17 minutes as the holders stormed to a 3-6 to 1-10 success in a hard-fought battle that saw both teams finish with 14 men.

The Carlow side moved into an early 1-3 to no score lead but the first of two Cian Doyle penalties (22 mins) had the gap down to the minimum by the short whistle: 1-5 to 1-4. Conall McKeever and Doyle (3) completed the winners’ first-half scoring.

Ben McLaughlin’s excellent 44thminute goal – at the end of a move involving James Stewart, Josh Arrowsmith, Doyle and McKeever put the holders in front for the first time (2-6 to 1-8) and even though

St Joseph's CBS Drogheda, winners of the North Leinster Juvenile C decider at Dunganny. Scoil Dara of Kilcock were defeated in the final

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Knockbeg fought back to lead again, Doyle’s second penalty settled the contest and fired Leslie Toal’s determined side into the last four once more.

Donie Kingston’s brother Paul had edged the losers back in front 13 minutes from the end with his fourth point of the game but when Byrne was fouled two minutes later centre forward Doyle kept his composure to slot home the decisive score. In a dramatic finale, neither side managed to add to their tallies in the closing ten minutes.

Mark Newell’s late dismissal for a high tackle had no bearing on the final result as Knockbeg also had a player sent to the line.

Dundalk Colleges – Leinster ‘A’ quarter-final winners against Knockbeg College: Stephen Murphy; Conor McMenamin, Darragh Smith, Daniel Bannon; Josh Arrowsmith, James Stewart, Liam O'Leary; Colm Giggins, Conor Noonan; Ross Kehoe, Cian Doyle (2-3), Mark Newell; Conall McKeever (0-1), Ben McLoughlin (1-0) , Robert Quigley.

Subs: Ciaran Byrne (0- 2), Dean Maguire, Barry Faulkner.

For the second game in succession, Dundalk Colleges had ground out a spirited victory without being at their best. Winning matches when you’re not on top form is the hallmark of true champions so they went into their semi-final clash with Edenderry feeling confident, whilst also realising that they had to step it up a couple of gears if they were going to hold onto their provincial title.

With St Pat’s of Navan having been dumped out of the competition before Dundalk had even kicked a ball, the path seemed to be opening up for them to complete back-toback successes.

A second successive final awaited them if they could see off St Mary’s, Edenderry – a team which had impressed en route to the latter stages. But Dundalk were confident of progressing Alas, a bigger and stronger Offaly side pulled away in the second half to record an emphatic 3-15 to 0-11 victory.

Cian Doyle gets a pass away

Ciaran Byrne in action for Dundalk Colleges

James Stewart gets in a clearance

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The semi-final went ahead in Navan on February 25th and the holders started brightly enough with points from Ciaran Byrne (2), Ben McLaughlin and Robert Carr keeping them in touch around the midway stage in the first half. The concession of a 28th-minute goal meant it was all-square at the interval – 0-7 to 1-4.

But there was little in the first half to suggest the one-sided nature the match would assume upon the restart…

Within ten minutes of the resumption, the winners were a whopping ten points clear!

Champions-elect Edenderry not only snuffed out the threat of Cian Doyle but also attacked in waves and scored at will. It was a real exhibition from them and they were able to give all five of their substitutes a runout before the end with the match long since over as a meaningful contest. They would beat Colaiste Eoin of Stillorgan in the final a fortnight later.

A 13-point defeat represented a thoroughly-disappointing end to Dundalk’s defence of the provincial title won in such style twelve months earlier. While it wasn’t an ideal manner in which to surrender their crown (what is?), they at least had the consolation of being beaten by a better team on the day – always better than losing a tight or controversial game. And now most of the team could turn their attentions to representing the county at minor level…

Dundalk Colleges, 2012 Leinster Senior Colleges ‘A’ Football Championship semi-finalists: Stephen Murphy; Conor McMenamin, Darragh Smith, Barry Faulkner; Liam O'Leary, James Stewart, Josh Arrowsmith; Colin Giggins, Conor Noonan; Ben McLaughlin (0-2), Cian Doyle, Conall McKeever; Robert Carr (0-1), Ciaran Byrne (0-7), Robert Quigley (0-1). Subs: Daniel Bannon, Dean Maguire, Karl McDonnell, Robbie Curran, Kieran Lenehan.

AINE McGEE

At the pre-final launch for the TG4 Ladies finals, l/r: Antrim's Claire Timoney, Wexford's Tara Moloney and Louth's Aine McGee

AINE WANTS TO SET RECORD STRAIGHT As captain of the Louth ladies in 2012, Aine McGee’s goal was to lead the Wee County to All-Ireland junior championship glory. Alas, for the second time in three years, the Reds were beaten in the national decider at Croke Park. While defeat was obviously a bitter pill to swallow, the Stabannon stalwart is determined to come back even stronger in 2013.

T

here are two things you can do when you lose an AllIreland final. Option I is to sit around feeling sorry for yourself, cursing your luck and effectively throw in the towel. Option II is to get back on the horse, roll up your sleeves and try even harder the following year.

Aine McGee – the girl who would have collected the silverware at Croker on October 7th, 2012 had Louth prevailed against Antrim – prefers the second alternative.

Her hope is that Louth can put the experience – and ultimately, the hurt – of 2012 to good effect and come back even stronger next season. After all, they proved that they are undoubtedly one of the best junior sides on the island (winning the provincial crown); even a slight

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improvement could lead them to the Holy Grail next summer / autumn.

“We have to remember that 2012 was still a brilliant year. We got to an AllIreland final and we won the Leinster junior championship, which was more than we’d achieved in the previous few years,” Aine points out.

“If all the girls stick together, we can do it in 2013. After reaching the 2010 All-Ireland final, we thought we would kick on in 2011 but we lost a good few players and there was a lull.

I’m hoping that doesn’t happen again. You will always lose one or two at the end of any season, but if we can keep the majority of the squad intact then we will be in with a great chance of winning the All-Ireland next year.”

Like the rest of the team,

the captain was thoroughly dejected after the 3-9 to 0-7 All-Ireland final defeat to Antrim on the first Sunday of October. Considering that the Wee County had beaten the same opposition by eight points in the first round of the competition (before seeing off Derry and Offaly), the eleven-point reversal represented a shock scoreline.

“It was very disappointing and we were all feeling really down in the weeks that followed,” Aine reflects.

“As a panel of 35, we had put in so much hard work this year. For it all to end on that note, with one bad game, was a massive disappointment.”

It’s hard to know what went wrong on the big day. After all, it was welldocumented that this was one of the best-prepared Louth ladies teams in recent memory. “We had been struggling with numbers in the pat and when you don’t have the

numbers it’s very difficult to prepare properly. But this year we had a big squad and we knew what to expect from each other, while the backroom team didn’t leave anything to chance.

We had an excellent team behind us and the preparations were spot-on…”

So what exactly did go wrong then?

“I suppose nerves were a bit of a factor. It was an All-Ireland final and it’s normal for girls to get a bit nervous. Performance-wise, we have watched the game back and it’s clear that the performance simply wasn’t there. And there were things that obviously should have been changed but weren’t changed.

“It was just a bad day and it’s disappointing when the whole county goes to Croke Park to see you and you put in a performance like that. I wouldn’t like anybody to think that was a reflection of what ladies football in Louth is all about. Anybody

who has followed us all year and gone to most of our games will know that we are much better than that performance suggests.”

It must have been a thoroughly miserable end to an afternoon that had promised so much? After all, the players must have been over the moon at the prospect of heading to Croke Park and playing in an AllIreland final? “The actual build-up to the final was brilliant and there was great excitement and support in the county. To get to an All-Ireland final and represent your county on an occasion like that is huge, so we were all really looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, we just didn’t perform to our ability on the day. But if everybody sticks together this team can still deliver.”

In 2010, Louth also reached an AllIreland junior ladies final, only to be beaten by Limerick on that occasion.

Stabannon Parnells captain Aine McGee accepts the Leinster club SFC trophy from provincial president Marie Hickey

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What was the difference between that campaign and the most recent one?

“What stood out most for me was the fact that two years ago we didn’t really expect it or plan for it but this time the All-Ireland title was our aim from the start of the year. Everybody knew what they were doing, what their job was, and we put in the work.

We went into each game with a plan and we deserved to win every game along the way. Whereas in 2010, we were just taking each result as it came, this time we had a clear plan and everybody was focussed on that.

It all went perfectly up until the last game.”

Of course, for all the despondency in the Louth camp after the All-Ireland final, it must be remembered that there was another team involved that day and that it wasn’t just about Louth losing. It was about Antrim winning, too, and the northerners did so by executing a solid game plan. This hasn’t gone unnoticed to Aine and she is quick to give credit to the Saffrons: “Antrim did their homework big time.

They got the lead they wanted, then sat back and broke forward effectively. They knew what they were doing and they had a very clear game plan which worked for them.”

Having won the Leinster junior championship with a superb 1-22 to 2-6 victory over Offaly at Dr Cullen Park in mid-July, the Wee County did manage to get their hands on some major silverware in 2012. Does this success mean they can still look back on the year as a whole with a degree of satisfaction?

“Definitely. Last year we would have been happy with a Leinster and in 2010 we didn’t win anything either.

So we were happy to win that and we can’t forget that it was a brilliant year - to win a Leinster final and get to an All-Ireland final. All the hard work paid off to an extent.”

The trick now is to bounce back even stronger in 2013, which is easier said than done. But Aine McGee appears to be up for the challenge: “The commitment is not just about the hours you put into training. You miss out on a lot of

Aine McGee sweeps out of defence

family occasions and socialising with friends and it’s a huge commitment to ask from young girls, some of whom have been at this for twelve years now.

“It is a lot to ask, especially when ladies football doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. But you have to believe that we will have success.

This was the third All-Ireland final I’ve lost but we really want to get our

56

hands on it and we won’t give up until we have it. We just have to believe we are good enough.

“There’s no reason why we can’t win the All-Ireland. The players are there. There are 28 clubs in Louth now and the standard has reached a very high level. If we stick together, then we will be able to compete with any other team in the junior championship next year.”

SPECIAL FEATURE

At the sponsorship presentation to O’Connells are, l/r: Wayne McKeaver (manager), Denis McCourt (Standard Brands), Seamus Cairns (Chairman and Niall Conlon (captain)

D

LIGHTING THE TORCH OF SUCCESS

For the past three years, the O'Connell's club suffered the heartache of losing the county intermediate football semi-final to Naomh Malachi, O'Raghallaigh's and this years final opponents, Clan na Gael. However, they made up for those losses this year when they earned their place at the top table of Louth football for 2013.

espite being underdogs against Clan na Gael in this year's county final, the Castlebellingham outfit produced a magnificent display to earn this year's title and the opportunity to apply their trade in senior football next year.

The club are fortunate to have excellent sponsors in the shape of Standard Brands, who are based in the heart of the Castlebellingham community. Factory and Financial Director Denis McCourt may well be a staunch Sean McDermott's clubman, but he knows what this year's intermediate success means to the people of the area and he speaks to the Wee County Yearbook about the relationship that Standard Brands has with the local community.

For the past two years the company has been the main sponsor of O'Connell's and Denis revealed the importance of supporting the local community. “We would have a great relationship with the local community. The company is situated between two housing estates in the village and the majority of the people living in those houses would either have worked or work here.

“Recently we needed to bring in a power line through one of the estates, which involved digging up roads, which could prove problematic in some places, but the residents were very helpful and recognized that their assistance was helping to secure local employment..

“We realise the importance of the community and that is why we are delighted to sponsor the O'Connell's. I was at the county final with my sons and after the match we went down on to the pitch and it was amazing to see what it meant to the people.

There were grown men crying, many of who work here like Jim Ryan, Sean Mulligan, Gordon McDonnell, Declan Hoey and Pat Kiernan who have been involved in the club all their lives. It just proves how the GAA can unite a community and we're proud to

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O’Connells celebrate after their Intermediate success

be involved in that in any way that we can.�

Standard Brands also offer the use of its recently purchased defibrillator to the community. A total of nine staff are trained in its use to ensure that a trained staff member is on site at all times when the facility is open.

Hopefully, the equipment will not be needed but if there is an unfortunate event they would like to make the community aware that the equipment and trained users are available.

Denis has been with the company for the past 11 years, five of which have been in the capacity of Financial and Factory Director of Standard Brands. Established in 1957 as Kay

Brothers, the company became part of the Reckitt & Colman group in 1960 before being taken over by Standard Brands in 2001.

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Niall Conlon leads the side before the IFC final

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Standards Brands is one of the largest employers in the Castlebellingham area with a staff of 116. With winter upon us, this is the busiest time of the year for the company with demand for firelighters at its peak.

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Any product that we develop is done with the help of the This year has seen future developments by the company staff. Many of the employees are local and loyal to the with the launch of the new stove log, which Denis believes company and with their years of experience they are will help the company continue their quest to be at their invaluable to us. forefront of their field of expertise. “We have launched the “Apart from launching the new log, we have also begun to 100% Natural Stove Log and there has been a very positive sell our brand in other countries like the U.S, Australia and reaction to it so far. It is the first log of its kind on the market even the Middle East. These are difficult times in this country and it is important to strive for growth, whatever path that may lead us”.

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JIM JUDGE

The U16 for CBS Drogheda, front l/r: Eamonn McCarthy, Robbie Gogan, Mickser Hand (RIP), Mickey McAdams. Middle: Liam Cooney, Jim Stafford, Jim Judge, Gerry Leech, Frank Fagan (RIP), B. Crinion. Back: Frank Murphy, Jim Gough, Vincent Loughran, Eamonn McHugh, Tommy Connor, Andy Kiernan, Joe Dolan

THE LEGEND THAT IS JIM (BLACKIE) JUDGE

W

hile at C.B.S secondary school Jim Judge showed

some of the football class that made people stand up and watch a unique talent in action. They won

the Louth under 14’s and got to the Leinster Final at under 16 level. After this Jim told me he left school to serve his time as a carpenter with Kevin Flynn.

Jim was part of the Louth minor set up in 1953 to 1956. He played county minor at 15 in 1953 when Louth became minor champions of Leinster. They beat Kildare in the final. His brother Oliver also played. They played a Clare team in the semi-final which was very suspect as regards age. Clare beat Louth but

When I went to visit Jim Judge in Drogheda, he began to tell me about the nine boys and two girls in his original family. His father was Peter Judge and his mother was Margaret (nee) McKenna. His brothers were Mick, Jack, Pat, Peter, Oliver, Kieran, Paul and Malachy. Eileen and Francis were his two sisters. The backbone of the Blues football team was in that household in the Greenhill’s area. Jim went to St.Patricks N.S School in Scarlett Street. Father McDonnell who later became the parish priest of Ardee helped out with gaelic football there, but the Christian Brothers were to play a bigger part in Jim’s love of football.

By Sean Ross

there was much debate over the Clare team. Jim, at 15, created a record that’s still not broken - playing minor football for Louth for four years. He was captain of the winning Blues minors in 1956 and the Blues also won in 1957 and 1958.

In 1957 Louth juniors won the Leinster championship – Jim was on this team. He was also a sub on the All-Ireland winning team at senior level. This was a golden era for Louth football, and today we still talk about this year. It’s like a biblical event in our history. Jim was captain of the Louth juniors in 1958 but Dublin beat Louth by one point in Drogheda.

Jim left for England as work was scarce. He got work and joined St.Vincents of Cricklewood, London. He heard that the Blues were not doing well at home. In 1959 Darver beat them

58

while Dowdallshill beat them in 1960.

1-04. Jim’s brother Paul was also on

and family in Drogheda. He lost his

Work started to improve so Jim came

that Blues team. Louth juniors won

wife Sheila (nee McCann) six years

home in 1960, just as Johnny Ross of

the Leinster championships before

ago. Having worked in Cement for 31

St. Marys of Ardee lifted the Joe Ward

Cork beat them in the Athletics

years, he has three girls - Marie,

Cup. But the Blues decided that

Grounds on Sunday 14th August. Jim

Ardee would have to wait a while for

remembers

another victory. In 1961 the Blues

disappointed, but he was considered

beat Naomh Mhuire of Drogheda.

one of the best players against

This was the first and sweetest

Kildare in the Leinster Final. In 1967

championship for the Blues. Jim

Blues beat Cooley again 1-9 to 2-5,

memory and when he tells you

remembers

Jim Judge got a wonderful goal in the

something, you feel you were there.

the

craic

around

Drogheda with fondness.

how

he

was

Regina and Aideen - and four boys Peter, Jimmy, David and Derek.

David has won two senior medals with the Blues. Jim has a wonderful

second half. There were at least four

The story of Jim ‘Blackie' Judge and

They won again in 1962, 1963,

Judges playing with the Blues. Blues

the Blues is a story of a extremely

1964. This was a marvellous four-in-

won the championship again in 1969,

a-row for a club that only left the

successful club that’s the heart and

1970 and 1974. This was Jim

soul of the G.A.A. Jim holds four

junior ranks, but the minor three-in-arow was a solid foundation. The local Christian brothers provided both education and a love of gaelic games, it was a great help to the emerging Blues club. Jim was involved with the Louth Juniors in 1961 and Louth beat Dublin by 2-4 to 0-8 in the Leinster final. Jim “Blackie” Judge was the only Blues man on the team. Louth defeated Yorkshire in the All-Ireland Junior final.

In 1962 the Blues beat Mattock Rangers, in 1963 they beat Roche Emmets and in 1964 they beat the Clans. Jim played on and off for the Louth senior team between 1960 and

(Blackie) Judges’ ninth senior medal.

This is a record shared with some other Blues stars.

When asked about this wonderful group of players who won nine

records. He is the holder of nine senior championships medals, a record he shares this with Jimmy Mulroy, Matt Murphy and Liam Leech.

championships, Jim replied that they

Jim played with the Louth minors for

were always ready to train. They had

four years between 1953-56, winning

very little interest in socialising. A

a Leinster minor medal at 15. Jim

man called Jacko Smith trained the

played with the Plunketts in a senior

Blues at this time. He had won a

final at 15 yearsof age. In 1957 Jim

championship before with Naomh

won a Leinster junior medal and an

Mhuire in 1953 beating the Plunketts.

There were two Gardai playing with the Blues, Gerry Reilly and Gerry Clifford. Both of these trained as hard as the locals. Everything about the

All-Ireland senior medal.

When asked about his best or worst moment, he said that his father died in 1956. He was full of emotion, yet

club became successful and families

that year he played with Louth

like the Judges and the Leechs,

against Kildare. Jim played a terrific

McKennas Mulroys and the Nugents

match and in the next match (replay)

to name but a few became the

he scored the winning point to beat

wonder of Louth and indeed Leinster.

Kildare. This was both the best and

“Mackle McKeown” and (a future

It was a pity there was not a

worst moment, as he said his father

Blues player) Mickey Leech. At the

Leinster Championship in the 1960’s,

final whistle O’Raghallaighs broke the

for indeed the Blues would have

potential

performed very well. In 1971 Blues

1970. They won the O’Byrne Cup against Longford in 1963. In 1965 there was a real Drogheda county final between O’Raghallaighs and Newtown Blues with players like

seven-in-a-row.

Jim

Leinster

final

and

much passing backwards, he loves a

got

Drogheda which was similar to the

Gracefield of Offaly beat them by 0-

Blues against Naomh Mhuire final

12 to 0-09. Blues beat St. Marys of

1961. Blues responded by training

Granard, the Downs of Westmeath

affairs at county board level and is

even harder under Jacko Smith.

and Castletown of Wexford to reach

hoping that South and Mid-Louth gets

the final.

its fair share of the limelight in Louth

coming Cooley Kickhams by 2-12 to

the

modern game, he says there is too

remembers the atmosphere around

In 1966 Blues beat the up and

to

would be proud of him. On the

Jim is very content today with his life

59

positive approach always. He also thinks that North Louth dominates

in the near future.

TEAM OF THE YEAR

TEAM OF THE YEAR

GOALKEEPER SEAN CONNOR (ST PATRICKS) Sean has benefited from playing regularly as a goalkeeper and after coming back from injury problems at the end of last year has been in superb form. The former Louth keeper will be in the running to reclaim his county place after helping St Pats to the county title, and will be remembered for a crucial save early in the decider along with a number of excellent stops against Rhode in the Leinster Championship.

Hounorable mentions: Conor Ryan (St Mochtas), Joseph Flanagn (O Raghallaighs), Fergus Barnett (Glen Emmets)

FULL BACKS COLIN CAROLAN (GLEN EMMETS) Colin has been one of the leading defenders for the Tullyallen side for the past number of seasons and he was instrumental in helping the Emmets claim the Junior Championship title. He had a very impressive outing against Lannleire in the final.

HALF BACKS PADRAIG RATH (DREADNOTS) The Dreadnots captain led by example in a year where his side came close to landing the Joe Ward Cup. Padraig turned in a series of brilliant displays over the season and was also in fine form with Louth.

DERMOT CAMPBELL (DREADNOTS) Dermot Campbell earned his place on the team thanks to a string of impressive displays for both club and Louth U21.

The stylish full-back was in fine form for the Wee County as they reached the Lesinter U21 Final and the young defender was key to the Dreadnots reaching their first ever Joe Ward decider.

JACKIE AGNEW (O’CONNELLS) Jackie played a huge part in the O’Connells successful run to the Intermediate Championship title and O’Donnell Cup Final. The centre-half made life difficult for opposition forwards and his forward runs also set up many attacks.

Illustrated his importance to the team with a Man of the Match display in the Intermediate Final.

RICHIE TAAFFE (HUNTERSTOWN ROVERS) A team of the year would not be complete without representation from Hunterstown Rovers, the only team to go through the league unbeaten. Richie Taaffe was in superb form in defence all season as his side claimed the Division 3 title to book a return to the intermediate league.

RAY FINNEGAN (ST PATRICKS) One of the first names to be selected on any team of the year, Ray Finnegan has been playing at a consistently high level for over a decade. That ability in either defence or attack has been vital this year with one of the highlights being a stunning trademark goal against Mattock Rangers in the championship.

Honourable mentions: Andrew Shields (O’Connells), Sean McMahon (Sean McDermotts), Aidan Monahan (Glen Emmets), Bob Murphy (Lannleire), David Delaney (Naomh Mairtin)

Honourable mentions: Colin Goss (St Patricks), Cian McEvoy (Dreadnots), David McComish (Dundalk Gaels), Darren McMahon (St Mochtas), Ciaran Murray (Young Irelands), Brendan Nordon (Sean O’Mahonys)

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MIDFIELD

HALF FORWARDS EAMON CARROLL (ST PATRICK’S)

DECLAN BYRNE (ST MOCHTAS) Declan Byrne was one of the leading lights on the St Mochtas time who underlined their position was one of the county’s top Intermediate sides. A driving force in midfield, the Louth player provided many vital scores as his team produced some fine football. His form helped the Louth Village side finish top of the table only to miss out on promotion on the head-to-head rule.

PADDY KEENAN (ST PATRICKS) Another player who is at such a consistently high level that he is an automatic choice on the team of the year. Once again he was outstanding throughout the championship as the Pats retained the Joe Ward Cup and had another superb outing in the final. The Louth captain also helped the Lordship side to the O’Donnell Cup Final.

Eamon Carroll earns a place on the team after helping St Patricks to a fifth Senior Championship title.

Eamon’s performances are always designed to enhance the team rather than seeking any personal plaudits. An intelligent player and superb passer, he can also be relied upon to grab crucial scores. His importance to the Pats was underlined with an excellent display in the Senior Final.

PAUL MCKEEVER (O’CONNELLS) Paul McKeever was part of an outstanding O’Connells attack that impressed in Division 1 before going to end a 24-year wait for an championship title. Led by example with a huge amount of work and no shortage of scores and was very impressive in the Intermediate Final.

BRENDAN LENNON (HUNTERSTOWN ROVERS) Hunterstown were another who boasted a very strong attacking unit throughout the year, and Brendan Lennon was never found wanting. A hugely consistent performer over the course of the season, Brendan was the club’s Player of the Year in an unbeaten league campaign.

Honourable mentions: Gordon Healy (Glen Emmets), Sean McCann (Dundalk Gaels), Billy Smith (Clan na Gael), Conor Crawley (Sean O’Mahonys), Alan Landy (Hunterstown Rovers), Gavin Mooney (Naomh Mairtin), Shane Kennedy (Lannleire)

FULL FORWARDS STEPHEN FISHER (SEAN O’MAHONYS) Sean O’Mahonys made a big impact on both league and championship this season, with Stephen Fisher proving to be one of their inspirations in attack. His scores helped the Point Road side to an impressive run of results in Division 1, while he was top-scorer in the championship where his side lost out only after semi-final replay.

Honourable mentions: Jim McEneaney (Geraldines), Sean Donnelly (Cooley Kickhams), Sean Fee (Dundalk Gaels), Daniel Woods (Sean McDermotts), Conall O’Hanlon (St Josephs), JP Rooney (Naomh Mairtin), John Horan (Wolfe Tones)

DANNY O’CONNOR (ST PATRICK’S) Followed up on his excellent form of last season with another series of eye-catching performances.

A constant thorn in the side of any defence, Danny was a regular scorer and summed up his ability with a Man of the Match display in the Senior Final: His huge contribution at club level was acknowledged when he was called into the Louth panel and scored a crucial goal against Westmeath.

CONOR GRIMES (GLEN EMMETS) The big full-forward had a splendid league and championship campaign and had a huge influence on the Emmets getting their hands on the Christy Bellew Cup. Led the line very well throughout and picked up vital scores. Showed great mental strenght in the final against Lannleire when he came good at the end after things didn’t go his way in the first half.

Honourable mentions: Robert Quigley (O’Connells), Drew Duffy (Clan na Gael), Cian Doyle (O’Connells), Colm Judge (Newtown Blues), Derek Crilly (Dundalk Gaels), Stephen Kilcoyne (Sean O’Mahonys), Ciaran Byrne (St Mochtas), Colin Murphy (Lannleire), Derek Mulligan (St Josephs).

61

CIC SAOR Cic Saor winner Brian White

O

CIC SAOR

The inaugural All-Ireland Cic Saor Competition took place in excellent weather conditions at the well appointed Marist College Grounds Dundalk on Saturday, 8th September.

ver 60 competitors graced the field , having travelled from Kerry, Donegal, Wicklow, Monaghan, Armagh, Down, Tyrone, Dublin, Meath, Cavan and all over Louth to put their scoring skills to the test in an effort to claim the valuable prizes on offer.

For the record the final score placings were as follows: 1st. €2000, Brian White, Cooley Kickhams (Louth); 2nd. €600, Joe Sheridan, Seneschalstown (Meath); 3rd. €400, Jim McEneaney, Geraldines (Louth); 4th. €250, Bryan Sheehan, St Marys Cahirciveen (Kerry).

The competition, devised by Adrian O`Donoghue was originally scheduled to take

62

place at Pairc Eire Og , home of Dundalk Young Irelands.

However when it was pointed out that the Club itself would be in breach of Rule by allowing their venue host a ‘non Amateur’ competition, they handed it over to the organisers who moved swiftly and secured the Marist College in Dundalk as a base.

All who competed, be they Inter County stars or ordinary Club players were very impressed with the simple yet ingenious elimination process which provided an equal platform for all to compete. They all agreed it was a tough yet fair competition , they enjoyed it fully and they were delighted to use their individual skills from GAA , rugby or soccer in a productive manner and keep

Joe Sheridan lets fly

them in with a chance to win a valuable cash prize on the day.

The Inaugural All-Ireland Cic Saor Competition was streamed live and for a first venture attracted considerable interest on the internet. Web Forums generated interest and the feedback from online viewers was very positive.

Competitors completed a post competition questionnaire re. the Cic Saor and made some positive suggestions which it would be hoped to

Players watch on

improve the 2013 Cic Saor Competition.

Oisin Mc Conville (Crossmaglen Rangers) acted as M.C on the day and was a genial and knowledgeable host.

Facilities at the Marist College were second to none and the Cic Saor appreciate the support from College staff on the day. To the many volunteers who acted as Umpires / Ball-boys / Course Stewards / Ticket sellers their effort before during, and after the event were invaluable. The Caterers and Cooks were readily available to cater for the contestants and spectators at all times. Thanks also to the Medics , Nurse and Physio who made themselves available at the venue.

The “Camera Crew” from D4 Events who covered the event fully acted in a

professional manner with high class digital images being made available worldwide. The full Cic Saor Competition 2012 can be viewed online at www.cicsaor.ie and it has already generated interest for next year. It would be anticipated that some “Highlights” from the daylong event will be available to view shortly.

It would be the intention of the Cic Saor Committee to fully review all aspects of the 2012 Cic Saor with a view to examining all aspects of it and making it a more exciting Competition for Contestants and Spectators alike for 2013.

Louth ace Paddy Keenan

The finalists, l/r: Jim McEnaney, Joe Sheridan, Bryan Sheehan, Brian White

Oisin McConville talks to Dublin legend Barney Rock

A great day was had by all at Cic Saor

63

Louth’s Brian White is presented with the winner’s trophy

JUNIOR FOOTBALLERS Cathal Bellew was centre back for Louth in the 2012 Leinster JFC against Kildare

NO JOY FOR JUNIORS THIS TIME Provincial champions in 2010 and again in 2011, Louth’s juniors only got to play one championship game in 2012. A first-round Leinster championship defeat at the hands of Kildare meant that their campaign was over almost as soon as it had started but – as ever - the players involved gave 100% and centre back Cathal Bellew echoes the sentiments of his team-mates when he says it’s always an honour to wear a county shirt at any level.

64

W

ith Kieran Maguire at the helm, the Louth junior team was certainly as well prepared as possible in 2012 – that much was guaranteed. They went into the Leinster JFC as the ‘form team’, having put provincial titles back-to-back in the previous two seasons – but all great runs have to end somewhere and this time the Wee County drew the short straw as an already-treacherous trip to Newbridge was rendered even more unforgiving by the presence in the Lilywhites starting XV of talismanic midfielder Dermot Earley, who had missed the entire 2011 club SFC season through injury and as such was eligible for junior county fare this time around.

Having also sat out the national league, Earley needed game time in a bid to get back some match fitness ahead of the Leinster senior football championship. Well, he did that … at Louth’s expense! The former All Star created a goal for the hosts inside the opening minute and from that point onwards the Reds were always playing catch-up. They battled gallantly but could never quite get back into contention.

The match was played at St Conleth’s Park on Wednesday, May 9th. Six points separated the teams at the final whistle – 1-15 to 1-9. The aforementioned Earley made an immediate impression as he placed Cathal McNally for the opening score – a Kildare goal – and that threepointer still separated the sides at the end of the first quarter, with Ronan Holcroft’s accuracy keeping the visitors in touch, 1-3 to 0-3. The Fechins man pointed twice and Conor Rafferty was also on target.

The next six points were also shared with Rafferty, Niall Conlon and Holcroft splitting the posts but the winners tagged on a brace before the break to lead by 1-8 to 0-6 at the interval. A spectacular goal from substitute Barry Hamilton, hot on the heels of a Sean McCann over, gave the Wee County renewed hope as they were back within three points, 110 to 1-7, at the three-quarters stage, but Kildare finished strongly to seal

passage to the last eight.

Rafferty and the impressive William Woods added to the Louth tally before the final whistle and the men in red pushed forward looking for the goal that might force extra time but the Short Grass County exploited the space to close out the match with the last three scores The intercounty junior championship is a strange beast.

When a team gets on a run, it offers players an opportunity to get some feel for playing adult county football.

But when it ends abruptly at the first round, one could be forgiven for wondering what the point of the whole thing is. Was it worth bothering with?

Kilkerley Emmets clubman Cathal Bellew believes it was a worthwhile experience. Bellew also featured on the Louth U21 side that reached the Leinster final in 2012 and made his senior intercounty debut in the O’Byrne Cup clash with Meath at Navan in January. Although it was a busy schedule, he was happy to do his bit with the juniors.

Would it be fair to suggest that Kildare had more big guns on show on the night than Louth, who didn’t seem to include too many firstteamers? “A lot of people had club commitments around that time of year as well, so it was hard to get them out. I suppose we didn’t manage to get as many first team players out this time as we had in the previous two years, but we still had a very decent side there, in fairness.

“You’d usually have a few fringe players from the senior team playing but Conor Rafferty was the only one I can think of off the top of my head this time. Still, it was 15 against 15 and we went in expecting to give a good account of ourselves. We had 15 good footballers in Newbridge but Kildare had a very strong team out and maybe they would have played together a bit more than we did.”

How does a county junior team prepare? Is it possible to arrange training or is it just ‘off the cuff’? “We trained once a week. Kieran was over the team and in fairness he is a very good manager – we could have no

65

complaints on that front. He did all he could to get us ready but Kildare were just better than us on the day.

“It’s not easy to get the full commitment from players at that level. We were all training twice a week with our clubs and then you could have a club match at the weekend as well as the county junior training. The juniors trained on a Sunday and the lads all did their best.

“I know it isn’t a high-profile competition but you are still playing for your county so we took it seriously. We had 20 lads at the training session the Sunday before the Kildare match and we were focused on going down to Newbridge and giving it our best shot. But Kildare were a better team and they had more firepower.”

Cathal feels that junior football still has a role to play in the hectic intercounty programme: “It’s a great way for lads to play county football and it’s a stepping stone to the senior team. We had a very young team out in the championship and Peter Fitzpatrick was at the Kildare game, so it’s a good way to stake your claim and to get a bit of experience.”

As it transpired, the junior championship represented Cathal’s last chance to pull on a Louth jersey in 2012 as he opted to travel to New York for the summer to play with the Longford club over there. He was part of the Louth senior squad at the time but couldn’t turn down the “once-in-alifetime” opportunity to do a bit of travelling and play football at the same time. And, the mess this country’s in, who could blame him?

Louth, 2012 Leinster junior football championship V Kildare: Stuart Reynolds; Stephen Murphy, David Collier, Peter Nixon; Jason Clarke, Cathal Bellew, Conor Rafferty (0-3); Sean McCann (0-1), Robbie Leavy; Ruairi Moore, Paul Carrie, Ronan Holcroft (0-3); Niall Conlon (0-1), William Woods (0-1), Cian Matthews.

Subs: Dean Matthews for R Moore; David McComish for C Bellew; Barry Hamilton (1-0) for P Carrie, Michael Rogers for C Matthews; Graham Murray for P Nixon.

BARTLE LANDY

The Louth team that faced Meath in 1973, front l/r: Bartle Landy, Danny Culligan, Danny Nugent, Damien Reid, Benny Gaughran, Terry Lennon, Anthony Hoey. Back: Paddy O’Hare, Leslie Toal, Richie Brennen, Gerry Morgan, Michael Clarke, Gerry Sheridan, Bartle Faulkner, Richie Barry

BARTLE LANDY - A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS Bartle Landy is known as the player who can get a vital goal towards the end of matches. He did this on several occasions both at schools level and at club level. Bartle is the son of Paddy Landy (R.I.P). Paddy was born at Marshallrath, Dunleer, and he married Kathleen Mackin from Corderry, Knockbridge. After a short stay at Dromin, the Landy family moved to Ardee. Bartle’s National school teacher introduced him to football. Bartle has four brothers, John, Pat (remember that famous back-heeled goal for St. Marys against Fechins in 1968), Paul and Peter. His sisters are Colette (McMahon), Catherine (Tormey) and Bernadette (Svender) and Sarah (Brady). When Bartle arrived in Ardee, Brother Adrian was teaching second class. Both Brother Adrian and Brother Vincent helped to develop a love of Hurling and Football. The under 12 team were beaten in Downpatrick D.L.S in the Merville Cup final. De La Salle schools from Ardee, Downpatrick, Ballyfermot, Finglas, Dundalk and Skerries took part. By Sean Ross.

I

n secondary school, De La Salle, Ardee won the senior school Clonard cup in 1970. This was the Leinster final and Bartle scored a last minute goal against St. Aidens C.B.S of Whitehall, Dublin in Kells on February 8th 1970 when Des Ferguson was the referee. Des was a member of 1963 All-Ireland Dublin team and taught in Kells at that time. The whole school marched behind the Ardee band up the town of Ardee afterwards. At 17 Bartle played for the Louth minors who beat Meath in Navan, Dublin then beat them. He played again at 18 but with no luck in the Lenister championship. But the Louth Minors won the North eastern league against counties Armagh, Tyrone, Antrim and Down. At 18, Bartle made his senior club debut against Tallanstown in Knockbridge. St Marys got to the final but were beaten by a good Blues team.

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He remembers playing minor football for Ardee in 1968, 1969 and 1970. In 1969 Ardee drew with the Blues in the final but the Blues won the replay in Louth Village.

Jackie Hanratty and Mickey Rossiter helped the Blues to victory. Ardee minors then got to four finals in a row 1970-73 and they won two of them. Bartle was also on the 1970 St. Marys senior team. The Blues were late (30m minutes late) because of a funeral. St. Marys suffered because of this and when Pat O’Neill hurt his hand, Paul Judge made hay of this with a goal. Another goal followed and Ardee went back to the Deeside very hurt indeed. Again in the 1971 final Cooley beat St. Marys but the Marys won the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup. With all of these defeats, St.Marys put in another effort in 1972 and they won the minor and senior championships. They also

won the Old Gaels Cup. St. Marys had many characters following them at this time and one of them was Enda Muldoon, about 10 people used to sit beside Enda to listen to his comments. People came home from the matches in great form. The team sang songs in Enda’s pub after the matches with characters like Ango Courtney and Kevin Kerr singing some traditional ballads.

St. Marys also won the championship in 1975. In both those years they took part in the Leinster club championships. They beat the Meath champions Seneschalstown in the first round but St. Vincents beat them by two points in 1972, by 0-8 06. In 1975 St. Marys beat Summerhill but Moate beat them in the second round.

Before we get back to football it is important to say that Bartle had a varied work career. He worked for the ESB in Ringsend, in Marina Power Station in Cork, in Portarlington and Rhode. In Rhode he was there when Offaly won their first All-Ireland. He knew Martin Heavey and Jodie Gunning. Offaly beat Galway and they won it again in 1972. Bartle then got a job in Allied Irish Banks firstly in Mullingar then on the mobile bank in Longford. He then worked for AIB in Athlone from 1974 onwards and trained there while playing with St. Marys. In 1973 Marys were beaten by Cooley in the championship semifinal. In 1974 St. Brides beat the Marys and in 1975 St. Marys beat Cooley in the championship final (replay). Marys won the Cardinal O’Donnell also. In 1976 Marys were beaten again by St. Brides.

Bartle transferred to Athlone as he worked there from 1974. Travelling home became a great burden. He won a Westmeath championship in 1977, beating Moate in the final by four points. Bartle again got a goal with five minutes to go. With one minute to go as the Moate crowd invaded the pitch, referee Paddy Collins called time. There was much debate over this final in Westmeath.

In 1978 Athlone got to the final again

but Moate won. Dessie Dolan (Senior) was the manager of Athlone.

Only four or five Athlone natives were on the team, men from Sligo, Louth, Donegal, Longford and Roscommon played with Athlone. This gaelic team became known as the ‘League of Nations’.

Bartle came back to play for St.Marys when he began to work for AIB in Dundalk in 1979. He won an ACC cup with St. Marys ,but Marys went into the doldrums until the mid1980’s. In 1989 Bartle won a junior championship against Cooley in Castlebellingham. After this match, Bartle developed a knee problem and he finished playing football in 1990.

As well as club football Bartle played for Louth at minor, under 21, junior and senior. In 1969 and 1970 he played for Louth at minor level. In 1971 he had the honour of playing at junior, senior and under 21 levels. His best game for the Louth seniors was against Meath in a national league match, he scored 1-5. This was in 1974, he also played against Longford, Sligo and Down.

Ten years later Bartle joined the county board and became a Leinster council delegate. He served from 1984-2005. He was a delegate for 21 years. He served with Willie Dixon from Clans and John Lynch from Geraldines. Peadar Kearney was the chairman of the Leinster Council from 1984-1987. During those years, the 1991 epic matches between Meath

and Dublin helped to pay for Croke Park redevelopment and also put Leinster Council in a fairly good situation.

Today Bartle lives at Stamullen, Co. Meath. His wife Aine (nee) O’Brien is the daughter of the famous Michael O’Brien of Skyrne and Meath (1949 and 1954 All Ireland champions).

Bartle has two daughters, Orla and Caoimhe, and two sons, Donal and Shane. Orla played ladies football with St. Pats while Caoimhe runs with Cushenstown A.C. Both Donal and Shane play for St.Pats and Donal played minor and U21 for Meath.

Shane played for a while with the Meath minors. Bartle has a successful financial business in Ardee. Bartle was always used to hard work even as a schoolboy and today he maintains this high standard of service to the community at Market Street in Ardee. Bartle is also treasurer of St. Patricks (Stamullen), so his work ethic is indeed a wonderful ethic, making his mother Kathleen a very proud mother indeed.

The Louth team that faced Meath in 1973, front l/r: Bartle Landy, Danny Culligan, Danny Nugent, Damiem Reid, Benny Gaughran, Terry Lennon, Anthony Hoey. Back: Paddy O’Hare, Leslie Toal, Richie Brennen, Gerry Morgan,Michael Clarke,Gerry Sheridan, Bartle Faulkner, Richie Barry

The Ardee St Mary’s 1972 SFC and Old Gaels Cup winners, front l/r: J Malone, P Rice, B Landy, A Courtney, P Reid, T Rice, T McDonald, S Ross. Back: M Bennett, M Clarke, M McDonald, C Byrne, B Whateley, M Rice, S Walsh

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POC FADA Patricia Jackman was the winner of the 2012 Camogie Poc Fada with Brendan Cummins claiming the Poc Fada crown once more

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS The 2012 Poc Fada event on Anaverna Mountain produced more ‘records’ and ‘firsts’ than any that preceded it as titles were retained like there was no tomorrow and individual performances reached great heights right across the three main competitions. At the end of it all, there was no doubting who the kings – and queen – of the mountain were!

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hat a year it was for the defending Poc Fada champions as Brendan Cummins, Patricia Jackman and Cillian Kiely all retained their 2011 titles in splendid style! Never before were all three titles successfully defended and – indeed – this is a feat that is unlikely to ever be achieved again. Thus, 2012 will always be remembered as a historic year for Poc Fada na hEireann.

While some records were broken, others almost fell on a day that produced some fantastic striking across the peaks of Ravensdale on August Bank Holiday Saturday. The main reasons why the 2012 Poc Fada will go down in the record books as something truly special were: all three titles were successfully defended; Patricia Jackman from Waterford claimed the camogie title for a record fourth consecutive year; inimitable Tipperary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins closed in on the all-time record of seven men’s titles as he captured the senior crown for a sixth time; Offaly’s Cillian Kiely won the U16 title for the second year in a row (which makes his 2011 success all the more remarkable as we now know he was underage by more than twelve months at the time!).

The big-hitting youngster also set a new course record at U16 level – beating his own record from the previous year! - and showed more than enough quality to

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suggest he’ll be back at senior level in years to come as his score was higher than all but three of the seniors for the same stretch of the course.

In 2012, the senior men used a shorter course for the first time due to the inclement weather conditions that prevailed on Annaverna.

Indeed, the unseasonable(?) weather had a massive bearing on the day’s events as an easterly wind brought low cloud across the mountains from the Irish Sea. On previous All-Ireland finals days, the wind had been from a westerly or north-westerly direction, aiding the hurlers in particular from the start at An Fhana Mor (the camogie and boys U16 competitors are shielded from this as they puck away).

After the camogie and boys U16 contests had started, the weather was so adverse that the organisers were still deliberating as to whether or not they should proceed with the senior Poc Fada across its traditional route. In the end, they decided to use a lower course rather than the traditional 5km one.

Thus, the competitors were taken from the start line to An Gábhlan, travelling towards the start line, back to An Gábhlan and then towards the finish line. The compromise course was still a full 5km but the competitors were not as exposed to the elements as they would otherwise have been.

The M Donnelly All Ireland Poc Fada invariably provides a unique day of entertainment and 2012 was no different as twelve hurlers from around the country battled for the coveted Poc Fada Craobh na hÉireann title. In the run-up to the competition, national Poc Fada committee secretary Pat Hamilton pointed out that the Ravensdale event was a unique sporting and cultural event: “An Poc Fada has been going from 1961. Some of the greatest hurlers in Ireland like Ger Cunningham, Ollie Walsh, Davy Fitzgerald and Eoin Kelly have participated and this year we expect another quality field. The constant rain has left conditions on the mountain very damp and marshy and the local Coiste will continue to monitor that aspect.

“Over the years there has been tremendous support from the local clubs.

They send along people to help as scorekeepers and in the meitheals. It is an ideal opportunity for young people in particular to meet with stars of the hurling world in person.”

Attended as ever by committee members from both Louth and Armagh, the 2012 Poc Fada AGM took place on Monday, April 16th at The Sportsmans, Dundalk, with national chairperson Donie

Nealon in attendance. Paddy McMahon chaired the meeting before handing over the reins to new chairrnan John Moley.

Reports on funding were presented and M Donnelly was thanked for his ongoing sponsorship of the event.

The following committee was elected: John Moley (chairman), Patsy Mulholland (vice-chairman), Pat Hamilton (secretary), Shay Larkin (assistant secretary / PRO), Josephine Maguire (treasurer), D Callan, P Harnett, P McGinn, P McMahon, M Murphy, C Hamilton and C McEvoy.

On the day of the actual event itself, Saturday August 4th, Tipperary's veteran goalkeeper Brendan Cummins claimed his sixth senior title by completing the course in 39 pucks. Derry's Ruairi Convery – also a regular visitor to Annaverna - came second, with Down goalkeeper Graham Clarke finishing in third spot.

Despite inclement weather and mist covering Annaverna Mountain on the Saturday morning, the M Donnelly Poc Fada All-Irelands went ahead, with the cloud lifting just before commencement.

Due to weather conditions and with the health & safety of competitors , their back-up teams and spectators in mind, it

Brendan Cummins - the master of the mountains at work

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was decided to run the main Poc Fada on a double lap of the secondary course.

The weather lifted after contestants had started the amended course and the competitions concluded in warm sunshine.

As stated above, the results were unique as all three competition winners were the same as in 2011.

Brendan Cummins (Tipperary) retained his title, while Patricia Jackman (Waterford) won her fourth national title in a row - finishing one poc ahead of Martina McMahon (Cork), with Rachel Monaghan a very close third The 2011 Under 16 winner Cillian Kiely (Offaly) was eligible to defend his title - a unique occurrence in itself - and he did so two shots ahead of Colum Fenton (Cork).

Brendan Cummins (Tipperary) and Kevin McKernan (Antrim) - with a combined score of 86 pocs - won the Comortas Beirte competition, with the pairings based on a pre-competition draw.

GAA president Liam O’Neill and camogie president Aileen Lawlor were on hand to present the prizes as well as an individual inscribed crystal vase to all contestants. Loyal sponsor Martin Donnelly also attended.

SPECIAL FEATURE

Artie Clifford (left) and Peter Ward at the Blas na hEireann annual food awards at the Dingle Food Festival in Co. Kerry. Pic: Don MacMonagle

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Despite having only lived in Louth for a short period of his life, chairman and founder of the Blas na hEireann National Irish Food Awards Artie Clifford has maintained a close affinity with the Wee County.

rtie Clifford has an interesting story to tell. Born in Canada, reared in Dublin and Louth and now an adopted Kerry man, he is best known as founder and chair of the Blas na hEireann National Irish Food Awards which celebrate and reward the very best tasting Irish food and drink products. He is also deeply involved with the Irish Association of Seafood Companies (IASC), which has its headquarters in Dundalk.

“I’ve always been involved with food. I grew up in a household where good food was very important, and have been involved in the industry all of my working life,” he says.

“We decided to set up the National Irish Food Awards because there was no awards scheme of its kind at the time in Ireland. In 2008, which was the first year our awards were held, we had 400 entries. This year we had 2,000 entries, so the awards have clearly come a long way in just five years.

“One-hundred-and-sixty-five awards were awarded over 50 categories, including a new award for Best in Farmers’ Market.

The original entries are judged by a trained sensory panel in UCC. The best entries are then judged by a group of 40 people drawn from the industry, including UK retailers, food writers, chefs, cooks and academics. The entries are judged using a blind-tasting system, which we believe is the fairest way to judge them.”

The National Irish Food Awards were established to bring increased attention to the high quality of Irish foods, especially to the Irish public. The awards have been made possible with the assistance sponsors which include Udaras na Gaeltachta, BIM, Bord Bia Invest Nortern Ireland and Kerry Enterprise Board. This year’s winning entries were announced on October 6 last at the Dingle Peninsula Food Festival in Co. Kerry. The Bord Biasponsored Grand Champion was Una’s Pies, Chicken, Leek & Cheese.

The National Irish Food Awards not only reward the best tasting Irish food and drink products, but also the passionate, driven producers who make them. All Irish companies, North and South,

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are invited to submit products that are commercially available to the public in three outlets. These products are then tasted by judges in two tranches, resulting in the winning products being awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze in more than 50 categories.

This is the biggest blind-tasting of produce in the country. The criteria on which the product is judged, as well as the judging system itself, was created by the Food Science Department of UCC. The Blas na hEireann Awards is a non-for-profit organisation which was established by a group of Irish producers so that quality standards could be established for Irish produce on a level playing field. Winning at the Blas Awards has made significant business difference to the winners.

They are the Awards’ best ambassadors.

Recently, Artie and his colleagues established a Business Development Team to support and help producers to move from producing a successful product to building a profitable and sustainable business through a series of workshops and networking opportunities. This Development Team boasts a range of knowledge, skills and experience across the retail market, distribution as well as strategy and business planning.

Artie also sits on the committee of the Irish Association of Seafood Companies (IASC), which represents seafood retailers and seafood producers. There was some good news for the industry locally this year with the investment of over €235,000

by Morgan’s Ltd in Omeath. The investment is part of a broader national investment of €15.5 million, which is supported by grants of €3.2 million under the EU co-funded Seafood Processing Business Investment Scheme. The Scheme is implemented as part of the Irish Seafood Development Programme 2007-2013.

“The fishing industry has gone

through a tough time, so this is very welcome news indeed,” says Artie, who worked at sea for many years before taking up employment with Ballyhea Fisheries in Dingle and then setting up his own company, Dingle Seafood, which he sold recently.

“I work as a development officer on a voluntary basis with the IASC and look forward to the day when the industry will be strong in this country again.”

The son of a district judge and a domestic science teacher, Artie moved to Termonfeckin with his family as a 15-year-old. He attended both St. Joseph’s CBS in Drogheda and

Dundalk RTC (now Dundalk IT) before joining Seamus Connolly’s fishing boat, the Ard Aluinn, in Clogherhead, and embarking on a 20-year career at sea.

“I sat my Leaving Cert at the RTC in Dundalk of all places before joining on Seamus Connolly’s boat. We moved to Louth after my late father Len joined Jonh Kerin’s solicitor’s practice in Ardee before moving to Dick Brannigan’s firm in Drogheda.He later served as a district judge in Co. Meath.

“I can honestly say that the 15 years I spent in Louth were some of the best

Artie is pictured with Titanic Belfast chef Himanshu Sabarwal and Invest NI’s Shane McArdle at the announcement of Invest NI’s sponsorship of the New Product’ Category in the Blas na hEireann awards

Wishing Continued Success To Artie Clifford From Mick, Michael & Staff at Island Seafoods Ltd. Island Seafoods Ltd., Carricknamohill, Killybegs, Co.Donegal.

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Artie Clifford is pictured with Minister Simon Coveney at the launch of the fifth annual Blas na hEireann awards. Pic: Don MacMonagle

years of my life. I still go back to Drogheda on a regular basis and still have the St. Nick’s and Louth jerseys that were given to me by Al Gregory,” he smiles.

Artie has been living in Dingle for the past 20 years with his Drogheda-born wife Linda (nee Balfe) and their three daughters Fallon, Keady and Rachel. He takes a keen

interest in the GAA and is hoping 2013 will bring success for the Wee County and their new manager Aidan O’Rourke.

“If there’s a big match on the television, I usually go down to Paddy Bawn Brosnan’s pub on Strand Street in Dingle to watch it. I’d often be in the company of past and present Kerry players watching the games there. Kerry people have a great knowledge of football and that’s probably one of the reasons why they’re so successful.

“I still keep an eye on how Louth are doing. If Louth were to meet Kerry it would prove a very interesting day in the Clifford household. I recall a game in the national league 2000 when Louth met Kerry in Killarney a very young Anthony (Tonto) Donaghy out witted Liam Hassett to score a goal, I don’t know who was more shocked Tonto or Liam. Louth came out winners on the day with a one point margin. Peter Fitzpatrick did a great job during his three years as manager and was desperately unlucky not to win a Leinster title, as we all know.

Aidan O’Rourke is the new man in there now and he’ll be trying to build on the progress Peter made with the team. It won’t be easy, though, because Louth is a small county in GAA terms and doesn’t have the resources of the more successful counties like Kerry and Dublin,” he concludes.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

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Dundalk Chamber of Commerce president Paddy Malone

IT’S ALL ABOUT JOBS FOR PADDY MALONE Dundalk Chamber of Commerce president and well-known accountant Paddy Malone talks sport, politics and his on-going quest to bring much-needed jobs to the border town.

or the past three years, Paddy Malone has been using his position as president of Dundalk Chamber of Commerce to create jobs and to make the town a better place in which to do business.

And while Dundalk’s unemployment rate remains above the national average, Paddy is convinced the tide is turning with PayPal, Prometric, SATIR, National Pen and Diaceutics among the companies to have announced new jobs in the past year.

“We’re slowly but surely turning the corner, but there’s still a long way to go,” the proud Dundalk man says.

“We’ve suffered badly with the loss of major industries and because of our close proximity to the border, but the people of Dundalk are a resolute lot and are fighting back. We’ve had to reinvent ourselves and are fortunate to have some great companies like PayPal, Prometric, Moffett Engineering, Horseware and Digiweb who have helped to get us back on track.”

Paddy believes the failure of successive Governments to look after Dundalk’s needs has contributed to the town’s current high unemployment rate. However, he takes hope from the launch of the Newry-Dundalk Twin City Region report which supports the implementation of cross-border collaboration on spatial planning in the area.

“We were neglected for years by the Government,” he claims.

“Both Dundalk and Newry have been stymied by their location along the border. Back in the 1960s, Dundalk was the same size as Galway and Waterford, but got left behind. The emphasis has to be on getting Dundalk competitive again. We need the Governments in the North and South to recognise that this area has suffered more than anywhere else and it needs significant investment.

“Dundalk Chamber of Commerce is committed to coming up with new initiatives and encouraging businesses in the town to work together. We are constantly trying to attract new businesses and to paint the town in a positive light.

“We have the road, rail and airport networks, some great shops and industry, of course, Dundalk IT. Dundalk has a lot going for itself and things are finally beginning to happen. I’m more confident that ever that we won’t become a dormitory town for Dublin and Belfast. But there’s a long road to be travelled yet.”

In an ironic twist, Dundalk – which was bypassed by southern shoppers making their way to Newry for many years – is now attracting shoppers from across the border thanks to the debt crisis. Indeed, many shops in the town are now accepting sterling.

“I’d rather it wasn’t this way, but it’s tough times and the weaker euro is helping us. It’s come full circle. Traders in Dundalk are reporting a surge in Northern customers, which is a welcome change.”

Paddy has been a member of the Dundalk Chamber of Commerce Council for over a decade, having served as treasurer and vice-president before taking up his current role in 2009. He represents the Chamber on a number of organisations, including Louth Economic Forum and BIDS (Town Centre Commercial Management).

Dundalk Chamber of Commerce is extremely active.

Consisting of 19 council members representing all business sectors and over 250 businesses in the town, the Chamber meets monthly with a view to promoting economic development

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throughout Dundalk. The Chamber’s policies are formed by the views of its members. As the elected representative body of the Chamber, the Council is responsible to the membership for the overall performance of the Chamber organisation. The Council develops policy, appoints and monitors the activities of committees, reports to members annually, and delegates to its committee members, authority to act on its behalf.

The Chamber structure is designed to meet the needs of the key business sectors in the community and to ensure their development

Geraldine’s celebrate their Louth U16 success

objectives are met by appropriate representation on each sector’s behalf. All committee chairpersons are appointed by and accountable to the Chamber Council.

By joining Dundalk Chamber, your business will be more profitable.

Not only will you enjoy the wide range of services offered by the Chamber, but you will also gain satisfaction from knowing that you are making a difference in your community.

Paddy is a well-known member of the business community in Dundalk, being principal of Malone & Company Chartered Accountants in Clanbrassil Street. Employing three staff, the accountancy practice was established in 1950 by Paddy’s late father Jim and specialises in taxation. Paddy is an Continued Sucess To Paddy Malone associate of the Irish Taxation Institute and the Continued Success To Institute of Paddy Malone C h a r t e r e d From Accountants.

Paddy is also widely known in political circles. A member of Fine HOUSEHOLD FURNISHINGS Gael for nearly 40 years, he served Coes Road, as the party’s Dundalk, Co. Louth chairman in the L o u t h Tel: 042 9386 371 constituency from

Pat’s Interiors

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2009 to 2011 and in the past sat on the party’s national executive. He sought the party’s nomination for the 2011 General Election only to lose out to the then Louth football manager Peter Fitzpatrick.

The Malone name is synonymous with Dundalk FC, with Paddy’s aforementioned father having been involved in the running of the club from 1955 up until his death in 1996.

Paddy is a former treasurer, director and advisor to the Lilywhites, having held the former position between 1996 and 2000. He is extremely proud of the club’s rich history and tradition and, following the recent takeover by Fastfix, is looking to the future with optimism.

“The new owners have big ambitions for the club, and if we put the right boardroom in place, I’m sure success on the field of play will follow,” he predicts.

“Like all Dundalk supporters, I’m hoping the new owners will bring stability to the club. Our most stable period, which was between 1972 and ’95, also happened to be our most successful period. We had some great times in those years under the guidance of Jim McLaughlin and Turlough O’Connor. Gerry Matthews did great work during his time as club owner and here’s hoping that Fastfix will follow in his footsteps.”

Paddy is also a keen supporter of

Geraldine’s and Louth star Jim McEneaney

the Geraldine’s and Louth football teams. Indeed, his grandfather Paddy Ward, who he is named after, lined out for Louth against Kerry in the first match ever to be played at Croke Park in 1913.

“It was a Croke Cup match and I still have the medal he won that day,” he explains.

“While soccer is my first love, I take a great interest in the GAA as well and, as a Haggardstown man, am

proud to support the Geraldine’s.

Soccer is very strong in the area with Rock Celtic, but they have always held their own and have some of the best facilities in Louth.”

Speaking of facilities, Paddy welcomes plans for the development of a new 12,000-capacity stadium on the grounds of Dundalk IT, which will end the Wee County’s stadium woes.

“It will be a great day when Louth GAA has a place they can finally call

home. This development will also provide Dundalk and the north Louth area with a major fillip. It’s long overdue and will end the embarrassment of Louth not being able to stage an inter-county championship match of any significance. For far too long, Louth’s footballers have had to forfeit home advantage through no fault of their own, so this development can’t come quick enough,” he concludes.

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PADRAIG HAMILL

PADRAIG HAMILL - A REAL HERO Padraig was born in 1960 to John and Eithne Hamill. Padraig has two sisters, Maureen and Eithne. His father was John Hamill (R.I.P) from the Knockbridge/ Inniskeen area, and Eithne his mother (R.I.P) was a Lordship woman. Pat was introduced to Gaelic football by Master Paddy McDonnell while at Haggardstown N.S. Paddy fostered both a great love of education and Gaelic football. The school had a brilliant under 14 team, and they won the mid-louth primary schools title. Players like Paul Renaghan, Jim Mc Donnell and James Sloane played for the school, and Padraig played also.

This school team became the nucleus of the 1982 Geraldines team that won the senior championship against Kilkerley. By Sean Ross.

Padraig Hamill

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fter Haggardstown N.S., Padraig left for the C.B.S. in Chapel Street, Dundalk.

Both the Irish Language and Gaelic games were taken very seriously there. The Christian brothers and the lay teachers fostered all things Irish, and Rev. Brother Martin O Fathaigh made sure that games were important. Martin (R.I.P) was an uncle of the famous Joe Cooney who played with the 1980s Galway hurling team. Another person who influenced Padraig at C.B.S. was Pat Darcy. Padraig studied at the C.B.S. for his Leaving cert and he is now principal of the renamed C.B.S. - Colaiste Ris. At 17, Padraig left for U.C.G. hoping to explore Science. He remembers fondly his days beside the Corrib River and also the Inter-faculty leagues in football. Pat also played on the Intermediate Team; both Gay Mc Manus (Galway) and Tony (Horse) Regan (Roscommon) promoted football there. He left U.C.G. with a Science Degree and a higher diploma in education.

He got a teaching job where he was educated himselfC.B.S Dundalk. He settled into school life and Haggardstown/Blackrock parish life quickly. He became treasurer of the Geraldines for the next 10 years. He also promoted Scor and the Geraldines won the Louth club of the year in Scor in the early 1980’s.

Pat played junior and senior at times. Geraldines won the senior final on September 12th 1982 beating Kilkerley, and in

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1983 St. Fechins beat Geraldines. In 1984 Padraig became a County minor selector. It was during training that he tore cruciate ligaments. These could not be fixed at this time. So his career ended just playing junior matches, but as he told me more than once, “that’s where the fun is”.

Even though Pat is a very logical person, he loves the catch and kick type of football.

Pat in my opinion became one of the best coaches at juvenile and schools level.

He was the man who knew the players, the man who motivated, and the man who was on fire with football, the man who got results from schools and at club level.

His heart was with his family, his school and the Geraldines club. That’s what I call a local hero. In the 1980s the Geraldines were successful with minors, under 16’s and under 14’s.

Jimmy Tuft, John McGuinness and Pat Darcy among many others helped the club win these trophies.

In 1988 Pat got married to Jane Tooher, a primary teacher and a native of Dundalk. His involvement with the Geraldines took a back seat for a while, but he continued with the re-named Colaiste Ris (C.B.S). In 1986 Colaiste Ris won a north Leinster championship; they won this trophy again in 1989. Two Geraldines men Padraig Hamill and Pat Darcy were their mentors. In 1987 De La Salle beat Colaiste Ris by one point in the Louth under 16 final. Cathal O’Hanlon (Clans and Louth) made the difference for the

The Geraldines U16 champions, with Padraig Hamill (back row, extreme right) as part of the backroom team

Castletown boys. I remember Padraig afterwards-he was in a state of shock after this match, but he continued on with the Chapel Street boys. In 1991 and 1992 Colaiste Ris were successful at Lennon Cup level (senior colleges); Aidan Delaney was captain of both. So Padraig’s influence on the boys from Colaiste Ris was immense during those four years.

In 2002, Padraig worked with Eamonn McEneaney, John Pepper and Seamie Breen at juvenile level in the Geraldines. A golden era began for the Haggardstown/Blackrock club.

These lads are now 22 and they have won every competition the whole way to under 21 level. The under 14s won the championship and league, the under 16s won two championships, the under 18s won two minor championships and the under 21 championship was also won by this group of players. Padraig made light of all these trophies, but I knew he was more than proud of his parish and the cups brought back to the Geraldines club. I have a memory of Padraig carrying the bottles in

Dowdallshill as the green and white of the Geraldines carried the day. I also remember another day in Clan na Gael when St Joseph’s minors got the better of the Geraldines. Such is the fragility of football finals.

At schools level Pat was involved with Dundalk schools from 2002 until 2008. In 2002 Dundalk schools won Leinster “A” against St Pats. of Navan in Drogheda. The famous Joe Sheridan was involved with Navan, but was held tightly by the Dundalk defence. Selectors were Pat Hamill, (Colaiste Ris) Martin Brennan, (De la Salle), Alan Craven, (Marist) and Leslie Toal as manager. Dundalk schools struggled on until 2010 when they beat St. Pats of Navan again in Navan to become Leinster champions again.

When asked about the modern game- Pat said he loves how the game is evolving. His favourite book is by Mickey Harte “Kicking down Heaven’s Door.” His best memory is 1985 when Dundalk C.B.S. won the Leinster championship (A) against Portlaoise C.B.S. in Croke Park. His worst memory was in 2002, in Navan

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when Meath scored two goals in the last few minutes to beat a Paddy Carr driven Louth Team.

Padraig is still involved at under age football and indeed on Oct 14th this year Geraldine’s under16s beat Ardee in Haggardstown in the Louth under 16 final. Padraig’s son Dara played a leading role at centre field.

Padraig believes in football and its benefits to the person and also the community. Padraig is a very happy man living in Blackrock with his wife Jane, his son Eoin (a solicitor in Dublin), and his daughter Mairead (studying medicine in Dublin) and Dara a student at Colaiste Ris. He seems to have a great balance in his life, and his wisdom helps everyone in family, community and school.

Padraig is also a wonderful Louth supporter; he travelled all over Ireland to support his native county.

Perhaps all the juvenile work will pay dividends as the Geraldines go in search of the Joe Ward Cup in future years. Pupils and teachers at Colaiste Ris will recognise Padraig as a wonderful principal and a person with a great sense of humour.

SPECIAL FEATURE The St. Oliver’s National School project

PURCELL CONSTRUCTION’S ROLE IN LOUTH Purcell Construction Limited is delighted to have been appointed as Main Contractor for a New Build 16 Classroom Primary School - Scoil Oilibhear Naofa at Ballymakenny Road, Drogheda, Co. Louth under a pilot scheme run by the Department of Education and Skills with Louth County Council who were acting as Client.

T

his is the first school to be delivered under the new arrangement and Purcell Construction Limited is privileged to have been a part of its successful completion. Purcell Construction Limited worked closely with Louth County Council (Paul Kelly – Employers Representative), who had appointed Gerry Cahill Architects (Architects / PSDP), Roughan O’Donovan (Structural /Civil), Austin Reddy & Assocs (Quantity Surveyors) and Delap and Waller (Services) as their Design Team.

The Design team was led by Ciaran O’Brien of GCA who together with Damien Walsh of Purcell Construction was instrumental in ensuring that the project ran seamlessly without any delays or difficulties.

In fact, the project was delivered on budget and one week ahead of the contract completion date, due in the

main to the exceptional co-operation between Client, Design Team and Contractor.

We have been very fortunate to have completed a number of projects in the recent past in the Drogheda area with our first project undertaken being St Josephs School, in Mell which was an 8 Classroom School with a value of €2m completed in August 2011 with Mahoney Architecture.

We were also appointed as Main Contractor for St Marys Parish

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Primary school at Bryanstown Cross, a 36 classroom 1000 pupil school with a value of €6m which at the time was the largest traditionally procured school being undertaken in the country. Again, Purcell Construction Limited delivered this landmark school in 2012 ahead of the contract programme and again within budget.

We are fortunate in that the experiences we have had in the Louth region have been extremely positive. This spectrum extends from Clients, Local authority personnel,

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An inside shot of St. Joseph’s

The impressive Ballymakenny Road school

St. Mary’s Parish Primary School

Suppliers and Sub contractors alike who have all engaged positively which is a key component to being successful in any location.

We certainly hope to carry out many more projects in Louth in the future Since our establishment in 1988, Purcell Construction Limited continues to grow and is now firmly established as one of Ireland leading National Main Contractors with

offices in both Dublin and Galway.

Over the years we have completed a variety of award winning landmark projects on a nationwide basis with some of Ireland leading Design teams.

Our approach is based on a teamwork philosophy which, coupled with the dedication and professionalism of our experienced management and personnel is the foundation upon which the success of our projects is built.

We are delighted to announce that we have tendered and been successful on a number of other

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prestigious projects nationwide – most recently: Connaught GAA – Centre of Excellence Bank of Ireland, Walkinstown, Dublin Scoil Phadraig, Ballylinan, Kildare Scoil Bhride, Blanchardstown, Dublin Colaiste Iognaid, Salthill Galway Research and Innovation Building Carlow IT, Carlow FAS, Galway Restoration of St Mel’s Cathedral, Longford as partners with Gem Group in a joint venture project.

Details of these projects and other information can be accessed at www.purcell.ie

HANDBALL The showcourt at the World Handball Championships in the Citywest

LOUTH HANDBALL TAKING OFF

H

andball has reaffirmed its relationship with Louth County Board and there is growing interest in the game once more. A total of thirteen Louth players competed at the World Handball Championships in Dublin in 2012 – all of them from O’Raghallaighs, which remains the only handball club in Louth.

This lack of clubs is one of the obvious challenges facing those who want to promote the game. St Patricks do have a one-wall court in their gym but they aren’t yet registered as a handball club.

As the county’s only established club, O’Raghallaighs boast a 40 x 20 indoor alley and two one-wall courts (the one-wall game has been accepted as a trial sport for the Olympics, under the name of wall ball).

Stuart Heslin from Drogheda got to the last 16 of the men’s ‘C’ grade at the World Championships. “There were a lot more Irish people involved than usual, due to the fact that the competition was in Dublin this year,” he notes. “For as long as I’ve been playing, it was always abroad and it

The evidence is that Louth handball is very much on the up again and there was a veritable hive of activity in 2012. Louth handballers excelled at provincial and national levels and also in the World Handball Championships. Clear progress is being made and, with handball back in the GAA family again in the Wee County, this success story looks destined to gather pace.

was hard to get time off work etc. but this year’s experience was very positive and I might consider taking part again in three years’ time, when it will be in Canada.”

The County Board has really welcomed handball back into the Louth GAA family, as was apparent from the striking official kits presented to the players who participated in the World Championships.

In O’Raghallaighs, the 12-17 age group practices on Thursday nights and the U12s go up on a Friday night, with kids as young as five and six taking part. There are provincial and national competitions at U11, U13, U15 and U17 levels and Louth had kids win U11, U13 and U15 Leinster ‘C’ titles this year.

At adult level, there are national competitions in 40 x 20, 60 x 30 and one-wall, with Louth slowly rebuilding its reputation. “We are in the process of redeveloping,” says Stuart. “There was a lull for about 20 years and we’re only starting to find our feet again. My father is actually still playing at 65 and the lads in the 5070 age group are winning more AllIrelands and Leinsters than the rest

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of us!

“Louth County Board is giving us a lot of assistance in promoting the game and we can’t thank them enough. This was the second year that they gave us new kits and they are a great help.

“Ideally, we’d like to get the county championships going again but in order to do that we will need another club to come on board. One-wall is easy and inexpensive to establish is schools or clubs, so that might be the way forward. St Patricks and Annaghminnon Rovers have showed an interest, so hopefully there will be more clubs in the county soon. If we could get a foothold in the schools, that would be a great start.”

A number of Louth handballers excelled in 2012, including All-Ireland winner John Kelly. After winning his Leinster final a few weeks beforehand, John was back in court for his All-Ireland semi-final clash against Stephen McInerney from Clare, with John winning by 21-5, 2112 to set up a final date with Joe Neary from Mayo in Roscommon.

The first game started with both men trading aces in a hard fought game

with John edging out his man by 2118. The second game was not as energy-sapping as the first as John won this one by 21-9.

In the 60 x 30, following the example of young Louth woman Karen Lawlor in recent weeks, the masters of handball in the Wee County brought home another four Leinster titles. In finals played throughout the province in neutral venues from Meath to Arklow, the O'Raghallaighs clubmen emerged victorious.

John Kelly played M Byrne from Wexford in the 60-30 Emerald Masters singles final in Arklow, beating his opponent by a scoreline of 21-10, 21-8 to secure his second title of the year.

John then partnered fellow clubman Mick Tiernan then brought home yet another Leinster title as they defeated Billy Love and Gerry Murphy by 21-17, 21-8 at Na Fianna in Dublin in the Emerald Masters doubles final.

The same week saw doubles partners Joe Heslin and Sean Devlin meet in the Diamond Masters singles final in Gormanston College with Sean graciously defeating his training partner 21-12, 21-9. Yet another provincial title for Sean to add to his many already held. Sean and Joe also collected the doubles title in the Diamond Masters final after their Kilkenny opponents were unable to fulfil their commitment to play the much-anticipated match due to injury.

The 60x30 All Ireland semi-finals started with Sean Devlin beating Pat Henerby from Limerick by 21-16, 2117 in two tight games. In the other semi-final, John Kelly beat Gerry Foley from Tipperary 21-11, 21-16 in Mullingar to set up two All-Ireland finals for both clubmen.

John's All-Ireland final against James Coughlan from Roscommon started very well, winning the first game 21-4, but he could not hold onto this advantage and lost the next two games 21-17, 21-15. In the other final, Sean Devlin was in action against Kevin Fahey from Mayo, with the Mayo man winning both games 21-7, 21-12.

At the one-wall nationals in the Citywest Arena, Karen Lawlor started her Ladies B Championship in fine form by not losing a game on route to her final, in which she played a very strong Ellen O'Connor, with Karen winning by 31-7 to secure her first

national title.

Stuart Heslin reached his first semifinal and Billy Caddell reached his first quarter-final in the Mens ‘C’ Singles, but both lost out to very strong opponents.

Of the juveniles that entered the Nationals, Sean Faulkner, Ciaran Faulkner, Mark McCullough and Ben Devlin all gave very good accounts of themselves with Ben reaching a quarter-final.

The O’Raghallaighs club was asked

by Leinster Council to hold a one-wall tournament in the O'Raghallaighs with over 30 players in attendance. A great day of handball was had by all with Stuart Heslin beating fellow clubman John Boyle in the final of the Mens ‘C’ Singles by 16-15. In the doubles, Billy Caddell teamed up with Kilkenny man Liam Mahon to beat two fellow clubmen Sean Devlin and Oliver Maguire by 25-16. In the juvenile grade Ben Devlin beat Mark McCullough 19-12. On the day there were three Louth men with Leinster silverware.

And so to the World Handball Championships in the Citywest Arena: The juveniles started their One-Wall World Championships with all boys winning three games each.

Unfortunately, none of them progressed after this. In the 40x20, Stuart Heslin reached the quarterfinal stage out of 190 competitors.

Karen Lawlor reached the semi-final of the Ladies ‘B’ Singles in the 40x20.

All other Louth competitors did very well but unfortunately nobody made any inroads in the competition.

For Louth, entering its first World

Championships, it was a great showing by the Wee County.

This year’s Leinster adult 40x20 Championship started in the Junior ‘B’ Singles with John Boyle (Louth) beating Ken Gannon (Dublin) 21-14, 21-9 in his opening match. John then went on to play Peter Flanagan (Meath) in Kells, only to lose out by a 21-15, 21-7 scoreline.

Billy Caddell started his 40x20 season with a walkover from Michael Sheridan (Meath) due to an injury, and then went on to play Peter Flanagan (Meath) in what was a very close game from start to finish in Leixlip, Co. Kildare where Peter won 21-18, 21-19.

In the Junior ‘B’ doubles, John Boyle and Billy Caddell (Louth) teamed up to play Ken Gannon and John Byrne (Dublin) in Leixlip. John and Billy won this game 21-4, 21-7 to set up a second round tie against Eugene O’Reilly and Peter Flanagan (Meath). Sadly, Louth were beaten 21-15, 21-16.

The Over 35s ‘B’ singles started with Stuart Heslin (Louth) playing Stephen Barcoe (Kilkenny). Game One started with both players trading aces only for the Kilkenny man to win 21-15. The second game started in the same fashion only for Stuart to lose out 21-12.Billy Caddell lost his first game 21-5, 21-4. John Boyle and Billy Caddell teamed up again to play the over 35s doubles and just fell short, losing out 21-16, 21-14. Stuart Heslin and Alan Smith (Louth) teamed up to play Christy Browne and Gary Balfe (Kildare) and won the game 21-5, 21-7 to set up a semifinal game against Kilkenny’s Sean

Louth’s representatives as the World Handball Championships pictured with Joey Maher, front l/r: Sean Devlin, Karen Lawlor, Sean Faulkner, Ciaran Faulkner, Ben Devlin. Back: John Kelly, Stuart Heslin, Joey Maher, Liam Hanna, Mark McCullough, Billy Cadell, Oliver Maguire, Alan Smith. Missing from photo: John Boyle

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Quigley and Canice Quigley. Sadly, Alan and Stuart lost out to the eventual winners of the Over 35 ‘B’ doubles: 21-7, 21-15.

In the Golden Masters ‘B’ singles, Mick Tiernan (Louth) played Andy Mulligan (Westmeath) and was beaten 21-5, 21-6. Mick Tiernan and John Kelly then teamed up to play the Golden Masters dB’ doubles against Kildare in the O’Raghallaighs. They won the game 21-13, 21-15 and then went on to play a very strong Kilkenny team and lost the quarter final 21-4, 21-9.

In the Emerald Masters ‘B’ singles, John Kelly (Louth) went all the way to the final in the Leinster championship to play Gerry Murphy (Kilkenny). In what was a tight game, John won this final 21-15 21-12.

Finally, we had the 40x20 juveniles.

To begin, the year’s trials were held for juveniles to determine who would play 40x20 competition singles and doubles in the Leinster ‘A’ Championship. Age groups ranged from U12 to U18. Leinster draws were made and Louth were drawn against Dublin in the first round, played on 17th February in the O’Raghallaighs.

U12 singles player Sean Faulkner won comfortably in two straight g a m e s

against Dublin’s Martin Leonard, a fine display from Sean in his first competitive match for the county.

U13 singles: Ben Devlin beat Sean Flanagan in two straight games, showing his experience in the court.

U13 doubles: Pierce Rice and Ciarán Faulkner floundered in their first competition together, losing out to their Dublin counterparts, both players showing great promise for the future.

U14 singles: Ryan Levins was narrowly beaten in both games by Killian Prendergast, Ryan having shown great potential in winning the ‘C’ Championship last year.

U15 singles: Liam Hanna, played some fine handball in the lengthy games against Killian Ambrose, winning out in the end in style.

U16 doubles: Páraic Heslin and Sean Sweeney were gallant in their efforts but beaten by C.Saunders and C.Tynan in a well matched pair of games, terminating their run in the Championship.

Second round draws for Sean Faulkner (U12s) and Ben Devlin (U13s) were played in Kells on Saturday 25th February against Meath. Both Louth youths played determined handball on the day.

IPS REPORT HAMPIONSH C L L A B D N LD HA s took LOUTH WOR Championship

all e World Handb y as 33 of October th with as man st lin 21 ub e D th in to r th te 11 those en e C of th e From ferenc ors. 13 City West Con 000 competit 2, l 13 t al os ith m w al h, place in The esented by nty of Lout pr ou re C g ee in W be e eda. counties represent th club in Drogh ere there to hallaighs GAA ag ballers and 'R nd O competitors w ha e th e th of tended by ndball out at ha r tly ei ea th gr g leys along in e al play petition wer ten 40X20 m ld co he ys a da en g ar ised legs and ectacular The openin se alley on ra alike. The sp ca ic bl ow sh pu t g en in the view d a magnific wall courts an luded with eight oneviewing. l pionship conc na ens 'C' Cham for exceptio M and ls e al th es w s, m s er ga as ay gl 3 s opening g of 190 pl hi tin in is y ns bl co rta ld . fo last 16 All ng com In a large fie beaten in the t Heslin winni ar be tu S to ith ly saw w on 1 on day 4 rounds days, which the first few ugh the next ro in th out ith g w ng in si es ss lo m re prog 15, but round ga es U13 and U ed their first in ad ay gr en pl in at s le be ds ni ly un ve ju who was on e second ro h th ug to lo ss ul re en cC B og M k er youth them all pr ptions of Mar nt and Dunle with the exce strong oppone ry hampionship. ve C at this stage l a al to 13 One-W mes U15 U ga ys nt d bo un e ro th d of his 3r ade an excelle mi-final Lawlor who m ached the se ll. en re ba ar K ho nd w ha as w lin of e ev s D two code presentativ d re an e al es ' m ad fe 'B gr ly es e Ladi different Louth's on al stages in th playing in four fin f, rel te g rs ar in he qu be of e t en Kar accoun reached th les 40X20, with aches locally, the Ladies sing of Karen, who te e ag st al quarter-fin d their club doubles, also emselves an tie breaker. th a of in ts en un at co be mostly of all narrowly e good ac ld stage and or entatives mad w es a pr re on h e ut All Lo experienc g invaluable with all gainin ganza. va tra ndball ex enjoying the ha

84

Sean was beaten by a strong Daniel Farrelly in two straight games, gaining some invaluable competition experience.

Ben played a fantastic first game, with a winning serve seeing him through easily. The second game was tight but won by Meath’s Joseph Stewart. The tie breaker was again a close game and eventually won by Joseph who settled into his stride mid-way through.

There was no U15 singles player for Meath, giving Louth’s Liam Hanna a by into the semi-finals to be played in Coolboy on Saturday March 3rd.

Liam played Wicklow’s Conor Hill Doyle on the day but was unfortunately beaten by a vastly experienced opponent, ending Liam’s Championship chances.

In April, the Leinster ‘C’ 40x20 singles Championships took place at Delvin on Saturday 14th. A great day of handball was enjoyed with an easy win for Kevin Faulkner in the U13’s against Sean Mahon of Westmeath and Mark McCullough in the U14s against Aaron Blake from Offaly, beating him in a tie breaker.

Páraic Heslin, U16s and Sean Faulkner, U12’s, both came away with runner’s-up medals after being narrowly beaten in their respective finals. All Louth participants came away with silverware.

All the handballers were kitted out in the Louth colours, l/r: Karen Lawlor, Joey Maher, Sean Faulkner

SPECIAL FEATURE

The Heinz manufacturing facility in Finnabair Industrial Park, Dundalk

HEINZ DUNDALK T DOING ITS BIT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT The array of energy and efficiency awards which adorn the walls of Heinz’s manufacturing facility in Dundalk is testament to the company’s commitment to the environment.

Heinz Dundalk presented with the Coordinating Energy Management Programme for Large Users award at the 2008 Sustainable Energy Awards

85

hink sustainability – that’s the motto of Heinz Dundalk which is fiercely passionate about protecting the environment.

For many years now, one of the world’s best known brands – which employs 270 staff at its European Frozen and Chilled Foods manufacturing plant at Finnabair Industrial Park in Dundalk – has embraced the concept of sustainable thinking. This involves being more efficient and reducing the amount of waste packaging. Heinz Dundalk’s commitment to the environment is reflected in the numerous energy and efficiency awards it has received in recent years.

Among the awards garnered include the Repak Award for Best Packaging Waste Prevention Initiative 2007 and Sustainable Energy Ireland’s Large Industry User Award in the Coordinated Energy Management Programme 2008. In addition, Heinz Dundalk were finalists in the Repak Member of the Year Award for a Large Firm for four years running between 2002 and 2005.

“With us, it’s all about becoming more efficient and reducing our waste packaging,” explains Heinz Dundalk’s Environmental & Energy Coordinator Mohamed Hamouda.

“We are constantly striving to improve our environmental and energy performance. We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of sustainability. We have been ISO 14001 accredited since 2002 and are also ISO 50001 accredited. These accreditations relate to the environment and energy management.”

The Repak Recycling Awards scheme was initiated to recognise the efforts and ingenuity of its business members, local authorities, collectors and young people in the area of packaging prevention, reuse and recycling. The objective of the Repak Awards is to promote and

Repak Best Packaging Waste Prevention Initiative Award winners for 2007

encourage good recycling practice among industry, local authorities, waste contractors and the youth.

The 2007 Repak Award for Best Packaging Waste Prevention Initiative recognised the outstanding achievement of Heinz Dundalk in

recycling and minimisation of packaging. Some examples of waste prevention initiatives implemented by the company were changing from a 20-litre wine drum to a bulk returnable unit which equated to eight tonnes less plastic generated per

Heinz’s range of Big Frozen Meals which are manufactured in Dundalk

86

year.

Additionally, reducing the weight of CPET tray represented 59 tonnes less plastic generated per year and changing from out case to shrink wrap represented 250 tonnes less corrugated generated per year.

The Dundalk site recycled 100 per cent of all corrugated cardboard, 95 per cent of all plastic used, 99 per cent of all steel used and 99 per cent of all wood used. These figures show just how committed Heinz is to the environment. The awards were judged by a panel of external environmental experts.

The following year, Heinz Dundalk won Sustainable Energy Ireland’s Large Industry User award in the Coordinated Energy Management Programme category for the steps it has made at its Finnabair Industrial Park facility. Heinz was lauded for being the first company in Europe to implement a low-volume refrigeration system. Heinz’s CO2-eq emissions were reduced to just 4,000 tons in 2009 from 12,500 tons in 2004.

Brian Motherway, Head of Industry, Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI),

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Heinz employs 270 staff at its Dundalk plant

said at the 2008 awards ceremony: "Activity on energy efficiency in business is growing tremendously.

The quality of entries for this year's Awards is excellent. Particularly encouraging is the standard and number of entries from SMEs. It is clear from the results achieved by these companies that there are very significant energy efficiency gains and costs savings which can be made through effectively managing the energy demands of an organisation.

“It is also significant that a large number of the businesses that entered this year's Awards, such as those in the services sector, are relatively new to the area of sustainable energy and are now leading the way for others to follow. " One of Co. Louth’s largest

employers, Heinz Dundalk was established in 1993. The company was founded in the US over 140 years ago by Henry J Heinz and has since gone on to become one of the world’s most recognisable food brands. Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Heinz Beans and Heinz Salad Cream are just three of the company’s iconic brands. Nowhere in the world is the Heinz brand as strong as it is in the UK and Ireland. Consumer surveys repeatedly demonstrate that Heinz is one of the most loved and trusted brands on the supermarket shelves.

Heinz UK and Ireland’s main manufacturing facility is based in Kitt Green, near Wigan in the north of England and produces more than one billion cans every year. It is Europe’s largest food factory.

The UK and Ireland business is not

89

just growing sales of familiar favourites since its innovation engine has created well over 100 products in the last couple of years. New recipes, new packaging and new categories are proving a hit with consumers such as Heinz Tomato Ketchup Chilli, Heinz Beanz Snap Pots and Fridge Pack.

Heinz UK and Ireland continues to take a responsible approach to health and environmental issues. A 25-year programme of gradual salt and sugar reduction from recipes has won praise from the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health. The company is also introducing many measures to help reduce its impact on the environment, including the development of the world’s thinnest can ends and, as we’ve already discovered, much more besides.

SPECIAL FEATURE

Keith Lynch in action for the Blues

I

18 YEARS AND COUNTING Keith Lynch has given extraordinary service to Newtown Blues GFC. Next season with be his 18th to line out for the Newfoundwell men and the long-serving midfielder – who works in sales with Wesco Electrical in Drogheda – is hoping to collect a fourth Joe Ward Cup medal.

We caught up with the long-serving Blues stalwart to reflect on his remarkable club career to date.

started on the first team around 1995, when Martin Carr was manager,” Keith Lynch notes, looking back on the genesis of his distinguished club career. “Since then, we’ve won three senior football championships … but we’ve also lost three finals.”

And as any footballer will tell you, in a twisted sort of way, the defeats tend to stay with you at least as much as the victories do!

In 2012, the Blues – who had lost the ’11 county final to St Patricks after a replay – appeared to be on course for back-toback SFC final appearances against the Lordship men.

However, they were stunned by Dreadnots at the semi-final stage. The general consensus was that the Blues were ‘caught on the hop’ but Keith feels such a simplistic assessment is unfair on their conquerors: “We didn’t perform on the night and Clogherhead are a good up-and-coming side. You have to give them credit; they are a very good team and they didn’t do themselves justice in the final.

“They had beaten us at The Blues in the league semi-final in 2011 – albeit a week before we were due to play in the county final – and they have some very good young footballers. But we were still very disappointed with the result. We had lost six or seven of the 2011 county final team to emigration and started the year poorly, but lads came back from tours with the army etc. and team started to get stronger and we were going well again.

We were on form but didn’t perform in the semi-final.

“In the first three group games, we played really well, averaging around 2-15, but maybe the fact that we didn’t really have a tough enough game until we got to the semi-final told against us in the end.”

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The Blues seniors, 2012 style, front l/r: Keith Lynch, Lorcan McQuillan, Keith Arnold, Colm Judge, Paul Moore, Mark Cluskey, Thomas Costello, Hugh McGinn (captain), Cormac McQuillan, Jamie Carr, John McEneaney, Darren Moore, Donal Nugent. Back: John Kermode, Eoghan Judge, Graham Delaney, Brian Kermode, Stephen Moonan, Michael Harte, James Murray, Robert Carr, Barry Sharkey, Andrew Tinley, Conor Barton, Rory Milne, Paul Black, Stephen Kermode

Keith is confident that the current Newtown Blues team is far from finished. To the contrary, he believes they should be coming close to their peak now: “Apart from myself, Jamie Carr and Eoghan Judge, we have a fairly young team. The core of the side would have come from the 2004 minor team. That was an exceptional year, with seven players coming through onto the first team and those lads are still in their mid 20s.”

What has been the highlight of Keith Kynch’s club career?

“The first championship in 2000,” he replies quickly. “We hadn’t won it in twelve years, so that was a big win. Mickey McQuillan had taken over in 1999 and we were beaten in the semi-final by Stabannon, after a replay and extra time.

Pat McDonagh, Johnny McDonnell, Martin Carr and Gerry Kirwan were at the helm and training went very well all year.

Paul Clarke came in from Meath to lend a hand and the lads were flying coming towards the end of the season.

“Ironically, I think that if we’d got through to the final, we could have put in a very good performance against the Pats,” Keith reflects ruefully.

Newtown Blues are of course the traditional giants of Louth football. With more SFCs in the bank that any other club in the Wee County – a total of NINETEEN – they are the benchmark. Louth GAA history is decorated by stories of great Blues sides, yet they have only won three senior championships in the last 20-plus years. Is this more to do with the fact that they’ve been standing toe-to-toe with exceptional Mattock Rangers and St Patricks sides that any particular shortcomings around Newfoundwell way?

“Funnily enough, last year was my first time to actually play against the Pats in a final. But we had three or four finals against Mattock and they are definitely an exceptional team.

We can’t really make any excuses – we know we’ve left a few titles behind us. Last year, we should have beaten the Pats the first day and then we didn’t perform at Dowdallshill in the replay. That was one we let slip. We had a few great battles with Mattock Rangers and that was a great era and they were a great team. Unfortunately, the Blues weren’t always as good as we needed to be.

“We won the championship in 2000, 2001 and 2008 but we definitely should have won at least two more. We have under-achieved. There were other days when we didn’t perform anywhere near our potential, but that’s the way it goes…”

Looking to 2013, Keith is preparing to give it another shot with the Blues. One persistent injury aside, the years don’t seem to be slowing him down too much just yet and the midfield powerhouse will be making himself available for selection once more. “I’m in good enough shape at the moment,” he says. “I look after myself off-season. I do rugby training with Boyne and I go to the gym three or four times a week, so that keeps me ticking over. However, having said that, I do have a niggling injury and I might only play one more season. We’ll see how it goes.”

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Newtown Blues celebrate their 2008 county SFC Final win

But we came back and won it the next two years, with a great team that included the likes of Bosco and Peter Judge and Colin Kelly.”

The Blues have been enjoying a lot of success at juvenile level in recent years, suggesting that there is plenty of young talent about to come through the conveyor belt. Keith is encouraged by the efforts being made at underage level in the club: “When we train on a Tuesday and Thursday night, we would see around 200 kids there going through their paces. Danny Nugent is the main man and he puts an awful lot of effort in from U8 up. We also have the nursery on Saturdays and, with the two new pitches, it’s great to see the boys and girls down there in such numbers. They take the place over and we are often squeezed into the corner!

“There was nothing like that when I was younger. We just did a bit of training. Now they have proper coaching two nights a week plus a

game at the weekend. They have great coaches down there and senior players are willing to go down and put a bit back.

“There are a lot of good people down there and there is some great talent coming though if we can keep them all together. Soccer and rugby are big threats. But if we can get two or three new faces through onto the senior panel every year, then we’ll be happy.”

While many would have contended that Keith Lynch was the best midfielder in the county for the best part of a decade, his Louth career never took off. He admits this was mostly his own fault: “I played under Paddy Clarke when I was 18 but I never really stuck at it. My dad would have been a rugby man, from County Meath, and I was always interested in rugby. I played for Leinster Youths and rugby was always a distraction.

“I came back for a couple of years under Paddy Carr but I was building a house at the time and couldn’t give it

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my full commitment. I was called in a few more times but was tricking around at the rugby and didn’t play.

When I look back now, it’s a big regret I have. I was picked but I didn’t play.

It’s something I definitely regret.”

As for his immediate future, Keith concludes: “I was hampered last year by an Achilles injury and it is causing me problems. Luckily, I’ve never really had any serious injuries but this one is proving difficult to shake off.

Please God I’ll get back next year because I think there’s a championship in this team. I’d love to get back into Leinster again because we let it slip against Kilmacud Crokes in 2008. But you have to take care of business in Louth first and that will be Newtown Blues’ main goal in 2013.”

Keith works for Wesco Electrical Ltd. - an Irish-owned company specialising in wholesale and retail electrical sales to commercial, industrial and domestic users. Wesco has outlets in Drogheda, Navan, Newbridge and Naas.

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www.mmcgroadmarks.co.uk 94

SPECIAL FEATURE The bridge on the M1 at Drogheda

L

WE’D BE LOST WITHOUT THEM Politicians – at both local and national level – seem to attract no end of bad publicity. While some of this is arguably fair comment and we all like to let off steam, it must also be acknowledged that Louth Council plays a vital role in the wellbeing of everybody in the Wee County.

outh County Council (Comhairle Chontae Lú) is the authority responsible for local government in County Louth. As a county council (i.e. the elected administrative body governing the area), it is in turn governed by the Local Government Act 2001. With a total of 26 elected members, the Council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment.

Local authority elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach (Chairperson). The county administration is headed by a county manager and the county seat is at the County Hall in Dundalk.

Membership of the local authority is through the local electoral process. For the purpose of elections the county is divided into five local electoral areas: Ardee (5), Drogheda East (6), Drogheda West (4), Dundalk Carlingford (5) and Dundalk South (6). The most recent elections were in 2009 so the current Council stands until 2014.

Louth County Council provides a multitude of services to make life easier for the population of the Wee County. This covers a wide range of areas including: Housing (grants; affordable homes; building energy rating; private rented sector; social or rented housing; housing strategy; estate management and participation etc.); Archives, Library Service; Business Support Unit; Motor Tax; Planning; Corporate; Environment (litter control; schools campaigns, waste management and enforcement; pollution control; recycling etc.); Fire and Rescue Service / Fire Prevention and Building Control; Higher Education (grants; education bursary); Water Services; Transportation and Infrastructure.

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The aim of the Business Support Unit is to make Louth the best county to do business in: “The Business Support Unit of Louth Local Authorities will assist economic development in the County by providing a quality service and encouraging and supporting both new and existing business.”

Arising from the Louth Economic Forum’s Indigenous Industry Action Plan, under the objective “Supporting Innovation in Domestic Market Enterprises”, the Business Support Unit was established to interface with and facilitate both new and existing businesses operating in the county.

The vast majority of enterprises in County Louth are not clients of the State development agencies. They are at the heart of private enterprise in the economy, provide the majority of jobs and have great resources of business experience and know-how.

The Business Support Unit aims to be a first reference point for all business queries. The Unit will act as a conduit and an enabler to get help and support in all areas from the existing bodies and institutions located in the county and further afield, and will make Louth a business-friendly county for all industries The Unit will pioneer a range of support services for domestic market enterprises which normally are outside the remit of State development agencies as part of Louth’s commitment to be the most pro-business county in Ireland. The Unit will promote, encourage and foster entrepreneurship and

innovation in the county and ensure that economic development is an integral and vital part of what Louth Local Authorities deliver.

Meanwhile, the Transportation and Infrastructure department of the Council is responsible for the planning, design and maintenance of the regional and local roads within the Council area. While the National Roads Authority has ultimate responsibility for the national roads, the Council with NRA approval carries out the maintenance of national roads.

The National Roads Authority provides funding for maintenance of national roads and the Council uses its own funds together with specific grants from the Department of Transport for maintenance and road improvements to regional and local roads.

Works include road realignment, road strengthening, drainage and footpath repairs/replacement.

The Transportation and Infrastructure department also issues road opening licences with reinstatement details to utilities including Bord Gais, the ESB,

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Telecom and private concerns for the installation of underground services. All openings in the roadway or public footpath require a road opening licence.

The department is also responsible for the control and maintenance of traffic lights, street signage and road markings within the Council and proactively promotes road safety. The Council carries out winter maintenance including the sanding and gritting of main roads, something which is vital to us all at this time of year.

The Library Service provided is quite superb. Louth County Library provides a varied collection of stock with computerised access to over 250,000 items available through the countywide network of branch libraries in Dundalk, Drogheda, Ardee, Dunleer, Carlingford and the mobile library service. Within Louth County Libraries, there over 30 internet connections.

Services include: the lending of books, language tapes, audio books, DVDs, CDs, large print books, magazines and journals as well as reference collection encyclopaedias, directories etc.

There is free internet access in all branch libraries - computers can be booked in advance for an hour at a time. Printing facilities are also available in all branches, with free Wi-Fi access in Dundalk, Ardee and Drogheda branches.

Registration forms can be obtained from any branch library. ID and proof of address must be produced. Ten items may be borrowed for three weeks, three of which can be nonbooks after which weekly fines of 35c per adult and 15c per juvenile will incur. Videos and DVDs can be borrowed for five nights - fines on videos and DVDs are 55c per day.

The Environment section has responsibility for a range of environmental issues, including waste management; the promotion of waste reduction; the promotion of recycling and responsible waste disposal; permitting of waste facilities and waste collectors; implementing regulations controlling waste streams including, waste tyres, end of life vehicles, waste electronic and electrical equipment, farm plastics and food waste; the promotion of

Beautiful Carlingford

litter control through both education and enforcement; the protection of surface waters and ground waters from pollution.

In conjunction with the North East Regional Waste Plan, Louth County Council aims to reduce the amount of waste produced in the region, recycle and re-use as much waste as possible, reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and distribute waste

to energy facilities in preference to landfills for waste disposal.

Fire & Rescue covers a broad range of functions ranging from Fire & Rescue cover to fire prevention. Fire cover throughout the county is provided by both full-time and retained firefighters (i.e. firefighters who are summoned for emergency duties through a paging system).

There are five fire stations in the

county – in Drogheda, Dundalk, Carlingford, Ardee and Dunleer.

There are many other services provided by Louth County Council which time, space and laziness preclude me from outlining in this feature but it is fair to say that no matter how much we like to knock the local authority, the wailing would start in earnest if it was gone. Even for a day…

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Samples of the engineering work carried out by 3D Steel

P O’NEILL LOOKS BACK WITH PRIDE Pádraig O'Neill has moved from a distinguished playing career into management and the former Louth and Armagh footballer talks to the Wee County about his playing days in both counties.

Cooley captain Padraig O’Neill accepts the Junior 2A Championship Cup from Terry Maher in 2000

adraig's GAA career saw him line out for Cooley Kickhams, Armagh side Killeavey and finally Cuchulainn Gaels, while he also donned the county jerseys of the Wee and Orchard Counties.

Twenty-nine years after first lining out for Cooley Kickhams at senior level, Padraig finally hung up his boots last year having played and managed Cuchulainns Gaels since 2005, managing the side in his first year with the club.

“I had been playing a bit of junior with Cooley when friends of mine asked would I go down and help out the Cuchulainn Gaels and I did.

I enjoyed my time with them and I took it for what it was. The aim was to bring the young lads through and pass on some of the experience that I had, which I think we managed,” said Padraig.

Since playing his first senior game at the age of 16 against Roche Emmetts in the 1982 senior championship he has figured in nearly every position excluding goalkeeper for the green and golds.

Pádraig graduated from the underage ranks of Cumann Peile Cuchulainn Gaels to Cooley's U-14 and U-16 sides under the guidance of James Gregory (RIP), Des Savage, Seamus Sheelan and Padraig's father Brendan.

When James Gregory assumed control of the club senior team it wasn't long until Padraig was offered a place on the panel.

Along with his three brothers Redmond, Gareth and Ogie, he was part of the victorious Cooley minor championship team in Centenary year. It was not replicated on the county setup as he captained Armagh to the final of the Ulster minor championship where they were narrowly defeated by Derry.

Having already won an U-21 championship the previous year, O'Neill collected a Cardinal O'Donnell medal in his first season and an ACC medal the following year.

He added that football has been very good to him instilling a discipline that you carry in all walks of life.

“I enjoyed my time with Cooley, but in 1985 myself and my brothers transferred to Killeavey where we won an intermediate medal the following year. We had good times up there before moving back to Cooley in 1990. I was delighted to see them win the intermediate title in Armagh this year and a former colleague Gary Thornton, who is a Cooley man managed them to victory.”

In 1985 Padraig progressed to the third level education's sporting arena where he was to join up with what proved to be some of Ulster's elite. In the company of DJ Kane, Enda Gormley, Dermot McNicholl and Barry Breen, he claimed three Sigerson Cup medals, three Ryan Cup medals and was selected to play for the Combined Universities side.

“I have been very fortunate to have played in so many successful teams over the years… I have been lucky to play with some great footballers on various Cooley sides including Gerry Farrell, Tony and Colm McCarragher and Niall MacArtain (RIP),” he says.

Unfortunately for Pádraig, he missed out on Cooley's senior successes of 1989 and 1990 but continued to play on the senior team

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until 2002 adding another two ACC medals O'Neill was fortunate enough to captain Cooley's juniors to championship success in 2000 and the team went on to complete a hat-trick of championship successes by winning in 2001 and 2002.

“I've got an awful lot out of it.

I've seen a lot of the world and I'd encourage my children to do it. If you take it seriously you learn a lot of discipline for work.”

“Through football I have spent time in places such as Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and even Moscow,” he says.

Padraig admits that the desire he had for the club was never repeated at county level, especially when he was with Louth in the early nineties.

“I was working in Belfast at the time and found it difficult to give the commitment necessary for the county, and that is something I probably regret, but found it too hard to do at the time.”

Throughout the latter stages of his career, Padraig has had a keen interest in management and he has graduated from managing the likes of the Jordanstown Freshers, Cooley under-21s and Kilkerly Emmets.

Armagh side Ballynacnab have had the services of Padraig this year and his role in coaching has allowed him to work with the likes of Oisin McConville, Aidan Hoey, Peter Rogers and Declan Woods when he managed Naomh Malachi to the 2009 intermediate title.

“I like management, it is a chance to give something back and work with players and try to get the best out of them.”

Away from the playing field, Padraig is employed by 3D Steelworks in Dungannon. In his role as production manager, Padraig oversees the management of all their fabrication work, which sees the Tyrone based company export their screening products worldwide.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

A Fast Terminals crane

E FAST SHIPPING CONNECTING DROGHEDA TO THE WORLD Fast Shipping (Ireland) Ltd is bucking the recession by expanding its range of services.

Managing director Simon Mulvany explains more about the Drogheda-based company.

stablished in 1994 by local man Simon Mulvany to offer clients better control of their goods once they arrived in Ireland on the Polish Liner service, Fast Shipping (Ireland) Ltd has since expanded to offer an extensive range of shipping services.

As well as providing a regular direct scheduled service between Ireland and Poland, Fast Shipping – which is the Irish arm of the Antwerp, Belgium-headquartered Fast Group – specialises in international forwarding and logistics, project cargo and domestic inland haulage. In addition, the company offers a comprehensive ships agency in the Port of Drogheda and a hazardous waste consulting service.

Earlier this year, Fast Terminals – which is also operated by Simon – secured a stevedoring licence in Drogheda Port which will bring his total number of employees to almost 20 over the next five years.

“Business is good,” Simon is happy to report.

“2012 has been one of our best years to date. We haven’t really been affected by the recession because the export trade is so strong. While freight forwarding is our core business, we offer a wide range of services which have been enhanced by our securing of a stevedoring licence last February.”

A new company, Fast Terminals is the fourth stevedoring company operating in Drogheda Port and is a joint venture between the Fast Group and Drogheda Port Company. The Fast Group is 100 per cent owned by the Scheers family with several family members having strategic positions in the companies of the group. With offices in Belgium, Ireland, UK, South Korea and Poland, the group operates six vessels on intra-European trade dealing as ship owner, liner agent, ship agent, stevedore/warehousing, charterer, haulier, freight forwarders and ship managers.

The new stevedoring company will employ 12 people over the next

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five years and contract with over 20 individual hauliers, in addition to crane and warehousing services. The company recently handled the largest ever single cargo of 7,000 tonnes of maize in Drogheda Port which was on the MV “Arklow Bridge” from Gdynia.

Simon commented: “Fast Terminals is

a very welcome addition to the ‘Fast family’, allowing us to offer the full spectrum of services to our expanding customer base. We offer a very competitive, efficient and, above all, flexible service at Drogheda Port which our customers need at this time to help them compete and grow their business

Louth’s Derek Maguire up against Meath’s Donnacha Tobin

internationally. It is a very exciting time for us in Drogheda and being involved in the largest ever cargo to come through the port so soon after commencing operations makes it all the more so.”

Drogheda Port chief executive Paul Fleming said “Drogheda Port welcomes the new stevedore to the port expanding our competitive base. Fast Terminals offers additional choice to our customers and this can only be good for the import export sector as a whole.”

The Fast Group has been providing quality worldwide freight solutions for many years. The Group makes the most of its European network of offices to provide its customers with a personal service from start to finish. For goods destined for or coming from further afield, the Fast Group has its own high quality worldwide network of agents.

Fast Shipping can handle groupage, full load, container traffic, conventional shipments and break bulk and bulk.

Combined with its haulage operation, the company offers a first-class service for project cargo coming to and from Ireland. In the past, Simon and his team have handled heavy transformers destined for Dublin and Galway as well

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“On behalf of Fast Shipping and Fast Terminals, I would like to take this opportunity to wish both Meath and Louth GAA the best of luck in 2013. And the same goes for all the local clubs,” he concludes.

as a variety of wide and long loads.

Loading out of its terminal in Szczecin, Poland to Drogheda and Belfast Ports, Fast Shipping can also call at other Irish Ports on inducement. The company is able to offer a comprehensive delivery of goods which arrive in Drogheda on its Polish Liner service to all areas of Ireland through its fleet of trucks and its approved quality sub-contractors. Fast Shipping’s fleet includes a variety of specialised equipment, ensuring cargoes arrive in their best condition.

Fast Shipping can arrange the collection and delivery of the following goods from/to Drogheda and Dublin: containerised goods; bulk/loose cargoes; tanker cargoes; hazardous chemicals in big bags/palletised; timber/steel in packs/coils; all types of goods on pallets.

A member of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA), Fast Shipping’s extensive fleet of trailers includes curtain-siders, coil carriers and flats with container attachments. All of its drivers are fully trained and qualified to carry all types of cargoes, while Fast Shipping also holds a full hazardous chemical licence. It goes without saying that the company’s drivers are experienced in transporting hazardous waste.

If you have cargo that needs moving, Fast Shipping can do it for you.

A past pupil of St. Mary’s College in Drogheda, Simon played underage football in Meath with St. Vincent’s, Ardcath.

Nowadays, his main sporting interest is cycling, but he still keeps a close eye on how the Meath and Louth teams are getting on.

Fast Shipping (Ireland) Ltd Merchants Quay, Drogheda, Co.Louth.

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Ronan Carroll in control against Meath

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Former Kilkerley footballer Dr Owen Clarke is team doctor to the Meath seniors

T

FROM KILKERLEY TO MEATH

For the past 14 years, Dr Owen Clarke has been official team doctor to the Meath senior footballers. A general practitioner at the Abbey House Medical Centre in Navan, Dr Owen is originally from Kilkerley in County Louth; he believes it was during his days lining out for Dundalk CBS and the Emmets senior team that he developed his love of gaelic football.

here has been a lot of change in Meath GAA circles over the past decade-and-a-half but one constant on the extended backroom team is Dr Owen Clarke, who has served Meath County Board as official team doctor since 1998.

Dr Owen experienced the ultimate high of All-Ireland glory when Sean Boylan’s team beat all comers in ’99 and there was another All-Ireland final appearance two years later. Since the Boylan era came to an end, the Royals have been striving to rediscover those glory years.

While they haven’t managed to return to the biggest stage, Meath have nonetheless contested numerous Leinster finals (winning the title in 2010) as well as two All-Ireland semi-finals.

It would be fair to say that Dr Owen has been there, done that and bought the t-shirt!

What many people might not know about the Meath team doctor is that he is in fact an honorary Meath man – as he actually hails originally from neighbouring County Louth. It was whilst living here that he first fell in love with the national game: “I’m from Kilkerley, as was my father before me [Michael Clarke, who sadly passed away six years ago]. He would have played football when he was young and we were a Kilkerley family going back generations before that.”

There were no GAA nurseries back in those days, no regulated juvenile coaching, no U12s. Reflecting on the genesis of his own playing days, Dr Owen notes: “I started playing with Kilkerley when I was around 16. I went to secondary school at the CBS and played with them. When I finished there, I played with Kilkerley while I was doing my medical studies at Trinity College.

“I used to come home at the weekends and play for Kilkerley and it was something I always really looked forward to. We didn’t win any trophies or medals but I have to say I had plenty of fun playing for Kilkerley Emmets.”

Owen was on the first team from 1968 until 1972 and he got to play senior football against the best footballers in the Wee County at the time. He enjoyed some great battles with the likes

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Abbey House Medical Centre

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104

Dr Owen Ward is always particularly interested when Meath clash with his native Louth.

Paddy Keenan and Mark Ward in aerial combat here

of Dundalk Gaels, Hunterstown and Dreadnots and still looks back on that period of his life with satisfaction: “Louth football was strong and competitive and I played a lot of games. The fun was the main part of it but you always gave of your best,” recalls the Navan-based GP who usually lined out in either the half back or half forward line.

His playing days would come to an abrupt end: “As soon as I qualified, I stopped playing football. I was working in a hospital job at weekends and there was also a lot of evening work. I also got married around that time, so it just wasn’t possible to play any more.”

Owen qualified in 1973 and went into general practice. As part of his preparation for a career in general practice, he worked long hours in numerous hospitals before setting up in Navan in 1977. He has since made the Meath county town his home. On the subject of divided loyalties, he says: “While it’s not that far from Kilkerley, it is a different county and I’ve spent most of my life here at this stage.”

How exactly did Dr Owen end up getting involved with the Meath footballers? “When I came to Navan and settled here, in my head I had left the football behind me. When I look back, I have regrets about the way my playing career ended. When I moved to Meath, I didn’t have any great interest in Meath football and there wasn’t much happening. Then came 1987 and 1988 and the two AllIrelands and suddenly there was a lot going on. Our children are Meath natives and it would have been very hard not to get caught up in all the excitement.

“Then Simonstown Gaels asked if I’d be interested in giving them a hand from a medical point of view and I agreed to do that. In 1998, the County Board asked if I’d be interested in helping them out and that was of course during the Sean Boylan era. I accepted and was fortunate to be involved with the teams that played in the All-Ireland finals of 1999 and 2001.”

Another major highlight was travelling as the Irish team doctor with the International rules team to

105

Australia in 2008 under Sean Boylan’s management.

In his capacity as team doctor, Owen – who is a GP with a special interest in sports medicine attends every game that he possibly can. He is also responsible for arranging and coordinating the care of injured players, including aftercare and follow-up care for players going through the recovery process. He also offers advice and guidance on diet, fluids, injury prevention etc. and liaises with physiotherapists and other specialists.

“The game has become very intense and it pushes players to the very limit of their endurance,” he comments. “They are obliged to invest all their spare time into it and they have little or no time for other activities. Year on year, the intensity level increases and it just keeps getting more intense.”

Dr Owen Clarke has come a long way in his GAA career. Even though he stopped playing 40 years ago, he will never forget his Kilkerley roots: “I feel very grateful to Kilkerley Emmets and Dundalk CBS for the fact that I grew to love gaelic football while there. I remember the Sam Maguire Cup being brought around the Friary School in 1957 and that really inspired me at the time. It made a big impression on me and the buzz in Kilkerley and Dundalk was unreal.

When I look back on those days, that’s where my interest in the GAA was born. With that in mind it gave me special pleasure to bring the Sam Maguire cup to Kilkerley school with Trevor Giles in 2000. Headmaster John McCarthy kindly facilitated this visit and I hope it made an impression on some of the children who were there that day. They were certainly very excited to have the Sam Maguire in their midst.

“Visits to Kilkerley have become less frequent since my mother sadly passed away in May 2011 but I still have family there and enjoy the occasional social visit.”

Navan is my home now but I’ll never forget the vital role Kilkerley GAA played in shaping my life.”

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www.hoganstand.com/louth 106

SPECIAL FEATURE

Condon Engineering is based in Collon

H

KEEPING IT LOCAL

Condon Engineering is the proud sponsor of the Mattock Rangers senior hurling team and Managing Director Tom Condon is a strong advocate of the importance of the GAA in the local community.

urling may be classed as the poor relation in Louth GAA circles but the signs for the future of the small ball code in the county are encouraging.

Two successive Nicky Rackard Cup final appearances are clear indications that hurling is heading in the right direction and the hard work of a small, but dedicated, bunch of people at grassroots level is beginning to reap dividends.

Better known for its exploits on the football field over the past decade, Mattock Rangers is also playing its part in helping to promote hurling.

And so to is Tom Condon of Condon Engineering who provides much-needed, and appreciated, sponsorship to the Collon club’s hurlers.

Tom didn’t think too long when he was approached by the club last year to see if he would give them a helping hand.

A big admirer of the ancient game, he also has three sons – Jason, Graham and Eddie – who currently line out with Mattock while his eldest Keith also donned the red and black jersey.

“I was delighted to agree to sponsor the team because I firmly believe in the importance of the local GAA club in the community,” Tom said.

“The church is gone, the state is gone . . . the GAA is the only one left standing. The local GAA club is all there is for our young people.

I feel it’s very important for the youth to get involved with their local GAA club because it provides great character building for them.

“While there might not be a great tradition of hurling in Louth, for me, the participation of youngsters in sport is the most important. I feel that it deserves to get more recognition from the GAA in Louth.”

Tom has been impressed with the unwavering dedication of those who have taken on the onerous task of trying to transform the county’s hurling fortunes.

“If you look at the skills levels within the county today compared to say ten years ago there is no comparison. Hurling has come on

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in leaps and bounds within the county and that is down to the likes of Tony Corcoran and other mentors.

“Tony is the champion of the local hurling club. His roots are in Kilkenny so hurling is in his blood. He and others have worked hard to develop a strong club structure in the county and it would be lovely to think that Louth could be challenging for top honours in the future.”

The aforementioned Tony Corcoran was responsible for getting hurling up and running in the Collon parish and the club’s junior hurlers competed at adult level for the first time in 2004.

Mattock Rangers claimed the Louth JHC crown three times running from 2005 to 2007 before making the step up to senior level in 2008.

12 months ago they made history when qualifying for their first ever SHC final by beating St Fechin’s and Pearse Og along the way. Unfortunately, an experienced Knockbridge side proved too strong in the decider.

Sons Jason (midfield) and Eddie (left half-forward) featured on the starting 15 that day while Graham was introduced as a substitute.

This year they exited the championship at the hands of the same opposition in the final group game on a scoreline of 0-16 to 0-11.

Based in Collon, Condon Engineering specialises in livestock housing and handling solutions.

The company has been designing, manufacturing and supplying quality and innovative products to the agriculture sector since it was established by Tom in 1985.

Their product range is wide and varied and includes cow comfort, feeding barriers, dividing gates, field gates, calving gates, drinkers, calf feeders, crushes, calves, office stores, meal bin and security gates.

Condon Engineering has come a long way since its humble beginnings 27 years ago.

“The business blossomed out of a need for a particular cubicle we required ourselves back in the eighties,” Tom explained. “My background would be primarily in agriculture and, at the time, I couldn’t find a suitable cubicle so we set about making one ourselves.

“In year one we manufactured the cubicle for ourselves and sold a handful to local farmers and the business started to grow from there.”

Condon Engineering currently provides employment to twenty

The Mattock Rangers senior hurlers 2012 style

including three of Tom’s four sons, Keith (Production Manager), Jason (Sales) and Graham (Sales).

“This business is seasonal. We’re generally very busy for the last four months of the year, from the ploughing season to Christmas. Farmers are in a rush to get their livestock housed for the winter so there tends to be a big rush towards the end of each year.

“But we had a seriously poor year weather wise which has left life difficult for a lot of farmers. A lot of guys had intended to start new building projects this year but had to cancel their plans because of the weather.

“The economic climate is the main challenge facing the agricultural sector at this point in time. The availability of credit is a major issue for farmers who want to erect new buildings.”

Along with his own sons’ participation, Tom’s interest in hurling can also be traced to his roots. A native of Limerick, he has been living in Collon for the past 50 years along with his wife Ann who hails from Galway. As well as their four sons, Tom and Ann have a daughter Lisa.

There is no disguising his pride of Mattock Rangers and the club’s achievements on and off the pitch.

“The club is doing fantastic at the moment. The upgrading of the facilities here over the last number of years has been great. A second playing pitch was opened their year and they are other plans for development in the pipeline.

“And that has

108

been due, in no small measure, to the generous sponsorship provided by John McCabe.

“I’m very sorry to see him in the current predicament he is in. He has been very good to the county, and to Mattock, and his generosity has helped lighten the load.”

The same can be said of Tom, and Condon Engineering, who hasn’t been shy in putting his shoulder to the wheel.

Sean Carroll presents the Special Hurling League Cup to Mattock Rangers captain Jason Condon

AINE McGEE

At the pre-final launch for the TG4 Ladies finals, l/r: Antrim's Claire Timoney, Wexford's Tara Moloney and Louth's Aine McGee

AINE WANTS TO SET RECORD STRAIGHT As captain of the Louth ladies in 2012, Aine McGee’s goal was to lead the Wee County to All-Ireland junior championship glory. Alas, for the second time in three years, the Reds were beaten in the national decider at Croke Park. While defeat was obviously a bitter pill to swallow, the Stabannon stalwart is determined to come back even stronger in 2013.

T

here are two things you can do when you lose an AllIreland final. Option I is to sit around feeling sorry for yourself, cursing your luck and effectively throw in the towel. Option II is to get back on the horse, roll up your sleeves and try even harder the following year.

Aine McGee – the girl who would have collected the silverware at Croker on October 7th, 2012 had Louth prevailed against Antrim – prefers the second alternative.

Her hope is that Louth can put the experience – and ultimately, the hurt – of 2012 to good effect and come back even stronger next season. After all, they proved that they are undoubtedly one of the best junior sides on the island (winning the provincial crown); even a slight

109

improvement could lead them to the Holy Grail next summer / autumn.

“We have to remember that 2012 was still a brilliant year. We got to an AllIreland final and we won the Leinster junior championship, which was more than we’d achieved in the previous few years,” Aine points out.

“If all the girls stick together, we can do it in 2013. After reaching the 2010 All-Ireland final, we thought we would kick on in 2011 but we lost a good few players and there was a lull.

I’m hoping that doesn’t happen again. You will always lose one or two at the end of any season, but if we can keep the majority of the squad intact then we will be in with a great chance of winning the All-Ireland next year.”

Like the rest of the team,

the captain was thoroughly dejected after the 3-9 to 0-7 All-Ireland final defeat to Antrim on the first Sunday of October. Considering that the Wee County had beaten the same opposition by eight points in the first round of the competition (before seeing off Derry and Offaly), the eleven-point reversal represented a shock scoreline.

“It was very disappointing and we were all feeling really down in the weeks that followed,” Aine reflects.

“As a panel of 35, we had put in so much hard work this year. For it all to end on that note, with one bad game, was a massive disappointment.”

It’s hard to know what went wrong on the big day. After all, it was welldocumented that this was one of the best-prepared Louth ladies teams in recent memory. “We had been struggling with numbers in the pat and when you don’t have the

numbers it’s very difficult to prepare properly. But this year we had a big squad and we knew what to expect from each other, while the backroom team didn’t leave anything to chance.

We had an excellent team behind us and the preparations were spot-on…”

So what exactly did go wrong then?

“I suppose nerves were a bit of a factor. It was an All-Ireland final and it’s normal for girls to get a bit nervous. Performance-wise, we have watched the game back and it’s clear that the performance simply wasn’t there. And there were things that obviously should have been changed but weren’t changed.

“It was just a bad day and it’s disappointing when the whole county goes to Croke Park to see you and you put in a performance like that. I wouldn’t like anybody to think that was a reflection of what ladies football in Louth is all about. Anybody

who has followed us all year and gone to most of our games will know that we are much better than that performance suggests.”

It must have been a thoroughly miserable end to an afternoon that had promised so much? After all, the players must have been over the moon at the prospect of heading to Croke Park and playing in an AllIreland final? “The actual build-up to the final was brilliant and there was great excitement and support in the county. To get to an All-Ireland final and represent your county on an occasion like that is huge, so we were all really looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, we just didn’t perform to our ability on the day. But if everybody sticks together this team can still deliver.”

In 2010, Louth also reached an AllIreland junior ladies final, only to be beaten by Limerick on that occasion.

Stabannon Parnells captain Aine McGee accepts the Leinster club SFC trophy from provincial president Marie Hickey

110

What was the difference between that campaign and the most recent one?

“What stood out most for me was the fact that two years ago we didn’t really expect it or plan for it but this time the All-Ireland title was our aim from the start of the year. Everybody knew what they were doing, what their job was, and we put in the work.

We went into each game with a plan and we deserved to win every game along the way. Whereas in 2010, we were just taking each result as it came, this time we had a clear plan and everybody was focussed on that.

It all went perfectly up until the last game.”

Of course, for all the despondency in the Louth camp after the All-Ireland final, it must be remembered that there was another team involved that day and that it wasn’t just about Louth losing. It was about Antrim winning, too, and the northerners did so by executing a solid game plan. This hasn’t gone unnoticed to Aine and she is quick to give credit to the Saffrons: “Antrim did their homework big time.

They got the lead they wanted, then sat back and broke forward effectively. They knew what they were doing and they had a very clear game plan which worked for them.”

Having won the Leinster junior championship with a superb 1-22 to 2-6 victory over Offaly at Dr Cullen Park in mid-July, the Wee County did manage to get their hands on some major silverware in 2012. Does this success mean they can still look back on the year as a whole with a degree of satisfaction?

“Definitely. Last year we would have been happy with a Leinster and in 2010 we didn’t win anything either.

So we were happy to win that and we can’t forget that it was a brilliant year - to win a Leinster final and get to an All-Ireland final. All the hard work paid off to an extent.”

The trick now is to bounce back even stronger in 2013, which is easier said than done. But Aine McGee appears to be up for the challenge: “The commitment is not just about the hours you put into training. You miss out on a lot of

Aine McGee sweeps out of defence

family occasions and socialising with friends and it’s a huge commitment to ask from young girls, some of whom have been at this for twelve years now.

“It is a lot to ask, especially when ladies football doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. But you have to believe that we will have success.

This was the third All-Ireland final I’ve lost but we really want to get our

111

hands on it and we won’t give up until we have it. We just have to believe we are good enough.

“There’s no reason why we can’t win the All-Ireland. The players are there. There are 28 clubs in Louth now and the standard has reached a very high level. If we stick together, then we will be able to compete with any other team in the junior championship next year.”

JIM JUDGE

The U16 for CBS Drogheda, front l/r: Eamonn McCarthy, Robbie Gogan, Mickser Hand (RIP), Mickey McAdams. Middle: Liam Cooney, Jim Stafford, Jim Judge, Gerry Leech, Frank Fagan (RIP), B. Crinion. Back: Frank Murphy, Jim Gough, Vincent Loughran, Eamonn McHugh, Tommy Connor, Andy Kiernan, Joe Dolan

W

hile at C.B.S secondary school Jim Judge showed

THE LEGEND THAT IS JIM (BLACKIE) JUDGE

some of the football class that made people stand up and watch a unique talent in action. They won

the Louth under 14’s and got to the Leinster Final at under 16 level. After this Jim told me he left school to serve his time as a carpenter with Kevin Flynn.

Jim was part of the Louth minor set up in 1953 to 1956. He played county minor at 15 in 1953 when Louth became minor champions of Leinster. They beat Kildare in the final. His brother Oliver also played. They played a Clare team in the semi-final which was very suspect as regards age. Clare beat Louth but

When I went to visit Jim Judge in Drogheda, he began to tell me about the nine boys and two girls in his original family. His father was Peter Judge and his mother was Margaret (nee) McKenna. His brothers were Mick, Jack, Pat, Peter, Oliver, Kieran, Paul and Malachy. Eileen and Francis were his two sisters. The backbone of the Blues football team was in that household in the Greenhill’s area. Jim went to St.Patricks N.S School in Scarlett Street. Father McDonnell who later became the parish priest of Ardee helped out with gaelic football there, but the Christian Brothers were to play a bigger part in Jim’s love of football.

By Sean Ross

there was much debate over the Clare team. Jim, at 15, created a record that’s still not broken - playing minor football for Louth for four years. He was captain of the winning Blues minors in 1956 and the Blues also won in 1957 and 1958.

In 1957 Louth juniors won the Leinster championship – Jim was on this team. He was also a sub on the All-Ireland winning team at senior level. This was a golden era for Louth football, and today we still talk about this year. It’s like a biblical event in our history. Jim was captain of the Louth juniors in 1958 but Dublin beat Louth by one point in Drogheda.

Jim left for England as work was scarce. He got work and joined St.Vincents of Cricklewood, London. He heard that the Blues were not doing well at home. In 1959 Darver beat them

112

while Dowdallshill beat them in 1960.

1-04. Jim’s brother Paul was also on

and family in Drogheda. He lost his

Work started to improve so Jim came

that Blues team. Louth juniors won

wife Sheila (nee McCann) six years

home in 1960, just as Johnny Ross of

the Leinster championships before

ago. Having worked in Cement for 31

St. Marys of Ardee lifted the Joe Ward

Cork beat them in the Athletics

years, he has three girls - Marie,

Cup. But the Blues decided that

Grounds on Sunday 14th August. Jim

Ardee would have to wait a while for

remembers

another victory. In 1961 the Blues

disappointed, but he was considered

beat Naomh Mhuire of Drogheda.

one of the best players against

This was the first and sweetest

Kildare in the Leinster Final. In 1967

championship for the Blues. Jim

Blues beat Cooley again 1-9 to 2-5,

memory and when he tells you

remembers

Jim Judge got a wonderful goal in the

something, you feel you were there.

the

craic

around

Drogheda with fondness.

how

he

was

Regina and Aideen - and four boys Peter, Jimmy, David and Derek.

David has won two senior medals with the Blues. Jim has a wonderful

second half. There were at least four

The story of Jim ‘Blackie' Judge and

They won again in 1962, 1963,

Judges playing with the Blues. Blues

the Blues is a story of a extremely

1964. This was a marvellous four-in-

won the championship again in 1969,

a-row for a club that only left the

successful club that’s the heart and

1970 and 1974. This was Jim

soul of the G.A.A. Jim holds four

junior ranks, but the minor three-in-arow was a solid foundation. The local Christian brothers provided both education and a love of gaelic games, it was a great help to the emerging Blues club. Jim was involved with the Louth Juniors in 1961 and Louth beat Dublin by 2-4 to 0-8 in the Leinster final. Jim “Blackie” Judge was the only Blues man on the team. Louth defeated Yorkshire in the All-Ireland Junior final.

In 1962 the Blues beat Mattock Rangers, in 1963 they beat Roche Emmets and in 1964 they beat the Clans. Jim played on and off for the Louth senior team between 1960 and

(Blackie) Judges’ ninth senior medal.

This is a record shared with some other Blues stars.

When asked about this wonderful group of players who won nine

records. He is the holder of nine senior championships medals, a record he shares this with Jimmy Mulroy, Matt Murphy and Liam Leech.

championships, Jim replied that they

Jim played with the Louth minors for

were always ready to train. They had

four years between 1953-56, winning

very little interest in socialising. A

a Leinster minor medal at 15. Jim

man called Jacko Smith trained the

played with the Plunketts in a senior

Blues at this time. He had won a

final at 15 yearsof age. In 1957 Jim

championship before with Naomh

won a Leinster junior medal and an

Mhuire in 1953 beating the Plunketts.

There were two Gardai playing with the Blues, Gerry Reilly and Gerry Clifford. Both of these trained as hard as the locals. Everything about the

All-Ireland senior medal.

When asked about his best or worst moment, he said that his father died in 1956. He was full of emotion, yet

club became successful and families

that year he played with Louth

like the Judges and the Leechs,

against Kildare. Jim played a terrific

McKennas Mulroys and the Nugents

match and in the next match (replay)

to name but a few became the

he scored the winning point to beat

wonder of Louth and indeed Leinster.

Kildare. This was both the best and

“Mackle McKeown” and (a future

It was a pity there was not a

worst moment, as he said his father

Blues player) Mickey Leech. At the

Leinster Championship in the 1960’s,

final whistle O’Raghallaighs broke the

for indeed the Blues would have

potential

performed very well. In 1971 Blues

1970. They won the O’Byrne Cup against Longford in 1963. In 1965 there was a real Drogheda county final between O’Raghallaighs and Newtown Blues with players like

seven-in-a-row.

Jim

Leinster

final

and

much passing backwards, he loves a

got

Drogheda which was similar to the

Gracefield of Offaly beat them by 0-

Blues against Naomh Mhuire final

12 to 0-09. Blues beat St. Marys of

1961. Blues responded by training

Granard, the Downs of Westmeath

affairs at county board level and is

even harder under Jacko Smith.

and Castletown of Wexford to reach

hoping that South and Mid-Louth gets

the final.

its fair share of the limelight in Louth

coming Cooley Kickhams by 2-12 to

the

modern game, he says there is too

remembers the atmosphere around

In 1966 Blues beat the up and

to

would be proud of him. On the

Jim is very content today with his life

113

positive approach always. He also thinks that North Louth dominates

in the near future.

On duty for the IFC final against Clan Na Gael, front l/r: Mark Stanfield, Conor McGill, Paul McKeever, Robert Quigley, Jackie Agnew, Andrew Sharkey, Cian Doyle, PJ Tuite, Niall Conlon, John Flanagan, Stephen Hoey, Steve Stanfield. Back: Brian Hanratty, Conor Kiernan, Michéal Cairns, Sean Cairns, Emmet Byrne, Conor Culligan, Dean Stanfield, Sean Connolly, Stuart Reynolds, Conor Byrne, Andrew Shields, Salem Rifaie, Killian Shields, David Doyle, David Hoey

O’CONNELLS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

O’CONNELLS

2012 RESU

LTS

O'Connell's celebrate

A MAGICAL YEAR It was an unforgettable season for O’Connells who qualified for major finals like there was no tomorrow. Winning the 2012 Louth intermediate football championship was the highlight of a truly remarkable campaign for the club, who had the bit between their teeth from start to finish.

B

y all accounts, 2012 was an extraordinary year for O’Connells, who reached FOUR adult finals and booked a return to senior ranks with outright victory in the Louth intermediate football championship. The first team, under the stewardship of Wayne McKeever, reached the final of every domestic competition they played in – the Paddy Sheelan Cup, Cardinal O’Donnell Cup and IFC, while the Castlebellingham / Kilsaran combination also won the Division 4B league decider.

Meanwhile, the minor amalgamation with Stabannon and St Josephs advanced to the county

D Oliver Plunk ivision 1 etts 1-12 112 O'Connells 2-11 0-8 Sea O'Connells n O Mahon O'Connells ys 1-17 0-13 M attock Ran Naomh Mai gers rtin 1-10 19 O'Connells O'Connells 2-11 2-9 Dre adnots St Patricks 0-12 0-8 O 'Connells Newtown B lues 0-12 26 O'Connells O'Connells 2-9 Kilkerley Em 0-12 Cooley Kickham s mets 1-9 313 O'Conne O'Connells lls 2-21 2-11 O `Rag Glyde Range rs 1-10 1-15 hallaighs O'Connells O'Connells 4-11 0-9 M attock Ran O'Connells gers - SF v St Patricks – final SF St Brides 0- C 7 1-3 O'Con St Finbarr's nells 2-8 1-13 O St Fechins 'Connells 1-12 1-13 O 'Connells St Josephs QF 1-6 2-17 O 'Connells O'Connells SF 1-9 1-7 Cla n na nGael - final

MFC final, wherein they were due to face Oliver Plunketts, but that match was held up due to an objection from Clan na Gael over the result of their semi-final (against O’Connells/Stabannon/St Josephs).

The amalgamation side had won by a point according to the match referee but the Clans were insisting that it had in fact been a draw. So followed a protracted appeals process. At the time of writing, this matter had not been resolved.

Nor had the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup final been played, even though the clocks had gone back and there was a distinct chill in the winter air.

O’Connells were due to face senior

115

champions St Patricks therein, with both clubs bidding for a famous league / championship double. But the two Louth representative’s respective Leinster club campaigns meant this one was also pushed back indefinitely.

The 2012 Louth IFC final was played at Haggardstown on the afternoon of Sunday, October 14th and O’Connells made history by beating Clan na Gael on a 0-9 to 1-4 scoreline to capture their first

PROUDLY SUPPORTING O’CONNELLS GFC & CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SUCCESS IN 2012 Wishing them every success in the year ahead

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championship title in 24 years. The actual game itself may have offered little as a spectacle but this mattered not a dot to O’Connells as their captain Niall Conlon brought the Seamus Flood Cup to The Grove.

O’Connells controlled most of the county final but were subjected to a nervous finish after their opponents conjured a goal in the 50th minute. In truth, the victors should probably have won by more than two points…

The intensity and importance of the occasion were evident as veteran Mark Stanfield and an opponent picked up yellow cards before the throw-in and O’Connells bossed the first half to lead by 0-6 to 0-2 at the break. Paul McKeever and Niall Conlon notched early scores and a Robert Quigley brace doubled the gap by the end of the first quarter.

After the Clans rallied with two points in a five-minute spell, the villagers regained their composure with scores from Quigley and McKeever leaving them in the ascendancy as the short whistle sounded.

The loss of captain Conlon to injury represented a blow but two McKeever frees made it 0-8 to 0-3 by the end of the third quarter. The Clans then closed within a point and, where previous O’Connells sides might have folded, Stanfield had the last say with a lovely long-range point - the silverware was on its way to ‘Bellingham at the end of a frantic finale.

Centre back Jackie Agnew collected the Man of the Match award on a day the club had been dreaming of for more than two decades. This time their promotion to senior ranks would be via the preferred championship route!

O’Connells, 2012 Louth intermediate football champions: Sean Connolly; Andrew Shields, Conor Byrne, Andrew Sharkey; Salem Rifaie, Jackie Agnew, Killian Shields; John Flanagan, Dean Stanfield; Cian Doyle, Paul McKeever (0-4), Stuart Reynolds; Robert Quigley (0-3), Mark Stanfield (0-1), Niall Conlon (0-1). Sub: PJ Tuite for N Conlon (32).

The first real sign of the great year that lay ahead arrived at Clan na Gael Park on Friday night, May 18th when O’Connells defeated the hosts by 2-5 to 0-10 to book their place in the Paddy Sheelan Cup final. Conor McGill and Paul McKeever got the all-important goals in that subsidiary competition semifinal. Meanwhile, Newtown Blues also advanced to the decider with a 0-12 to 0-11 victory over Cooley Kickhams after extra time.

The final was played at Dunleer on Saturday, May 26th and O’Connells could

The O’Connells/Stabannon/St Joes minor panel, front l/r: Conor McGill, Dean Corrigan, James Clerkin, Ciarán Gallagher, Eimhín Caldwell. Middle: John Campbell, Cian Doyle, Dean Matthews, Jordan Mackin, Daniel Bannon, Robert Quigley, Craig Doherty, Conor Mulligan, Andrew Kierans. Back: Thomas Campbell, John McLoughlin, Liam O’Leary, Colm Giggins, Micheál Cairns, Sean Halpenny, Shane McQuillan, Ciaran O’Brien, Declan Byrne, Andrew Keenanm, Conor Kiernan

The O’Connells U7's, front l/r: Sam Shearman, Killian Wall, Evan Kearney, Aaron McGrory, Keith McKeown, Evan Mulligan. Middle: Maggie McNamee, Sile Kearney, Jake Kearney, Justin Cooney, Max Kierans, Gavin Malone. Back: Ryan McKeown, Lauren Boyle, Saoirse Martin, Maeve McNamee, Calum Woods, Lee Mulligan. Mentor at back: Cian Doyle

The O'Connells/Stabannon/John Mitchells U13's, front l/r: Matthew Reynolds, Dara Callan, Trevor Matthews, Aidan Rahill, Patrick Bell, Mark Byrne, Sean Roddy, Shane Sweeney.

Back: Niall Clerkin, Donal Rahill, Conor Lowth, Cian O’Dwyer, Liam Davitt, James Luckie, John Gallagher, Liam Kiernan, James Reilly

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Congratulations on the historic IFC win and best wishes for continued success in 2013

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Louth County Board vice-chairman, Declan Byrne presents The Johnny Bowden Cup to Sean Cairns, captain, O’Connells GFC after they defeated Naomh Mairtin in the Division 4B League Final in Monasterboice

Jackie Agnew

Mark Stanfield

consider themselves extremely unfortunate to come out on the wrong end of a 2-13 to 2-12 scoreline after extra time. Paul McKeever and substitute Cian Doyle hit the net on a day when O’Connells showed that they were capable of mixing it with the best teams in the county. They also rode high in Division One of the league all year (ultimately finishing in the Top Four and beating holders Mattock Rangers in the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup semi-final) so they went into the championship full of confidence and belief…

Despite how well they had been playing all year, the sense of occasion seemed to get to them as O’Connells just about stuttered through the group stage of the championship.

Their opening assignment was against St Brides and they fell to a 0-7 to 1-3 defeat at Clan na Gael Park on Sunday, July 22nd. Salem Rifai’s goal had given O’Connells the lead late on but captain Niall Conlon picked up a second yellow card for dissent and the Knockbridge men hit the last two points – including a disputed winner – to take the win. It was a day to forget and it would be fair to say that the referee didn’t exactly endear himself to the O’Connells players on this occasion.

But O’Connells still managed to book a quarter-final spot when they got the better of neighbours Naomh Fionnbarra at Dunleer on Sunday night, August 26th – 1-13 to 2-8. Paul McKeever and Robert Quigley fired the winners’ first two points and Mark Stanfield, McKeever and Niall Conlon made it 0-5 to 0-2. It was 0-8 to 0-5 at the break thanks to another run of three points from Stanfield, Conlon and Quigley.

Conlon found the net after the Togher men had closed the gap to the minimum and substitute Stuart Reynolds stretched the gap to five before McKeever made it six. The ‘Barrs came back with 1-1 but O’Connells replied through subs Dean Stanfield and Reynolds. A wondergoal in the last minute had Naomh Fionnbarra back within a point but it was Reynolds (free) who stroked over the final score of an entertaining match to send O’Connells into the last eight.

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Niall Conlon raises the IFC trophy

Barry Cullen of Cullen Autoparts Ltd presenting the IFC Final Man of the Match award to Jackie Agnew

Mark Stanfield with his children Tom, Paul and Annie

What a year it has been for O’Connells, front l/r: Sean Cairns, Brian Hanratty, PJ Tuite, Andrew Sharkey, Niall Conlon (captain), Cian Doyle, Jason Carroll, Keith Ryan, Mark Stanfield, Emmett Byrne, Robert Quigley, Killian Shields. Back: John Flanagan, Stephen Hoey, Michéal Cairns, Conor Kiernan, Jackie Agnew, Salem Rifaie, Sean Connolly, Conor Byrne, Sean Cairns, Dean Stanfield, Steve Stanfield, David Hoey, Stuart Reynolds

Although they had already booked a semi-final place in the O’Donnell Cup, O’Connells didn’t look like potential IFC champions just yet.

They were just relieved to have scraped through.

The stakes had been raised and O’Connells withstood the pressure as they eclipsed St Fechins by 1-13 to 112 in their quarter-final at Ardee on Saturday night, September 8th. Paul McKeever, and county minor duo Cian Doyle and Robert Quigley (45) had them off to a flying start and further strikes from Mark Stanfield and Niall Conlon maintained the

three-point cushion after 15 minutes.

But the Termonfeckin men fought back to lead by 1-6 to 0-8 at half time.

The game was effectively won when O’Connells bagged 1-4 without reply in the first 14 minutes of the second half, Quigley’s 1-1 added to by Andrew Sharkey, Stanfield and Conlon. Fechins twice closed within a point but O’Connells held on to book a semi-final derby date with St Josephs.

Appearing in their fourth successive IFC semi-final, O’Connells finally progressed to a long-overdue final – and they did so in emphatic style as

John Flanagan claimed the Cup with Dundalk and the IFC with O'Connells

they thumped the Joes by 14 points at Haggardstown on Saturday, September 22nd (2-17 to 1-6). Niall Conlon, Paul McKeever, Cian Doyle and Mark Stanfield ran the Joes ragged from the off and there were twelve points in it before the Dromiskin men got their first point from play. Goals from Conlon and

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Stanfield made it 2-7 to 1-1 at the interval.

McKeever finished the game with six points to his name but Conlon trumped him with 1-6.

Wayne McKeever’s men were through to the final. The second semi-final between Clan na Gael and Sean O’Mahonys went to a replay before the Clans advanced. But it would be O’Connells’ year. Six years on from the 2006 IFC final defeat to Naomh Malachi – with more than their fair share of semi-final heartache in between – O’Connells would finally shake off the bottler’s tag at McGeough Park on

On duty in the league, front l/r: Jason Carroll, Keith Woods, PJ Tuite, Andrew Sharkey, Robert Quigley, Jackie Agnew, Emmett Byrne, Killian Shields, Jonathan Conlon. Back: Salem Rifaie, Conor Kiernan, Brian Hanratty, Sean Connolly, Stuart Reynolds, Mark Stanfield, Dean Stanfield, Conor Culligan, Conor Byrne, David Doyle, Sean Cairns

Sunday, October 14th, 2012.

A fortnight earlier, an already incredible year had got even better when the club booked its place in the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup final with a stunning 4-11 to 0-9 league semifinal defeat of holders Mattock Rangers at The Grove on Sunday evening, September 30th. Cian Doyle had opened the scoring with a goal and both himself and the peerless Mark Stanfield finished that game with a brace of goals apiece.

County kingpins St Patricks would provide the opposition in the Division One decider but the game had not been played at the time of writing. Regardless of what would happen, it had already been an extraordinary, quite phenomenal year…

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Representing Dreadnots on county final day were, front l/r Paul Patterson, John Connolly, Fergal McGuigan, Ronan Fitzpatrick, Luke Judge, Paraic Smith, Conor Campbell, Padraig Rath, Peter Kirwan, Brian Gargan, Conor Murphy, James Califf, Anthony Lynch, John Cunningham. Back: Ronan Califf, Ciaran Cunningham, Donal Flanagan, Dylan Kirwan, Derek Shevlin, Sean Mulroy, Anthony Williams, Darren Malone, Barry Faulkner,Cthal Lynch, Liam Shevlin, Kenneth Shevlin, Cian McEvoy, David O’Brien, Richard Kirwan, Pat Lynch, Dermot Campbell, Gordon Kirwan, Chris Mulroy

DREADNOTS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

DREADNOTS

County players Paddy Keenan and Liam Shevlin locked in battle

2012 RESU

LTS

PROGRESS CONTINUING UNABATED Dreadnots have been improving steadily year on year and this progress accelerated markedly in 2012 as they stormed through to the Louth SFC final with thrilling victories over Naomh Mairtin, St Marys and Newtown Blues. While they failed to deliver on the big day, the seasiders can still look back on their campaign with a great degree of satisfaction.

Though disappointed by the county final performance against St Patricks, midfielder David O’Brien agrees that it was nonetheless a fantastic year for Dreadnots GFC.

S

t Patricks were the only team to beat Dreadnots in the 2012 Louth SFC. Apart from those two defeats that bookended their campaign, Paddy Clarke’s nascent side produced a stunning series of displays in the premier

Division 1 Naomh Mai rtin 2-11 28 Dreadnots St Patricks 2-14 2-8 Dre Dreadnots adnots 3-13 1-9 M attock Ran O'Connells gers 2-11 2-9 Dre Dreadnots 0-11 0-8 New adnots Dreadnots town Blues 0-11 1-11 S ean O’Mah Cooley Kic onys khams 0-9 3-7 Dreadnots 1-14 0-8 Kilk Dreadnots erle O`Raghalla ighs 1-7 1-13 y Emmets Dreadnots Dreadnots 1-10 3-6 G lyde Range Oliver Plunk rs etts 0-7 1-8 Dreadnots SFC Dreadnots 2-2 3-19 St Patricks Naomh Mai rtin 2-8 2-14 Dreadnots St. Marys 112 0-15 Dre Dreadnots adnots - QF 1-14 0-12 S t. Marys – Q Newtown B F replay lues 0-10 011 Dreadno Dreadnots ts - S 0-7 1-13 St Patricks - fin F al

competition, performances that clearly mark them out as potential future winners of the Joe Ward Cup. If they can keep this exciting young squad together, the Clogherhead men will be a force to contend with for years to come. And the experience of

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2012 – though ultimately chastening – will stand them in good stead.

“It was a great year,” reflects the versatile David O’Brien, who made an impression at the middle of the park, at centre forward and in the fullforward line. “It was challenging but

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A proud day for Dreadnots as Padraig Rath leads his charges in the pre-match parade

the fact that we got to the county final means it was a good year in the end.

It had been up and down before that but we enjoyed a good run in the SFC and qualifying for the final made our year.”

On county final day at the Gaelic Grounds, a vastly-more-experienced St Patricks eased to a 1-13 to 0-7 success, completing a back-to-back sequence. Dreadnots tried hard but couldn’t find their fluency and the concession of the first five points of the match left them on the back foot from start to finish. A run of three points hinted at the possibility of a revival but the underdogs trailed by 16 to 0-3 at the interval and were never in the race thereafter.

In the first round of the competition,

Dreadnots had been well and truly thumped by the Lordship men. In a way, did this hammering act as a catalyst for their run to the final?

“Losing so heavily to the Pats in the first game was a big blow,” David notes. “We were expecting to have a couple of lads back from the States for the Pats game – James Califf and Peter Kirwan – and we had named them on our team and everything but they weren’t able to play. Those are two key players for Dreadnots and they are hard to replace. The guys who filled in for them on the day did a great job but we were still understrength and the Pats showed their ruthlessness.

“After that game, Paddy [Clarke] told us to put it to the back of our

minds and just to focus on each game as it came. He said to make sure we won every game and that’s what we did. Naomh Mairtin were top of the league when we met them but we went about our task well. Granted, we conceded two soft goals before half time – but we came out for the second half and did what we had to do to reach the quarter-finals.”

Goals from Liam Shevlin and Anthony Lynch helped Dreadnots to a 2-14 to 2-9 success in that second Group Four outing, which meant they went through to the last eight as runners-up in the section. St Marys, Ardee would provide quarter-final opposition.

After an absorbing 0-15 to 1-12 draw with the Marys at

The Dreadnots senior panel for 2012, front l/r: James Califf, Ronan Fitzpatrick, Dylan Kirwan, Barry Faulkner, Padraig Rath, Conor Murphy, Anthony Williams, Luke Judge, Brian Gargan, Paraic Smith, Peter Kirwan, John Cunningham, Conor Campbell. Back: Fergal McGuigan, Derek Shevlin, Liam Shevlin, Ciaran Cunningham, Richard Kirwan, Anthony Lynch, Dermot Campbell, Cathal Lynch, Kenneth Shevlin, Cian McEvoy, David O'Brien, Gordon Kirwan, Pat Lynch

125

Tom Flynn presents the Feile Division 3 Cup to Dreadnots captains Conor Shevlin and Carl Monaghan The Dreadnots U12's

Haggardstown, Dreadnots dug deep to win the replay by 1-14 to 0-12 in Dromiskin. Prior to the second match, the general consensus was that the momentum would be with the town side as they had pulled the drawn game out of the fire with a late 1-1 salvo, but Pepe Smith’s 22nd-minute major proved the decisive score in an entertaining match that was played in torrential rain.

Full forward Smith finished the game with 1-4 and midfielder James Califf notched five scores. If that was a fantastic win, what followed was

even better…

Cluskey Park was again the venue as Dreadnots stunned red-hot favourites Newtown Blues in their semi-final encounter, 0-11 to 0-10.

The Blues were hoping to mark their 125th anniversary celebrations by reclaiming the Joe Ward but Dreadnots had other ideas as they surged through to their first senior county final in living memory.

Points from Cian McEvoy, Pepe Smith and James Califf gave Paddy Clarke’s young side an early foothold in the match, but the Blues quickly The Dreadnots management team of Padraig Califf and Paddy Clarke

John Cunningham is part of the Dreadnots backroom team

The Feile Division 3 winners

126

went in front before Smith made it 04 each after 18 minutes. When the Blues again went ahead, Dreadnots this time replied through Califf and Luke Judge. It was 0-6 each at the short whistle.

The Drogheda men notched the opening score of the second half but a run of scores from Califf (2), Liam Shevlin and Peter Kirwan put three between them before Shevlin made it 0-11 to 0-8 with ten minutes left.

Spurred on by midfielders Shevlin and Califf as well as their resolute full-back line of Padraig Rath, Brian Gargan and Dermot Campbell, Dreadnots held on to deservedly book their place in the decider.

Instrumental in Dreadnots’ success in 2012 was former Louth manager Paddy Clarke, who proved himself once more to be a brilliant tactician on the sideline. “He breeds confidence into the team,” says David. “His man-management skills are second to none. He only ever makes small switches but he gets them spot-on every time. He reads the game well and never makes mistakes. It’s great to have a man like that on your side.”

Did the manager get too much credit, though? After all, it’s the players who do all the work… “Not at all – he deserves all the credit he gets. Paddy might get all the credit in the newspapers – and understandably so – but believe me around the pitch and in the pubs all the talk is about the players. We get our fair share of praise. Paddy is a very modest man and he knows better than anyone that the players are doing the work but it’s his organisational skills that have us working effectively as a team and he deserves a lot of credit for that.

“Paddy has given us a new style of play and his experience has worked wonders for this young Dreadnots team. There are a lot of young players in the club and he is coaching us not just in the game but in life in general.”

Having reached the final in 2012, is the obvious goal for Dreadnots now to win the Louth SFC inside the next couple of years? “Regardless of what happened this year, that would

always be the goal anyway. We have improved every year under Paddy and we definitely want to improve again next year. We’re hoping to have our full panel available. Our former captain Chris Mulroy and goalkeeper Niall Levins are abroad at the moment, but I don’t think there’s anyone else planning to leave – although you never know with the way things are with work and that.”

David himself has been playing firstteam football with Dreadnots for five years now and he acknowledges that the club has come along in leaps and bounds during that time. “We have a new training pitch, floodlights and everyone is very well looked after.

Things are properly organised and we want for nothing.

“When we won the IFC in 2008, we had lost the final the previous year, so maybe we can now do the same at senior level. Our aim is to improve every year and I’m sure that’s the same with every club.”

Coming through the ranks with Dreadnots, David won an U14 championship as well as U14, U15 and U16 leagues. In 2006, he was on the team beaten by Cooley in the MFC final at the Clans – on the undercard of Joes’ win over Pats in the SFC decider. He has represented the county at all levels from U14 Development Squad through to U21 and admits that he’d love to get the call at senior intercounty level: “Every footballer has to have aspirations of playing intercounty football, alongside the best footballers in your county and against the best in the country. We have four or five players on the county panel already and it’s well deserved. I think every single one of the Dreadnots players would love to represent Louth and hopefully more of us will get that opportunity.”

The Dreadnots side that contested the 2012 Louth SFC final was: Kenneth Shevlin; Anthony Williams, Dermot Campbell, Brian Gargan; Richard Kirwan, Padraig Rath, Cian McEvoy (0-1); Liam Shevlin, James Califf (0-1); Pat Lynch, David O'Brien, Conor Campbell (0-1); Peter Kirwan, Paraic Smith (0-4), Anthony Lynch. Subs: Luke Judge, Fergal McGuigan.

127

Padraig Rath leads out Dreadnots for their second ever senior final

Dermot Campbell

Derek O'Brien

On SFC duty against Mattock Rangers, front l/r: Padraig Carroll, Stephen Carroll, Gerard Farrell, Barry Brennan, Peter Duffy, Pearse Kelly, Trevor O'Brien, Stephen Sharkey, Shane Sharkey, David Barry, Gerard Sheridan, Larry O'Brien, Fiachra Sheridan, Niall Bird. Back: Michael Brennan, Dylan Lynam, Paul Noone, Peter Shiels, Glen Finlay, Fergal Kellett, JP Boyle, Seamus Harney, Mark O'Brien, Ciaran Sheridan, Alan Brennan, David Devanney, Anthony Nulty, Brian Duffy, Kevin Moriarty, Conor Sheridan, Brendan Lynch, Damien Garland

GLYDE RANGERS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

GLYDE RANGERS

2012 RESU

LTS

Trevor O'Brien takes a tumble

HOPE THAT RANGERS WILL ‘GLYDE’ BACK Glyde Rangers have undoubtedly been one of the success stories of Louth football over the past two decades.

A

fter coming close on a number of occasions, the Tallanstown side finally made their way out of Junior football and continued their progress by sealing a place in the Senior ranks.

Not only did they manage to reach the top level, but they competed successfully for a decade and during that time made in impression at both league and championship.

Unfortunately, the club’s fortunes dipped over the past two years,

Sean O Mah Division 1 on Glyde Range ys 0-11 0-5 Glyde Ran gers rs 0-10 1-11 Cooley Kic Oliver Plunk khams etts 0-10 07 Glyde Range Glyde Range rs rs Glyde Range 1-6 2-13 O`Raghallaig hs rs 3-6 0-14 Kilkerley Em Newtown B lues met Glyde Range s 1-10 0-11 Glyde Ran gers rs 0-11 0-13 Naomh Mai St Patricks rtin 0-11 0-7 Gly Glyde Range de Rangers rs 1-9 3-10 Mattock Ran Dreadnots gers 1-10 3-6 G lyde Range Glyde Range rs rs 1-10 1-15 O'Connells SFC Glyde Range rs 2-7 0-12 Glyde Range Mattock Ran rs gers Glyde Range 1-8 1-12 Ardee St. M ary's G.F.C rs 1-6 0-14 .

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culminating in their relegation from Division 1 at the end of this season.

That was a massive disappointment to all involved in Glyde Rangers, but despite the setback, there is a huge sense of determination among the players and members to bounce back and retain their top flight status as soon as possible.

According to Michael Brennan, the club feel they have established themselves in Division 1 and are determined to make their stay in the

129

lower league as short as possible.

Although disappointed not to have stayed up, Michael believes that there are plenty of reasons to be positive and that with a bit of hard work, they can make a serious challenge next season.

“We have had ten years in Division 1 and that is something not to be sniffed at. Last year we had a bit of a struggle but managed to get the results in the end to stay up, but were unable to escape the trap door this

Up against Sean O'Mahonys in Division 1, front l/r: Paul Noone, Niall Bird, Stephen Sharkey, Fiachra Sheridan, Barry Brennan, Shane Sharkey, Larry O'Brien, Trevor O'Brien, Peter Duffy, Gerard Farrell. Back: Anthony Nulty, Damien Garland, Fergal Kellett, JP Boyle, Conor Daly, Peter Shiels, Alan Brennan, Cian Sheridan, Brian Duffy, Martin O'Connor, Ciaran Sheridan, Gerard Carroll

time around.

“Don’t get me wrong, we were all very disappointed to go down, but the important thing is that we look at the many positives we have and try to come back stronger next year.

“Perhaps we didn’t have the rub of the green for much of the year as I

thought, performance-wise, that we didn’t do too bad overall. Apart from one or two games we were playing well but just not getting the results.

“We didn’t have everyone available but at the end of the year when we got a few back, we picked up some results. Unfortunately it was too late

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BEST WISHES TO GLYDE RANGERS GAA IN 2013

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Ciaran Sheridan

Mark O'Brien

Glyde Rangers manager Noel Marron

the young lads and that has to be good for the future. Hopefully that will stand to us when we go to play in Division 2 next year.

“We now have a few young lads with the experience of playing a full season of Division 1 under their belts as well as playing Senior Championship football, so when it comes to playing Intermediate league they will be ready for the challenge,” explained Michael.

That experience in the top flight will be important according to the Assistant Secretary, as he is fully aware of the fact that Division 2 is a very competitive grade. He is also hoping that the young players will be helped in their continued development by the older members of the team staying on next season.

“There is always a fear at the end of every season that some players will hang up their boots, but we hope that will not be the case. I think it is vital that players with experience stay around and help the young players establish themselves,” he continued.

With a lot of the team still around the 24 or 25 mark, Michael believes there are grounds for optimism over the coming years.

“One or two people will naturally be pessimistic after seeing the team get relegated but there is no sense of doom and gloom around the club. We have to be positive as I think we are in a good position to make progress.

“A lot of the performances were good this year and there were some excellent results which prove that on our day we can compete at the top level.

“Look at the fact that we defeated Newtown Blues in the league and were one of the only teams to go to Clogherhead and beat a Dreadnots side that went on to play in the Senior Championship Final.

“In the championship we got the better of Mattock Rangers and were unlucky not to get through to the quarter-finals. Those games show that we have the ability within the team to take on the big teams if we have everyone available.

“The panel is reasonably good but I suppose it is not very big and if we lose two or three players then they can be hard to replace,” added Michael who knows they will need everyone available if they are to challenge next year.

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Tommy Burns handing over the team sheet to referee Paddy Matthews

Anthony Nulty

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Tel: 042-9374192 Mobile: 087-2602130 132

“The Division 2 league is very tough to get out of as there are generally six or seven teams who have a chance of winning so you have to be on your game from the outset, but we will certainly be giving it our best shot and hopefully we can get back up,” he continued.

While the league season ended in disappointment, the real positive for Tallanstown side this year, according to Michael, is that the club retained its Senior Championship status and that will help maintain their standards in 2013.

“I think that it is a real plus for us to stay in the Senior Championship next year as it is something that will stand to the players. It would be very hard going back down to the Intermediate Championship as that is very hard to get out of.

“There were mixed feelings for us this year as despite beating Mattock Rangers, we still ended up in the relegation play-off but thankfully we came through that in the end.

“After getting the better of Collon in Dunleer, we felt we should have beaten St Mary’s but to lose that one was very disappointing for us. As a result, we found ourselves facing a relegation play-off final against Young Irelands, rather than competing in the knock-out stages.

“Being in the final with so much to lose is very stressful to say the least, but I think the lads did well in the finish to come out with the right result.”

Michael reveals that everyone is determined that they will not find themselves in the same position next year and feels that a good run in the league would provide the confidence required to stay clear of that danger.

He also believes that the boost provided by that win will send the players into the new season in good spirits.

“I think we are good enough to get back up but it is all about getting results early on and getting the confidence levels up. We have to aim to get back to Division 1 as soon as possible because if you stay too long you are in danger of becoming established as a Division 2 side.

“We believe we have the ability to go higher and the club overall is in a healthy position so with a bit of luck and hard work we will get moving back in the right direction in 2013,” concluded Michael.

The promising U7's

The Under 10's

Representing Glyde Rangers at U8

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SPECIAL FEATURE

St Lachtains GAA winner of ‘Pitch of the year award 2010’ Donal Kearney (Irish Institute of Sports Surfaces Judge) Paddy Butler (St Lachtains groundsman), Seamus Howlin (Leinster Chairman) John Fitzpatrick (St Lachtains chairman) Neil Pettican sponsor

M

MOWING - THE MOST IMPORTANT TASK FOR A PITCH THAT’S OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD!

Donal Kearney, a Dreadnots man, from Clogherhead of Co Louth provides some valuable advice on the maintenance and construction of Sports Surfaces both Natural grass and Synthetic Surfaces.

owing is the most frequent and probably the most important cultural practice or maintenance operation on a sports turf surface. Its importance should not be underestimated and very often it is the situation on club or community based situation. This can be for a variety of reasons, but primarily it is down to a lack of consistent resources for maintenance of a sports turf surface.

The practice of Mowing can and will dictate the appearance, health of the sward, which will have an obvious affect on how well the performance the chosen sport is played on that sports turf surface.

Mowing has been described as the ‘pruning’ of the turfgrass sward. Turfgrass will need different heights of cut of mowing dependant on: • Purpose for which the sport turf surface is been used for • Weather conditions Mowing influences grass length and density, sward characteristics, weed invasion and biological activity in the sward to name a few. The appropriate height of cut and appropriate frequency of cut can and will affect the balance of the desirable grass species. The playing surface will be greatly affected by the removal or return of sportsturf grass clippings.

Sportsturf Mowing is usually achieved: • Pedestrian controlled mowing machinery • Ride on, tractor mounted, trailed gang mowers CYLINDER MOWERS Cylinder mowers have a cutting action which is similar to a pair of scissors or some will argue as a scythe action, to provide a clean cut. There are two working parts to a cylinder mower, the cylinder and bottom blade. The blades of the cylinder are manufactured with a spiral twist to ensure a precision cut and less damage from any objects hit by the machine. The blades are connected by rivets or welding on a series of flanges to the

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centre shaft. A rapidly revolving cylinder with a large number of blades provides the best cut, but this is dependent on the length of grass.

Too many blades on the cylinder makes it unsuitable for long grass.

The cylinder may be driven by chains, belts or gears.

Careful adjustment is required to ensure that the cutting blades bearly touch the bottom blade Special bottom blades are available for a greens mower to enable a very low height of cut to be achieved for a golf green for example, but would not be necessary for a football pitch.

The remaining parts of the cylinder mower include the front and rear roller, the throw plate and the grass box. The rear roller may be cast in one section, or divided into two or three to assist with turning. Optional grooming devices may be attached to the mowing machine to ‘lift’ the grass before the cut is made.

sets, and also produce a better cut in wet conditions. Training in the area of machine setting is essential and careful measurement of height of cut is required. The cutting unit must be set on a level surface, most gangs have notches or holders that are bolted together which adjust the rear roller and thereby the cutting height.

Gang mowers with floating heads may require different settings compared to conventional single unit machines or those with fixed cutting heads.

To avoid risk of tyre depression marks the direction of mowing should be varied where possible for each cut, when using tractor drawn machines.

ROTARY MOWERS These mowers are also used to

prepare whole pitches. In the past there were not suitable but their cutting mechanism has made rotary mowers in some cases a better option to mow pitches. They are especially good if they have a grass collector on them to which will help to clean the surface and remove any dead or unwanted divots from the surface that wont recover. Most importantly they are also a safer option especially for a volunteer or untrained groundsman IMPORTANCE OF HEIGHT OF CUT This has probably the biggest influencing factor on the quality and type of playing surface that is required and has to be adjusted to ensure the desired grasses are cut within a range of cutting heights that

RIDE ON MOWERS Ride on mowers; mini gangs and gang mowers are used on larger areas of sports grounds, due to their speed and quality of finish.

Hydraulically driven ride-on and gang mowers tend to provide a more uniform cut than gear driven or trailed

Best Wishes To Donal Kearney, From

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are suitable for optimum growth for those grasses.

It is also important to understand that the height of cut that is set on the machine may also sometimes produces a different height of cut on the grass sward, depending upon the firmness of the surface.

This will have the biggest bearing on a cylinder mower. This is because a few millimetres difference at the heights used for fine turf areas can be the difference between a well mown, attractive sward and one that is shaved and patchy looking.

Removing too much grass leaf should be avoided as this will weaken the desirable turf grasses and at the same time encourage the development and spread of undesirable grass and weed species.

The mowing of fine turf below an effective cutting height of 5mm should not be carried out on a regular basis, whilst perennial ryegrass dominated turf is generally not mown below 25mm, although there are now a number of dwarf cultivars which survive mowing at less than this height of cut.

On fine sports turf areas occasional mowing down to 3mm is sometimes carried out for short spells, for example to accommodate special tournaments. However, greens must be very smooth, even and firm to allow mowing to such heights, with the aim of this short height of cut

Best Wishes &

being to increase the speed of the green in the short term. If shaving of the grass is carried out for any length of time, this will lead to a deterioration in long term playing quality whilst increasing the frequency of mowing leads to an increase in the playing speed of golf and bowling greens and is more desirable than shaving the turf.

It should be remembered that turf is put under a lot of stress when mown very closely and the desirable turf grasses will not survive for long if constantly mown below their optimum height of cut and their place will be taken by undesirable annual meadow grass and weeds.

The exact height of cut to use will need to take into account the standard of the area concerned as well as the prevailing weather conditions.

A good example can be local authority football pitches, which can typically be cut between 25 and 50mm depending upon the desired Typical heights of cut (given in mm) standards. The figures in the above for different turf areas: table can therefore only be used as a GOLF GREEN 5MM 8MM general guide.

Managers of GOLF TEE 8MM 12 MM individual turf areas will know the GOLF FAIRWAY 12MM 18MM best height for their particular facility.

GOLF SEMI-ROUGH 40MM 75MM In periods of hot, droughty weather, BOWLING GREEN 5MM 12MM raising the height of cut helps to TENNIS COURT 6MM 12MM reduce stress on the grass plant and GAELIC/HURLING 25 TO 45MM can improve its ability to withstand SOCCER PITCH 25MM TO 35MM wear. From early autumn to early RUGBY 35MM 50MM spring it is also good practice to ensure the Continued Success To Donal Kearney, From grass is not cut too close as the sward may struggle to recover adequately from very cold spells.

Wherever possible, it is more beneficial to let the grass grow a little longer than shorter, as some more can always be taken off, yet it's very difficult to put it back on!

ORIENTATION OF YOUR PITCH The orientation of your pitch is an important consideration when planning the layout especially prior to a new construction. The same policy goes for all field sports.

It is essential to avoid sitting the pitches direct

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Best Wishes To Donal Kearney, From

line of play in the direction of the sun when the sun is sufficiently low to interfere with players sighting. This will ultimately enhance the enjoyability and fairness of play.

The size and slope of a green field site may prevent the ideal orientation of a pitch; so its important this should be considered at the very early stages of planning so that adequate grading etc. can occur to deliver the necessary pitch orientation.

For further information of FREE advice on Construction and maintenance of Sports Surfaces of all types see www.irishsportsurf.ie to login to the technical section IRISH INSTITUTE OF SPORTS SURFACES The Irish Institute of Sports Surfaces have their Head Office located at the Morton Athletic Stadium in Santry Dublin 9. Ireland

M.S.K. Silver Sands Ltd Screen, Co. Wexford.

Contact Michael on 087 288 7016 Tel: 053 9137126 E: msksilversands@gmail.com

www.msksandwexford.com

OUR MISSION The Irish Institute of Sport Surfaces is dedicated to promoting and implementing the professional development of people who maintain and manage sport surfaces in Ireland.

The Irish Institute is a specialist provider of training and education in the management of Sport Surfaces in Ireland Through training and education the Institute will strive to promote 'Best Practice' for standards of excellence in Sport Surface management.

The Institute will also strive to encourage, develop and include people from all streams of society in Ireland who are dedicated in pursuing a career in Sport Surface management.

PEOPLE The Irish Institute of Sport Surfaces are widely supported by the Sport Surface Industry in Ireland. The demand for an Irish based and owned organisation has been the catalyst for the establishment of the Irish Institute.

Our Industry Advisory panel consists of those with many years of experience and qualifications in the Irish Sport Surface Industry.

They have been enrolled to the Irish Institute of Sport Surfaces to provide the industry in Ireland direction and advice, in providing the needs of the industry in Ireland. The standard and quality of training courses is approved by them, to ensure the industry is been served well.

Its Managing Director Mr. Donal Kearney is accredited with an MSc in Sports Surface Technology, a BSc in Turf Science & Golf Course Management and a Diploma of Sportsturf Management.

Donal brings to the role an extensive background of golf course construction and maintenance, and turfgrass expertise.His job roles in the sports turf sectors began at apprentice level right up to management on some of the finest golf courses in Ireland, the UK and in the USA. His hands on practical experience complements his technical knowledge gained at University, and most recently as Regional Advisor for the Institute of Groundsmanship in Ireland.

Best Wishes To Donal Kearney, From Mark Harris

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Donal comes from a valued GAA background, his late father Peadar was former Secretary and Treasurer of Louth 1956-89, Chairman of Leinster GAA 1984-86, Central Council rep for Louth for over 25 years and founder of Cumman na mbunscoil Lu in 1947. Previously involved with St. Colmcilles, Peadar was one of those who re-established Dreadnots in 1952, as the club had gone out of existence in 1928. Those men then founded the club’s new home in Clogherhead.

TURF IRRIGATION SPECIALISTS Tankardstown, Clonalvy, Co. Meath.

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The senior squad, front l/r: Eamon Duffy, Vincent Roe, David McCrave, Stephen McGinn, Dermot Smith, Ciaran O’Callaghan, David Agnew, Seamus Agnew, Cathal McShane, Mark McDonnell, John Kerr.

Back: Justin Halley, Stephen Hoey, Fra Agnew, Noel Finnegan, Kevin McParland, Gary Corrigan, James Evard, William Napier, Neil Kemmy, Anthony Quinn, Gary Finnegan, Colin Agnew

DOWDALLSHILL - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

DOWDALLSHILL

2012 RESU

LTS

Anthony Quinn

TRANSITIONAL TIMES As one of the oldest clubs in County Louth, Dowdallshill GFC have encountered many ups and downs throughout their illustrious history. By Eunan Whyte.

W

hen they look back at the 2012 campaign the members will reflect on a year of disappointment on the field of play, but will do so with a realisation that this is a club very much in transition and a determination to work hard in order to get back on an upward curve.

The majority of players that won two Junior Championship titles in the 2000s and reached a semi-final as recently as 2008, have now moved on leaving the club with a difficult rebuilding task.

There are few under any illusions that this is a long-term project but there is a huge determination within the Dundalk club to make progress

Division 3 Dowdallshi ll 0-7 1-8 S Sean McDer t Nicholas motts 0-11 1-6 Dowda Dowdallshi llshill ll 2-11 0-5 W esterns John Mitche ls 19 12 Dowdalls Dowdallshi hill ll 0-6 0-6 S tabannon P Glen Emmet arnells s 1-20 0-3 Dowdallshi Dowdallshi ll ll 0-4 2-14 St Kevins Wolfe Tone s 0-15 0-2 Dow Dowdallshi dallshi ll 2-9 0-11 A nnaghminno ll Dundalk Yo n Rovers ung Irelands 3-13 0-6 Dow Dowdallshi dallshill ll 0-2 1-17 Hunterstow Lannleire n Rovers v Dowdallshi ll – not play ed JF C Dowdallshi ll 1-4 3St Kevins 3- 20 Oliver Plunketts 11 0-5 Dow dallshill

as they look to bring through players from their thriving underage section.

The 2012 season has come as a strong reminder to all in St Brigid’s Park that the good times are there to be enjoyed while they last, and when the wheel turns it requires a big effort to build for the future once again.

One man who needs no convincing of the fact that success comes in cycles is selector, Ernie Finnegan, and having experienced both good and bad times in the past, he is confident that the good times will return to St Brigid’s Park in the near future.

As a player, Ernie was part of one of the best teams in the club’s history during the 1980s, before seeing the

139

form dip over the next decade.

However, he was heavily involved as the club made huge strides towards the latter end of the 1990s and into the 2000s.

Now, as part of the 2012 management team along with Pat Ferrigan and Dixie Quinn, he is seeing the wheel turn once again, but experience tells him that there is no need for panic, with hard work the key to ensuring the club get back to winning ways.

“Being involved in a small club means that you are not always going to be at the top, but when the chance comes you have to make the most of it. I played in the 1980s when we had some very good players such as

anything, we are Best Wishes To Dowdallshill GAA In 2013 From determined to work even harder,” he added.

“It just proves that all these things work in cycles. A few years ago the Bumper Scuffs • Scratches • Glass Repairs Trim Repairs • Alloy Wheel Refurbishment Clans were Telephone Holes • Seat Damage • Cigarette Burns unbeatable and Dashboard Repairs • Puncture Prevention now are working UP TO 70% CHEAPER THAN BODY SHOPS really hard to get www.CarMedic.ie back to the top, so it is the same for everybody.

Call Paul on 087 7600 999 “Having been through it all before for the club, but he was never under gives us confidence that we can turn any illusions that it was going to be it around and this time we have the difficult. benefit of a great underage structure The team failed to get any real which we didn’t have until a few years momentum in the Division 3 League ago,” revealed Finnegan. and finished second from bottom.

There are already some The draw in the Junior encouraging signs with a talented UChampionship was less than kind as 14 squad performing well in the the Dowdallers were group with league and championship, while the Division 1 side and raging hot juvenile times have been getting favourites, Oliver Plunketts. Despite large numbers to the weekly training the scale of the task facing them, the sessions.

Dundalk side showed great pride in “We know it is a few that game to put if up to the Plunketts years down the line, for long periods in the first half before but we will be looking eventually losing out. to this U-14 team to “We are very much in a rebuilding provide the backbone stage but we set out at the start of the of the adult team in a season to give it our best. few years. After that Unfortunately we never really got we hope to have a going in the Kevin Mullen Shield and that form carried through to the regular stream of talent league and championship. coming through but we “We lost the likes of Gerry know that we will only McShane, Vincent McKevitt and Noel be rewarded if we put in the effort now,” he revealed.

Looking back on the 2012, Ernie can’t hide his disappointment that On duty for the U8's, front l/r: Elle Carrie, Sarah O’Hagan, Donal Magennis, Criomhtain McGahon, Lee Hoey. Back: Dearbhla things didn’t go better McGahon, Nathan Quinn, Eoin Maguire, Mark Loftus

Hugh McParland, Jim Sheridan and Tom Molloy. We got to the league final in 1988 and lost but the following year we won the league.

Unfortunately there was no promotion through the league and we were unlucky not to win the championship that year. We also won the Avonmore Shield so for us to win the double was a huge achievement,” explained Ernie.

“After that team broke up we struggled for a while but there was a lot of hard work put in to make sure we turned things around again. We were eventually rewarded when a group of young players provided the backbone of the team that won two Donagh Cups at the end of the 1990s, and that was a forerunner to the two championships in 2003 and 2005.

“They were great times and we knew we had to make the most of it when we were going well. With most of that team moved on we always knew there were going to be tough times, but there is no chance of the heads dropping or people giving up. If

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Members of Dowdallshill at the annual Christmas morning run

140

Chairman Peadar Toal opening up St Brigids Park

David McCrave

Mohan to retirement at the beginning of the year and they had they been among our main players for a number of seasons.

“We also had to plan without Paul Gill, Donal Sheridan, Ciaran Sheridan and Ciaran O’Callaghan through injury, while Noel Finnegan missed a number of games early on also through injury,” explained Ernie.

The U9's, front l/r: Ellen Quigley, Patrick Loftus, Sarah Roe, Siobhan O’Hagan, Cora Roe, Kerrie Cairns, Malcolm Ladley. Back: Leah McArdle, Leah Murphy, Jason McAleer, Mide Fajobi, Junior Shotayo, Dennis Otabor, Brendan Waiharo, Jakub Krolikowski

“It didn’t make things easy for us, but that is what you have to put up with. We know it is going to be hard again next year but we are determined to battle on. We still have plenty of players at our disposal and we have to try to make sure they are available and that they give the

The club’s U7's at Darver, front l/r: Dearbhla Levins, Criomhtain McGahon, Ciaran Levins, Lee Hoey. Back: Mark Loftus, Dearbhla McGahon, Eoin Maguire, Darragh Quinn, Finn Conlon

commitment necessary to improve the team.

“There are some good young players involved at the minute and history will tell us that if they stick at it then there is a good chance we will get our reward when the wheel turns once again,” concluded Ernie.

Peadar Toal and Liam O’Hagan making a donation for St Olivers to Kay O’Keeffe, Director of Nursing, after the Christmas morning run to the Hospital

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Corderry, Knockbridge, Co. Louth 141

The Louth senior hurling champions, front l/r: David O’Mahony, John O'Brien, Stephen O’Brien, Richard Scanlon, Kenneth O’Hagan, David Mulholland, Barry Myles, Shane Callan, Gerard Smyth, Matthew Boland. Back: Brendan Mulholland (manager), Kevin Brady, Gary O'Brien, Donal McArdle, Donnach Callan, Noel Callan, Aidan Callan, Brian McCabe, Brian Hassett, Matthew Myles, Paul Grimes, Andrew McDermot, Andrew McCrave, Martin Myles (assistant manager)

PEARSE OG - SENIOR HURLERS 2012

PEARSE OG

2012 RESU

LTS

Pearse Og celebrate their county final win

TITLE NO. 3 It was an unforgettable year for the hurlers of Pearse Og as they captured the Louth SHC crown for the third time in their history. Champions in 2002 and 2004, the Green & Golds reclaimed the Paddy Kelly Cup with a magnificent 2-14 to 27 defeat of holders Knockbridge in the county final at The Grove on Sunday, September 16th.

P

earse Og went into the 2012 Louth senior hurling championship full of confidence. Knockbridge had been the dominant force in the Wee County’s small-ball stakes for a decade and more, but the Holy Parish men were clearly progressing and felt they could go all the way. As things transpired, their confidence was not misplaced.

One of the reasons for their optimism was the solid shift put in the previous year. In 2011, Pearse Og had won the Maurice Murphy Cup and the Special Hurling Championship as well as advancing to the Leinster league Division Three

SHC Pearse Óg 1-15 1-11 S Mattock Ran t Fechins ge Naomh Mon rs 0-14 2-14 Pearse Ó g inne 1-14 212 Pearse Pearse Óg Óg 3-15 2-11 K Pearse Óg nockbridge 2-14 2-7 Kno ckbridge - F inal SHL Pearse Óg 0-12 0-7 St Pearse Óg Fechins 1-14 2-12 M attock Ran Naomh Mon gers inne 2-7 312 Pearse Knockbridge Óg 2-13 1-11 P earse Óg

final.

Brendan Mulholland’s charges hit the ground running in 2012, powering through to the final of the Tain club hurling league before losing to Clonguish of Longford by a mere two points at Breffni Park. Some decent Louth league performances followed and victories over St Fechins, Mattock Rangers and Naomh Moninne sent Pearse Og through to the SHC decider.

Inevitably, Knockbridge stood in their way. These two met in the final for the first time in 2002 and 2012 was the seventh occasion on which they met on the county’s big day. The villagers were favourites but a

143

champagne performance from county star Gerard Smyth – who went into the final with an unenviable record of playing in 21 finals between club and county and losing 18 - propelled the underdogs to a fully-merited seven-point success in Castlebellingham in midSeptember, 2-14 to 2-7.

Lining out at midfield, Smyth contributed a massive 0-10 to the winners’ tally on county final day.

Gary O’Brien found the net in the first half and that goal helped Pearse Og take a commanding 1-8 to 1-2 interval lead. The holders battled back upon the resumption but a

The Junior hurling panel, front l/r: Paul Callan, Richard Scanlon (captain), Kevin Brady, John O’Brien, Matthew Myles, Stephen O’Brien, Kenneth O’Hagan, Barry Myles, David Mulholland, Conal Myles. Back: Paul Grimes, Philip McFaul, Conal Laverty, Paul Ward, Brian McCabe, Donnach Callan, Matthew Boland, Aidan Callan, Ceil Rogan, Brendan Mulholland (manager)

second three-pointer from David Mahony steadied the ship as the eight-year gap to 2004 was successfully bridged.

Pearse Og led all the way. It was 03 to 0-1 after twelve minutes thanks to points from Smyth, Mahony and Louth captain Shane Callan (from a nonchalant tenth-minute sideline cut) before O’Brien found the back of the net. Smyth landed five more points – including four-in-a-row and his second point from play in the 27th minute - to establish the six-point half-time lead.

It could have been even better but for Brendan McNally’s excellent save from Aidan Callan.

Knockbridge – bidding for a tenth title in 13 years - battled hard after the restart but points from Smyth and centre back Domhnall McArdle kept the champions-elect on course, 1-11 to 1-5. Gavin Kerrigan’s goal halved the margin but Mahony’s excellent 52nd-minute solo goal effectively settled the game as a contest. The closing stages were a breeze for the victors. Pearse Og fired over three of the last five scores and when the final whistle sounded the celebrations commenced.

Pearse Og may have been underdogs going into this match but they were clearly the better team over the hour.

The formalities involved Bob

Doheny from Avonmore presenting the Man of the Match award to ‘Junior’ Smyth (he received the same accolade in the 2004 county final!) and County Board chairman Padraic O’Connor handing the Paddy Kelly Cup over to winning captain Andrew McCrave.

It was a brilliant win for the entire parish and the community as a whole. Football counterparts Na Piarsaigh had kindly allowed Pearse Og to train on their pitch in the buildup to the final, with newly-recruited strength and fitness coach Barry Teather and Brendan O’Neill’s hurling drills playing a key role in the success.

But it was the players – with their insatiable hunger and determination – who brought home the bacon…

Pearse Og – 2012 Louth senior hurling champions: Barry Myles; Matthew Myles, David Mulholland, Noel Callan; Brian Hassett, Domhnall McArdle (0-1), Andrew McCrave; Gerard Smyth (0-10), Shane Callan (0-1); Matthew Boland, Donnach Callan, David Mahony (1-2); Brian McCabe, Gary O’Brien (1-0), Aidan Callan. Subs: Kenneth O’Hagan for M Boland, Paul Grimes for G O'Brien, John O'Brien for A Callan.

Pearse Og assured themselves of their place in the county final by winning their first three matches in the group stage of the competition. In

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three hard-fought matches, they saw off St Fechins, Mattock Rangers and Dundalk rivals Naomh Moninne to confirm passage to the decider.

Looking back at the results from these games, it is quite extraordinary to note that their biggest winning margin in the SHC all year was in the final itself! They beat Knockbridge by seven therein but only had four-, fiveand one-point victories in their clashes with Fechins, Collon and Moninne respectively.

In 2012, Pearse Og could still call on ten of the players who had featured in 2004, when they were captained to glory by David Mulholland.

The journey began with a 1-15 to 111 victory over St Fechins at the county grounds in mid-July. The Fechins went into the game buoyed by their draw with Mattock but Pearse Og struck first through Dave O’Mahony. Aidan Callan’s eighthminute goal made it 1-2 to no score and it was 1-6 to 0-1 after 20 minutes.

The Fechins battled back but three Brian McCabe points from play helped the winners take a 1-9 to 0-5 interval advantage.

Ten minutes from time, the underdogs hit a goal to close the gap to four points, 1-12 to 1-8. That led to a tense finish but the Dundalk club held on, with Gerard Smyth on target nine times over the hour.

At Ardee on July 27th, Pearse Og put one foot in the decider when they edged out Collon by 2-14 to 0-15. In a match that was regularly disrupted by the awarding of far too many frees, neither side really got into their stride.

Mattock got the first three points but the Green & Golds replied through

Gerard Smyth receives his county final Man of the Match award from Bob Doheny of Avonmore

Davy Mahony, Shane Callan and Gerard Smyth.

Frees were exchanged before full forward Mattie Boland fired a rocket to the net in the 12th minute. The four-point gap remained at the break, 1-9 to 0-8.

After Boland hit the first point following the restart, Mattock got three-in-a-row to close within two. It was nip and tuck until Aidan Callan settled the issue with a second Pearse Og goal in the 48th minute: 212 to 0-12. The Collon men rallied but excellent defending from Andy McCrave, Mattie Myles, Shane Callan, Noel Callan and co. ensured that the town side took both points.

The final berth was confirmed on Saturday, August 18th when town rivals Naomh Moninne were edged out by 2-12 to 1-14 in a derby thriller at Dowdallshill. It looked promising as the winners roared into a seven-point lead inside 20 minutes, with Aidan Callan’s goal putting the Holy Family parish brigade in command. In an incredible match, Moninne roared back to take the lead with ten minutes left. Mattie Boland’s late goal swung the pendulum back in Pearse Og’s favour as Gerard Smyth had another bumper day in front of the posts (0-8).

The side that beat Naomh Moninne was: Barry Myles; Matthew Myles, David Mulholland, Noel Callan; Donnach Callan, Shane Callan (0-1), Andrew McCrave; Gerard Smyth (0-8), Domhnall McArdle; Charlie O’Hagan, Gary O’Brien (0-1), Brian McCabe; David Mahony (0-1), Matthew Boland (1-0), Aidan Callan (1-1). Subs: Stephen O’Brien for G O’Brien, Paul Grimes for B McCabe, Philip McFaul for M Boland.

Andy McCrave lifts the Paddy Kelly Cup as Pearse Og are crowned Louth SHC winners

For the next four weeks, all attention was focussed on the county final as Pearse Og left no stone unturned in ensuring that they reached Louth hurling’s Holy Grail for the third time.

In the end, it was a historic year for one of the Wee County’s youngest clubs, who were also honoured at the Louth Supporter Club’s annual dinner dance when Shane Callan was named 2011 Hurler of the Year and club legend Damien Callan collected the Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Pearse Og Manager Brendan Mulholland urging on his troops

David Mahony pops over a Pearse Og score

Damian and Donnach Callan with Donnach's children Donovan and Sadie

The John Mitchels squad, front l/r: James Clarke, Darren Henry, Steven Coyle, Diarmuid Durnin, Robert Coyle, Gerry Griffin, Aaron Kane, Mark Rooney. Back: William Matthews, Brendan McMahon, David Durnin, Kevin McGahon, Stephen Campbell, Phil Smyth, Adrian Black, Alan Mackin, Brian Coyle, Mark Kerr

JOHN MITCHELS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

JOHN MITCHELS

2012 RESU

LTS

Ready for action, l/r: Adrian Black, William Matthews, Gerry Griffin, Steven Coyle, Phil Smyth, Mark Rooney, James Clarke, Mark Kerr, Diarmuid Durnin, Stephen Campbell, Brian Coyle, Kevin McGahon

MITCHELS OPTIMISTIC The past number of years have represented a relatively busy time for the John Mitchels club, with a lot of work being done to their clubrooms and pitch, culminating in the official opening of Pairc Sean Misteal. By Eunan Whyte.

T

he work on the field of play has also been continuing as the proud club aims to reestablish themselves as a force in Junior Football in the near future.

The Ballybailie side have endured a barren spell over the past number of years, but in recent seasons they have made progress and with the promise of some good young players coming through, there is a sense of optimism that they were very much on an upward curve at the moment.

It is probably a measure of the rising expectations that the John Mitchels will reflect on the 2012 campaign with a sense of disappointment, despite some encouraging displays.

Team captain, James Clarke,

Division 3 Wolfe Tone s 511 3-12 John John Mitche Mitchels ls 0-12 0-5 Annaghmin Dundalk Yo non Rovers ung Irelands 2-12 0-5 Jo John Mitche hn Mitchels ls 1-9 1-2 D owdallshill Lannleire 118 0-6 John M John Mitche itchels ls 0-6 8-17 Hunterstow St Nicholas n Rovers 08 2-9 John M John Mitche itchels ls 1-9 4-7 S ean McDer Westerns motts John Mitche 1-9 0-11 John Mitchels ls 1-8 1-11 Stabannon Glen Emmet Parnells s 1John Mitche 9 0-4 John Mitchels ls 1-5 2-13 St Kevins JFC St Nicholas 1-8 0-12 Jo Hunterstow hn Mitchels n Rovers 116 1-8 John Glen Emmet Mitchels s 2-12 0-8 John Mitche ls

reveals that although there were some impressive performances at times, they ended the year feeling that they could have make a bigger impression, particularly, on the league.

A good performance in the championship indicated that there is more in the team than their league position suggests, and the challenge is there to show an improvement in 2013.

“Three years ago we went through a season without winning a game but we put in a big effort to try to turn things around. Last year we showed signs of progress as we finished the season strongly by winning one competition and getting to the final of

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another,” explained James.

That bit of success gave the players a much needed confidence boost and they began the new campaign anxious to build on that progress.

However, as the captain pointed out, it didn’t go as well as they had hoped.

“Looking back over the season we have to admit that we are a bit disappointed with it overall. We had been hoping to make a better showing in the league and thought we would get a few more results, but there were a couple of games that we felt we left behind.

“We were competitive in a lot of matches but were disappointed that we didn’t pick up more points and we were left frustrated at finishing near

the foot of the Division 3 table.”

The season didn’t start too well for the Mitchels as they failed to pick up a point in the Kevin Mullen Shield, but nonetheless they went into the league hoping to get off to a good start against the Wolfe Tones.

“Unfortunately, we missed a good chance that day to get off the mark as we were five or six points up at half time and looking good.

However, they came back at us in the second half and we ended up losing the game, so that was definitely one that got away.

“We were also very disappointed to lose by a point to the Westerns in a game that we dominated but missed a number of goal chances.

Again we look back on that one feeling that we left it behind.

“Stabannon was another game that we have regrets over as we had chances to win, so that is six points we could have picked up that would have made a huge difference to our league position,” added James.

The season was not all disappointment for the Mid Louth side as they secured their first target of reaching the knock-out stages after qualifying from a testing group thanks to a memorable win over St Nicholas.

“There is no doubt that the

The John Mitchels minor squad

John Mitchels U16's celebrate

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championship was the highlight of our season.

We were given a tough draw along with one of the favourites, Hunterstown Rovers, and St Nicholas.

“We lost to Hunterstown in the first game but the big match was always going to be the Nicks and when they lost their first game it all came down to the last game of the group.

“We did really well in that encounter and it was probably the best we had played all year.

The odds were against us when the Nicks went ahead in the last quarter but we dug deep and got our reward as we came back to win in the end.

“That put us into the quarter-final against Glen Emmets and although we gave a good account of ourselves, they proved too strong. I thought we did well in the first half and had them under some pressure but we didn’t take the chances that would have put us in a stronger position. However, they are a good side and got on top after the break to win comfortably.

“I don’t think our cause was helped by the fact that we didn’t have a game for six weeks before that so our preparation wasn’t helped by that. It was the same last year and it makes it hard for lads to get themselves up for training

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James Clarke

Alan Macken

Stephen Campbell

when the game is so far away,” continued James.

Despite the ups and downs of 2012, James believes it won’t dampen the enthusiasm for next season and that they will start the new campaign with determination to push forward.

“Having finished near the bottom of the league this season, we really have to make a big effort to do better and aim for the top half. We have been in the quarter-final of the Junior Championship for the past two years so we have to look at repeating that at the very least, and perhaps challenging for a semi-final spot.”

To achieve those goals, James knows it is important to bring through some of the young players in order to strengthen the team.

“This season we had the likes of Brendan McDonald and Conor Reilly involved in the Junior Championship and next year there are other good young prospects such as Neil Reilly and Kevin Gallagher among others, to there is talent coming through.

“As is the case with most small rural clubs, we struggle for numbers at times so it is important that they young players in the club are encouraged to stick at it. The older players need a bit of competition for places and that will help raise our standards so there is hope for the future,” he continued.

According to James there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic and if they can blood some of the young players in the team next year, and get a few more wins under their belts, that will represent progress as they look to get back to challenging for the top honours once again.

Mark Griffin

149

Robert Coyle

Mark Rooney

Sean Reid presents the U16 Cup to John Mitchels’ captain Kevin Gallagher

On duty for the IFC final, front l/r: I Carr, D Duffy, C Long, K Cunningham, R Curran, S Fitzpatrick, JJ Quigley, P Gore, G Hoey, C McKeever, M McDonnell, P Martin. Back: A McGlynn, B Smith, D O'Hanlon, O Olajabu, B Begley, G Neary, M McGeown, E Roe, L Martin, C Noonan, P Gartland, S Grimes, M Newell

CLAN NA GAEL - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

CLAN NA GAEL

2012 RESU

LTS

Drew Duffy

FINAL AGONY FOR CLAN When it came to getting back on the training pitch at the start of the 2012 season the players and management at Clan na Gael needed little in the way of extra motivation. By Eunan Whyte.

W

ith the disappointment of losing the Intermediate Championship final to O Raghallaighs still fresh in the memory, their aim was to go all this way this year and clinch a return to senior football.

Given some impressive performances in the league over the previous season, they were also looking to secure a place back in Division 1 football.

That determination was evident throughout the season and while all those involved in the squad could not be faulted for effort, it was just one of those heart-breaking campaigns where they fell short on both counts.

Like many in the club, Clans PRO Maurice Harrison, was loud in his

Division 2 St Josephs 2-8 1-11 Cla n na nGael Clan na nG ael 4-18 19 Na Piarsai St Finbarr's gh 3-6 3-13 Cla n na nGael Clan na nG ael 3-12 012 St. Mary' Naomh Mal s achi 0-7 1-7 Clan na nG Clan na nG ael ael 1-11 1-12 Dundalk Gae Geraldines ls 0Roche Emm 7 2-20 Clan na nGael ets 2-4 4-7 Clan Clan na nG ael 0-11 1-13 na nGael St Fechins St Brides 0-10 3-13 C lan na nGae Clan na nG l ael 1-9 1-7 Clan na nG St Mochtas ael 1-10 1-17 St Mochtas – Playoff SF IF C St Josephs 2-5 0-12 Cla n na nGael Geraldines 0-11 1-8 Cla Clan na nG n na nGael ael 1-13 112 Roche E Clan na nG mmets – Q ael 1-9 1-9 F Sea Clan na nGae l 0-13 1-6 Sea n O Mahonys – SF n O Mahonys O'Connells – SF replay 1-9 1-7 Cla n na nGael - Final

praise of a team that finished joint top of the Division 2 league and reached the championship final for a second successive year, but was bitterly disappointed to finish with nothing to show for their efforts.

“After missing out last year, we were really determined to get over the line this season and we set out to win the league and championship.

“We put in some great performances in Division 2 and we believe that over the course of the year we were the best team in the league. We actually finished on top, ahead of both Dundalk Gaels and St Mochtas on score difference, but as it was decided on a head-to-head, we missed out on promotion,” he explained.

151

“There were two games in that campaign that ultimately proved decisive. Firstly, we had a four point lead at home to the Gaels with four minutes remaining and lost to a goal in injury time, while in our next home game we lost out to St Brides. That was probably the most disappointing as we just didn’t perform, and looking back those two points would have made all the difference,” continued Maurice.

Although Clans won their final league game against St Mochtas on a dramatic night, the Gaels’ victory over Naomh Malachi ensured the Ramparts side went up as champions.

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152

a play-off against St Mochtas, but they were unable to lift themselves but Maurice admits that they can have no complaints about losing out to a very impressive St Mochtas outfit.

The Castletown club didn’t have too much time to dwell on that defeat as they were also involved in the knock-out stages of the championship and determined to make amends for 2011.

They had every reason to be confident as they came through a very tough group to reach the quarter-final. In the opening game they scored a one-point win over St Josephs and followed up with a draw against Geraldines to finish top. That set up a clash with neighbours, Roche Emmets, which they scraped through by a point.

A meeting with town rivals, Sean

The Clan Na Gael 1987 team were honoured prior to the Louth SFC final in Drogheda

O’Mahonys, was next up and despite letting a six point lead slip in the closing minutes of the drawn game, the Clans recovered well to win the replay by four points.

Going into the final against O’Connells, Maurice points out that there was plenty of self-belief within the squad although they knew it was going to be a difficult task. However, unfortunately they didn’t do themselves justice and the

The Clan Na Gael U14's

The talented Clan Na Gael minor squad

153

Bellingham side claimed the title.

“It was great for the whole club – not just the players - to be preparing for a championship final as it lifts everyone. We felt our preparation was right but the most disappointing thing is that in the biggest game of the year we put in our worst performance. I don’t think anybody can pinpoint what went wrong but it is very frustrating to look back and think even if we had played a bit in the second half we could have won.

“We did have a bit of momentum when we got back to a point and many of us believe we should have had a penalty. However, we know that if we had come back it would have been daylight robbery,” explained Maurice who is determined that the team will learn from the experience and come back even stronger next year.

That defeat wasn’t the only championship disappointment for the club as Clan na Gael also went into the 2012 season with high hopes in the Minor, but unfortunately that competition will be remembered for matters off the field of play.

A thrilling semi-final meeting with O’Connells/Stabannon/St Josephs in Dowdallshill saw the official score recorded as 2-13 to 2-12 in favour of the combination. However, many observers and those taking notes on the game had the scores level at the end, resulting in the Clans lodging an appeal and the opposition counterappeal which delayed the final.

Despite the controversy surrounding the game, Maurice explained that the club were only trying to ensure justice was done for the players.

“We, like a lot of people in the ground, felt that this was simply a case of human error and that an extra

point had been awarded incorrectly.

As a result, we felt it we owed it to our players to ask the question. We were willing to go through all the channels required to see justice done, although nobody expected that it would be dragged out for so long.

“We were always prepared to accept whatever final decision was made but we believed the club had a duty to do all it could for the players,” explained the PRO. Away from such controversy, the club also enjoyed success at underage level with the U13 team under Fra Byrne and Gerry Curran winning the Feile. Fittingly that team was captained by Ryan McAllister, whose father, Andrew, was a stalwart of the club before his untimely death last year.

Meanwhile, the U16 team finished top of the Division 2B league only to lose out in the final, and made it to the semi-final of the championship’s top grade. The Minor team were also due to contest the league final.

In recent times, the club have put a lot of work into the Ladies Football section and thanks to the efforts of Paula Harrison, Bernie Wesley, Mary Hoey, Geraldine Cooney, Chris Doyle, Sonya Gernon, Cormac Woods, Gerry Smyth and Sharon Donnelly, that is really taking off at the moment.

The Clan na Gael club are well known for their involvement in the community and this year saw them host an event in memory of one of their most loyal members, with the inaugural Paddy Kelly 5K Road Race.

Representing the club at U13 level

The up and coming U9's

Under 13 Division 3A league winning captain Ryan McAllister

The U16 squad

154

Clans captain Ryan McAllister receives the Feile 2A Cup from Michael Boyle Start them young - the U7's

Maurice explained that Paddy was a hard working committee member at the time of his death while out running with friends.

“Because of his involvement with the North East Runners, we felt that an annual road race would be a fitting way to remember him. Paul Gray was the man who took on with the project and really made it happen, with myself and Gerry Hoey helping out.

“It turned out to be a huge success with over 600 taking part so we are really looking forward to next year’s even,” explained Harrison.

The other big events that will be remembered off the field of play included the function to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1987 Senior Championship winning team, while the club’s first Cardinal O’Donnell Cup victory in 1982 was also honoured.

Lining out for the U10's was this promising squad

Paul Gore

The Clan Na Gael U12's

155

Lining out for the Westerns in 2012, front l/r: Patrick Kerley, Seamus Peppard, Anthony Durnin, Aiden McGarrell, Brian Martin, Shane McGowan, Ciaran Scriven, Jonathon Brennan.

Back: David Byrne, Ciaran Campbell, Andrew Kerr, James Ward, Niall Moynagh, Stephen Boylan, Conor Kerr, Colin Martin, Sean McGuinness

WESTERNS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

WESTERNS

2012 RESU

LTS

Conor Kerr

REAGHSTOWN REVOLUTION Something is stirring in the Reaghstown air. Westerns were an almost unrecognisable beast in 2012 as an influx of youth and a newfound sense of focus saw them string together a series of impressive league performances, culminating in a sixth-place finish in Division Three. This represents a substantial improvement for the club and ace attacker Stephen Boylan is confident that there’s plenty more in the tank.

H

aving barely registered in the previous two league campaigns, Westerns took the bull by the horns in 2012 and raised many eyebrows with their performances. Particularly on their home patch, they took a lot of teams by surprise. The end result was that they came within two points of forcing a league play-off spot.

Score-getter Stephen Boylan says it was a very encouraging year for all connected to the club. And it didn’t happen by chance. Westerns had a clear vision of where they wanted to

Division 3 Annaghmin non Rovers 1-8 2-15 W Westerns 2esterns 2 2-11 Dun dalk Young Dowdallshi Irelands ll 2-11 0-5 W esterns Westerns 26 0-10 Lann Hunterstow leire n Rovers 111 2-4 Wes Westerns 1terns 9 110 St Nicho Sean McDer las motts 2-11 19 Westerns Westerns 19 0-11 John Stabannon Mitchels Parnells 110 2-15 Wes Westerns 1terns 8 1-10 Glen Emmets St Kevins 112 1-13 Weste Westerns 2rns 12 2-11 Wol fe Tones Foo tball JF C Westerns 28 0-18 Sea n McDermot Westerns 2ts 8 2-16 Wol fe Tones

go this season and they stuck to that plan faithfully: “At the start of the season, we decided that we were going to concentrate on the league. Our manager, David Martin, who has been in charge for the past two years, sat down with us and told us we needed to focus more on the league.

We had been finishing second- and third-from-bottom, so that was an area we targeted for improvement.

“We started the year quite well in the Kevin Mullen Shield, with two wins, two defeats and two draws. We

157

were in good enough form going into the league and we finished sixth in Division Three, just two points off the play-offs. We had twelve points this year compared to just four in 2011.

Even though we missed the top five, we were happy with that.”

It didn’t go quite according to script in the main competition, however: “The championship was a let-down.

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The numbers attending training have greatly increased in the past year with over 40 kids turning out every Saturday.

The children range from 4-12 and the club is always welcoming new members.

Grounds], who improved a lot this year. We would like to have beaten either of them and to have progressed to the quarter-finals but we weren’t too upset because out main focus was the league.

“Our home performances this year were very good. We only lost by one point to the Nicks and Glen Emmets only beat us by two points. We could easily have won either of those matches and we were disappointed not to win both of them. We also could have beaten Hunterstown Rovers on their own pitch.

“All in all, the improvement from 2011 was huge. These are games we were losing by 15-20 points last year and all of a sudden we were competing.

“The only game we got trounced in was against Dowdallshill in the league but we were missing a lot of players that day and we just didn’t show up. We went up and played them in the Shield the following week and beat them by 20 points, so the defeat was definitely a one-off. Apart from that one slip-up, we had a very good campaign.”

Fair to say that – with the influx of fresh faces – things are looking good for Westerns long-term? “Yes. This year we had four or five new players, who were all minors and came through from the Baile Talun set-up and they are making a big difference.

Not just bringing in the youth but also in terms of increasing competition for places in the team, keeping the older lads on their toes.”

The likes of ‘Macca’ and co. have served Westerns above and beyond

are really just kids and they just love the call of duty… “I wouldn’t like to write any of them off yet because their football and can’t get enough of they are still great players and they it. Football is their hobby and they are have proven that they can soldier on, full of enthusiasm, which is what you but the older lads in the team are all want. in their late 30s now – Brendan “There’s a great buzz around the McMahon, Brian Martin and Seamus clubhouse and throughout the parish, Peppard – and I suppose we will especially for games like Lannleire inevitably lose them at some stage. where we were underdogs but beat They have been brilliant servants to them by two points. That was a the club but time is against them. So Best Wishes To Westerns GAA In 2013 From it’s important that we have the young blood coming through and also that they’ve got to Specialists In the learn from the manufacture of Windows, veterans in the Doors, Stairs, Sliding Sash team.

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massive day for Westerns. And other games that we lost by one or two points where traditionally we would have lost by 20. There was great excitement surrounding the games this year.”

What is the logical goal for 2013?

“There is no point going backwards. If we go back, then 2012 will have been a waste of time. We have to kick on.

We have improved threefold in the league and my aim – and I think the rest of the players and backroom would agree with me – would be to get into the Division Three play-offs.

Fifth place or better. Just a slight improvement on this year but we know it will take a lot of work to finish that one place higher.

“We’ll want to get to the knockout stage of the junior championship, too.

We didn’t make the quarter-finals this year and that was a step back. We were disappointed about that, even though the league was our main priority. Next year, hopefully we’ll have a strong enough squad to push on in both competitions.

“I believe - going by our performances this year compared to 2010 and 2011 - that things can only get better for Westerns over the next two or three years provided we keep our focus. As those minors get physically stronger and cuter – and the rest of us pick it up as well – we can certainly improve. Hopefully we will soon be getting our hands on a bit of silverware.”

Stephen joined Westerns in 2008, having played his underage football with nearby Monaghan club Carrickmacross Emmets. He’s a Westerns man through and through now and is already looking forward to the new season: “We also have the likes of John Murray and Gerry Curtis – both of whom missed 2012 with season-long injuries - and Anthony Durnin – who we only really used as a sub as he was going to Australia - coming back and that will be a great bonus as we’ll effectively have three new players and competition for places will be stronger.”

The revolution could gather pace in ’13. These are exciting times around Reaghstown and long may it continue!

The U8 squad, front l/r: Cathal Kennedy, Abagail Martin, Cian Kennedy, Killian Crosbie, Grace McEnaney, Jack Martin. Back: James Maguire, Tadhg King, Lachlan King, Shane McEnaney, Daragh Osborn, Tom Maguire, Kayleigh Kennedy

Representing the Westerns at U9, front l/r: Killian Crosbie, Jack Martin, Tom Maguire, Abagail Martin, Adah Murphy. Back: James Maguire, Matthew Kane, Jack McEvoy, James Cahill, Avav Crosbie

This year saw the revival of the girls club in the Westerns with the formation of an U10 team.

It was a great success with the girls wining the majority of their games throughout the six blitzes we participated in. Players are Sarah Gilmore, Ceola and Erin Brennan, Leah Mc Mahon, Eimear Kindlon, Ciara Owens, Ava Crosbie, Emily Scriven, Maggie King, Adah Murphy and Charlotte Osborn. Also in photo are some of the Westerns coaches, l/r: Aisling Scriven, Darren Crosbie, Paul Kennedy, Martin Kane and Willie Martin. We were also very grateful to receive sponsorship from V&W Recycling (Willie Martin) to purchase a set of jerseys for our girls team at the start of the year

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SEAN O’MAHONYS

2012 RESU

LTS

Ben McLoughlin sets himself

NOBODY PUTS SEANS IN A CORNER Since returning to the Division 1 ranks, Sean O’Mahonys have gained a reputation as a side that can be very difficult to play against and one with a huge amount of character that has the capability of beating any team – particularly when their backs are against the wall.

I

t is a reputation that is probably the result of many battles to stay in the top flight and despite brief flirtations with relegation in recent years, the Point Road club have always managed to produce the results required to stay up.

While many clubs would be happy to be known for such qualities, the Seans have become determined to see themselves as club with more lofty ambitions than merely securing survival.

In that regard, they may well look

Sean O’Mah Division 1 onys 0-11 05G O'Connells 2-11 0-8 Sea lyde Rangers Sean O’Mah n O Mahon ys onys 1-5 08 Naomh M Sean O’Mah airtin on ys 16 2-18 St P Mattock Ran atricks gers 2-8 28 Sean O’M Dreadnots ahonys 0-11 1-11 S ean O’Mah Oliver Plunk onys etts 0-6 2-7 Sean O’Mah Sean O’Mah onys onys 1-10 1Cooley Kic 9 Newtown khams 1-10 Blues 25 Sean O’M Sean O’ Mah ahonys onys 1-8 012 Kilkerley O`Raghalla Emmets ighs 2-7 2-6 Sean O’Mah onys IFC Sean O’Mah onys 2-20 08 Na Piarsai St Fechins gh 1-10 0-8 Sea St Brides 0n O’Mahon ys 8 1-13 Sea n O’Mahon Clan na nG ys - QF ae Clan na nGae l 1-9 1-9 Sean O’Mah onys - SF l 0-13 1-6 Sea n O’Mahonys – SF replay

back at the 2012 season as a turning point when then proved they can compete on a consistent basis after producing in one of their best league campaigns in quite some time.

According to captain, Conor Finnegan, there may have been a sense of disappointment that they didn’t build on a very good start and push for a place in the top four, but overall it was a very satisfactory season with some very impressive results that will serve to boost the confidence of the young side.

161

“I think over the last few years we have struggled at the bottom of the league and our main aim at the start of each season has been to secure survival. As a result, I suppose that we feel we have not really established ourselves as a fully recognised senior club and to do that you have to play consistently well over a number of campaigns,” he explained.

As a result, Conor pointed out that they began the season determined to put a big effort into the league to

Sean O'Mahonys seniors, front l/r: T. Delduca, K. Quinn, D. Crawley, M. Clarke, D. Brennan, C. Finnegan, N. McLoughlin, B. Traynor, M. Crawley. Back: G. Gray, P. Byrne, C. Martin, L. Dullaghan, C. Crawley, B. Nordon, K Brennan, B O’Brien, D Dowling, E Hanratty, C McGeown

SEAN O’MAHONYS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

The Seans' minors, front l/r: M. White, K. Carroll, L. Clarke, S. Matthews, J. Connolly, B. Stevens, L. McKenny, A. McKenna, S. Callan, C. Murphy.

Back: R. Clarke, P. Byrne, L. Bradley, D. McKenny, C. McGeown, D. Williams, G. Gray, S. Kilcoyne, B. McGuirk, E. Farrell

ensure they were not dragged into the basement battle. Although the O’Mahonys suffered the setback of having to plan without John and Pat O’Brien along with Conor Martin due to emigration, they soon began to see the reward for their efforts.

The Division 1 campaign began with a game against a Glyde Rangers side who were also expected to be in the

relegation battle and victory on that day provided a huge confidence boost.

While the Dundalk men suffered defeats to O’Connells and St Patricks either side of a draw with Naomh Mairtin, they were not short of self belief and that manifested itself in a four-game run that not only had them safe from the drop, but also

challenging for the top four.

A draw with Mattock Rangers was followed by consecutive wins over Dreadnots, Oliver Plunketts and Newtown Blues to put the team on a very comfortable 10 points. That left the team in a strong position to challenge for the O’Donnell Cup semi-final and according to the captain, it was disappointing that they

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The Sean O'Mahonys U16's, front l/r: S Callan, P Hoey, A Williams, R Galligan, D Curran, D Durnin, D Killeen. Back: S Murphy, V Smith, K Bracken, S Matthews, E Farrell, S Lawless, M White, L Bradley Niall McLoughlin

didn’t build on those results.

The Seans travelled to a struggling Cooley in the next game knowing that victory would have put them very much in the shake-up, but they were unable to sustain the momentum and after that loss finished the year with two further defeats.

“There is no doubt that we put in a number of great performances along the way. When you consider that we defeated the likes of the Dreadnots away and the Blues, while drawing with Mattock Rangers in Collon, it was a very good season from our point of view.

“I suppose the only thing is that we didn’t manage to push on in the final games of the league. I think there was feeling that once we had done enough to stay up we perhaps took our foot off the pedal a bit.

“With three or four games to go we were up at the top and very much in with a shout for top four, but it just didn’t happen for us. That is a bit of a regret for us as it would have been a great for the players and the management team under Alan Craven to make it to a senior semifinal,” explained Conor.

However, the positive side for the O’Mahonys is that the young players have gained a huge amount from the season and will head into 2013 knowing they have nothing to fear.

“While there was definitely a bit of disappointment at the end, I think we have to look at the league season overall as being successful. We now know what we are capable of and I think in the long run it will be a huge benefit to us.

“Winning games gives players huge confidence and that is particularly important for the young lads in the team. They have now proved to themselves that they can compete with the likes of Mattock, Dreadnots and Blues and shouldn’t fear playing them in the future,” added Finnegan.

The result of that confidence-boost is that the Sean O’Mahonys can The U8's, front l/r: K Bailey, T Watters, J Breen, L McArdle, S McCormack. Back: D Shields, T Cassidy, C Bradley, S Hearthy, look ahead to 2013 E O’Hanrahan, K Redmond. Mentors: Gerard Redmond, with justifiable Gerry McCormack

164

The Crawley brothers Conor and David

Gavan Smith captained the U13 Division 3B League winning side

optimism, particularly as they now boast a very young squad.

“Although we feel we could have done even better in the league this year, it does allow us to go into next year with more belief and the experience should stand to us.

“It is great that we have such a young squad and at 25 I am probably the third or fourth oldest, as there is a great crop of players around 21 or 22 years. We really believe that there is great potential in the club and that we are capable of building on what we have achieved this year,” he added.

Conor also suggests that the league form will also benefit the team when it comes to the championship as they aim to get back to the senior ranks after falling short again this season.

For the second successive year they failed to get past the semi-final and he is hoping that they can make a serious challenge for the Intermediate title in the coming years.

“I suppose the Intermediate Championship for us was a bit like the league in that we played well in the group stages and the quarter-final but were disappointed not to go one better than last year and at least make the final.

“We began with the aim of improving on last year and we started well with a comfortable win against Na Piarsaigh. It was nice to start with a victory in a local derby and as it turned out, that was enough to get us through and defeat to St Fechins didn’t affect us.

“We had St Brides in the quarterfinal and that was a tough prospect as they had been senior for years, but we played well that night and a goal from the very impressive Stephen Kilcoyne helped send us through,” explained Conor.

The reward for that win was a semifinal meeting with neighbours Clans, but Conor accepts that his side didn’t play well in both the drawn game and replay and overall can have few complaints.

Despite the failure to have more to show for their efforts, the captain is satisfied that they can look at the year as a success overall and they have every reason to be optimistic.

“I believe that things are going well for the club at the moment and we have every reason to look forward to 2013 but it is important to build on what we have done this year,” added Conor.

The Under 13's, front l/r: E Kirk, M McCallim, A Carr, G Markey, C Mackin, C Jameson, K McEvoy. Back: T Moran, L Gorham, G Smith, M Walsh, P McConville, C Stafford, K McCormack, C Sage

Representing the club at U9 level, front l/r: L McArdle, T Cassidy, C Smyth, D O’Malley, A Smyth, A Markey. Back: B Carroll, O Breen, S Hearthy, C Bradley, S Cassidy, T Toner, B Fitzsimons

The U12's, front l/r: C Kenny, E Kirk, D Carroll, M McCallim, J O’Connor, L Kearney, C Black.

Back: T. Moran, K. McCormack, L. Gorham, A. Carr, Chaderack, C Mackin, T Kelly, M Walsh

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Representing St Kevins, front l/r: Stephen Matthews, Matthew Boylan, Colin Byrne, Emmet Callan, Seanie Crosbie, Michael Grogan, Andrew Hynes, Patrick Gregory, Mark Boylan Back: Iain Wogan, Liam Boylan, James Boylan, David King, Bart Landy, Jeffrey Meehan, Stephen Harmon, Paul Brennan, Aiden Craven, Alan Gregory

ST. KEVINS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

ST. KEVINS Full back Paddy Gregory gets in a clearance

BIG IMPROVEMENT FROM THE KEVINS For St Kevins, 2012 was their best campaign since the 2006 junior championship success. But the players weren’t happy with a mid-table finish in the league and a place in the knockout stage of the JFC! Team captain Andrew Hynes, who had an excellent year, is encouraged by this and feels that the Philipstown men can kick on big time in the coming season.

W

ithout ever mounting a realistic promotion bid, St Kevins held their own in Division Three of the all-county football league, finishing slap bang in the middle of the table with twelve points from twelve outings, with six teams above them and six below.

After a slow start to the year, they had to wait until the first Sunday in May

2012 RESU

LTS

D St Kevins 2- ivision 3 8 2-9 Glen Emmet Stabannon Parnells s 2-7 0-4 S t Kevin St Kevins 113 2-6 Wolfe To s Annaghmin nes non Rovers 3-5 St Kevins 18 0-3 Dunda 3-15 St Kevins lk Young Irel Dowdallshi ands ll 0-4 2-14 St Kevins St Kevins 07 1-9 Lann Hunterstow leire n Rovers 416 1-6 St K St Kevins 0ev 13 05 St Nichola ins Sean McDer s motts 5-12 2-11 St St Kevins 112 1-13 Wes Kevins John Mitche terns ls 1-5 2-13 St Kevins JFC St Kevins 18 2-11 Oliv er Plunketts St Kevins 311 0-5 Dow Sean McDer dallshill motts 0-16 0-7 St Kevin s – QF

for their first victory, when Wolfe Tones were downed by 1-13 to 2-6.

All in all, the league campaign was neither spectacular nor dreadful, an exercise in consistency really, as the Philipstown men showed that they can hold their own in the division but were not good enough to push for a place in Division Two. So it’s a case of further improvement required…

167

Likewise the junior championship, where – despite a gallant effort – the Kevins failed to make it through to the last four. But they did emerge from their group to contest a quarter-final against in-form Sean McDermotts, slipping out of Christy Bellew Cup contention on a 0-13 to 0-7 scoreline in mid-August.

All in all, team captain Andrew

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The Baile Talun St Kevins U14 1B league winners, front l/r: Aaron Devlin, Shane Farrell, Paul McArdle, Shane Meade, Evan Doheny, Patrick Clarke, Liam Cumiskey, Cillian McCullough, Mac Cumiskey, Aaron Khan. Back: Eoilann Aikan, Dion Conlon, James Meade, Declan Taaffe, Cian Callan, Enda McKenna, Cian Commins, Paul Duff, Barry Callan, Aaron Roche. Missing from photo: Michael Bothwell

Hynes was reasonably content: “The season panned out fairly well.

Coming towards the middle of the year, we were doing quite well in the league but we died off a bit towards the end and just missed out on the play-offs.

“For the championship quarter-final, we were unlucky to have two midfielders injured, as well as another key man, so we went in without our full-strength team. But there was still a good feeling in the camp going into that game.”

The championship draw had pitted the Kevins in Group C alongside Oliver Plunketts and Dowdallshill, with the top two guaranteed a quarter-final place. As draws go, this was far from the worst possible…

The opener, however, was a tricky assignment – against Division One outfit Oliver Plunketts at the Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda on Thursday night, July 19th. Having earned a draw with eventual winners St Fechins in the 2011 JFC, St Kevins had proven that they are capable of

St Kevins ladies celebrate their IFC win

169

delivering on the big day and they went into the Plunketts match high on confidence. A sterling display was duly produced and the underdogs found themselves within striking distance at the interval, 0-5 to 0-3.

But the concession of a goal from the penalty spot after the restart left St Kevins playing catch-up and by the time substitute Niall Treadwell found the net at the other end it was too late. Andrew Hynes performed well both in defence and attack, while the place-kicking of corner forward Liam Boylan was highly impressive. The final scoreline read: Oliver Plunketts 2-11 St Kevins 1-8. It wasn’t the end of the world for the losers as they could still progress to the business end of the competition if they beat Dowdallshill in their second group game seven days later…

The side on duty against Oliver Plunketts was: Paul Brennan; Alan Gregory, Geoffrey Meehan, Andrew Hynes (0-1); Patrick Duff, Michael Grogan, James Boylan; Aidan Carter, Seanie Crosbie; Conor McCullough, Andrew Campbell, Ian Wogan; Bart Landy, Matthew Boylan, Liam Boylan (0-1). Subs: Niall Treadwell (1-0), Patrick Gregory.

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Bailie Talun St Kevins captain Aaron Roche with the U14 1B League Cup

Mickey Grogan

Paul Brennan

Dowdallshill in Tallanstown on Thursday, July 26th. They were in cruise control from start to finish as they progressed to the last eight in considerable style on the back of a 311 to 0-5 success.

Plunketts had already beaten both teams to top the group so this was a straight shoot-out for second place.

Kevins never looked back from the moment Andrew Hynes cut through the ‘Hill defence to plant the ball in the net inside the opening minute.

Hynes and Liam Boylan followed up with more scores and an unanswered four-point salvo before the break sent them in at the interval with a sevenpoint cushion, 1-6 to 0-2.

The one-way traffic continued after the restart and St Kevins found themselves in such ascendancy that they could afford to rack up a disappointing 23 wides – and still win by 15 points! Team captain Hynes and midfielder Geoffrey Meehan added the second and third goals while – for the second time in eight days – Boylan slotted over seven championship points.

The team that took Dowdallshill to the cleaners was: Paul Brennan; Patrick Gregory, Ian Wogan, James Boylan; Alan Gregory, Michael Grogan, Andrew Campbell (0-1); Aidan Carter (0-1), Geoffrey Meehan (1-0); Bart Landy, Sean Crosbie, Andrew Hynes (2-1); David Strokes (0-1), Liam Boylan (0-7), Patrick Duff.

Sub: Niall Treadwell.

Sean McDermotts provided opposition at the quarter-final stage and the Mountrush men justified favouritism with a six-point victory at Ardee on a day when the Kevins never really got going (Sunday, August 19th).

The match formed part of a quarterfinal double header and the outcome could have been a lot different had the Philipstown men enjoyed even a modicum of luck in front of the posts as two first-half goal efforts struck the woodwork: Andrew Hynes was disappointed to see his rasper rebound into play off a post while Aidan Craven’s shot clipped the top of the crossbar and went over for a point.

The result of those two near misses

171

Aidan Craven

The evergreen Liam Boylan

Jeffrey Meehan

was that St Kevins trailed by three points at the interval, 0-7 to 0-4, and the winners controlled proceedings thereafter to advance to a semi-final clash with Lannleire. How St Kevins would love to have been taking their place in that particular match!

While the opening game on the quarter-final double bill was played in glorious sunshine, the rain spilled down for the Kevins / Seans match.

The Seans bagged the first three points only for Bob Doheny and Noel Litchfield’s charges to reply through Hynes and Liam Boylan. Boylan’s ‘45’ had the underdogs back within two points upon the resumption but the winners stepped it up a gear to progress, while St Kevins’ frustration was summed up by the dismissal of centre forward Andrew Campbell with a straight red card near the end.

If either of those two first-half near misses had hit the net, it could have been a different result entirely. “A goal just before half time could have completely changed the game because they were only two points up at the break,” Hynes reflects. “On the

The U13's, front l/r: P. Maguire, B. Davis, E. Doheny, S. Meade, J. Callan, R. Sands, D. Crosbie, J. Taaffe. Back: D. Maher, M. Carroll, E. McKenna, A. Khan, J. Kieran, M. Cumiskey, M. Downes, N. Kerr

other hand, not getting the goals set us back as the heads probably dropped a bit. The weather on the day was also difficult to cope with, the way it kept changing, but it was the same for both teams.”

The hope now is that the Kevins can kick on: “There is progress being made and there is a good feeling up there in the club,” notes the 2012 captain. “And we have three young

The St. Kevin's/Stabannon Parnells Ladies U12s

The St Kevins squad on duty for the senior league shield final against Geraldines.

172

players coming up through the ranks, who trained with us this year but were too young to play. I think those lads will be well fit to drive us on next year.

We had a good season and we hope to build on it in 2013.

“There was a good atmosphere in the team all year, with Noel Litchfield brought in as a coach and David Carry doing the fitness training. We had most of the squad out training every night and it was better numbers-wise than I’d seen it before.

We were also a lot fitter this year than before and that made a big difference. Together, Bob Doheny and Noel did a great job running the team and we think we made a lot of progress.

“It was a good all-round team effort but, at the same time, we feel we should have done a lot better. The lads were all annoyed that we didn’t go further in both competitions.

Losing to the Seans and missing the Top Five was very disappointing and we were upset not to get something from the year.

“That’s a really good sign because there were other years when we played a lot worse and the lads seemed to be happy enough. This was our best year since winning the JFC in 2006 and still the lads weren’t happy. So hopefully they will push on now.”

The goal for 2013? “First of all, I’d be hoping to do better in the league and at least get to the play-offs. And there’s no reason why we can’t go a bit further in the championship

The U10's, front l/r: Brandon Johnson, Joe McArdle, Daniel O'Connell, Tom Matthews, Keith Stokes, Sean Powderly. Back: Brian Callaghan, Evan Maher, Conor McArdle, Josh Finlay, Caolan McMullan, James Stokes

Representing the club at U8, front l/r: Cian Martin, Katie Doheny, Adam Cromwell. Back: Josh Lynch, Cathal Burke, Tomas Guinan, Stephen McCullough

because we were unlucky with injuries and also have a few fresh faces coming in now, so we’ll be pushing for a semi-final or even better.”

The St Kevins side that squared up to Sean McDermotts in the 2012 Louth JFC quarter-final was: Paul Brennan; Alan

Gregory, Ian Wogan, Bart Landy; Patrick Duff, Michael Grogan, Conor McCullough; Patrick Gregory, Sean Crosbie (0-1); Aidan Craven (0-1), Andrew Campbell, Andrew Hynes (0-1); James Boylan, Stephen Harmon, Liam Boylan (0-4). Subs: David Stokes, Mark Boylan, Niall Treadwell.

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ST. PATRICKS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

ST.PATRICK’S

2012 RESU

LTS

St Patricks marching to another senior championship win

LORDS OF THE MANOR The Pats completed back-to-back SFC successes for the second time in 2012, beating Dreadnots in the final at the county grounds on Sunday, October 7th. The win means the Lordship men have now won the Joe Ward Cup in five of the last ten seasons, making them very much the dominant force in the Wee County.

T

he ‘Big Three’ became the ‘Big One’ in 2012 as St Patricks proved beyond doubt that they are the premier force in Louth club football. As the Joe Ward Cup winters in Lordship for the fifth time in a decade (2003, ’04, ’07, ’11 and ’12), the Pats can look back with great satisfaction on a SFC campaign that comprised victories over Dreadnots, Naomh Mairtin, Mattock Rangers, Cooley Kickhams and Dreadnots again.

As well as retaining the senior championship, they were also a force in the senior league, finishing top of the Division One table and powering through to the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup final with a semi-final win over the Mairtins. At the time of writing, the

Division 1 St Patricks 0-15 0-2 Kilk erley Emm Mattock Ran ets gers 1-8 010 St Patric St Patricks ks 214 28 Dreadnots Sean O’Mah onys 1-6 218 St Patric Naomh Mai ks rtin 1-6 1-5 St Patricks St Patricks 0-12 0-8 O 'C O`Raghalla ighs 0-8 1-11 onnells St Patricks St Patricks 0-11 0-7 Gly de Rangers Oliver Plunk etts 1-6 1-9 St Patricks St Patricks 0-10 0-10 N ewtown Blu Cooley Kic es khams 1-5 0-11 St Pat St Patricks ricks 2-13 1-13 N aomh Mairt St Patricks in – SF v O’Connells – final SFC Dreadnots 2-2 3-19 St P Naomh Mai rtin 0-6 0-13 atricks St Patricks St Patricks 2-14 0-12 M attock Ran Cooley Kic gers - QF khams 0-6 2-7 St Patric Dreadnots ks - S 0-7 1-13 St Patricks - fin F al

Cardinal O’Donnell Cup final had yet to be played. The Pats were due to face O’Connells, who were also bidding for a famous double, having won the intermediate football championship. The game had been put on the long finger as both clubs had provincial club campaigns to negotiate.

Indeed, St Patricks pushed it back even further when they opened their Leinster senior club programme with a fantastic 1-9 to 1-7 victory over Offaly champions Rhode at O’Connor Park, Tullamore on Sunday, October 28th - a real shot in the arm for Louth football!

Unfortunately, the provincial campaign came to an end in Newbridge on Sunday, November 11th when Kildare champions

175

Sarsfields prevailed by 1-12 to 2-6 in a hard-fought quarter final. All in all, it was a memorable and historic year for the mighty Pats. And it was still ongoing as the clocks went back and winter started to take hold.

Phenomenal stuff from one of the Wee County’s all-time greatest club teams!

In the 2012 Louth SFC final against Dreadnots, the reigning champions made sure that complacency didn’t creep into their game as they started with great authority and took control thanks to an Aidan McCann goal just before the short whistle. Pats had registered the first five points courtesy of Paddy Keenan, Eoin O’Connor, Eamon Carroll and Daniel O’Connor (two) and never looked

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The standard bearers of Louth club football, front l/r: Paddy White, Jamie O'Hare, Ray Finnegan, Conor Grogan, Alan O'Connor, Karl White, Aidan McCann, Paudie Mallon, Eamon Breen, Thomas McCann, Stephen Toner, Simon O'Shaughnessy. Back: Colin Noonan, Colin McCann, Barry Corcoran, Ciaran McCann, Conor Loughran, Eamonn Carroll, Darren O'Hanlon, Paddy Keenan, Sean O'Connor, Colin Goss, Dessie Finnegan, Kevin Toner, Martin Breen, Eoin O'Connor, Evan White

back as they roared to an emphatic 113 to 0-7 victory at the Gaelic Grounds.

McCann’s three-pointer – after a Paddy Keenan effort had dropped short – made it 1-7 to 0-4 at the break (with Karl White and Eoin O’Connor notching the other first-half points) and four points were shared during the third quarter. The Lordship men then reeled off four of the last five scores to retain the Joe Ward Cup with considerable comfort.

It was fitting that the inimitable Keenan opened and closed the scoring in the decider as the Pats proved beyond any reasonable doubt that they are a class apart in Louth right now.

St Patricks – 2012 Louth SFC winners: Sean Connor; Jamie O'Hare, Dessie Finnegan, Darren O'Hanlon; Evan White (0-1), Colin Goss, Owen Zamboglou; Paddy Keenan (0-2), Paudie Mallon; Eamon Carroll (0-1), Eoin O'Connor (0-4), Aidan McCann (1-1); Ray Finnegan, Karl White (0-1), Daniel O'Connor (03). Subs: Eamonn Breen for A McCann; Martin Breen for E White; Kevin Toner for O Zamboglou; Barry Corcoran for S Connor.

Louth captain Keenan had sat out the opening-round victory over Dreadnots at Haggardstown on Saturday, July 21st. Paudie Mallon and Colin Goss manned the midfield in his absence that night and

manager Fergal Reel kept his All Stat talisman in reserve as the Pats romped to a 3-19 to 2-3 success.

Daniel O’Connor hit the opening score and Eamon Carroll followed up with a second point after seeing his goal effort saved. When Eoin O’Connor thumped over a stunning 20thminute score, the winners led by 0-6 to 01.

The O’Connor brothers added 1-3

The promising U10's

The U13 crew

177

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Stephen Gartland accepts the U14 Division 2A league trophy

Manager Fergal Reel

Evan White

between them as the Pats took a commanding 1-9 to 0-2 interval advantage.

Sean Connor executed a decent save shortly after the restart before Owen Zamboglou, Aidan McCann and Karl White added points. Two Dreadnots goals only seemed to bring more class out of the Pats, who replied with a salvo of 2-5 including a terrific Ray Finnegan major. Eoin O’Connor finished the match with 16, while brother Danny contributed 13 and Eamon Carroll got four points.

The second group game was against Naomh Mairtin in Haggardstown on Sunday, July 29th and St Patricks marched on as group winners with a solid display, prevailing by 0-13 to 0-6. The match was played on a typical Irish summer’s day – in a torrential downpour! – but the Pats showed their ability to roll up their sleeves and get the job done. Displays like this one prove that there is as much grit as class to this superb team.

Paddy Keenan returned from injury to play the final 17 minutes but his presence wasn’t really required as the winners dominated – particularly after the restart, with Ray Finnegan brilliant in the half-back line. Eamon Carroll (2), Daniel O’Connor (2) and Karl White put them ahead by 0-5 to 0-1 and, even though the gap was down to two at the break, St Patricks won with plenty to spare.

The holders could hardly have asked for a more difficult quarter-final assignment than coming face to face with keen rivals Mattock Rangers.

However, the Pats passed the test in style as they advanced to the last four by virtue of an impressive 2-13 to 012 victory at Dowdallshill on Saturday, September 1st. County men Ray Finnegan and Paddy Keenan were instrumental in the quarter-final success, while the Collon men lost their composure when it mattered and only had 13 men on the pitch at the end of the hour.

With the defending champions trailing in the first half, Finnegan created the first goal of the game for Daniel O’Connor. And with the match still in the melting pot near the end,

179

Young Cian Connor following the fortunes of his dad Sean

John Gregory fills out the team sheet

Eamon Breen

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180

he collected a pass from Eamon Carroll to net the second one himself.

Those two scores effectively turned the quarter-final on its head.

Carroll was on the mark twice as the winners trailed by 0-3 to 0-2 at the end of the first quarter. But the Pats pulled away when O’Connor’s threepointer was added to by overs from Keenan and Karl White. Keenan got the peninsula men’s only other score of a half that ended with them leading by 1-5 to 0-6.

Collon rallied with three more points to lead by 0-9 to 1-5 after 35 minutes but the Pats replied through Eoin O’Connor, Keenan and Carroll before Finnegan bulged the net to make it 28 to 0-9 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Keenan (3), Karl White and Darren O’Hanlon tagged on further points as the holders once more advanced to the last four.

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The Lordship U12's

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St Pats celebrate

181

The first half was a slog but the Pats showed that they can mix it up either way as they built up a 0-4 to 0-2 interval lead. Paddy Keenan points in the eighth and twelfth minutes had the sides level and the county captain then added another free on the 18th minute before his Louth colleague Ray Finnegan struck the winners’ first

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182

Eamon McGuigan presenting the Avonmore SFC final Man of the Match award to Danny O'Connor

Representing the club at U7

score from play six minutes from the interval.

Eoin O’Connor put daylight between the teams with the decisive goal on 38 minutes and Aidan McCann then palmed the ball to an empty net after Karl White unselfishly laid on a perfect pass. Points from Finnegan

Eoin O'Connor

and Keenan made it 2-6 to 0-3 after 50 minutes.

With the game over, Cooley slotted three in succession before Eamon Carroll completed the scoring to confirm St Patricks’ progression to yet another county final. By taking out both Mattock and Cooley en route to the final, the Pats had done it the hard way. Newtown Blues were expected to provide opposition in the decider but Dreadnots stunned the Drogheda men in the other SFC semi-final.

Meanwhile, Armagh man Fergal Reel’s brilliantly-consistent charges also booked their place in the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup decider with a superb 2-13 to 1-13 semi-final win over Naomh Mairtin on September 22nd at Lordship. The Monasterboice men landed the first three points only for Eoin O’Connor to reply with a goal. When the Mairtins reeled off three more, O’Connor again found the net! The underdogs led by 1-9 to 2-4 at the turnaround but the Pats sealed the win with a run of four successive scores of their own in the fourth quarter.

O’Connells came through from the other semi-final but the 2012 Cardinal O’Donnell Cup final had yet to be played at the time of writing. But the Pats were looking good for a famous double…

183

Colin Goss lifting the Joe Ward Cup

St Pats supporter Lucy Mulligan

The Naomh Malachi seniors, front l/r: Conor Gonnelly, Christopher Smith, Jason Clarke, Stephen Smith, Brian Rogers, Colin Rooney, Jamie Kelly, Gerard Hamill, Peter McShane, Mark Meegan, Ronan Greene. Back: Daragh Greene, David Begley, Shane Rogers, Stephen Burns, Niall Bird, Pearse Caherty, Ronan McElroy, Kevin Rogers, Padraig Moley, Eamon Agnew, Michael Woods

NAOMH MALACHI - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

NAOMH MALACHI

2012 RESU

LTS

Brian Rogers

DISASTER AVERTED Naomh Malachi flirted with disaster in 2012 as they came frighteningly close to suffering relegation to junior football.

Whereas the Courtbane men are normally pushing hard at the other end of the IFC, a lack of consistency (largely due to a spate of injuries) meant they endured a difficult year. But victory over Naomh Fionnbarra in the relegation play-off final saw them end their season on a high, much to the obvious satisfaction of centre forward / midfielder Jason Clarke.

T

he spectre of junior football was just an hour away when Naomh Malachi collided with Naomh Fionnbarra at Clan na Gael Park on the night of Friday, September 21st, 2012. With so much at stake in this intermediate

Division 2 Naomh Mal achi 1-9 0-12 St Mochtas Geraldines 4-8 0-5 Nao Naomh Mal mh Malachi achi 2-17 27 Roche Em St Brides 1mets 9 0-13 Nao mh Malachi Naomh Mal achi 0-7 1-7 Clan na nG Naomh Mal ael achi 3-7 2-13 St Finbarr's S 0-6 0-14 Nao t Fechins mh Malachi Naomh Mal ac Na Piarsaigh hi 0-6 1-11 St. Mary's 1-11 2-6 Nao Naomh Mal mh Malachi ac Dundalk Gae hi 1-11 2-15 St Joseph s ls 1-16 1-4 Naomh Mal achi IFC Naomh Mal achi 1-7 1-16 Roche Emm St Mochtas ets 1-13 1Naomh Mal 12 Naomh Malachi achi 0-9 3-9 Geraldines Naomh Mal – rel playof achi 0-13 0f 7 St Finbarr 's – rel play off

championship relegation play-off decider, it was little wonder that the first half was a nervy affair, which the border club edged by the odd point from seven.

They pulled away after the restart, however, to prevail by 0-13 to 0-7 –

185

despite playing the last ten minutes with 14 men. That win pretty much saved Naomh Malachi’s otherwise pretty disappointing season. The side that secured intermediate football for another year with victory over the ‘Barrs was: Niall Bird; Stephen Burns,

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Continued Success to Naomh Malachi GAA 186

Ronan Greene, Jamie Kelly; Peter McShane, Mark Meegan, David Begley; Pearse Carthy, Eamonn Agnew; Gerry Hamill, Jason Clarke (0-2), Darragh Greene (0-1); Ronan McElroy, Kevin Rogers (0-10), Colin Rooney.

Looking back on the season as a whole, playmaker Jason Clarke – who was part of Peter Fitzpatrick’s county panel in ’12 – notes: “It was a poor year by our standards. We would like to be competing in the business end of the championship and to be kicking on towards the semi-finals and final of the league, but it just didn’t happen for us in 2012 and in the end we were happy just to survive.”

A couple of serious injuries sustained before the season had really got going set the tone. “We suffered two long-term injuries at the start of the year when we lost two first-team players to cruciate ligament injuries – Brian Rogers and Conor McMenamin, who had just joined us from Young Irelands and then got injured while playing for the county minors.

“To lose those two players early in the year was a big blow and we struggled for numbers for the rest of the season. Ronan Greene also got injured playing for the county and missed most of the year. We wouldn’t exactly have a huge pick to start with.

Overall, however, we were quite competitive in the bulk of our games, generally only losing by two or three points. The league games against the Fechins and the Geraldines were the only two where we were well beaten.

The majority of our other games were close but we fell short and never really got going.”

Obviously, for a team that had won three IFCs in the previous decade, Naomh Malachi’s ambition at the start of the ’12 campaign was considerably more lofty than a relegation battle: “Our target was to get to the play-offs in the league and the quarter-final of the championship at the minimum.

But we achieved neither. We made it to a play-off alright, but it was one where we had to win to stay up!”

Having lost both their group games in the intermediate championship, the

Malachis were consigned to the relegation final when they shipped a 3-9 to 0-9 defeat to Geraldines at the Ramparts.

They had competed well for long periods but a Gers goal eight minutes from the break gave the Haggardstown outfit a 1-6 to 0-5 interval advantage and ultimately swung the tide in their favour.

The Mals– missing as many as eight players - opened their IFC campaign against St Mochtas at Dowdallshill on Friday night, July 20th, slipping to a 1-15 to 1-7 defeat. In the second group match, which was a winner-takeall affair against neighbours Roche Emmets, Ronan McElroy’s goal had the Mals in a commanding eight-point lead at one stage but they lost their way and were agonisingly edged out of the last eight on a 1-12 to 1-11 scoreline.

“We did well in part of the game against the Mochtas and then let it slip against Roche when we were cruising,” Jason recalls.

“We were unlucky against the Geraldines but did well in the game against the Fionnbarrs to stay up. We pulled out a good victory in that game after going down to 14 men.”

It certainly wasn’t the sort of drama Naomh Malachi have grown accustomed to: “The club has always been challenging for the IFC and to lose that game and go down to junior would have been a disaster. We never really got going consistently all year.

Any team that has a good year usually starts well and then the momentum carries them over the line.

“If we’d started well, things could have been different. But we could only ever seem to get one win at a time. The IFC is wide open – any one of the twelve teams can win that championship and the same applies to Division Two. We know how to win the IFC because we did it three times in ten years. I was on the side that won it in 2006 and 2009, while the lads also did it in 2002.”

187

Pearse Carthy

Selector Aidan Hoey

Kevin Rogers wins possession

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Ronan Green

Naomh Malachi manager Donal Murtagh

Dara Green gets the better of Paul Gartlan

In 2013, it could be all about numbers for Naomh Malachi. If they have a full complement to choose from, then the border men should be fine. “We’re hoping to get a few lads back from injuries and a few back from abroad and make a fresh start,” says Jason. “We don’t have a great pick to start with so we need to get everybody back again. Then we can push on and move forward again.

“Last year, we had the two longterm injuries and we also lost two lads to emigration. We only had 23 or 24 players to start with before we lost those four – plus Ronan Greene - and when you had any niggly injuries or anything you were in trouble. For some matches we only had 17 lads togged out and you simply aren’t going to compete with 17 players.”

Having said all that, the players rolled up their sleeves and pulled it out of the fire when it mattered most!

“You have to give credit to the lads who stuck at it. It was all about survival in the end and we had to show our battling qualities. When the going got tough, the lads showed what they are made of. It’s always been a good trait of this club that lads will just get on with it no matter what – and that’s exactly what they did.”

Meanwhile, in Division Two of the ACFL, Naomh Malachi just did enough to maintain their status, without setting the world on fire. “We got a few wins early on, which set us up nicely and we were safe with four games to go. We were competing in most matches.”

To conclude, Jason points out that, despite the difficulties experienced in 2012, this Naomh Malachi team is far from finished: “The age of the team is still very good. We have four or five lads over 30 but the nucleus of the team is around the 22-28 mark and we can certainly give it another whack next year.

“We had major injuries at critical times in 2012 and we couldn’t get any momentum going. But hopefully we will get a good start next year and it’s always easier to keep things going when the results are going your way.”

In fairness, they usually are for Naomh Malachi!

189

Kilkerley-Naomh Malachi captains Shane Roddy and Conor Kirk receive the U16 B Championship Cup from Sean Reid, Vice Chairman Louth Minor Board

Jason Clarke

Stephen Smyth

The Hunterstown Rovers senior squad, front l/r: Brian Mathews, Niall Taaffe, Alan Landy, Martin Lennon, David Fedigan, Richie Cunningham, Stuart Callan, Paul Carrie, Shane Carroll, Ciaran Carrie, Brendan Lennon. Back: David Finn, Richie Taaffe, Tony McKenna, Padraig McArdle, Eddie Burke, Alan Fedigan, Conor Mathews, Paddy Matthews, Danny McKenna, Peter Taaffe, Garath Callan, Vinny Clinton

HUNTERSTOWN ROVERS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

HUNTERSTOWN ROVERS Paul Carrie displays the Division 3 league trophy

2012 RESU

LTS

SILVERWARE IN THE BAG Hunterstown Rovers were extremely disappointed to exit the 2012 Louth junior football championship race at the quarter-final stage, having set their sights on annexing the Christy Bellew Cup. However, they at least had some silverware to show for their season’s efforts, having earlier claimed the Division Three crown in emphatic fashion, finishing their league campaign with an impressive unbeaten record. Captain Paul Carrie reflects on the ups and downs of the year…

T

he highs and the lows of club football were experienced by Hunterstown Rovers in 2012.

For most of the year, they were a model of consistency, beating all in their path as they established themselves as the team to beat in the lower tier of Wee County fare. They started and finished the league strongly, coming through unscathed,

Lannleire 0- Division 3 13 1-13 Hun terstown R Hunterstow overs n Rovers 2Sean McDer 7 0-5 St Nicho motts 2-10 las 3-10 Hunte Hunterstow rstown Rov n Rovers 1ers 11 2-4 Wes John Mitche terns ls 0-6 8-17 Hunterstow H un te rs to wn Rovers n Rovers 212 0-5 Staba Glen Emmet nnon Parne s 0-9 0-12 lls H unterstown Hunterstow Rovers n Rovers 416 1-6 St K Wolfe Tone evins s 0-7 0-12 Hunterstown Hunterstow Rovers v Anna n Rovers gh minnon Rover Dundalk Youn s – not played g Irelands 18 2-12 Hunte Hunterstow rstown Rover n Rovers v s Dowdallshi ll – not play ed IFC Hunterstow n Rovers 116 1-8 John Hunterstow Mitchels n Rovers 215 0-9 St N Hunterstow icholas n Rovers 17 2-14 Lann leire - QF

without losing a single game, and to captain Paul Carrie fell the honour of collecting the trophy. A worthy accomplishment, indeed.

The trophy was secured with an eleventh win in as many games – 212 to 1-8 against Dundalk Young Irelands on Sunday July 8th. The team on duty that day was: Alan Fedigan; Richie Cunningham, Paul

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Taaffe (0-1), Martin Lennon; Paddy Matthews (1-0), Padraig Matthews, Danny McKenna; Tony McKenna, Alan Lanney; Padraig McArdle, Brendan Lennon (1-5), David Finn (04); Stewart Callan, Paul Carrie (0-1), David Fedigan (0-1). Subs: Niall Taaffe, Shane Matthews.

Then came the championship...

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Hunterstown Rovers celebrate winning of the Division 3 league, front l/r: Richie Cunningham, Shane Mathews, Padraig Mathews, Niall Taaffe, Danny McKenna, Paul Carrie, Stuart Callan, Brendan Lennon, Martin Lennon, Tony Taaffe. Back: Shane Carroll, Peter Taaffe, David Finn, Padraig McArdle, Tony McKenna, Richie Taaffe, Conor Mathews, Alan Fedigan, Eddie Burke, Alan Landy, Colm McKenna, David Fedigan, Garath Callan, Paul Taaffe, Paddy Mathews

league, Rovers were seen as one of the ante-post favourites. The group stage was negotiated with a minimum of fuss (1-16 to 1-8 V John Mitchels and 2-15 to 0-9 against St Nicholas) and a quarter-final berth was secured against near neighbours Lannleire.

Hunterstown were red-hot favourites but they failed to deliver a performance when it mattered most and crashed out of contention two hurdles from the finishing line – 2-14 to 1-7 at Ardee on Sunday, August 19th.

Thus, even though promotion to Division Two had been secured and

silverware had been brought home to the clubhouse in the process, the nature of their championship exit took a lot of the gloss off an otherwise successful year for Tony Finn’s team.

As the season came to a premature end, a jolt was felt by the players, backroom team and supporters alike.

This wasn’t meant to happen. The most disappointing aspect of the defeat wasn’t the fact that Hunterstown had been beaten … it was simply that they failed to perform on the day. If you lose playing well, then no complaints … but if you choose the biggest game of the year

to produce arguably your worst performance, then the result is dismay, disillusionment and dejection.

Well, until the dust settles, at least and the players have time to take stock and realise that it wasn’t such a bad year after all and that they were one of the few clubs in Louth who actually managed to capture a major County Board trophy. Also, that they’ve set down a decent marker for 2013.

“We were disappointed at the end of it all,” says 2012 captain Paul Carrie, who has been part of the first team for

Division 3 league winners, front l/r: Dessie Levins (selector), Gary Martin, Richie Cunningham, Peter Taaffe, Paul Taaffe, Shane Mathews, Stuart Callen, Martin Lennon, Brendan Lennon, Tony Taaffe, Alan Mathews. Middle: Padraig Mathews, Tony McKenna, Niall Taaffe, Danny McKenna, Paul Carrie, Conor Mathews, Paddy Mathews. Back: Ciaran Matthews (selector), Tony Finn (manager), David Finn, Shane Carroll, Padraig McArdle, Alan Fedigan, Alan Landy, Garath Callen, Colm McKenna, Richie Taaffe, David Fedigan, Eddie Burke, Dennis McKenna (selector), Theresa Reid (physio), Sean McClean (selector)

193

Noel Carrie is part of the Hunterstown backroom team

Stephen Callan

over a decade now. “We wanted to go up in the league first of all and we were delighted to do that by winning the Division Three title. But once you achieve that, you then want to go out and do well in the championship as well. Unfortunately, we failed to do that.

“I think it was the timing of it as much as anything. If the championship had been played first and we got knocked out at the quarter-final stage but then came back and won the league, we would have finished the year on a high and I think we’d have been happy. But when it happens the other way around and you finish the year on a losing note, you tend to forget the league win. At the moment, we’re all just very disappointed.

“We had been in Division Three for a couple of years and we really wanted to get out of it. We put in a big effort and won promotion, but then we wanted to push on.”

When I spoke to Paul in late August, a week or so after the defeat to Lannleire, the wound was still raw.

The overall tone of our conversation was one of disappointment. There was no denying that the Hunterstown captain was downbeat over how the season had panned out on that fateful final last afternoon at Ardee: “I don’t know what happened. We just didn’t show up on the day. We were focussed and prepared well for the game, but nobody played to their potential. It was just a poor performance all over the pitch and I suppose we got what we deserved.

Lannleire were the better team and they were worthy winners. The frustrating thing was that we had been so consistent throughout the league and the group stage of the championship and were then well

beaten in our first knockout game.

“You wouldn’t mind so much if you had done yourself justice. But we didn’t show up and we didn’t perform. That was the end of our year and everybody was disappointed that it was over.”

Paul had served the club as captain on previous occasions but 2012 was his first time to collect silverware in that capacity. Even though he takes the duty in his stride at this stage, he does concede that it “was nice” to accept the Division Three cup on behalf of his team-mates.

It was also a source of great encouragement to see the team back somewhere close to its full complement.

Granted, there were still a few players missing but, in general, things were

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much better personnel-wise than they had been for a number of years: “It was the first year where we had a lot of players back from abroad,” Paul reflects. “We got most of them back.

We suffered a lot with emigration down through the years and I’d say that was maybe one of the reasons why we went down junior in the first place. But we had five or six lads back this year and everybody was available bar two or three lads. That made a big difference.

“We had 20 or 25 lads out training most nights and the majority of the team would be in their mid-20s or under. We also have one or two young lads coming through next year who should at least strengthen the squad. They were only 16 this year so couldn’t play adult football but they will be a good addition to the squad and will definitely increase competition for places which can only be a good thing.”

Paul believes the goal now for Hunterstown Rovers is to put the lessons of 2012 to good effect and kick on in 2013: “We have to keep going next year. We have a point to prove in the championship and playing Division Two football every week will keep us on our toes. We’ll be trying to win the championship.

“Going out in the manner that we did took away from what was an otherwise memorable year but we have to remember that we did achieve one of our main goals this year, which was to get out of Division Three.

“It’s always nice to win something and the Division Three title is definitely better than nothing. We had missed out on promotion the previous year on score difference, so it was nice to get up and we’re now in a stronger position for next year.

“The fact that we went through the league unbeaten is a real positive – you can’t fault that. We did fancy ourselves in the championship as well but didn’t show up. Next year, we’ll be trying to hold our own in Division Two and then see what happens. The junior championship will be our main target. We will possibly be one of the favourites again but that doesn’t really count for anything – you still have to go out and win it.”

The U12's, front l/r: Adam Garvey, Euan Woodlock, Aaron Hanitty, Colm Murphy, J Ward, Andrew Butler. Back: Dean Burns, Niall Farrell, Daniel O'Hare, Marc Ward, Keith Durrin

The up and coming U9's

The Hunterstown U7's, front l/r: Cillian Taaffe, Lewis Mant, Conor Reaburn, Jake Clarke, Ciara Martin, Oran Martin. Back: Conor McGoey, Aaron Levins, Adam O'Reilly, Ciaran McCartney, Andrew Woodlock, Shane Halpenny, Jamie O'Callaghan, Rebecca O'Brien

195

The Oliver Plunketts seniors, front l/r: Sean Campbell, John Moroney, Garry Keogh, Kevin Leech, Ricky Bateson, Trevor Walsh, Dean Carolan, Karl Tuite, Darragh Matthews, Aongus O Hiocaidh, Andy Hickey, David Lambe, Cillian Matthews, Aaron Kirwan. Back: Emmett Kelleher, Jeff Finnegan, Pat Murtagh, Frank Daly, Rory Taaffe, David Campbell, Frank Taaffe, Brian Fitzpatrick, Cian Matthews, Sean Brassil, Thomas Byrne, Robbie Brodigan, Gavin Sullivan, Mickey McDonnell, Ronan Costello

OLIVER PLUNKETTS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

OLIVER PLUNKETTS Trevor Walsh

SHOCK DEFEAT TOOK GLOSS OFF YEAR Oliver Plunketts found themselves in a most unusual position in 2012 – playing in Division One and the junior football championship. Due to their lofty position in the league, the Slane Road outfit were installed as keen favourites to lift the Christy Bellew Cup, but things didn’t go quite according to plan. In the end, an excellent league campaign was marred by a shock JFC semi-final defeat to Glen Emmets. Attacker John Moroney admits that the championship exit put a real dampener on things…

T

he Plunketts acquitted themselves superbly in Division One of the all-county football league in 2012, proving that they can hold their own against the very best teams in the Wee County.

At the end of their league campaign, the Mell men had successfully

2012 RESU

LTS

D Oliver Plunk ivision 1 etts 1-12 112 O'Conne O`Raghalla ighs 0-15 1lls 5 Oliver Plu Oliver Plunk nketts etts 0-10 07 Glyde Ran Kilkerley Em gers mets 1-6 09 Oliver Plu Oliver Plunk nketts etts 1-3 0-3 C ooley Kickh Newtown B lues 1-6 2-15 am Oliver Plunk Oliver Plunk s etts 0-6 2-7 et Sean O Mah ts Naomh Mai onys rtin 2-13 28 Oliver Plunk Oliver Plunk etts etts 1-6 1-9 Mattock Ran St Patricks gers 2-14 29 O liver Plunket Oliver Plunk ts etts 0-7 1-8 Dreadnots JFC Dowdallshi ll 1-4 St Kevins 1- 3-20 Oliver Plunketts 8 2-11 Oliv Oliver Plunk er Plunketts etts 4-11 21 Wolfe Tone Oliver Plunk s– etts 2-5 1-11 Glen Emmet QF s - SF

preserved their status, winning three and drawing two of their eleven games. Eight points was enough to guarantee another season of Division One fare.

Having played their bread-andbutter football at the highest level, Oliver Plunketts were fancied to go all

197

the way in the JFC. They duly eased out of their group with victories over Dowdallshill and St Kevins before seeing off Wolfe Tones in a one-sided quarter-final. However, at the semifinal stage, they were victims of a major surprise when Glen Emmets recorded an unexpected 1-11 to 2-5

were very disappointed with the semi-final result against Glen Emmets. We had no complaints – they were the better team on the day and deserved their victory … but it was very disappointing to exit the championship with a performance like that.”

Oliver Plunketts carried the mantle of red-hot favourites for the JFC throughout the year.

Outright victory looked inevitable as they ripped past the ‘Hill, the Kevins and the Tones. Going into the last four, they were still odds-on favourites to book a quick return to intermediate level.

“Yes, we were favourites but you have to go out and produce it on the pitch and there are a lot of good team in there. There’s not a lot between Division One and the top teams in junior. We learned that against Glen Emmets – they were well up for the challenge. People tend to think that there’s a huge difference between the various grades but I don’t think there’s that big a gap between the lower teams in Division One, all the teams in intermediate, and the top junior championship sides…”

So what’s the mindset like in Oliver Plunketts these days?

Proud to be in Division One or disappointed to be in the JFC? “I suppose it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The benefit of being in Division One is that you are guaranteed eleven matches against what’s deemed to be the best teams in the county but at the end of the day you want to be competing in the higher championship as well,” says John. “So, we’re not happy to be in the junior football championship – and in fairness there’s no club that’s happy to be there.”

And there’s only one way to rectify that…

“We have to go back to the drawing board and regroup and come back stronger next year. As a team, I actually didn’t think we performed particularly well in any of our championship matches – even though we won comfortably up as far as the Glen Emmets game – so that’s something we have to look at.

“We certainly have the ability to win that grade. It’s a matter of getting ourselves properly prepared mentally and physically and then going out and delivering on the pitch.

“The players have to take responsibility for what happened in the championship. We had a new management team in place this year – Dee McCarthy, Toss Byrne (who also played in goal) and Dermot McKenna – and they did a great job. Everybody looked forward to training and there was a

The minors on semi-final day

victory at The Grove. That defeat effectively spelt the end of the year for the Plunketts and it was a remarkably low note on which to bow out.

It was a wholly unique set of circumstances that the team had to deal with during the year. As full forward John Moroney notes, it was unprecedented for a club to be playing at polar ends of the two competitions in one season: “It’s the first time it’s happened in Louth. We were happy to keep our Division One status and I think the league went reasonably well. To maintain our top-flight status would have been our aim at the start of the year.”

The championship, however, was a different story entirely: “When you’re a Division One side you have to set your sights on winning the junior football championship and we

The Plunketts U8's

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The U7's

198

The Oliver Plunketts U12's

good atmosphere in the club all year.

But the players didn’t perform on the day against Glen Emmets. They were a step up from what we had faced in the previous rounds of the junior championship and we didn’t seem to be ready for that.”

Plunketts were in Group C of the JFC and they opened their account in style with a thumping defeat of Dowdallshill at the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday, July 14th. The full forward line of Rory Taaffe, Trevor Walsh and John Moroney bagged 2-10 between them!

Top-place in the group was secured with a 2-11 to 1-8 victory over the Kevins at Drogheda and Wolfe Tones were despatched at the quarter-final stage on a 4-11 to 2-1 scoreline at the same venue. The team on suty that day was: Toss Byrne; Cillian Matthews, Frank Daly, Karl Tuite; Gary Keogh, Robbie Brodigan, Sean Campbell; Sean Brassil (1-0), Brian Fitzpatrick (0-2); Cian Matthews (02), Steven Keeley (0-2), Frank Taaffe; John Moroney, Trevor Walsh (2-1), Rory Taaffe (1-4). Subs: Gavin Sullivan, Pat Murtagh, Dean Carlon, David MacEntaggert.

But it all went pear-shaped at Castlebellingham on Sunday, September 2nd.

The league had been a different story: “We only had one really poor game where we played badly and that was against O’Raghallaighs.

Apart from that, we held our own in most of the games. We beat the Blues and competed well against the Pats. We drew with O’Connells, who got a late goal and we beat Cooley.

We coped well against all the top

teams. When you’re playing a top team you tend to have a go at them and I suppose it was the opposite against Glen Emmets – they were the underdogs and they had a go at us and it worked our perfectly for them.”

What is the goal for next year: “I

don’t know yet what management team is going to be in place but personally I would be hoping that the same boys will be staying on. I’m sure they’d have the support of all the players.

“Our goal would have to be to maintain our Division One status and get some points on the board early on and then push on from there.

“The junior football championship is there to be won and we have to set our stall out to win that this time. We have to learn from what happened this year and focus on the championship matches as much as the league.

“Our minors got through to the final of the championship this year [a game which had yet to be played at the time of writing due to an objection relating to the O’Connells/Stabannon/St Josephs v Clan na Gael semi-final] and we hope that a few of them might come through and play a bigger part with the first team in 2013. It’s all about keeping the core of the team together and then bringing in one or two new faces to strengthen it. If we can do that, we shouldn’t be too far away.”

Representing the club at U16 level

On duty for the U15's

199

On duty for Na Piarsaigh, front l/r: Brian McCartney, Gerard Smith, Eamon McAuley, Aidan Marks, Damien McGeeney, Chris Cotter, Niall Franklin, Michael Woods, Daniel Berry, Sean McAuley, Ronan McCartney, Conall Shields, Shane Callan, Mark Larkin, Cormac Malone, Stephen McGuinness. Back: Gavin Magee, Barry Teather, Sean Dawson, Joe Finnegan, Alan McCartney, Donal Greene, Jason Greene, David Boyle, Paul O'Hare, Gary O'Hare, Brendan Nash, John Garvey, Paul Mallon, Tim Egan, Alan McAuley, Des McCann, John Galligan, Robbie Nash

NA PIARSAIGH - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

NA PIARSAIGH

2012 RESU

LTS

David Boyle

A CLOSE SHAVE Such was the level of performance reached by Na Piarsaigh over recent years that it might have only taken a more favourable bounce of a ball or a slightly more generous rub of the green to see the Rock Road club plying their trade in the senior ranks. By Eunan Whyte.

O

n two occasions they reached the Intermediate Championship Final and twice finished runners up in the Division 2 League only to see their efforts count for nothing as they failed to make it into the top grade.

The most cruel blow of all was undoubtedly their heart-breaking loss to Naomh Malachi in the Intermediate decider, but overall it the series of near-misses seemed to take its toll on the team over the past three seasons.

The performance levels dipped as the squad struggled to recapture the

Divis Na Piarsaigh ion 2 1-7 0-17 St Clan na nG Brides ael 4-18 19 Na Piarsai Na Piarsaigh gh 0-6 1-14 St St Mochtas Fechins 1-14 1-10 N a Piarsaigh Na Piarsaigh 1-6 2-12 G Roche Emm eraldines ets 1-5 1-10 Na Piarsaigh Na Piarsaigh 1-8 2-10 Dun dalk Gaels St Josephs 1Na Piarsaigh 9 1-12 Na Piarsaigh 1-11 2-6 Nao mh Malachi St Finbarr's 1-13 Na Piarsaigh 2-12 Na Piarsaigh 1-8 2-9 St. Mary's IFC Sean O’Mah onys 2-20 08 Na Piarsai St Fechins gh 2-15 1-10 N Na Piarsaigh 1-9 0-7 St F a Piarsaigh inbarr's – re l playoff

form and determination that had established them as one of the main challengers. Those struggles seemed to be coming to a head this year when a very poor start to the league campaign had them facing the real prospect of a return to Division 3 football.

However, it is often the case that through adversity you get to see the real mental strength of a team and Na Piarsaigh’s response to the challenge illustrates that they have plenty of reasons to be optimistic for the future.

For Gary O’Hare, the experience of 2012 is something he doesn’t want to

201

have to endure again, but suggests that seeing their form dip to such a low level may be the spur to drive the Rock Road club on in the coming seasons.

He concedes that the disappointments of the past may have been a factor in the poor run of form over the past two seasons, but is equally confident that they club has the potential for challenge for the top honours once again.

“Perhaps losing those finals and failing to get promotion in the league did knock the stuffing out of us a bit.

Sometimes when you put in such a

the bottom of the table with a lot of pressure on us.

“In recent years we have gone into the new season determined to get a good start and try to take it from there. However, it has been the pattern that we start slowly and then improve towards the end. It was no different this year but the series of early defeats meant that we were bottom of the league and looked to be in trouble.”

The Na Piarsaigh U14 squad, front l/r: Kyle Cleary, Cian Roddy, Gerard Rice, Luke Hazzard, Liam Reid, Danny While some teams might Quigley, Fergal Mulholland, Darren Joyce, Keelin O'Sullivan, Mark Rogan. Back: Gavin Erasmus, Ciaran Murphy, Sean Savage, Oisin McCabe, Caoimhin Jeffers, Adam Molloy, Michael Egan, Ceil Rogan, have given up the fight and David Egan, Robert Murphy, Francis Gaffey, Conall Myles, Thomas Kelly accepted their fate, Na Piarsaigh dusted themselves big effort and fall short it can be hard say it was a very disappointing year. down and put in an impressive finish to get the motivation going again.

At the outset we had been hoping to to the campaign that saw them “However, having said that we still push for the top of the league but it secure survival in Division 2. It was have the majority of the players from was clear from early on that this was the character shown in those latter the two finals still with us so we know not going to happen. stages that suggests to Gary that this we have a strong squad and the “We didn’t seem to get going in the current squad has a lot to offer. capabilities to do better. early part of the league and once you “One of the real positives to take “I think perhaps our fitness wasn’t start losing games it becomes a from the year is that although we what it could have been compared to struggle and we found ourselves at the other teams and it is something we have to look at if we are going to compete at the top of the league and in the latter stages of the championship,” explained O’Hare.

As with any team, there is always something positive to be taken from even the most disappointing campaign and Gary believes that Na Piarsaigh have reason to be encouraged on a number of fronts.

Na Piarsaigh U15's, front: Adam Molloy, Oisin McCabe, Ciaran Murphy, Cian Roddy, Fergal Mulholland, Robert “Overall, we have to Murphy, Thomas Kelly, Danny Quigley, Liam Reid. Back: Michael Egan, Mark O'Hagan, Jeff Ebun Stevens, David Egan, Ceil Rogan, Matthew Quigley, Conall Myles, Stephen Arrowsmith, Philip Scott

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Proud to be associated with Na Piarsaigh GAA Club & All The Best In 2013 From The Principle & Staff

St. Josephs National School

Na Riascaigh Uacht., Muirtheimhne Mór, Dún Dealgan, Co. Lú.

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started very badly and things were looking bleak, we did manage to turn it around. In the last few games when it was real do-or-die stuff we did what we had to do. We just seemed to get our act together as the training stepped up and we transferred that on to the pitch.

“We went on a good run towards the end of the league and managed to get the results we needed and secure survival which was a great relief to everyone. It is great for the club that we managed to stay up as we don’t want to have to face the prospect of Division 3 football,” added Gary who is hoping that 2012 will mark a turning point in the club’s fortunes.

“I hope that this season will serve as a reality check for us and that this will represent the lowest point as we really don’t want this to happen again. It shows that you have to have the right attitude and put in the work if you want to succeed.

“I think if we had been relegated it would have put a lot of players off but having had a close shave we are determined that it will not happen again.”

The other positive to come of the season was the emergence of some of the younger players and that has had a positive effect both in terms of training and playing according to O’Hare.

“This season we have had about six or seven players come through from the underage ranks to play for the first team and that has been a real plus for us. The likes of Stephen McGuinness and Tim Egan have made a real impression and it is great to see so many lads fit to step up to

Damian McGeaney

The U16 Division 3B league winners

The Na Piarsaigh U14's

Representing the Na Piarsaigh U13's, front l/r: Darragh Jackson, Aaron Quinn, Ope Ebun Stevens, Gerard Rice, James McQuillan. Back: Michael Mulholland, Kyle Cleary, Darren Joyce, Adam Molloy, Oisin McCabe, Luke Hazzard, Paul Franklin

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Na Piarsaigh U14 Division 4A league captain David Egan The Na Piarsaigh U12's

Mark Larkin

U16 Division 3B league captain Mark O'Hare with Sean Reid

that level.

“A lot of the young players are friends so there is a good bond between them. They all work hard at training and that level of enthusiasm is great and it seems to be rubbing off on the older players”, explained O’Hare who hopes that this attitude will help drive the club forward in 2013.

“The young lads are fresh and I believe they can improve what is already a talented squad. Next season we have to start with the belief that we can make a challenge in both league and championship. We don’t want a repeat of this year so it is essential that we make a good start.

“Division 2 is a very competitive league but that is good to see as it brings players on. I think that if we get a few wins early on, the players will gain confidence and hopefully we can take it from there,” he added.

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The new dug outs at Na Piarsaigh grounds

Niall Franklin

WOLFE TONES John Byrne

STANDING UP TO BE COUNTED It would be fair to say that Wolfe Tones stood up to be counted in 2012. A respectable mid-table finish in the league coupled with an impressive run to the knockout stage of the junior football championship represents a decent year’s work for one of the Wee County’s most progressive clubs. It’s not that long since the Rathmullen-based club appeared to be on the verge of extinction … but those days are now a distant memory and ace attacker John Horan says the Tones have put their difficult past behind them and are focussed on a bright future – one that could yield a Christy Bellew Cup win sooner rather than later.

T

wenty-twelve represented another year of definite progress for Drogheda club Wolfe Tones, who are building up quite the head of steam. They were solid in Division Three of the league, displaying an encouraging level of consistency that saw them finish as close to the top as the bottom.

Meanwhile, in the JFC, they

2012 RESU

LTS

Division 3 Wolfe Tone s 5-11 3-12 Stabannon John Mitche Parnells 1ls 13 1-10 Wol Wolfe Tone fe Tones s 1-4 0-9 G le n Emmets St Kevins 113 2-6 Wol Wolfe Tone fe Tones s 0-18 0-9 Ann Dundalk Yo ung Irelands aghminnon Rovers 2-10 1-6 W Wolfe Tone olfe Tones s 0-15 0-2 Dowdallshi Lannleire 0ll 13 1-12 Wolfe Wolfe Tone Tones s 0-7 0-12 H un terstown R St Nicholas overs 0-6 0-2 Wol Wolfe Tone fe Tones s 3-8 3-8 S ea n McDermotts Westerns 212 2-11 Wol fe Tones JFC Wolfe Tone s 1-10 3-11 Sean McDer Westerns 2motts Oliver Plunk 8 2-16 Wolfe Tones etts 4-11 21 Wolfe Tone s

successfully negotiated the group phase before running into Oliver Plunketts in a difficult all-Drogheda quarter-final derby, which was won by the Slane Road outfit.

All in all, the Tones had done themselves proud. No longer the whipping boys of Louth football, they proved that they can now hold their own against the rest of the

205

contenders in Division Three / junior championship fare. Whereas once they were looking over their shoulders with apprehension, worried that perhaps the ground might swallow them up, Wolfe Tones are now looking forward with confidence, walking on steady footing, assured of an exciting and perhaps silverwareladen future.

The Wolfe Tones seniors, front l/r: Patrick Fanning, Aaron Murray, Derek Thornton, Daran Gallagher, Neil Mallon, Gary Delaney, Gareth Cooney, Keith Farrell, Owen Sewell. Back: Barry Kelly, Mark McKenna, John Kelly, Ciaran Floody, John Horan, Ivor Kelly, Rob Daly, Steven Malone

WOLFE TONES - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

Wolfe Tones minors

And they’re not prepared to rest on their laurels. Even though great progress was made in 2012, full forward John Horan (who took the JFC scoring charts by storm with a superb return of 4-14) believes there is plenty more in the tank. He echoes the sentiments of his peers on this exciting young squad when he says they must aim for even bigger and better things in the months and years ahead: “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far as a group of players but we want to push on. Why can’t we improve and go on to win things? At the end of the day, it’s only a game of football and we know we can match most teams,” the confident scoregetter says.

“While we did okay this year, it was still a mixed bag and I would have

kind of mixed emotions looking back on it. We performed well against the big teams but we didn’t do so well against the smaller clubs and that’s clearly an area we can improve on.

“When we had our full squad available, we were a match for any team – and we showed that in the win over Dunleer when we beat them by five points on their own pitch – but the performances were inconsistent and we weren’t able to sustain that kind of form over the whole year. Generally, we were happy with most of the displays, apart from one particularly bad day against the Nicks.”

It was a marked improvement on what we saw in 2011, when the current Tones project was still very much in its infancy and the team struggled to get up and running.

Suddenly, the honeymoon period

The U16's

207

was over and it was no longer enough to celebrate the fact that Tones had survived the very real threat of going out of existence. It was now time to do what they are there to do: win football matches!

The championship was particularly satisfying: “Compared to last year, we were happy. We reversed the result against Westerns, who had trounced us in 2011, and we came close against Sean McDermotts in the group stage as well. The win over Westerns was enough to get us into the last eight and we were reasonably confident going in against Oliver Plunketts, even though they were playing in Division One. “We thought that with the players we have, on the day in any given game, 15 against 15, we could give it

Representing the Tones at U14 level

Stephen Malone

a go. We were level at half time and we felt that we hadn’t even played that well in the first half. Then when we had a man sent off five minutes after the restart it was a real kick in the teeth and we never really recovered from that. The sending off was a killer but, even allowing for that, we didn’t really perform on the day anyway.”

The second group game – a door-die encounter against Westerns – was played at the county grounds in Drogheda on Sunday, July 29th and Wolfe Tones prevailed by 2-16 to 2-8, with the following personnel on duty: Graham Henry; Ciaran Floody, Ivor Kelly, Eoin Sewell; Gary Delaney, Patrick Fanning, Barry Kelly Gareth Cooney (0-1); Kevin Bull, Graham F a n n i n g ; Ciaran Ward (02), Eoin O'Shea, Mark McKenna; John Bryanstown, Drogheda, Co. Louth Horan (2-8), Niall Mallon, QUALITY HOME PRODUCED Darren Rice (0BEEF & LAMB 1).

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Ciaran Flood

208

Preparations were excellent all year and Wolfe Tones invariably took to the field with all the groundwork done and the right attitude. “Mickey Kelly, Paddy Fanning, Paul Sewell and Dee Tully put in a lot of work with the team and then Noel came in and did the fitness training and we were in good hands,” John notes.

“We have a very young team, too, which will stand us in good stead for the future. Six of the starting team were 19 or under and we have enjoyed a lot of success at underage level. We want to bring that onto the senior team. Most of the young lads in the team at the moment would have won a lot coming up through the ranks and we want to maintain that at adult level.”

John himself broke into the first team for the 2011 JFC, having missed the league due to his involvement with the Louth minors. Coming through the underage ranks with Wolfe Tones, he was part of a very successful crop and tasted success at U14, U15 and U16 levels. Even today, there is still plenty of talent coming through on the Wolfe Tones conveyor belt. “We’ve always produced good underage sides and had a good youth system but the problem has been transferring that into adult success,” the 2011 county minor points out.

A lot of the current crop have also benefited from representing Louth at various underage levels, what with Development Squads and county minor appearances. John Horan and James Traynor both lined out for the Wee County minors in 2011, while Ciaran Ward and Gideon Lugoye were part of the 2012 Louth minor combination. This experience of pulling on an intercounty shirt will instil confidence in the players, who realise that they are as good as any other footballers in the county and can therefore square up to them without any inferiority complex.

“Hopefully we’ll have a few more with the county minors next year and I’d be hoping to maybe one or two of us will grab the attention of the county U21 selectors as well,” says John.

“All in all, 2012 was a stepping stone for the club and we’re proud of how well we played. We have more young lads coming through and we hope to push on next year. Four minors came into the team this year and we are setting ourselves up nicely. It was a great performance against Westerns and we hope to build on that.”

Crucially, John is confident that none of Wolfe Tones’ fresh crop of young talent will be poached by any of the neighbouring clubs: “We are a tight bunch.

We grew up together and we only want to play for Wolfe Tones. I’m confident we can keep this team together and push on and win a junior championship.

“Seven or eight of the side that played Oliver Plunketts in the junior quarter-final were under 20 and we only have two players the wrong side of 30, so we can push on with this team and hopefully move up to play intermediate football.”

The U8 panel

Ones for the future - the U7's

The U13 squad

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The Geraldines intermediate squad

GERALDINES - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

GERALDINES

Jim McEneaney

2012 RESU

LTS

AIMING TO FULFIL THEIR UNDOUBTED POTENTIAL

Divis St. Mary's 0- ion 2 14 0-9 Ger Geraldines aldines 4-8 Dundalk Gae 0-5 Naomh Malachi ls 0-10 4-6 Geraldines Geraldines 2-17 0-12 S t Josephs Na Piarsaigh 1-6 2-12 G eraldines Geraldines 2-13 1-7 St Finbarr's Geraldines 0-7 2-20 Cla n na nGael St Mochtas 2-20 1-6 G eraldines Geraldines 1-9 2-8 St F Geraldines echins 3-12 0-11 R oche Emm St Brides 1ets 11 0-15 Ger aldines

For the good part of a decade, the Geraldines have been regarded as a club with a very bright future. The growing population in the area has helped produce a group of talented young players, a batch that has been complemented by a lot of hard work put in on the coaching side at juvenile level. By Eunan Whyte.

T

hat effort was rewarded in terms of two Minor Championship titles and two further final appearances in five years, and as a consequence the Haggardstown club have been held up as the model for others to follow.

Not surprisingly, the talk has not only been about the McGeough Park side picking up Intermediate Championship and Division 2 honours, but ultimately being in the shake-up for success at senior level.

While few would argue that it is a great position to be in, that reputation brings its own challenges and the young squad is now coming under pressure to deliver on that promise.

After coming close to making the breakthrough last year, the Gers were tipped by many for success this year but once again they failed to get out of what is a very competitive grade.

Jim McEneaney is one of those players fully aware of the need for the

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IFC Geraldines 0-11 1-8 Cla n na nGael Geraldines 0-10 1-17 S t Josephs Naomh Mal achi 0-9 3-9 Geraldines Rel playoff

team to fulfil its undoubted potential or risk being remembered simply as an exceptional Minor squad of immense potential that failed to deliver at adult level.

“In many ways we are very fortunate to have such a young squad and we hear quite a lot that the future is bright, but the bottom line is that we haven’t won anything yet.

“We have won two Minor Championship and also been two finals in recent times so we have

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good group of players available. However, we are very conscious of the fact that we don’t just want to be regarded as excelling at Minor level, but we have to make every effort to transfer that success to adult football,” explained Jim For much of the early part of this season, the Geraldines looked on course to take the step up to Senior football as their impressive form had them top of the league, and among the favourites for the Intermediate championship.

However, the flip side of having so many players in their early 20s is that young people, particularly in the current climate, are tempted to travel abroad for the summer, and that proved a huge handicap during the crucial stages of the league and championship.

Although, Jim recalls that they regrouped near the end of the season and came within a whisker of clinching promotion to Division 1, the loss of key players had a huge bearing on their season.

“I suppose at the start of the season many people had us tipped for success and we had high expectations of ourselves after going reasonably well last year.

Despite the fact that it is a very tough league, we started well in Division 2 and at the beginning of the summer we were on top.

The U16 championship winners

The Geraldines U9's

“However, we lost about seven or eight players to America for the summer and that really affected us. I suppose it is just one of those things that, particularly in the current climate, lads will want to travel.

“I don’t think anybody can hold it against them and I went to the USA myself in 2010 but the reality of it is that if you have a Haggardstown, Dublin Road, Dundalk number of players (Opp. Fairways Hotel) missing it is going Tel/Fax: 042-9322153 Mobile: 087-2521398 to be very hard to BEST WISHES TO GERALDINES GAA compete for the

213

major honours,” explained McEneaney whose excellent form helped him earn a place in the Louth squad and make a huge impression at inter-county level this year.

“Division 2 is so tight that we went from first to fourth in the space of a week after losing two games, but in fairness to Peadar Gallagher and Paul Gallagher, they worked really hard to get us back on track.

“Although we slipped out of contention for automatic promotion, we had a few great results at the end of the season and managed to get into the play-offs,” he continued.

It was looking good for the McGeough Park side when they claimed two victories that saw them

Geraldines manager Peadar Gallagher

Tiernan Hand

Michael Rogers

book a meeting with Kilkerley in the play-off final. They were fancied by many to claim a spot in Division 1, but according to Jim they didn’t perform as they would have wished and the experience of Kilkerley told in the end.

“I think many people saw us as favourites for that game as we had finished well while Kilkerley didn’t have a good league campaign. After a good winning run we had a lot of our belief in ourselves but we weren’t over-confident as we knew it was going to be tough.

“Unfortunately we didn’t play well on the day and I suppose it was Kilkerley’s experience of playing senior football that got them over the line in the end.

“It was very disappointing in the end not to get up to Division 1 and not to have anything to show for our efforts all year as it would have been nice to get the chance to test ourselves at the top level.

“I was also very disappointed for Peadar and Paul Gallagher that we didn’t manage to get promotion as they were excellent over two years and put a lot of effort into the team,” continued Jim. While that failure was a bitter pill to swallow for the players, they will also look back on the championship with regret having failed to get out of the group stages. Again they were fancied to challenge for the title, but the loss of players was crucial in failing to make a mark.

“We had a good result against the Clans in getting a draw in our first game and that was with a lot of players still away, so we were hopeful at that stage that we could progress.

“We got a lift from the fact that a number of players came back for the second game against St Josephs but looking back, we probably expected too much from them after a long break from the team.

“The bottom line is that we just didn’t play well against the Joes who gave us a bit of a hammering and it was disappointing to go out.

Thankfully we were able to pick ourselves up for the play-offs and managed to secure our status for next season,” he explained.

That new season will start under the stewardship of Jim’s father, Eamonn,

214

Geraldines U16 captain Dara Hamill raises the county championship trophy

Barry Hamilton

Nicky Mackin

who will be looking to renew a very successful partnership with players after leading many of them to two Minor Championships.

While, Jim – who played for Louth against a Monaghan team managed by Eamonn this year – knows it is going to tough he is looking forward to the challenge.

“The Intermediate grade is very competitive and any one team can beat any other and teams such as O Raghallaighs, O’Connells and Oliver Plunketts have shown that when they go up to Division 1 they are not out of place.

“We know we have the talent to make progress but it takes a big commitment from everyone over the long season to bring success.

Hopefully we will have a full squad available throughout the year and if we can achieve that then we will be in with a chance of beginning to deliver on the promise we have shown over the past number of years,” concluded Jim.

Representing Geraldines at U16 level

The Geraldines U12's

Geraldines celebrating their U16 Championship win

James Craven

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Proud JFC winners, front l/r: Keith Lynch, Mark Garvey, Derek Johnson, Aidan Monahan, Mark Noone, David Bracken, Keith Farnan, Danny Whyte, Keith Rooney Ian Cusack, Colin Carolan, Conor Grimes. Back: Damien Grimes, Keith Boylan, Darren O’Brien, Dylan Maguire, Tom Grimes, Eamonn Mullen, Darren Wogan, Liam O’Connor, Fergus Barnett, Gordon Healy, Ronan Grufferty, Stephen Healy, Ronan Carr

GLEN EMMETS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

GLEN EMMETS

2012 RESU

LTS

Glen Emmets celebrate their county final win

FOURTH TIME LUCKY! At the fourth attempt, Glen Emmets have bridged the gap to 1997. By pipping Lannleire in the 2012 Louth JFC final at The Grove on Sunday, September 16th, the Green & Reds brought the Christy Bellew Cup back to Tullyallen for the first time in 15 years. It was the sweetest of successes for Brian Lynch’s team as, in between, they had lost three county junior finals, including the 2011 decider.

A

t the fourth attempt, Glen Emmets have bridged the gap to 1997. By pipping Lannleire in the 2012 Louth JFC final at The Grove on Sunday, September 16th, the Green & Reds brought the Christy Bellew Cup back to Tullyallen for the first time in 15 years. It was the sweetest of successes for Brian Lynch’s team as, in between, they had lost three county junior finals, including the 2011 decider.

Division 3 Glen Emmet s 2-7 0-4 S t Kevins Wolfe Tone s 1-4 0-9 G Glen Emmet len Emmet s 3-20 1-9 s Annaghmin Dundalk Yo non Rovers ung Irelands 16 1-4 Glen Glen Emmet Emmets s 1-20 0-3 Dowdallshi Lannleire 2ll 8 2-8 Glen Glen Emmet Emmets s 0-9 0-12 Hunterstow Glen Emmet n Rovers s 4-3 1-12 Sean McDer St Nicholas motts 0-5 1-12 G len Emmet Westerns 1s 8 1-10 Glen Glen Emmet Emmets s 1-9 0-4 Jo Stabannon hn Mitchels Parnells 07 4-13 Glen Glen Emmet Emmets s 010 1-6 Dundalk Youn g Irelands 0-12 Lannleire - playoff 0-11 Glen Em mets – playof f JFC Glen Emmet s 1-16 0-7 Annaghmin Glen Emmet non Rovers s 1-10 1-8 Glen Emmet Lannleire s 1-17 1-7 Stabannon Glen Emmet Parnells s Glen Emmet 2-12 0-8 John Mitche ls - QF s 1-11 2-5 Oliver Plunk Glen Emmet etts - SF s 1-7 0-9 La nnleire - Fin al

The merit of the old saying ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again’ was demonstrated to telling effect by Glen Emmets in 2012 as the Tullyallen men put years of hurt behind them to claim the Louth junior football championship. The Emmets had gone a decade-and-a-half without savouring victory in the thirdtier championship, losing three finals in that time.

After being edged out by St Fechins in the 2011 JFC final, they could have

217

been forgiven for simply giving up. Instead, they rolled up their sleeves and came back even more determined than ever to capture the coveted silverware – and promotion to intermediate football – with victories over Annaghminnon Rovers, Lannleire, Stabannon Parnells, John Mitchells, Oliver Plunketts and Lannleire again.

While the semi-final dismantling of the Plunketts at Castlebellingham

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Representing the Emmets, front l/r: Keith Boylan, Darren O’Brien, Keith Farnan, Aidan Monahan, Ian Cusack, Mark Noone, Derek Johnson, Keith Rooney, Danny Whyte, Eamonn Mullen, David Bracken. Back: Colin Carolan, Damien Grimes, Martin Morgan, Keith Lynch, Tom Grimes, Gordon Healy, Stephen Healy, Liam O’Connor, Fergus Barnett, Mark Garvey, Darren Wogan, Conor Grimes, Ronan Grufferty, Dylan Maguire, Ronan Carr

came as a huge shock to everybody outside Tullyallen, the 1-7 to 0-9 win over Dunleer in the final at the same venue in mid-September was the one that really mattered. The Glens had been knocking on the door for quite some time and, as captain Stephen Healy spirited the Bellew Cup back to the clubhouse, nobody could deny that their breakthrough was fully deserved.

That they achieved glory despite the loss of Daniel Grimes (cruciate), Andrew Mooney and Stephen Murphy (both of whom emigrated) tells its own story…

The journey began at Ardee on Sunday afternoon, July 15th with a 116 to 0-8 group stage victory over Annaghminnon Rovers. This match was closer than the final scoreline suggests as the Stonetown men produced a resolute display against

the beaten 2011 finalists, who pulled away in the second half of the second half.

The teams shared twelve points inside the first 38 minutes but Annaghminnon’s challenge was finally snuffed out by Mark Noone’s goal on the three-quarters mark. Glen Emmets has struck first through Keith Farnan and Ronan Grufferty missed a penalty before they reeled off five successive scores.

It was 0-6 to 0-3 at half time and Annaghminnon kept battling to draw level. However, the champions-elect dominated the closing stages to pull away for the expected victory.

The side that got the better of Annaghminnon Rovers was: Fergus Barnett; Danny Whyte, Aidan Monaghan, Darren O'Brien (0-2); Keith Farnan (0-2), Stephen Healy (0-1), Colin Carolan; Ronan Grufferty

(0-4), Mark Garvey (0-1); Ian Cusack, Martin Morgan (0-1), Derek Johnstone; Mark Noone (1-1), Keith Lynch (0-1), Tom Grimes. Subs: Keith Boylan, Damien Grimes (0-2), Sean Kerr (0-1).

The second group game was against Lannleire seven days later and two late points gave the Emmets a 1-10 to 1-8 victory over their 14man opponents. Lannleire had Carlos Lambe dismissed in the eighth minute but still led by four points midway through the first half.

However, Tom Grimes’ three-pointer just before the interval ensured that there was just a point between them at the short whistle, 1-3 to 1-2.

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Conor Grimes

Keith Farnan

JFC final Man of the Match Gordon Healy

next three points to move within touching distance of victory but the 15 men of Glen Emmets finished strongest with scores from Eamonn Mullen, Ronan Grufferty and Stephen Healy.

The Glen Emmets team on duty against Lannleire on July 22nd was: Fergus Barnett; Danny White, Aidan Monaghan, Darren O'Brien; Keith Farnan, Stephen Healy (0-1); Colin Carlin; Gordon Healy, Mark Garvey; Ronan Grufferty (0-1), Martin Morgan, Tom Grimes (1-0); Mark Noone (0-4), Keith Lynch (0-1), Eamonn Mullen (0-3) Subs: Keith Boylan, Ian Cusack, Sean Kerr, Ronan Kerr, Damien Grimes.

Five days later, on Friday July 27th, at Ardee, Glen Emmets assured themselves of top spot in the group when they closed their group programme with a 1-18 to 1-7 win over Stabannon Parnells. The midLouth side needed to win by nine points to advance to the last eight but it was the Tullyallen side that prevailed by eleven!

The victors took control of proceedings early on and Eamonn Mullen was the goalscorer as they led by 1-7 to 0-3 at the break. It was plain sailing from there to the end and top scorer Mullen helped himself to a handsome haul of 1-7 over the hour as the Green & Reds advanced to the quarter-finals as group winners.

The team that disposed of Stabannon was: Fergus Barnett; Danny Whyte (0-1), Aidan Monaghan, Dylan Maguire; Keith Farnan, Stephen Healy, Colin Carolan; Mark Garvey, Gordon Healy; Ronan Grufferty (0-3), Martin Morgan, Tom Grimes; Keith Lynch (03), Eamonn Mullen (1-7), Mark Noone (0-3). Subs: Ian Cusack, David Bracken, Keith Boylan, Sean Kerr.

Glen Emmets had ten points to spare when they saw off John Mitchells in their JFC quarter-final at Stabannon on Thursday evening, August 23rd – 2-12 to 0-8. Conditions were difficult due to a deluge of rain but Conor Grimes’ early goal had the winners off to a perfect start and the Ballybailie men were never able to gain a foothold in the match

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David Bracken

Stephen Healy lifts the Christy Bellew Cup

The club's U9's

thereafter.

Mark Noone opened the scoring and a brace of Keith Lynch minors ensured that the Tullyallen brigade held a commanding 1-7 to 0-3 advantage at the turnaround. The match was well and truly over as a contest when Eamonn Mullen added a second Emmets goal nine minutes after the restart. The last six points were shared as Glen Emmets eased through to the last four in second gear. A bigger challenge awaited as they would now play the competition favourites‌ The team that accounted for John Mitchells was: Fergus Barnett; Danny Whyte, Colin Carolan, Dylan Maguire; Keith Farnan, Aidan Monaghan, Stephen Healy; Eamonn Mullen (0-2), Ronan Grufferty; Martin Morgan (0-1), David Bracken, Keith Lynch (0-2); Mark Noone (0-1), Conor Grimes (1-4), Damien Grimes (1-2). Subs: Ian Cusack, Keith Boylan, Gordon Healy, Tom Grimes, Derek Johnstone.

At the semi-final stage, on Sunday, September 2nd, Glen Emmets came up against hotly-fancied Oliver Plunketts.

The Mell men had been installed as favourites to win the JFC at the start of the year and they were almost unbackable as they endeavoured to atone for their controversial relegation at the end of 2011. Playing in Division One, the Drogheda club was priced as short as 1/8.

However, the Tullyallen side had other ideas and they raised eyebrows all over the Wee County with a fantastic 111 to 2-5 success at The Grove to progress to a second successive JFC final.

It didn’t look promising as the Plunketts burst out of the blocks with an early 1-2 salvo but a brace of Conor Grimes points closed the gap slightly (1-3 to 0-2) before Martin Morgan hit the net in the 22nd minute to leave just a couple of points between the teams at the short whistle, 1-4 to 1-2.

Glen Emmets came out for the second half like demons and a run of points from Grimes, Eamonn Mullen, Morgan and Keith Lynch transformed a two-point arrears into a twopoint lead. With the bit firmly between their teeth, the winners added overs from David Bracken and Grimes (free) to assume a 1-8 to 1-5 advantage.

It looked like the dream might die when Plunketts registered the levelling goal seven minutes from the end but Emmets demonstrated their composure and determination to devastating effect as they floated over three unanswered points from Mullen, Lynch and substitute Mark Noone to seal a stunning triumph and a place in the county final.

The Glen Emmets side that powered past Oliver Plunketts in the 2012 Louth JFC semi-final was: Fergus Barnett; Danny Whyte, Colin Carolan, Keith Boylan; Keith Farnan, Aidan Monaghan, Stephen Healy; Gordon Healy, Eamonn Mullen (0-2); David Bracken (0-2), Martin Morgan (1-1); Ronan Grufferty, Conor Grimes (0-4), Damien Grimes. Subs:

Glen Emmets' U14's

Keith Rooney, Mark Noone (0-1), Tom Grimes.

And so it came to pass that Glen Emmets and Lannleire did battle for the first major piece of County Board silverware handed out in Louth in 2012. A surprise pairing, as most analysts had predicted an Oliver Plunketts V Hunterstown Rovers final, but both these sides had come through on merit and the stage was set for a fascinating decider.

The U7's at Darver

The U15's

221

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Those putting forward the case for an Emmets victory had plenty of ammunition: it was their second successive final, they had beaten the competition favourites at the penultimate stage, they had shown better form in the league – and they beat Lannleire in the group stage. But Lannleire were also in form and this was always going to be a tight decider…

The final took place at The Grove on the middle Sunday of September and three points in the last five minutes ensured that the Christy Bellew Cup was on its way to Tullyallen for the first time since 1997. It was a low-scoring, nervy encounter and the Emmets were in danger of leaving it behind them as a series of uncharacteristic misses saw them trail by 0-5 to 03 (Conor Grimes, Keith Lynch and David Bracken on target as six points were shared before the interval) with only 21 minutes to go.

However, Keith Rooney won a 41st-minute penalty, which Eamonn Mullen dispatched to send the Tullyallen men on their way, leading for the first time.

After Lannleire levelled, a string of scores from Ronan Grufferty, Conor Grimes and Rooney made it a three-point game going into injury time. Lannleire kept going to the very end and pulled back two late scores but, as the tension mounted during four minutes of injury time, the Dunleer men couldn’t muster an equaliser as Glen Emmets recorded a

The club's U13's

famous win.

Glen Emmets – 2012 Louth junior football champions: Fergus Barnett; Keith Boylan, Colin Carolan, Danny Whyte; Stephen Healy, Aidan Monaghan, Keith Farnan; Gordon Healy, Ronan Grufferty (0-1); David Bracken (0-1), Martin Morgan, Eamonn Mullen (1-0); Keith Lynch (0-1), Conor Grimes (0-3), Keith Rooney (0-1). Subs: Mark Noone, Tom Grimes.

Up for the parade The U12's

Lining out at U10

The up and coming U8's

223

The Annaghminnon Rovers senior squad for 2012, front l/r: Aaron Daly, Kevin McKeown, Mickey Smith, Vincent Woods, Gerry Markey, Christopher Connolly, David Marron, Mickey, Brennan, Paraic Leegan. Back: Martin Woods, Ollie Carroll, Sean Duff, Seamus Martin, Tony Brennan, Declan Lambe, Keith Hackett, Garry Connolly

ANNAGHMINNON - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

ANNAGHMINNON ROVERS Sean Duff

2012 RESU

LTS

NEVER SAY DIE Goalkeeper Shane Russell epitomises the never-say-die spirit that prevails in Stonetown. A regular between the posts since 2001, Shane is an Annaghminnon Rovers clubman to the bone and he intends to keep soldiering on until the club enjoys a change of fortunes. They may not have set the pitches of the Wee County on fire in 2012 but, as the long-serving custodian rightly observes, there’s always next year.

I

t was a difficult year for Annaghminnon. They had a welcome early-season boost when beating Wolfe Tones in the Kevin Mullen Shield but failed to record another win in 2012, taking the wooden spoon in Division Three and losing three tough JFC group matches to Glen Emmets, Stabannon Parnells and Lannleire within the space of twelve days in July.

It would be understandable if their players were down in the mouth but

Division 3 Annaghmin non Rovers John Mitche 1-8 2-15 W esterns ls 0-12 0-5 Annaghmin Annaghminno non Rovers n Rovers 0-7 0-9 Stabann Glen Emmet on Parnells s 3-20 1-9 Annaghmin Annaghmin non Rovers non Rovers 3-5 3-15 St Wolfe Tone K s Annaghminno 0-18 0-9 Annaghminno evins n Rovers 2-3 n Rovers 611 Dowdallshi Dundalk Youn ll 2-9 0-11 A g Irelands nnaghminno Annaghmin n Rovers non Rovers 0-2 2-22 La Hunterstown R nnleire overs vAnnagh Annaghmin minnon Rover s – not played non Rovers v St Nichola Sean McDer s – not play motts 5-23 1ed 7 Annaghmin non Rovers JFC Glen Emmet s 1-16 0-7 Annaghmin Annaghminno non Rovers n Rovers 0-5 2-10 Stabann Lannleire 2on Parnells 20 2-5 Ann aghminnon Rovers

‘keeper Shane Russell is far from despondent. He knows things can turn around quickly with a bit of hard work and a welcome slice of luck.

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“From a results point of view it was a very poor season considering that we didn’t win a game in the league, just picking up two points for a walkover against the Nicks, and our

225

only victory as such was against Wolfe Tones in the Kevin Mullen Shield. That win came very early in the season and I suppose you could say we caught them on the hop because they went on to have a great season.

“We had a new manager this year in Alan Finnegan, who played in front of me at full back for many years but took to management after picking up an injury. Alan ended up coming back and playing a few games himself.

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On duty for Annaghminnon, front l/r: Martin Woods, Keith Byrne, Gerry Markey, John Crawley, Tommy Martin, Stephen Finnegan, Pauric Leegan, Garry Connolly, Olly Carroll, David Kellett, David Marron. Back: Alan Finnegan (manager), Aaron Daly, Mickey Smyth, Christy Connolly, Kevin McKeown, Tony Brennan, Shane Russell, Seamus Martin (captain), Mark Brennan, Aidan Kerr, Declan Lambe, Eugene Kellett, Martin O'Hare, Sean Duff

He’s a new manager with fresh ideas.

“He had Brian Doherty in alongside him and they brought a lot of new ideas to the table. We also had some new players coming in, but for one reason or another it just didn’t gel for us. But we’ll keep going and I’m sure it will come good for Annaghminnon Rovers again. We also had a few injuries during the year and that will always set you back.”

Time is against some of the players, however: “The lads who were on the 2000 junior championship winning team are coming towards the end of their careers now and it takes a bit longer to recover. But we have a few new boys coming through as well and next year will be their third season of adult football. If the older lads stay on too, then I can only see an improvement. We probably need one

or two new men, though, if we are going to push on.”

There’s certainly no lack of desire in Stonetown, as Shane reveals: “Regardless of what happens or how results go, we will never give up. We will keep fighting and the spirit will always be there. That’s the way it has always been here. We kept going in the past and ended up winning the JFC in 2000 and we can do the same again. You just have to keep plugging away and keep believing.”

Can they take a leaf out of Westerns’ book and unearth a few minors, perhaps? “Well, we’ve had no juvenile set-up at all until three years ago and it’s going to realistically take about ten years before we start to see the fruits of that. In the meantime, ideally, I suppose we need to get a few transfers in. The worry is that a

few lads could retire at the end of this year and the panel is already small enough without that happening. But we’ll keep going no matter what happens.

“At times this year, we were down to 18 players because of injury and you couldn’t afford to get much lower than that numbers-wise. But the players who are there on any given day all give 100%. That’s one thing you can be sure of with Annaghminnon. At training and on match day, everybody gives 100% but for some reason it didn’t work out for us this year.

“We had a panel of around 30 at the start of the year but it’s not as easy as it used to be with lads struggling to get off work etc. I used to be able to take time off to train myself but lads these days can’t do that or they could lose their jobs. If you’re lucky enough

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Best Wishes to Annaghminnon Rovers GFC for 2013 227

Aidan Kerr receives an award for Midfield in the club’s Team Of the Decade 2000-2010

Niall Matthews receives an award for Corner Forward position in the Team Of the Decade 2000-2010

Manager Alan Finnegan is presented with the Full Back position in the Annaghminnon Rovers GFC Team Of the Decade 2000-2010

to have a job, then work has to come first.

Our reserve team had a great year, reaching the semi-final stage of Division 4C, so that’s something to look back on with a bit of satisfaction.”

As for the coming season…

“I’m not sure what’ll happen with the management team but if we stick at it next year with Alan, it will come good. You need to give a manger time. He has good ideas.

He’s young and obviously he’s learning as he goes along but I think it could come good.

“We have great spirit down there and it’s never-say-die. But we know it was a bad year. Once we failed to get a few early wins on the board the heads dropped and we were caught in a rut.

“We fulfilled all our fixtures, apart from one against Hunterstown Rovers, where we only had twelve men. But there are lads here who want to play every week and they are enjoying their football and they’ll keep going.

“We will never give up. We will keep going and some day we will start getting victories again. We just didn’t get any breaks in 2012 but they could come next year.”

What would represent a reasonable level of progress for this team? “I suppose a lot depends on who you get pitted against but it would be a big step in the right direction if we could get out of the group stage of the JFC. We’ll be aiming for mid-table in the league. Even if we could improve on this year and move up two or three places that would do.

“When you look at a team like Wolfe Tones and the way they have improved to get to the knockout stage of the championship, then you know progress is possible. It’s not too long since they were in a much worse position than Annaghminnon.”

Shane Russell has been a mainstay between the Annaghminnon posts since 2001. He was part of the squad as the JFC was scooped the previous year, tasting ten minutes of action in the semi-final victory over Westerns, when he replaced regular No.1 Gerard Pepper for the latter stages of that game. Gerry was in goal for well over a decade, too, and is still very much part of the club today.

Likewise, Shane will be a Rovers man for life and will be available to answer the call no matter what is asked of him: “I mostly play in goals but they played me outfield when we were short men for the last

228

Annaghminnon Rovers supporter Joe Callan checking the team on the programme

Martin Woods clears the danger

Martin O'Hare receives the Second Team Player Of the Year Award 2011 from Michael McKeown

Peter Fitzpatrick gives some guidance

league game against the Seans. I started a championship game at full forward against the Mochtas four or five years ago, which was a bit different, but I’ll play wherever they want me. I just love to be part of it and I’d play with a broken leg if I could.

“I’m going to soldier on for as long as they need me and I’m sure there are plenty of others in the club who feel the same. If there’s somebody else ready to take over as goalkeeper, then I’ll happily sit on the bench or play outfield – whatever.

“I can’t imagine a day ever coming when I’m not involved with Annaghminnon – be it as a selector, coaching juveniles or even cutting the grass. It’s my club and I enjoy it 100%.”

Vinny Woods

Mark Brennan

Defender Kevin McKeown

Tony Brennan on the move

229

Pat Holland

Representing Cooley Kickhams, front l/r: Gavin White, Jason Long, Antoin Watters, Eoghan Murphy, Ronan Hanlon, Peter Murphy, Gareth McShane, Sean McDonald, PJ McGivern, Alan Page, Cormac Watters, John Kane, Emmet Page, Patrick McGrath, Shane Marks. Back: Jamie Farrell, Gerry Malone, James McShane, Anthony White, Derek Ruddy, Keith White, Conor McGuinness, Sean Donnelly, Michael John Hanlon, Darren Marks, Patrick Sheelan, Michael Rafferty, David Hughes, Neil Gallagher

COOLEY KICKHAMS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

COOLEY KICKHAMS

2012 RESU

LTS

Division 1 Cooley Kic khams 0-8 2-4 Mattock Glyde Range Rangers rs 0-10 1-11 Cooley Kic Cooley Kic khams 1-6 khams 2-3 Kilkerle Newtown B y Emmets lues 0-11 18 Cooley K Oliver Plunk ickhams etts 1-3 0-3 Cooley Kic Cooley Kic khams khams 1-14 311 O`Ragha Cooley Kic llaighs khams 0-9 3-7 O'Connells 2-9 0-12 Coo Dreadnots Cooley Kic le y Kickhams khams 1-10 2-5 Sean O Naomh Mai Mahonys rtin 0-12 112 Cooley Cooley Kic Kickhams khams 1-5 0-11 St Pat ricks

Conor McGuinness

TIME TO ‘KICK’ ON Over the past number of years it has been impossible to review a season from a Cooley Kickhams point of view without referring to the lengthy wait since the club last won the Senior Championship. By Eunan Whyte.

U

nfortunately for all concerned with the famous green-andgold outfit, the 2012 season is no different as the club once again fell short of the target that has been their number one priority for over two decades.

The Joe Ward was such a frequent visitor to Fr McEvoy Park that few could envisage that the Peninsula side would ever go more than a handful of seasons without having it back to Cooley. However, for the club to go at least 23 years without the title remains one of the great enigmas of Louth football.

During that time they have endured frustration, heart-break and disappointment in equal measure, but

SFC O`Raghalla ighs 0-6 3-10 Dundalk Yo Cooley Kic ung Irelands khams 0-5 1-9 Coo Cooley Kic ley Kickham khams 0-12 s 09 D Cooley Kic undalk Gae khams 0-6 2-7 St Patric ls – QF ks - SF

the stature of the club means that they always start the new year with high hopes of making the breakthough.

While that may add extra pressure on the players, goalkeeper Neil Gallagher believes that it is something that they have to be able to cope with as they attempt to end the famine.

With each passing year, some supporters may be losing hope of getting back to the summit of Louth football, but Gallagher reveals that the belief remains within the playing squad that they can bring the Joe Ward back.

Not suprisingly, the main objective at the start of the 2012 season was

231

again to win the championship, the Louth player points out that unsually, the level of expectation was relatively low in Cooley at the start of the year.

That may have been the result of the fact that the team had failed to push on after making back-to-back finals in 2009 and 2010, and even the league form that has remained consistent over the past two decades appeared to have deserted them.

Ultimately the events of the season proved that line of thinking to be correct but Neil is determined not to give up hope.

“Overall you would have to say that it was a disappointing season, but there is no point in dwelling too much on that as we have to pick ourselves

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232

Cooley players pay their respect to the late Peter McCarthy, l/r: Neil Gallagher, Michael John Hanlon, John Kane, PJ McGivern, Conor McGuinness, Sean McDonald, David Hughes, Patrick Sheelan, Patrick McGrath, Alan Page, Cormac Watters, Michael Rafferty, Darren Marks, Sean Donnelly, Keith White

up and have a go at it again next year.

“It is not all doom and gloom as we have young lads coming through such as Darren Marks and Michael Kane among others. The challenge is to make sure they come through the ranks and that we are able to keep them around.

“It is our intention to keep going every year until we make the breakthrough as a club this size needs success. We have come close over the past ten years having reached four finals, but I suppose we were unlucky that there were two very strong teams in St Patricks and Mattock Rangers around at the same time.

“At the minute the Pats are very strong and have a number of players in the county panel, but after that there is very little between the teams in the chasing pack such as Mattock, Naomh Mairtin and Dreadnots,” added Neil.

“You look at the likes of Dreadnots who made it through to their first final so that gives us all hope.

“There is not a big difference between a lot of the teams but it really comes down to a matter of who wants it the most, who has the belief and who will give the commitment

required,” added Neil who remains optimistic that he can get his hands on a senior medal.

“From a players’ point of view we believe that we can do it but we know it will take a lot of hard work and for everyone to show the necessary hunger,” continued the goalkeeper, who knows that the team will have to show a vast improvement on a 2012 season that never really got going.

“To be fair the level of expectation at the beginning of the year was not too high. I suppose we hadn’t performed that well in the league or championship last year, and then in the early part of the season we lost Brian White and Brian Donnelly to America,” he added.

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Darren Marks

The U16 on blitz duty

The loss of key players was one factor in a disappointing league campaign but Gallagher believes that a change of emphasis was part of the reason they didn’t set the world alight in the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup. Cooley finished the season with just three wins and two draws, leaving them on eight points and only avoided a relegation play-off on score difference.

“The league campaign was disappointing for us as we didn’t get off to a good start and ended up struggling for a while before we could a couple of wins near the end to stay clear of the relegation zone.

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our leauge form has always been good and we have become used to playing in semi-finals and finals.

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Representing Cooley Kickhams on senior camogie final day

235

Conor McGuinness

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236

good victory. We had Young Irelands up next and although it wasn’t pretty, we managed to beat them and get through to the knock-out stages,” he reflected.

“We came up against the Gaels and managed to get over the line in that one thanks to a strong finish to set up a meeting with St Patricks in the semi-final. We had Brian Donnelly and Brian White back at that stage so we went into the game with a bit of belief that we could get through to the final.

“We trained hard and prepared well but it just didn’t go for us in the end.

In the first half we were unable to get the scores when we were on top.

Most of the Pats scores in the first half had come from frees but when they changed their tactics in the second half, we couldn’t adapt,” explained Neil whose team had their hopes dashed by two quick-fire goals.

“The first goal was important for them but we didn’t even get the chance to recover before they had a second and that effectively killed the game off. It is very disappointing and hard to take that we came up short again but we have to pick ourselves up and have another go at it next season,” added Gallagher who knows that when the 2013 season starts, the talk about ending the Senior Championship famine won’t be too far away once again.

On duty for the U12 county camogie final against St Brides, front l/r: Molly Hughes, Blaithin Malone, Aoife Ferguson, Ciara Quinn, Lillian O Reilly, Shauna Murphy. Back: Maebh White, Niamh Rice, Lauren Boyle, Claire Donnelly, Katie Mallon, Chaela Ferguson, Katie McMahon

CAMOGIE Cooley Camogie Club started off very slowly in 2012 but gathered momentum as the year progressed.

Although they didn't feature in the County League Final they won the 9 aside and the Championship against all the odds.

The future looks good also for the U12's as they contested the County U12 League against St Brides and were narrowly beaten in the end.

Senior Panel for 2012: Paula Hanlon, Karen Shields, Karen Kane, Emma Murphy, Ann Marmion Kane, Siobhan Mc Donald, Sarah Quinn, Catherine Page, Lisa Maguire, Roisin Soraghan (Captain) Siobhan Maxwell, Eimile Rice, Caoimhe Mc Grane, Patricia Marmion, Caroline Hanlon, Kate Callan, Michelle Duffy, Ciara Murray, Niamh McParland , Coirin Rice, Eibhlin Rice, Kerrie Ferguson, Aoife Treanor. Mascots: Aoife and Julie Soraghan. Mentors: Ann and John Callan

The U7's at Darver, front l/r: Luke Sheridan, Cian McGuinness, Jack Creaven, James McBride, Padraig Richardson, Philip McCormack, Brian Boyle. Back: Thomas McCarragher, Sean Hoey, Max Leonard, Tomas McDonald Murphy, Zach Woods, Dylan Loughran, Niall Morgan

The promising U9's, front l/r: Sean McCarragher, Thomas Fearon, Holly Maguire, Aoife Ferguson, Blaithin Malone, John Digney. Middle: Ethan Murphy, Cormac Malone, Kristian McGrane, Caolan Haugh, Enda Malone, Cathal Malone, Dara Brady. Back: Conor McNamee, Shane Quigley, Cian O'Connor, Dillon McGahon Malone, Brianan McBride, Thomas McCarragher

237

On duty for the Marys, front l/r: Niall Eccles, Barry Faulkner, Graham McCoy, Jamie Rooney, Alan Kirk, Duane Crosbie, Eamon Callaghan, Paudy Clarke, Niall Carroll, Dean Matthews, Alan McKenny, Fergal Diamond, Mark Fay. Back: James Clarke, Marty Duffy, Dylon Minogue, David Rooney, Robert Callaghan, Emmet Leavy, Brian McCoy, R贸n谩n Carroll, RJ Callaghan, Paul Malone, Robert Leavy, Shane McCoy, Donal Matthews, John Bingham, Lorcan Farrell, Wayne Matthews, Shane Carroll

ARDEE ST MARYS SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

ST MARYS Paudie Clarke

2012 RESU

LTS

BACK ON TRACK Though they may not have achieved their prime objective in 2012, the Ardee St Marys seniors nevertheless appear to be turning the corner. Whereas in previous years they were looking over their shoulders, this time around the Deesiders were disappointed not to make the last four of the SFC. Progress! The capabilities of the team have improved and with that have come increased expectations, all of which offers midfielder Robert Leavy plenty of encouragement looking to the future.

T

he rot has stopped. St Marys have stabilised again and are ready to bounce back. In 2012, they played some fantastic football – though consistency was still possibly a problem. Unfortunately, promotion to Division One proved elusive once more, and this was certainly a source of frustration in the clubhouse. Ardee know they need to get back onto the top rung.

In the senior football championship,

Division 2 St. Mary Roche Emm’s 0-14 0-9 Geraldine s ets St. Mary's 1 1-13 0-12 St. Mary’s -1 7 2-7 St Bride Clan na nG s ae St. Mary's 1l 3-12 0-12 St. Mary's St Mochtas -9 1-14 St Fechins St. Mary's 0-10 0-10 St. Mary Naomh Ma 1-18 0-9 St Josephs's la St. Mary's chi 0-6 1-11 St. Mary St. Mary's 0 2-18 0-8 St Finbarr's 's -9 Na Piarsaig 0-17 Dundalk Gaels h 1-8 2-9 S t. Mary's SFC St. Mary's 1 Glyde Rang-9 0-13 Mattock Rang ers ers 1-8 1-1 St. Mary 2 St. Dreadnots 's 1-12 0-15 Dreadn Mary's ots 1-14 0-12 S t. Mary's - - QF QF replay

the Marys showed their true potential when coming within an ace of booking a semi-final slot. Having been pipped by Mattock in their group opener, they advanced to the knockout stage of the competition with a great victory over Glyde Rangers. Dreadnots provided the quarter-final opposition and the Marys appeared to have one foot in the last four before bowing out lucklessly after a replay.

239

That brought the season to a disappointing end but Rome wasn’t built in a day and the signs are ominous that St Marys’ transition period is coming to an end. Their championship displays in particular indicate that the town club is building up a head of steam again and firstteam stalwart Robert Leavy believes that at long last they have something to build on.

“I feel we have come on a lot over

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The St Marys minors, front l/r: David Carroll, Luke O’Kane, Conor Keenan, Peter Clarke, Cian Moran, Niall Eccles, BJ Matthews, Killian Murray, Marty Duffy. Back: Andrew Mooney, Dylan Minogue, Pearse Callan, Gavin Douglas, Gerard Gorman, David McMahon, Andrew Leavy, Karl Faulkner, Ryan Rooney

the last two years, compared to the three previous seasons,” he says. “The team has come a long way and the younger players have matured. We believe that on our day we can give most teams a run for their money. We need to get out of Division Two but there are some good sides down there and, in a funny way, it’s actually harder to get out of Division Two than it is to stay in Division One. This year we were disappointed not to get into a championship semi-final – that’s an improvement from being in a relegation dogfight!”

St Marys exited the 2012 Louth SFC race when losing their quarter-final replay to Dreadnots by 1-14 to 0-12 at Dromiskin on Sunday, September 9th. The Ardee men led by 0-6 to 0-3 at the end of the first quarter but were 1-7 to 0-7 behind at the interval. The dismissal of Robert Leavy five minutes into the second half put paid to any hopes the Marys had of

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On Junior 2A duty, front l/r: Cathal Corrigan, David Balfe, Shane Corrigan, Emmet Leavy, Cian Moran, Marty Duffy, David Rooney, Karl Faulkner, Alan Balfe. Back: Gavin Douglas, Sean O’Brien, Shane Carroll (captain), Andrew Leavy, Brian McCoy, Gerard Gorman, Michael Lennon, Hugh Diamond, Wayne Matthews, Niall Eccles

241

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At the announcement of Moorehall Homecare as club sponsors of St Mary's GFC, Ardee, were Brendan Kerin (club chairman), Michael McCoy (proprietor, Moorehall Living Group), Tom Rice (club treasurer) and Sean Carroll (club secretary).

The U11 team two, front l/r: DJ McKeever, Carl Gillespie, Eoin Clarke, Michael Szostakowski, Conor Gilbert. Back: Killian Keenan, Colman Finlay, Callum Markey, James McGillick, Darragh McCoy, Luke Matthews

The U12s, front l/r: Dylan Whyte, Tom Jackson, Luke Dunne, Conor Gilbert, Aaron Keenan, Jay Crawley, Andrew Rogers. Back: Nathan Buckley, Conor Horan, Tiernan Corrigan, James McGillick, Eoghan McCabe, Barry Cousins, Paul Doherty

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progressing.

Ten days earlier, in the original fixture, it had finished 1-12 to 0-15 at Haggardstown. The Marys had stormed out of the blocks to lead by 0-7 to 0-1 after ten minutes but they still needed 1-1 in the last minute from Alan Kirk to salvage a deserved draw.

The St Marys team on duty that day was: Peter Duffy; Alan McKenny, John Bingham, Barry Faulkner; Niall Carroll (0-1), Donal Matthews, Paul Malone; Ronan Carroll (0-2), Robert Leavy; Eamonn Callaghan, Paudie Clarke (0-1), Dean Matthews (0-2); Shane McCoy (0-1), Alan Kirk (1-5), Fergal Diamond. Subs: Jamie Rooney for B Faulkner (42), David Woods for A McKenny (52), Mark Fay for P Malone (55).

The Marys had progressed to the last eight by virtue of a 1-12 to 1-8 defeat of neighbours Glyde Rangers at McGeough Park, Haggardstown on Saturday, August 25th.

Tallanstown led by 1-3 to 0-1 early on but points from Ronan Carroll and Dean Matthews settled the Marys.

Further points from Alan Kirk and Matthews followed by a Carroll goal ensured that there was just a point in it at the short whistle, 1-6 to 1-5. A flurry of points upon the restart from Jamie Rooney, Matthews and Carroll (2) proved to be the decisive surge.

St Marys had opened their Group Two account against Mattock Rangers at Dunleer on Sunday, July 22nd, slipping to an unlucky 0-13 to 1-9 defeat.

Would it be fair to say that ultimately the Marys’ whole season hinged on the outcome of the Dreadnots replay? “I suppose it came down to that game in the end,” says Robert.

“We didn’t qualify for the play-offs in the league as planned so the championship was our last hope.”

In Division Two of the league, it was a close-run thing but the Marys were narrowly squeezed out… “We finished one place outside the playoffs, a point behind Geraldines. It went right down to the wire and they edged us out by winning their last game by a point.”

What were the defining moments of that campaign? Where – if anywhere in particular – was the promotion race lost? “We lost away to Roche in our

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The Minor League Division 1B winners

second or third game and that was two points that we let slip. We also lost to the Clans away, when they were going well, and we were beaten by the Fechins and the Gaels. We were sort of in transition when we came up against the Fechins as we had some changes in the backroom

team at the time, but we regrouped and went on a run of four or five successive wins. Unfortunately, we just failed to get back into the play-off positions.

“I think Collon, the Gaels and Dreadnots were the only teams who beat us since April, so we had a

strong enough finish to the year.”

Needless to say, the league was a priority and Robert is disappointed that the Marys will be in Division Two again in 2013. “In 2011 the Mairtins only beat us by a point to go up to Division One and promotion would have been our main objective at the

Representing the club at U15 level, front l/r: Rory Cousins, Josh Martin, Brendan Matthews, Craig Keenan, Alan McGauley, Conor Gillespie, James Conlon, Philip Traynor. Back: Evan Keenan, Lorcan Malone, Ryan Rooney, BJ Matthews, Killian Byrne, Darragh McConnon, Stephen Bingham, Luke O'Kane

245

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246

U13 Division 1B league winning captain David Conlon

start of the season. Maybe we were complacent, but losing to Roche was a big blow and it cost us in the end – that’s the kind of game we need to be winning.”

Was that the lowest point of the year? “No, losing to Dreadnots in the replay was the lowest point. It was very disappointing to go out of the championship because we thought we could overcome them the second day and get into a semi-final.”

Former Magheracloone manager Ciaran Conlon took charge of the team in 2012 and the mood in the camp was good for most of the year.

“We had a bit of a setback when two selectors left because they felt that maybe it was time for change but thankfully Alan Rooney, Ken Rooney

John O'Brien receives the Minor league Division 1B Cup from Sean Reid

The club’s U8's, front l/r: Fionn Coyle, Sean Callaghan, Oisin Buckley, David Henessey, Nathan Carroll, Tadhg McDonald, Barra Leonard. Back: James Sands, Noah Coyle, Ben Rooney, Darragh Scanlon, Jack Callan, Eamonn Finlay, Davin Starkey, Lorcan Buckley

The U14 squad, front l/r; Jake Gillespie, Shane Matthews, Conor Gillespie, Shauni Dowdall, Philip Traynor, Taylor Diamond, Donal McKenny, Killian Scott, Kian Halpenny. Back: Aurimas Benetos, Lorcan Dixon, Josh Martin, Johnny McMahon, Craig Keenan, Brendan Matthews, David Conlon, Evan Keenan, Alan McGauley

The U13's, front l/r: Ciaran Keenan, Shane Matthews, Shauni Dowdall, Jake Gillespie, Taylor Diamond, Killian Scott, Donal McKenny, Cian Halpenny. Back: Conor Gillespie, Conor Watters, Aurimas Benetos, Lorcan Dixon, Philip Traynor, David Conlon, Alan McGauley, Kian Taaffe, Liam Jackson

247

and Brian Keenan came in and steadied the ship. Everybody enjoyed the training this year and the atmosphere in the camp was very good.

“We always had good turn-outs. We had between 20 and 30 lads most nights and even up to 35 lads some nights. There were about 22 lads pushing for a place on the starting team.”

And the age profile of the team is good, too. “Looking at the team we had out against the Dreadnots, only two of them were over 30. We have some good young lads coming through and the likes of Barry Faulkner, who’s now a regular at corner back at 18, will be vital to us in the future. We have young lads coming through now and it’s a matter of keeping them from defecting to other sports, because rugby and soccer are also strong around Ardee at the moment. We also got Dean Matthews transferred in from

Patsy Coleman with the Sam Maguire at the St Marys juvenile presentation night

Scoil Mhuire na Trócaire, Girls’ Primary School, Ardee, Co. Louth winners of the Cumann na mBunscol Allianz Girls’ Summer League 2012

Tallanstown, which was a big boost.”

At 26, Robert Leavy has been a mainstay of the St Marys first team for the best part of eight years already. Coming through the ranks, he played in three successive MFC semi-finals and he is encouraged to see the Marys currently performing well as minor and U16 grades again.

The club also reached the Junior 2A final this year and were unlucky to lose to Naomh Mairtin by a point on the undercard of the SFC final.

“Our goal next year will be the same again – to get to Division One. If you want to go well in the championship then you have to be testing yourself on a weekly basis against the likes of the Pats and the Blues.

“But Division Two is also competitive and we have learned that we

can’t take any games for granted.

After that, we’d also hope to build on what we achieved this year in the championship and try to go a step further. “A lot will depend on the draw for the group stage. We had two big local derbies this year against Collon and Tallanstown and we were quietly confident that we could win both.

“We were disappointed to lose to Collon. We thought we should have beaten them but their experience saw them through. We didn’t score enough that day. We have three or four scoring forwards there who are

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BJ Matthews captained the club to U15 Division 1A league honours

248

always good for a few points in every game but we didn’t fire against Collon in the championship. But we can learn from that game and push on in 2013.”

ARDEE GIRLS TOP OF THE LEAGUE! The girls’ football team from Scoil Mhuire na Trócaire Ardee enjoyed a great win in the Cumann na mBunscol Allianz Girls’ Summer League Final with a win over Presentation Girls’ Primary School Drogheda. Scoil Mhuire na Trócaire showed great skill and team work, from the very start of the game they played their

The U16s, front l/r: Rory Cousins, Josh Martin, Craig Keenan, James Conlon, Aaron Kerley, Tom Minogue, Brendan Matthews, John Finlay. Back: Luke O'Kane, Andrew Mooney, Ryan Rooney, BJ Matthews, Johnny McMahon, Conor Keenan, Peter Clarke, Darragh McConnon, Stephen Bingham, Evan Keenan

hearts out, never gave up and always encouraged and praised each others’ efforts. Both teams played a terrific game of football but in the end Scoil Mhuire na Trócaire were the victors. It was with great pride and delight that the girls lifted the winners’ plaque.

The St Marys U11's team one, front l/r: Dylan Whyte, Aaron Keenan, Conor O'Brien, Tom Jackson, Conor Horan. Back: Jay Crawley, Nathan Buckley, Barry Cousins, Jonathan Commins, Tiernan Corrigan, Paul Doherty

Miss Lynch, teacher, thanked all parents and guardians for their support and commitment during the school year. She also thanked all of the girls who came to train each week with the school team and she gave a special word of thanks to the organisers of Cumann na mBunscol Co. Louth who make the competitions possible. Scoil Mhuire have enjoyed much success this year in their Cumann na mBunscol competitions and look forward to taking part in next year’s campaign.

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The Blues for 2012, front l/r: Keith Lynch, Lorcan McQuillan, Keith Arnold, Colm Judge, Paul Moore, Mark Cluskey, Thomas Costello, Hugh McGinn (captain), Cormac McQuillan, Jamie Carr, John McEneaney, Darren Moore, Donal Nugent. Back: John Kermode, Eoghan Judge, Graham Delaney, Brian Kermode, Stephen Moonan, Michael Harte, James Murray, Carr, Barry Sharkey, Andrew Tinley, Conor Barton, Rory Milne, Paul Black, Stephen Kermode

NEWTOWN BLUES - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

NEWTOWN BLUES

2012 RESU

LTS

Newtown Blues celebrate their 2012 Sheelan Cup win

U14S STOLE THE SHOW As Newtown Blues celebrated their 125th anniversary, it was fitting that one of the club’s youngest crops – namely the U14s – should steal the show with a stunning effort over the course of the 2012 season. As well as winning a superb county U14 league and championship double, they also represented Louth with distinction in the All-Ireland Feile competition earlier in the year, advancing to a national final before coming up just short. We caught up with manager Colm Nally to look back on a historic campaign.

N

ewtown Blues captured the 2012 Louth U14 football championship with a battling 4-12 to 2-14 victory over Dundalk Gaels on Monday, October 1st. By retaining the Peter Judge Cup, the Blues completed a superb league / championship double at this level.

The Blues, who were defending champions, were contesting their third successive U14 championship decider and have also won three leagues in a row in this grade, so they

Division 1 Kilkerley Em mets 0-7 212 Newtow Newtown B n Blues lues 1-10 17 O`Ragha Newtown B llaighs lues 0-11 18 Cooley K Glyde Range ickhams rs 3-6 0-14 New Dreadnots 0-11 0-8 New town Blues Newtown B lues 1-6 2-15 town Blues Oliver Plunk Newtown B etts lues 0-12 2Sean O Mah 6 O'Connells onys 1-10 19 Newtown Newtown B Blues lues 0-11 110 Naomh St Patricks Mairtin 0-10 0-10 N Newtown B ewtown Blu lues 1-14 3es 8 Mattock R angers SFC Newtown B lues Dundalk Gae 1-16 1-8 Kilkerley Em mets ls 1-4 3-15 Newtown B Newtown B lues 0-17 0lues 10 O`Ragha Newtown B llaighs - QF lues 0-10 011 Dreadno ts - SF

are developing into a force to be reckoned with at underage level once more.

The foundation of the championship win was laid in the first half where the Gaels - despite playing with a strong wind - could only manage to go in at half time three points in front. Stout defending from Dean Martin, Donal Carr, Adam McGinn and Alan Connor ensured that the Blues had a fighting chance in the second half, while Ronan Levins was handed the job of

251

stopping key Gaels forward Chris Sweeney.

It was a titanic battle for possession in the middle but when Robert Sullivan and Ian Connor could win ball the lightening-quick Nathan Seery was on hand to take it off them and either score himself or set up scoring machine Ross Nally.

The Gaels tried everything to hold Nally and Seery but had no answer.

The pace and power or the duo was immense; everywhere Nally went he

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The promising U10's, front l/r: O Farrell, Victoria Reilly, Lily Maye Coddington, Eimear Clarke, Sally Farrell. Middle: Ciara NicCríosta, Emran Moustafa, David McEvoy, Luke Bannon, Emmett Murray. Back: Erin McDonagh, Thomas Mooney, Dylan McAvoy, Coinneach Farrell, Jack Murphy, Conor MacNamara, Tom Cummins

had two Gaels defenders on him, which allowed Seery to exploit the space and tease passes and shots to his heart's content.

The Gaels, however, showed great commitment themselves and would

not lie down. Time and again they responded to Blues scores with fine scores of their own and right to the end they kept fighting.

Mickey Walsh scored a fabulous point for the Blues before switching to

defence where he helped snuff out the threat of Gaels’ dangermen.

Jamie Kelly started to impose himself in the Blues defence and, along with Jamie Doherty, was a rock in the final ten minutes.

Overall, it was a very gutsy performance by the Blues youngsters who - under the guidance of team manager Colm Nally and coaches Damien Martin [former Blues full back and father of goalkeeper Dean] and Clare man Aidan Crowe [father of U13 player Ciaran] - are developing nicely into a good solid team for the future.

Ross Nally scored 3-9 and Nathan Seery bagged 1-2 but everybody played their part in a fabulous success.

Newtown Blues, 2012 Louth U14 football champions: Dean Martin; Adam McGinn, Ronan Levins, Alan Connor; Donal Carr, Jamie Kelly, Jamie Doherty; Ian Connor, Robert Sullivan; Reece Garry, Nathan Seery, Mickey Walsh; Cian Lynch, Ross

The Blues minors

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The U14 squad were league winners, Included are: Dean Martin, Alan Connor, Donal Carr, Adam McGinn, Robert Sullivan, Jamie Kelly, Jamie Doherty, Ronan Levins, Ian Connor, Ross Nally, Nathan Seery, Mickey Walsh, Reece Garry, Cian Lynch, Declan McNamara. Daire Nally, Evan McGinn, Ryan Levins, Oisin Doherty, Aaron Keirins, Ciarán Crowe, Niall O Connor, Lee Craydon

Nally, Declan McNamara. Subs: Daire Nally for Cian Lynch, Oisin Doherty for Declan McNamara.

In the league final at Darver three weeks earlier, the Blues had beaten the same opposition by 16 points, 514 to 2-7, to collect a third successive U14 Division 1A crown. The winners led from start to finish and most of the scoring damage was again inflicted by those terrible twins Ross Nally and Nathan Seery, who registered 1-10 and 2-2 respectively. Goalkeeper Dean Martin also made a number of great saves over the hour to keep the Gaels’ tally down.

Ian Connor and Robert Sullivan

The Newtown Blues U15's, front l/r: Nathan Seery, Donal Carr, Ronan Levins, Jamie Kelly, Adam McGinn, Reece Garry, Ian Connor, Alan Connor, Evan McGinn. Back: Dean Martin, Robert Sullivan, Conor Ayson, Kevin Carr, Caolan McKenna, Ciaran Downey, Ciaran Walsh, Conor Farrell, Fergal Donohoe, Ross Guildea

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The U14 championship winners

worked hard in the middle, while strong performances from Jamie Kelly, Jamie Doherty, Adam McGinn and Alan Connor in defence gave the Blues a solid base with Mickey Walsh, Reece Garry and Declan McNamara lively up front throughout.

Newtown Blues, 2012 U14 Division 1A league winners: Dean Martin; Alan Connor, Donal Carr, Adam McGinn; Robert Sullivan, Jamie Kelly, Jamie Doherty; Ronan Levins, Ian Connor; Ross Nally, Nathan Seery, Mickey Walsh; Reece Garry, Cian Lynch, Declan McNamara. Subs: Daire Nally for Lynch, Ryan Levins for A Connor, Ciaran Crowe for Garry, Aaron Kierans for Walsh.

Newtown Blues were also the Louth representatives in this year’s Feile Peil na nOg, which was held over the weekend of June 22th-24th in Laois and Offaly. And the U14 team did their club, families and county proud by reaching the Division 4 final, played in Portlaoise.

The opening game was played on the Friday in their host club grounds, Clough Ballacolla. After a blistering start, the Blues won by 6-7 to 0-3.

The Feile parade followed, as all 152 participating teams met at O’Moore Park before marching through Portlaoise, stopping at the viewing stand where Blues captain Ross Nally was presented with the Feile pennant by the GAA president Liam O’Neill.

Legendary

The U11's

Representing the club at U12 level

255

U14 Division 1 league captain Ross Nally

Keith Arnold

Martin Carr hands over the team sheet

commentator Micheal O Muircheartaigh was on hand to inform the large crowds of each club’s history as they marched through the town.

On the Saturday morning, the Blues had an early start, travelling to Birr, County Offaly, where another good win was recorded over the hosts, 215 to no score. This set them up for the last group game against early pacesetters South London. The expats were a big strong, physical team who had won their opening games well but the Blues were on top throughout, winning by 6-8 to 1-0.

It was on to Portarlington for the semi-final against Shandonagh of Westmeath. Many neutral observers reckon this was the game of the competition. It was nip and tuck all the way through with the Blues coming out victorious on a 2-9 to 2-6 scoreline.

After a hectic day’s football it was back to Ballacolla for a barbecue laid on by the host club; the hospitality shown was in the true spirit of what the Feile is all about.

The final was played in Portlaoise at 12pm on the Sunday against Longford champs Killoe Emmet Og, who had come through the stronger side of the competition, beating Castlehaven of Cork and Enniskillen Gaels of Fermanagh. The decider went right down to the wire, with a penalty in the last minute winning it for the Longford team on a scoreline of 2-2 to 0-5.

The impressive Newtown Blues Feile squad was: Dean Martin, Adam McGinn, Donal Carr, Alan Connor, Jamie Doherty, Jamie Kelly, Ronan Levins, Robert Sullivan, Ian Connor, Reece Garry, Nathan Seery, Mickey Walsh, Declan McNamara, Cian Lynch, Oisin Doherty, Evan McGinn, Daire Nally, Niall O’Connor, Aaron Kierans, Ryan Levins, Craig McLoughlin, Lee Craydon, Ciaran Crowe, Ross Nally.

Former Louth goalkeeper and captain Colm Nally has been working with this crop of players for the best part of eight years already. He notes: “I’ve been with them since they were six, seven, eight. I had an idea they were a decent bunch of footballers.

This year’s team was backboned by

256

the same players who also won the U14 league and championship double last year. Lads like Ross Nally, Nathan Seery, Jamie Kelly, Ian Connor, Robert Sullivan, Ronan Levins and Adam McGinn have all won two U14 doubles now.

“We had a good mixture of U11s, U12s and U14s in the team this year.

In total, seven of them will be eligible for U14 football again in 2013. We brought a panel of 24 to the Feile and we had that bunch of lads with us for the rest of the year.”

Colm has thoroughly enjoyed working with this bunch of players: “Every now and then a club is lucky enough to get a crop like this. They never miss training, they’re committed and they’re all good friends. They’re just a good bunch of lads and I had no problem coaching them.

“These lads want top-level coaching and they would be well used to this kind of stuff from also having played soccer, rugby and basketball at a high level.”

For example, Colm’s own son Ross and Nathan Seery are both on the Irish U15 soccer squad. A time will come soon when they have to make a big decision… “They are tremendous at both soccer and gaelic so ultimately I suppose I don’t mind which they choose. It’s still sport. But I do know that Ross wants to play for Louth, which is a good thing. I think we’ll get two more years out of them at least. But they’ll have to make a choice at around 16 because, at that age, it won’t be possible to play two sports at a high level.”

It was a long year for the players, who played around 18 matches and lost only two. “We got them going in February and our fabulous ladies committee got behind them with fundraising. They had a car wash and they did a bucket collection outside the Louth / Meath game at Pairc Tailteann. So they generated money to buy their gear and we headed to the Feile finals in June. They surpassed all expectations by getting to the Division Four final.

“One of the hardest games we had all year was the championship semifinal against Baile Talun – a tough game against very strong opposition.”

Pointing out that Newtown Blues are blessed with a nice smattering of outstanding juvenile players, who backbone each of their underage teams, Colm concludes: “We have a fabulous nursery system. We have hundreds of players at aged eight and nine but we have to harness them into proper players and keep them all interested. There are a lot

of other sports competing for their services so we have to sell them Newtown Blues and Louth.

“We’d have one eye on these lads going on to play senior football with the club. A lot of their brothers, fathers and uncles would have lined out for the Blues and that’s the long-term objective we’re setting for them.”

Best Wishes To Newtown Blues GAA, From

The promising U8's

Keith Lynch celebrates Newtown Blues’ Sheelan Cup final win

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257

The Dundalk Gaels senior squad, front l/r: Andrew Coleman, Lee Wright, Fiachra McArdle, David Hughes, Daire Shields, Derek Crilly, David Moley, David McComish, Stephen Faulkner, Gary Shevlin, Eamonn Kenny, James Stewart. Back: Stephen McLoughlin, Declan Curran, David Maloney, Niall Hearty, Errol Boyle, Ross Burlingham, Stephen Coleman, Sean McCann, Jamie Faulkner, Niall Hearty, Sean Fee, Gerard Fee, Stephen Murphy, Daire O’Callaghan, James Lynch, Tom Murphy, Paul Burke

DUNDALK GAELS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

DUNDALK GAELS

2012 RESU

LTS

Sean McCann

GAELS TAKE LEAGUE HONOURS In terms of excitement it was hard to beat the Division 2 League campaign which Dundalk Gaels ultimately won in dramatic style after the title race went right down to the wire. By Eunan Whyte.

O

n the final night of the league, Gaels, St Mochtas and Clan na Gael all had a chance of claiming the title but in the end it was the men from the Ramparts who clinched the title and secured a return to Division 1.

Looking back on a night of high drama and changing fortunes, Gaels midfielder, Sean McCann, feels it was as exciting as the climax to the Premier League season in England.

“For us to win the game in the last

Div Dundalk Gae ision 2 ls 2-11 0-8 S St Mochtas 0-12 0-12 D t Fechins undalk Gae Dundalk Gae ls Roche Emm ls 0-10 4-6 Geraldine s ets 3-4 1-12 Dundalk Gae Dundalk Gae ls ls 0-5 2-5 Clan na nG ael 1-11 1-12 St Brides Dundalk Gae Na Piarsaigh ls 1Dundalk Gae 8 2-10 Dundalk Gaels ls 1-12 0-11 St Finbarr's Dundalk Gae ls 0-16 0-7 St Josephs St. Mary's 09 017 Dundalk Dundalk Gae Gaels ls 1-16 1-4 Naomh Mal achi SFC Dundalk Gae ls Dundalk Gae 1-4 3-15 Newtown Blu es ls 2-9 0-6 K Cooley Kic ilkerley Em khams 0-12 mets 0-9 Dundalk Gaels - QF

game of the campaign was very exciting, but to have to wait until after the final whistle to find out if we were on top was unbelievable.

“For us it was as good as the end of the Premier League season in England and it was a fantastic feeling when we heard we had done enough,” explained Sean.

There were no shortage of permutations as rivals, St Mochtas and Clans squared up to each other, while Dundalk Gaels hosted Naomh

259

Malachi, with all three contenders level on points.

Gaels would be sure of victory if both they and Clans won their games, but if St Mochtas came out on top the Ramparts side would need to make up a score difference that started at 12 behind the Louth Village men.

Despite only winning their game by 12 points, the Gaels received a huge favour from neighbours, Clan na Gael, who came from behind to beat

Representing the Gaels, front l/r: Conor Smith, David Hughes, Lee Wright, Sean McCann, Nicholas O Callaghan, Daire Shields, David Moley, Stephen Faulkner, Andrew Coleman, Stephen McLoughlin. Back: Declan Curran, James Lynch, David Connolly, Niall Rogers, Niall Hearty, Eamonn Kenny, Sean Fee, Jamie Faulkner, Daire O’Callaghan, Dean Hoey, Errol Boyle

Blues and Cooley. It is hard when you go into the Senior Championship from Division 2 so playing against the best teams is only going to improve you as a player and as a team,” explained McCann.

Despite the Gaels’ ultimate victory, there were many observers who felt that the side would not be in contention after a slow start to the season, but according to Sean they always had belief in themselves.

the Mochtas and in turn give their rivals the title.

According to Sean, the excitement of the finale was matched only by the importance of getting back to Division 1 which was the main ambition for the season.

“You have to say that we have had a great year as if somebody had offered us promotion at the start of the season we would have taken the hand of them as every team wants to be in Division 1.

“Every player was to perform at the top level and, no disrespect to any team in Division 2, but you want to be playing against the top teams such as St Patrick’s, Newtown

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This squad made the U14 championship final

Errol Boyle

“We set out at the beginning of the year to win the league and although we didn’t start the year took well in the Paddy Sheelan Cup, that was never a big concern to us.

“We had a new management team under Benny McArdle and I suppose at the start of the year they were trying out players to get ready for the league. In 2011 we had won the The U16B Championship finalists

Niall Hearty

The promising U10's

261

Junior 2A Championship so it was important to try out some of the young players and although we didn’t win any games that proved very worthwhile.

“People were probably writing us off that that stage but we didn’t panic as we were always focused on the league by making sure that all the lads were ready. We felt that the preparations were going well so we were in a good state going into the first game of the league,” he added.

They were given a tough task with a game against St Fechins in the opener but a good display saw the Gaels get off to a winning start.

Despite that, they didn’t perform as well in the second game against St Mochtas, but in the end they claimed what proved to be a vital point.

“We were very poor against the Mochtas and we were lucky to get away with a draw after two late scores but come to the end of the season that proved to be a very important point.”

The Gaels didn’t really hit top form after that but managed to stay in contention and Sean reveals the big turning point came with the victory over pace-setters, Clan na Gael.

“We were 1-3 down against Clans early on and hit back to win with a late Derek Crilly goal and I think that changed our season. We had lost the previous game against St Brides and if we didn’t beat the Clans our chances would have been over.

“Following that game really picked it up in training and we felt that if we won our remaining games we had a

Lining out at U14

The up and coming U13's

The U16's

Andrew Coleman

262

real chance and thankfully it all worked out on the last day,” he continued.

To add to the feel-good factor at The Ramparts, the Gaels also had a good showing in the championship which offers more encouragement for the future.

Despite a poor opening game, the side made it through to the quarter-final and consider themselves unlucky not to have got past Cooley Kickhams in the quarter-final.

“We had Newtown Blues in the first of the group game and I think we froze on the night. We lost narrowly to them in the last eight in 2011 and perhaps thought that with them missing a few players they might not be as good.

“Maybe we underestimated them a bit but in the end it was a bad night for us

The club's U15's

as I was sent off in the first half and Jamie Faulkner saw red after the break as they won easily.”

Despite that setback the Gaels picked it up in the second game against Kilkerley Emmets to make it through to the quarter-final and a meeting with Cooley.

Although they turned in a gritty display in Dowdallshill, fortune didn’t favour the Dundalk men as the Kickhams finished strongly to go through to the semi-final.

“We have to admit that we had a bit of luck go our way during the year, but perhaps that night it ran out. I missed a penalty in the first half and if that had gone in perhaps we would have pushed on. We also lost Sean Fee at a crucial time and maybe we didn’t have the belief required to get over the line,” said the midfielder.

Despite that disappointment, it was overall a very good year of the Gaels and looking ahead to next season, Sean believes the first target has to be to secure their place in Division 1 and then hope to have another shot at the championship.

“The main target has to be that we stay in Division 1.

It is hard to get promotion so we have to make sure we remain in the top flight and build for a couple of years.

“I think the team is at a good age so hopefully we can keep the panel together and have another go at the championship as I really believe we have the talent to make an impression over the coming seasons,” added Sean.

Dundalk Gaels U9's

The U12 squad

St Malachys BNS squad

263

On duty for the Stabannon seniors, front l/r: Liam Butterly, Éanna McCartney, Alan Lynch, Daniel Bannon, Peter Lynch, Peter Shearman, Thomas McBride, Dean Lynch, Conor Fanning, Ken Lynch, Cathal Halpenny.

Back: Niall Cluskey, Gavan Sweeney, Sean Byrne, Ciaran Shevlin, Niall Fanning, Colm Giggins, Bernard Lynch, Joseph McGrath, Wayne Lynch, Shane Sweeney, Martin King, John McConnon, Padraig Lynch

STABANNON PARNELLS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

STABANNON PARNELLS

2012 RESU

Sean Byrne

LTS

STABANNON KNOW THEY CAN DO BETTER Based on some encouraging performances in 2011, Stabannon Parnells went into the new season with a good deal of optimism that they could build on those displays and in turn make an impression on both the league and championship. By Eunan Whyte.

U

nfortunately it wasn’t to be for the Mid Louth club as despite a good spell early in the league the team was unable to gain any real momentum in what ultimately proved to be a disappointing campaign.

An eighth place finish in the Division 3 league was below the expectations of all involved, while the dip in confidence was an obvious factor as the Parnells failed to make it through

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the group stages of the championship.

Although the inability to seriously challenge for silverware may not have been a surprise even to those in the Stabannon club, their lack of competitiveness in some games over the course of the season remains a source of disappointment.

Eanna McCartney was one of those players who went into the 2012 campaign with realistic goals only to

265

finish up with a sense of regret that they were never able to attain the standards they had set themselves.

“We got together at the start of the year knowing that we had enjoyed a relatively good 2011 campaign, particularly in the league where we finished just one point off the play-off positions.

“On the strength of that, we set out with the aim of making it into the top

The Stabannon/John Mitchels U7's in Darver, front l/r: Conor Mathews, Patrick Reynolds, Fergus Clerkin, Shane Duffy, Daniel Clinton, Chris Dunne, Fionn McGuinness, Dylan Shevlin, Padraig Reynolds, Louis Goodman. Middle: Cormac Butterly, PJ Matthews, Ryan Shevlin, Andrew Wogan, Cillian Byrne, James Byrne, Jake Corrigan, Elizabeth Duff, Hallie Sands, Tiernan Smith. Back: Luke Dunne, Andrew Byrne, Mike Mathews, Molly Wheelan, Alan Reynolds, Connel Carney, Aine Byrne, Lorcan Butterly, Oisin Wheelan

five and we believed it was a realistic ambition to reach the play-offs. There were some strong teams in the league such as Hunterstown and Young Irelands so winning the title was always going to be a big ask, but we did feel that we had the ability to get into the top five,” he explained.

However, it didn’t go according to plan for Stabannon and they failed to get into any real rhythm at any time during the season, and Eanna believes that there were ominous signs from the outset.

“When we started back training we only had about 18 or 19 players due to lads at school, college or away working. We had some involved with the minors and hurlers and when you are a small rural club it makes it difficult to get a momentum going,” Eanna revealed.

It was no real surprise that when the season started with the Kevin Mullen Shield, Stabannon were not at their best and they lost their opening two games to Hunterstown Rovers and St Kevins to leave them out of contention.

However, their final group game saw them record a victory over Annaghminnon and that signalled the start of their best run of form during the season as Eanna recalls.

“That gave us a lift going into the league and we won our

first three games against St Kevins, Wolfe Tones and Annaghminnon so for a couple of weeks we were on top of the division.”

Unfortunately for the Parnells, they were unable to build on that morale-boosting start and after losing to Young Irelands in their next outing, they were unable to regain that early season form.

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Most improved ladies player Sarah Russell receiving her award from Colin Titley

Martin King

Padraig Lynch

“We played Young Irelands at home with only 14 men for much of the game but still consider ourselves a bit unlucky to lose narrowly. That would have been a huge win for us as they are a very good team and it might have given us the belief to go on and really challenge for the top five.

“We followed up by losing to Lannleire, Hunterstown and Sean McDermotts soon after, and we never really got going in the league from that point as once you slip out of contention it is a real battle,” continued Eanna.

Those defeats took their toll on confidence as the Junior Championship approached and once again it was to prove to be a disappointing campaign for Stabannon.

“There is no doubt that confidence was at a low ebb again of the group stages and that was illustrated in the first game against Lannleire. They were definitely the better team on the day and recorded a comfortable win.

“We did manage to pick ourselves up for the next match and defeated Annaghminnon Rovers, which saw us go into the last game against Glen Emmets with a mathematical chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

“Again it was always going to be an uphill task as we had to win by 12 points to have a chance of going through so the odds were stacked against us. In the end we didn’t play as well as we needed to and the Tullyallen men came out on top.”

That effectively brought the curtain down on what was a difficult year for the club and according to Eanna they know that it will be a battle to turn their fortunes around but everyone involved knows that it will take a lot of hard work over the coming years.

“When we came down to Junior football in 2007, I think everybody realised that there was going to be no quick return but there is a desire to put in the effort to bring the good times back.

“We are a proud club with a huge history in Louth football so it is sad to see the situation we are currently in.

There is no doubt that it is up to

267

Barry Teather presenting Danielle Sharkey with the Stabannon Ladies Intermediate player of the year award at the club's awards night in Darver Castle

Ciaran Marks presents the Stabannon Ladies Senior Player of the Year award to Siobhan Giggins

Laura Reilly receiving the Stabannon U16 Ladies Player of the Year award from Aine Lynch

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STABANNON

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Bernard Lynch

everyone involved, particularly the players, to turn things around for us.

“It definitely won’t happen without a big effort and we only have to look at the Ladies team in Stabannon to see what can be achieved when you have the commitment of players.

“It really is a transition period for us and we need to go back to the drawing board and plan for the future.

The first goal for us has to be that we are competitive over the course of the season and that has to be achieved before we can think about winning trophies again,” explained

The Stabannon U10's, front l/r: Daniel Clinton, Johnny Donaldson, Ryan Halpenny, Tadhg Carroll, Sean Reynolds, Andrew McCormack, Harry Butterly. Back: Abbie Brady, Eireann Titley, Cathal Reynolds, John Reilly, Joe Donaldson, Robert McCarthy

McCartney.

One of the big challenges Stabannon face is the small pool of players that the club has to select from and as a result it is important that all in the area are encouraged to keep playing.

“Like all rural clubs, numbers are an issue for us and that can be seen by the fact that we have to amalgamate with other clubs at underage level.

The one positive is that we can say that almost all young lads in the area are playing football, but the challenge is that we keep them interested and

Stabannon/O'Connells/John Mitchells U14 Division 3 league winners, front l/r: John Gallagher, Liam Devitt. Trevor Matthews, Sean Gallagher, James Luckie, Cian O'Dwyer, Sean Roddy, David Cluskey. Back: Niall Clerkin, Liam Kiernan, Conor Kavanagh, David Anderson, Cathal O'Brien, Ryan Halpenny, Jack Sadlier, Shane Crossan

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see them progress to adult football.

“When players go to college or work away it can be hard for them to travel for training and games, but we need that level of commitment if we are to make progress,” he added.

Eanna is fully aware that 2013 will also be challenging for the club but there are some encouraging signs with the Division 4 team reaching their semi-final, and with some younger players coming through he hopes that the level of performance will be more consistent in the new season.

Colm Giggins

The intermediate championship squad, front l/r: David Mernagh, Liam Mernagh, Eamon Neary, Alan Quigley, Cian Smith, Gary Kinahan, David Reilly, Cian Smith, Lorcan Doyle, Aaron Smith, Sean McQuillan, John McGuinness, Jack Mulligan, Derek Mulligan. Back: Paul Drumgoole, Cian McGuinness, Peter Brennan, David Kierans, Tommy Yore, Conor Murtagh, Ruauri Campbell, Daire McKiernan, Bernard Mulligan, Robert Sansom, John McGuinness, Conal O’Hanlon, Mark Neary, Alan McKenna, Philip Kinahan, Peter Mulligan, Tomas Smyth (captain), Damian Connor.

ST JOSEPHS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

ST JOSEPHS

2012 RESU

Gary Kinahan

LTS

THERE’S A TROPHY IN THIS JOES TEAM There have been some good times around Cluskey Park over the past number of years, with both Senior and Minor Championship victories being toasted by the St Josephs club. By Eunan Whyte.

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n that context, the 2012 campaign may not be recalled as one that set the world alight, but when the dust settles on the season the members of the Dromiskin/Darver outfit will have good reason to reflect with a sense of satisfaction.

With many of the members of the team that captured the 2006 Joe Ward crown now having moved on, the emphasis for the club has been to try to build the next team capable of making it to the summit of Louth

Division 2 St Josephs 2-8 1-11 Cla n na nGael St Fechins 1-12 3-6 St Josephs St Josephs 0-7 0-12 St Mochtas Geraldines 2-17 0-12 S t Josephs St Josephs 1-13 1-6 Roc he Emmets St Josephs 1-11 0-10 S t Brides St. Mary's 118 0-9 St Jo St Josephs sephs 1-9 1-12 Na Piarsaigh Dundalk Gae ls 0-16 0-7 St Josephs Naomh Mal achi 1-11 215 St Joseph St Josephs s 2-13 2-12 S t Finbarr's IFC St Josephs 2-5 0-12 Cla n na nGael Geraldines 0-10 1-17 S St Mochtas t Josephs 0-15 0-16 S t Josephs – St Josephs QF 1-6 2-17 O 'Connells – SF

football.

Those efforts have been boosted by the emergence of a very talented group of young players who went on to claim back-to-back Minor Championship titles.

Not surprisingly, the aim for St Josephs is to bring as many of those players through as possible to form the backbone of a team that will be looking to push the club forward in terms of both league and championship over the coming years.

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Although aiming for success on all fronts at the start of the season, the success of the 2012 campaign was never going to be measured in terms of silverware, and from that perspective there is a feeling among club members that the season has been a success.

One of the many young players coming through to establish himself in the first team is Peter Brennan and he is one of those who believes that the 2012 season should be seen in a

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very positive light.

The year saw the club put in a steady, if unspectacular, league campaign which saw them comfortably retain their Division 2 status. Meanwhile they also made it through to the last four of the Intermediate Championship, which represents further progress.

“I think when you look back at the season you would have to say that overall we have made progress. Naturally we would be a bit disappointed that we didn’t win any trophies but I think we played well as a team over the course of the season and have definitely moved forward as a panel.

“One of the aspects of the season that is very positive for us is the fact that in recent years when he have had injuries, we weren’t really able to cope. However, this year when we lost a couple of players, there were others just as good able to come in.

“That is an indication of the strength of our panel and in that regard we can be satisfied that we have taken a step forward,” explained Peter.

Over the season, the league form was steady in that the Joes were mid-table for most of the season without ever threatening the play-off places, but equally there was never any real fear of getting dragged into the relegation battle.

Like every other team, the Cluskey Park side began with our eyes on silverware, but despite some encouraging signs they were never really in contention for the top five.

Their hopes were helped by a very tough start to the campaign

The club’s U8's

although they were encouraged by draws against two sides who would finish in the play-off places, Clan na Gael and St Fechins.

However, when they lost to both St Mochtas and Geraldines in the next two games, their hopes of challenging for promotion were all but over. The threat of relegation was eased with wins over Roche Emmets

Looking after the future of the club with the U7's

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and St Brides, while they finished in good form with wins in their final two games to end the year comfortably in midtable.

However, it was Intermediate Championship form that suggested this team has grounds for optimism as it looks to the future. Despite being drawn against some of the fancied sides, the Joes showed that they had the ability to compete and Peter feels that the campaign represented real progress for the club.

“We certainly didn’t have an easy group after being drawn against the Clans and Geraldines who were among the favourites to go all the way. We had the Clans in the first game but we felt that we had a big chance in that so we were disappointed to lose by a point.

“We scored a goal late on to go ahead and we should have held on for victory but they came back to snatch the win.

“Despite that disappointment, the performance did give us more belief in ourselves going in to face the Gers in the last game. There was a lot of talk about the Geraldines and Clans qualifying from that group but we had confidence in ourselves and knew what we were capable of,” added Peter.

“Being a derby match added a bit extra to the game, while there has been a good rivalry between us from the Minor Championship games over

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Manager Jim Matthews with selectors David Reilly, Jason Hoey and Alan McKenna

recent years. Thankfully, we came through that game and that put us into the quarterfinal which was a great reward for our effort. In fairness to the Geraldines I think they were missing a few lads in America so they were not at full strength but we were delighted to advance,” he continued.

Having reached the quarterfinals for the past number of years without getting beyond the last eight, the Joes were determined to go at least one step further. Once again, they faced a very difficult proposition in a St Mochtas team that had been performing consistently well in both league and championship.

However, the Dromiskin/Darver outfit once again upset the odds with another fine team performance.

“We were underdogs going into the game once again but we had beaten the Mochtas in the league last year and knew

Derek Mulligan

we had the ability if we played well. We put in another good performance that day and came through with the win to reach the last four,” explained Peter who pointed that this was a significant step for the team.

“The quarter-final had been a big stumbling block for us in past seasons so it was great to finally get across that hurdle. Once you make the semi-final you start to believe that the title is within your grasp.”

Standing in the way of a place in the final were another neighbouring team and this time it was O’Connells who got the better of the Joes on what was a disappointing day.

“We were optimistic going into the game but it was just one of those days when we didn’t perform as we know we can and unfortunately we lost out,” revealed Peter.

It was a disappointing end to the season but overall Peter feels this year is a success in terms of continuing development and he hopes the experiences will stand to them.

“We will take a lot from this season and hope to make a big challenge for both league and championship in 2013.

There us a genuine feeling that there is a trophy in this team but it is going to take a lot of hard work to make sure we can fulfill our potential,” concluded Peter.

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The St Josephs U9's

Representing the club at U12

The U13's

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WOLFE TONES HURLING

The last Wolfe Tones adult team in 2010, front, l/r: Andrew Finnegan, Mark Kirwan, Mick McDonnell, Alan Mynes, Liam McGrath, Niall McEneaney, Rory Walsh, Ciaran Brady. Back: Paul Dyas, Diarmuid McCarthy, Declan Power, Barry Walsh, Brian Carter, Paddy Coyle, Aiden Carter, Seamus Walsh

SENDING OUT AN SOS Two years ago, Wolfe Tones disbanded their adult team due to lack of numbers. The plan was to concentrate on nurturing the juvenile section of the club so that one day the adult team might rise again.

But things have not gone according to script. A distinct lack of able-and-willing bodies led to the juvenile section of the club being ran by one man in 2012. That man – Niall McEneaney - now cuts a dejected and frustrated figure. He fears that the club could be about to go out of existence completely.

I

t’s hard to believe that soon there might be no hurling club in Drogheda – a town with a population of over 30,000 people. It seems unlikely that such a scenario could come to pass, but the reality of the situation is that the Wolfe Tones club has all but imploded in the face of indifference, lethargy and sheer ignorance. The situation has reached critical mass and only something approaching a miracle will save the Tones now.

With no adult team for the past two years, the club has (ostensibly, at least) been focusing on its juvenile arm. However, in 2012, ‘the club’ was essentially former Louth hurler Niall McEneaney, who became an increasingly isolated and frustrated volunteer as he worked against all

odds to single-handedly keep the show on the road.

There was no funding available so the juvenile coach had to put his hands deep into his own pockets; there was no help from the County Board; there were no co-mentors – just one man working alone trying to keep hurling alive in Drogheda.

Unsurprisingly, by the year’s end he was a disillusioned individual, close to giving up. When I put it to him that there have to be others in Drogheda who are interested in helping out, his reply was both curt and poignant: “Well I don’t know where they are.

I’ve looked everywhere. If you manage to find them, point them in my direction.”

Niall says the situation is “grim” but in doing so he’s possibly doing a

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disservice to the phenomenal work he did in 2012 with a group of twelve fantastically talented and dedicated youngsters.

“It’s a disaster. We don’t have enough players, we don’t have a pitch, we don’t have coaches and we don’t have any money.” By ‘we’, Niall means himself: “I’ve been working alone with the twelve players all year,” he confirms. “Twelve players, that’s all we had from top to bottom.

“We took part in the McCreesh Shield and the Micheal O’Broin Shield and apart from that it was just training. There were two U14s, four U12s and six U11s, who all played together in the one team. I had John Doyle working alongside me in 2011 but he couldn’t do it this year due to work commitments and I ended up

Niall McEneaney is commited to keeping hurling alive in Drogheda

having to do it all on my own. It’s been very difficult.”

As for the stated objective of the Tones to work on building up their juvenile section, Niall points out quite frankly that “it hasn’t worked out.

Everybody who was involved with the club just walked away and didn’t want to know anymore. Myself and John had built up a base but then he changed jobs and just wasn’t available. Nobody else would help out. On my own, I managed to get it up from eight lads in 2011 to twelve lads in 2012. I honestly can’t see how I can take it any further.

“The only man who helped out during the year was Dessie McDonnell from the Nicks, who gave us the use of their pitch every Saturday morning. Only for him, we wouldn’t even have had a place to train.”

It’s a truly shocking situation for a club that won five county senior hurling championships between 1988 and ’96 – and seven in total during their proud history. When I spoke to Niall in late October, he was preparing to have surgery on his back and was almost resigned to the inevitable regarding the future – or lack thereof – of Wolfe Tones Hurling Club: “It’s hard to see it happening again next year. I’m going to be out of the equation for three or four months

have no adult members. It’s not ideal when I have this surgery and there’s nobody there to take over. I was kind with work and hurling themselves and of half expecting this, anyway. First family life etc., but who else is going the adult team was let go and now the to do it? However, the problem with juvenile team is being let go as the Tones is that when fellas stopped well...” playing they just walked away. You Niall was hurling with Mattock won’t see that in Knockbridge or Rangers until he did his back in Collon.

August. The injury typified a “It was happening for years and we frustrating year. But it’s not himself he held crisis meetings and tried to feels sorry for: “It’s very difficult change things but fellas just don’t because I also built a house and have care. They didn’t mind going down a big mortgage and I’m trying to hold and playing the games but they down a job as well. It’s not easy to weren’t interested in anything after find the time or the money. It’s a real that. Eventually I was the only one shame the way things are going left.” because these are twelve lovely kids Niall intends to make one last and their parents have been great as desperate effort to save the club: “I’m well. We had a few of them in with the going to get in touch with everyone Louth U14s, so there’s talent there who has been involved with Wolfe and they want to hurl. They are the Tones over the past 15 years and see ones who could potentially be the big can I get somebody to take it by the losers. scruff of the neck. If it’s going to be “Having said that, I think all twelve kept going, we’ll have to do it will keep playing no matter what ourselves, without any help from the happens. They all love their hurling County Board, and it’s a massive and they had a great year, so if the undertaking. If I was getting paid to worst comes to the worst I can see do this I would leave my job them joining another club.” tomorrow, but the reality is that there It would be a sad day for Drogheda are bills to pay and we need either a should this happen. “Most of the full-time coach here or six or seven people in Drogheda don’t even know lads to do a few hours each week. what hurling is,” Niall says. “They The chance of that happening with couldn’t care a less if Wolfe Tones Wolfe Tones lads appears to be zero disappears. When the senior team because as far as they are concerned went, nobody noticed. Nobody gives the club has folded already.” a damn.”

Regardless of what happens next, Niall put his players through their Niall has certainly served the club paces every Saturday morning from above and beyond the call of duty. “I the end of January right through to don’t think there’s any more I could the start of October. They had a skills have done,” he concludes. “The competition and an awards night on parents were great and the kids the second Saturday of October and themselves were great as well. it was down to the coach himself to Unfortunately, the club has let down foot the bill. “When there are no adult the few lads in Drogheda who wanted members, there’s nobody to raise to hurl. If we’re not here next year, I money. If you want to do anything, wish those young lads every success you have to pay for it.”

If the club does in whatever they decide to do.” disband, former players will have to shoulder the blame as they have not been prepared to roll up their sleeves and lend a hand.

“There’s no real support for us in the Bryanstown, Drogheda, Co. Louth club,” Niall QUALITY HOME PRODUCED continues. “Fellas BEEF & LAMB who play themselves have to Also PORK, BACON & POULTRY look after the Tel: 041-9804535 underage lads in Wishing Wolfe Tones HC Every Success in 2013 any club – but we

DURNIN’S BUTCHERS

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Darren Clarke gets the better of Peter Kelly

SPECIAL FEATURE

Dee McCarthy in the colours of Mattock Rangers

D

DEETERMINATION Throughout his career, Dee McCarty has demonstrated unbelievable commitment and determination. The former Wolfe Tones and Louth hurler is still going strong in the colours of Mattock Rangers and doubles up as manager of the Oliver Plunketts footballers. We caught up with the Drogheda dual operator – who works in quality control with Roadstone - to reflect on a busy 2012 and look forward to 2013.

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iarmuid ‘Dee’ McCarty gave 25 years’ sterling service to Wolfe Tones hurling club. In 2010, the Drogheda outfit wrapped up their adult team due to lack of numbers with the intention of focussing on underage development. “The team just got old and we couldn’t field a senior team anymore,” says Dee, who has since lined out for Mattock Rangers in the 2011 and 2012 SHCs. The Tones may have hit upon hard times towards the end but prior to that they enjoyed a spell as the Wee County’s premier hurling force. “I started with the U14s in 1985 and played senior up until 2010,” Dee confirms. “At underage level, we won two of everything – two U14s, two U16s and two minors. I was also fortunate enough to win four SHCs, three senior leagues and a couple of All-Ireland Kilmacud Crokes seven-a-side Shields.

“We had a particularly strong team in the

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early-to-mid-90s, when we won three championships out of five [1990, ’91 and ‘94], but then Knockbridge came along with a really good side and beat us in a few finals. Eventually, we just ran out of players. But in 1996, when Naomh Moninne and Knockbridge were still amalgamated, we beat them in the county final, which was a major achievement at the time.”

Would it be fair to say the plight the Tones subsequently found themselves in was due to neglect? “There was massive neglect in the club,” Dee concedes. “Ollie Kelly Senior and Micheal O’Broin ran the juvenile section for years but when they got older nobody took up the baton. The senior players just drifted away and nobody put in the time. Suddenly, there were no players coming through. The likes of Johnny and Aidan Carter might have come through but they were the exception and there was no flow of talent coming through into the adult team.

“To field a team of 15, you need to have at least 18 or 19 players. It was a tough decision to disband the team but we simply didn’t have the numbers. There would have been a strong bond between the players who remained. It was a very

tough decision to make and there was blood on the walls the night of our last meeting.

“There was a core of seven or eight lads who wanted to keep playing and they looked at both Termonfeckin and Collon before deciding to join Collon. I went over myself to help out with training. I had never intended playing with them but I was enjoying being involved and decided to give it a go. I played the last two seasons even though I was 40/41. As long as you’re enjoying it, that’s the main thing.

“The Mattock Rangers lads really integrated us and made us feel welcome. We couldn’t thank them enough.”

Dee’s twelve-year-old daughter has inherited his love of gaelic games and they go together to most Louth football matches. “If there’s a game on, she’ll want to go to it,” he notes.

As for his own remarkable career with the Wee County hurlers, he reflects: “I made my debut as a minor in 1990 and Pat Clancy stopped phoning me in 2007. I didn’t retire; the phone just stopped ringing. I was always available to play for the county but they have a good young panel there at the minute and they need to stick with that and build towards the future.”

The highlight? “In 2005 Dee in action against London in a Nicky Rackard Cup we got to our first Nicky final in Croke Park

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Rackard Cup final against London and there was a great buzz in the county for the whole year. Pat Dunny came in and managed the team along with Kevin McDonnell and Paul Callan and they introduced a new enthusiasm to the whole set-up. I could remember nights when we had three or four at training but in 2005 lads simply couldn’t get enough of it. We also had great support and we got to Croke Park and there was great interest in the team.

“That was certainly something new and exciting. We didn’t do ourselves justice on the day of the final but it was a great experience. We were on the undercard of Kilkenny V Galway and we would have played the second half in front of 3040,000 spectators. Croke Park is where everybody wants to play. If you ask any young kid involved in the GAA, he will tell you he wants to play at Coke Park one day.”

Through all his hurling exploits, Dee has also somehow found time to participate in football. In 2012, he managed the Oliver Plunketts side that had the unique distinction of playing in Division One of the league and the junior championship!

“I had played juvenile with the Blues up as far as U21 but I wasn’t good enough to play senior with them. A pal of mine, Kevin Matthews, was involved with the Plunketts and I transferred and played for them for ten or eleven years. We had some good times. In 1996, we won the Division Three league, beating the Brides, and we lost the JFC final to Glyde after a replay. I was captain that year and we won two of the three cups but unfortunately missed out on the big one.

“I came back in 2012 to take over the senior team after Seamus O’Hanlon had stepped down. I just went for an interview and was delighted to be offered the job.”

Plunketts were red-hot favourites to win

the 2012 JFC but they were stunned by Glen Emmets at the semi-final stage. Dee says ‘caught on the hop’ is the wrong term to use: “People are saying that but you can’t take anything away from Tullyallen. We went in at half time a couple of points up but they came out for the second half and simply blitzed us.

Granted, we didn’t play to our potential on the day and in hindsight there were changes we should have made, but you have to give credit to Tullyallen. They had lost the final the previous year and they were hungry and wanted to go up more than we did. They knuckled down and they went on to beat Dunleer in the final, so fair play to them.

“We had a good year in the league, finishing mid-table and beating the likes of the Blues and Cooley. They’re an excellent bunch of lads and they are very easy to coach, in fairness. They’ve had great coaching over the years from the likes of Mick Matthews and other coaches

who were there before me. It’s a pleasure to work with those lads. I enjoyed every bit of 2012.

There are 25 or 26 lads there who give it everything for you every time they go out on the pitch. They train hard and I try to vary the training as much as I can to keep it enjoyable.”

The former Louth hurler will be at the Plunketts helm again in 2013. “I’m grateful to the committee for giving me another shot because there is a lot of despondency in the club that we didn’t win the JFC. Having said that, nobody is as disappointed as the management team or the players. We’ll give it a real go again next year. We’ll be favourites again but we know there will be

Dee represented Louth for 18 years

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The Belgard Quarry facility

five or six teams sitting in the long grass and we will be there to be gunned down like everybody else.”

Dee accepts that the long hours of commitment to the GAA would not be possible without the support and understanding of his better half: “I have an understanding wife, Sinead, who has been there supporting me since the very early days and she lets me get on with it.

She has her routine at this stage and I have mine. If I was at home every night, I’d probably just get in the way!”

The plan is to keep hurling in 2013: “I’d hope to stay involved in some capacity, even if it was just with the junior team. As long as they want me involved, I will tog out. There’s a good young squad there in Mattock and I wouldn’t like to hold any of the young lads back. If I thought I was getting in anybody’s way, I’d be happy to step aside. I know what it was like when I was a young player coming through myself and I wondered why older lads were still hanging around the place!”

The general perception is that there could be a SHC in this Mattock Rangers side. “I would be in agreement with that,” says Dee. “We qualified for the league final this year and we were in the championship final in 2011. I wouldn’t have played with them if I didn’t think they were good enough to win something. I think Mattock are definitely good enough to win the SHC inside the next two to three years.”

Away from the GAA, Dee McCarty has spent his whole working career with Roadstone. “I joined them out of college in 1991 and they have been very good to me,” he says. “They have looked after me. You need an understanding employer when you are involved in football or hurling and they stood by me when I had my two cruciate operations.

“Roadstone would have a great tradition in the GAA anyway. There’s a great GAA culture in the company and we had a very good inter-firms team in the 1990s. It’s a good company and I’m glad to be part of that.”

KNOCKBRIDGE

2012 RESU

LTS

Gavin Kerrigan

A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW

SHC Knockbridge 3-11 1-3 Nao mh Moninne St Fechins 0-3 2-6 Kno Knockbridge ckbridge 0-16 0-11 M attock Ran Pearse Óg gers 3-15 2-11 K Pearse Óg nockbridge 2-14 2-7 Kno ckbridge - F inal SHL Knockbridge 4-15 2-8 Nao Mattock Ran mh Moninne gers 1-14 411 Knockbr St Fechins idge 1-9 1-14 Kno ckbridge Knockbridge 213 1-11 Pears Knockbridge e Óg 1-07 0-9 M attock Ran gers - Final

Having practically dominated the Louth hurling landscape for more than a decade now, one would perhaps expect Knockbridge to accept the occasional failure as par for the course. This is clearly not the case, however. Winning is very much part of the Knockbridge DNA at this stage and the defeat to Pearse Og in the 2012 Louth SHC final has left the players feeling pretty annoyed with themselves if county man Adrian Wallace’s tone is anything to go by…

S

o, you win the county title more often than not. Then, once in the blue moon, you fail to retain the silverware. A time for being philosophical and accepting that even the best teams endure bad days at the office? A matter of shrugging the disappointment off and consigning the season to history (whilst consoling oneself with thoughts of previous bounties)? No sir. Not in Knockbridge anyway. To the contrary, it would be fair to say that the hurlers of the village are positively fuming at the manner of their county final day defeat.

At The Grove on Sunday, September 16th, Knockbridge were gunning for an incredible tenth Paddy Kelly Cup success in 13 years. Three wins from three had catapulted the holders through to their perennial place in the ’12 decider and

hopes were high that they would prevail once more. They went into the match as favourites but a sub-par display saw them lose to fired-up Pearse Og on a scoreline of 2-14 to 2-7.

Defeat is a rare experience for this crop of players, but for once they had to settle for second best “I’m still absolutely gutted, attacker Adrian Wallace told ‘Wee County’ a full month after that seven-point loss. “We don’t get over things easily in Knockbridge.

“We beat them in the league semi-final a few weeks later and that gave us a measure of revenge. That helps us to lay it to rest a bit. If we’d lost again, we’d have to accept that they are a better team, but the fact that we beat them so easily the next day suggests that they

283

caught us on the hop in the county final.”

Since joining the first team eight years ago, Adrian has only missed out on two championships and one league – his record of six SHCs and seven SHLs speaks for itself. But there’s no sign of the villagers resting back on their laurels any time soon: “We want to win all the time,” Adrian confirms. “It’s been bred into us growing up and for as long as I’m a player I want to win every competition I play in, especially with Knockbridge because we know what we are capable of.

“We thought we were in good shape going into the championship final and we had a good year in the other competitions we entered in 2012, but the championship is really the be all and end all. It’s nice to win the other competitions

The SHC finalists, front l/r: Shane Kerrigan, Paudie Kieran, Shane Fennell, Gavin Kane, Mark Wallace, Brendan McNally, Rickey McKeown, Adrian Wallace, Stephen Kettle, Stephen Hoey, Sean Byrne, Diarmuid Duffy. Back: Peter Brennan, David Kettle, Gavin Kerrigan, Daire McKiernan, Tony Teefey, Ronan Byrne, David Dunne, Shane D'Arcy, James Costelloe, Conor Kerrigan, Conor Deane, Brian Dunne, Gerry McKeown

KNOCKBRIDGE - SENIOR HURLERS 2012

but it’s still not a good year when you fail to win the championship.”

What happened on county final day?

Where did it all go wrong? “We just didn’t play. Some of the best hurlers that Louth has ever produced didn’t even get a touch! I don’t know how that happened – we destroyed Pearse Og with the exact same team in the league semi-final four weeks later. I suppose they had greater hunger having lost so much in the past but that’s not a valid excuse and we will be concentrating all our might on getting it back next year. I’m planning on winning a few more county medals before my career is over. I want to get as many as I can.”

While the competition is hotting up in Louth hurling circles, with the likes of St Fechins and Mattock kicking on, Adrian welcomes the improvement across the board – even if it does theoretically make Knockbridge’s task all the more difficult: “There’s no point dominating for the sake of it. It’s no good if it’s a walkover.

We’ve played Naomh Moninne, Mattock and Pearse Og in the last three county finals, which shows that there are a few teams pushing on now. It’s great to see and it should bring us on as well. We can still dominate, of course, but it will require more hard work and it will be all the more worthwhile in the end.”

Off the field of play, Adrian is also involved with the Coiste Iomana juvenile board and one of his goals in this capacity is to try to bring as many clubs through as possible. He’s also on the Knoickbridge juvenile committee.

In April, Knockbridge brought glory to Louth when they defeated Lisnaskea of Fermanagh by 6-12 to 2-12 in the Division Three Tain league final. Though it doesn’t compensate for losing the county final, this was nonetheless a fantastic achievement for the club.

“We had to beat twelve teams to win that competition and it was brilliant to test ourselves against teams from all over Ulster. We won Division Three, while

Pearse Og got beaten in the Division Five final, which shows again that we should be beating them in the championship.” In fact, Knockbridge – who will now play in Division Two next year – were the standout team in the 2012 Tain league as a whole, scoring more and conceding less than any other team in all five divisions!

In 2012, Adrian Wallace was also manager of the Knockbridge junior team that won the junior championship for the first time. “It was great to win that. The lads trained hard and they beat St Fechins in the final. You aren’t allowed to use any of your county players but we still had a panel of 27. When you add in the Louth lads, we then have a group of 36 adult hurlers, which is very good for a small village.”

As part of the Louth senior hurling team that lost a fourth Nicky Rackard Cup final at Croke Park in 2012, Adrian is looking forward to giving it another go next year: “It was disappointing at the end of it but Pat [Clancy] is getting things together early this time and I’m expecting him to step it up again. I think we will be amongst the frontrunners in the league and if we put the work in and hopefully win the league, then we can kick on in the championship.

“Winning the Nicky Rackard Cup is the ultimate goal for the Louth hurlers and we’ve been close a few times, but there always seems to be a good team coming down from the Christy Ring. I think it’s Mayo this time, but we’re going to give it our best shot and we know we are good enough to win this competition. I will be very disappointed if I don’t win one before I retire.”

As for Knockbridge next year: “We want to win the championship back. From the first of January, that will be our main focus again. We bounced back straight away the last time we lost a county final and we plan to do the same again.”

Looks like there’s no chance of any bad habits setting in around Knockbridge way

Best Wishes To Knockbridge GAA, From

Gavin Kerrigan

Cian O'Nairaigh

any time soon!

The Knockbridge team on duty on county final day was: Brendan McNally; Mark Wallace, Tony Teefy, Brian Dunne; Conor Kerrigan (0-1), Ronan Byrne, Daire McKiernan; David Dunne, Shane Kerrigan; Adrian Wallace, Shane Fennell (0-4), Gerard McKeown (1-0); Gavin Kane, Sean Byrne, David Kettle. Subs: Gavin Kerrigan (1-2) for S Byrne, James Costello for G Kane, Richard McKeown for D McKiernan, Peter Brennan for G McKeown.

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Representing St Mochtas, front l/r: Barry Cassidy, Patrick Duffy, Eamonn O’Neill, Liam McGranagahan, Liam Crawley, Colin Hoey, Donal Gernon, Conor Ryan, Andrew English, Darren Mc Mahon, Tommy Kindlon, James Sweeney. Back: Fergus English, Gerard Marron, Shane Kieran, Gary Connolly, Gervease Marron, Gareth O’Reilly, Paul Marron, Declan Byrne, Martin McGahon, Philip Englishby, Darren Gernon, James Doherty

ST MOCHTAS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

ST MOCHTAS Martin McGahon

2012 RESU

LTS

MOCHTAS ITCHING TO MAKE THAT STEP UP It’s a measure of the progress made by St Mochtas over the past number of years that they now find themselves recognised as one of the top Intermediate teams in the county, with realistic expectations of getting themselves into the senior ranks. By Eunan Whyte.

N

ot that long ago, the Louth Village outfit were fighting a battle to get out of the Junior ranks and the mark of a successful season would have been to ensure survival in Division 2 and the Intermediate Championship.

Over the past two seasons, expectations have moved beyond mere survival and they are now firmly established in the middle grade of Louth football. However, as is the

Division 2 Naomh Mal achi 1-9 0-12 St Mochtas St Mochtas 0-12 0-12 D undalk Gae St Josephs ls 0-7 0-12 St Mochtas St Mochtas 1-14 1-10 N a Piarsaigh St Finbarr's 0-12 1-14 S t Mochtas St Mochtas 0-10 0-10 S t. Mary's St Fechins 4-13 0-8 St Mochtas St Mochtas 2-20 1-6 St Mochtas 3-16 1-9 Dun Geraldines dalk Young St Brides 1Irelands 4 2-10 St M Clan na nG ochtas ae l 19 1-7 St Moc Clan na nG ael 1-10 1htas 17 St Mocht Geraldines as – Playoff 4-9 1-8 St M SF ochtas – Pla yoff final IFC Naomh Mal achi 1-7 1-16 St Mochtas Roche Emm ets 1-4 1-18 St Mochtas St Mochtas 0-15 0-16 S t Josephs QF

case with all ambitious clubs who are on an upward curve, they are not content with this level and are determined to move to the next grade.

It is no fluke that the huge amount of work that has been put in at underage level in recent years has coincided with the emergence of a crop of extremely talented young players who are now the backbone of the club.

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The Mochtas were always known for their attractive brand of football and they have maintained those standards while displaying an ability to pick up results against the top teams.

While 2012 will be remembered for seeing a continuation of the progress, it is an illustration of the level of expectation that they were disappointed to see the campaign end without any silverware to show

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Lining out are, front l/r: James Doherty, Eamonn O’Neill, Conor Ryan, Liam McGranagahan, Liam Crawley, Philip Englishby, Donal Gernon. Back: Barry Mulholland, Shane Mc Mahon, Gervease Marron, Gareth O’Reilly, Gerard Marron, Martin McGahon, Nigel Farrell, Gary Connolly

for their efforts.

The Louth club narrowly missed out on Division 2 league honours and promotion to Division 1, but they also failed to deliver in the latter stages of the championship.

For much of the season it appeared that they would land at least one of the titles but an unexpected dip in form at the crucial period of the

season saw them finish the year empty-handed.

For manager, Glen O’Reilly, it was a huge disappointment to end they year without a trophy and he points to one crucial game as being the turning point of the season.

His team travelled to fellow title challengers, Clan na Gael, for the final game of the season knowing

The St Mochtas minors

289

victory would have almost certainly guarantee them the title. Defeat on that occasion not only saw them miss out on the league, but according to Glen was the reason behind their subsequent failures in both play-offs and championship.

“For us it was a season that promised so much for so long but ultimately we ended up with nothing

and that was the crucial game.

“Going into the last game of the league we had put ourselves in a position to win automatic promotion and we were going well in the championship.

However, losing to the Clans that night really knocked the stuffing out of us and for me the season ended that night.

“Up to that game we had lost only one in 12 matches and afterwards we lost two of the next three, so that shows what an effect it had on us. Those two games were in the league promotion play-off and the championship quarter-final, so that was the end of our year,” explained Glen who felt that nothing went right for them on the night.

“Ourselves, Clans and Gaels were level at the top of the league going into that final game but we were slight favourites. We felt there was a lot in our favour as if we won, the Gaels would have to overturn a 12-point score difference.

“Unfortunately it was a very bad night of wind and rain and that really didn’t suit our game and the game turned on a sloppy goal we gave away and a great save by the Clans within the space of a few minutes.

“It was very disappointing as

we knew we were capable of winning. We had a great belief in our ability but it just didn’t happen on the night,” he explained.

To underline the feeling that they had let the league title slip from their grasp, the Mochtas went out the following week and defeated Clans in the first of the playoff games, but the task of lifting the spirits to the required level proved beyond the team.

The subsequently lost to St Josephs in the championship quarter-final and Geraldines in the league play-off to bring their season to an end.

Glen remains firmly of the belief that if they had won the league, there was a real prospect of further glory before the end of the season.

“I believe that if we had beaten the Clans in the first game and won the league that we really would have fancied ourselves for the championship and would have been in with a great chance of the double.

“We would have had great momentum and confidence to go on make a serious challenge for the Intermediate title but it wasn’t to be,” added the manager who praised the work of his trainer, James Lovett, for the

The successful U13 crew

The U16 blitz winners

Representing the club at U9 level

The Mochtas U10's

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U13 Division 2B league winning captain Nicolas Browne

St Mochtas manager James Lovett

Eamon O'Neill congratulates Gervease Marron on a great goal

effort he put in during the year.

Notwithstanding the obvious frustration of failing to end the year with something to show for their efforts, O’Reilly feels there is a lot of satisfaction to be taken from the season. He is optimistic that if they can build on what they have done this year then success shouldn’t be too far away.

“If you put aside the disappointment of the league then we have to look at 2012 as being a very good year for St Mochtas. We have some great players and there is no doubt that we are a club on the up so we have the potential to get to senior football.

“We have proved this year how far we have come on and the players realise that for us it is no longer about survival. We are all geared for moving forward rather than being content to settle for what we have,” stated the manager who expressed the hope that all players would be available next year.

“Regardless of who is manager in 2013 I would hope that all the lads will still be available. I think players would be crazy to hang up their boots because there are high hopes of this team.

“Most of the older lads have been playing full games this year so it is not a case of them getting ten minutes here or there, as they are a vital part of the team. We also need their experience to help build for the future.

“There is nobody too old to make a difference so I hope everyone is back in January determination to make the breakthrough next season. We have to take confidence from what we have done this year as bar one bad result we would be playing in Division 1.

“We now know that we are a good team and it is no coincidence that we are winning games. We have proved that we are as good as any team in the Intermediate grade and could probably compete comfortably with four or five from Division 1.

“From our point of view it is nice to be able to say something like that, but we would really love the chance to go out and prove it on the pitch,” concluded Glen.

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County man Declan Byrne

Eamon O'Neill

Gerard Marron

The men of O’Raghallaighs, front l/r: James Moonan, Damhan Finnegan, Thomas Callan, Damien Boyle, Joe Rogan, Ben Roghan, Graham Leech, Ruairi Moore, Keith Hughes, Joe Flanagan, Graham Murray, Stephen Murphy. Back: Eoghan Farrelly, Eoghan Moore, Darren Hoey, Kevin McCormack, Cathal McGinty, James Morgan, Gordon Yorke, Barry Flanagan, Jonathan Clerkin, Andrew Rogan, Alan Doyle, Robert Morgan, Ciaran Brassil, Chris Smith

O’RAGHALLAIGHS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

O’RAGHALLAIGHS

Robert Mulroy

A MEMORABLE RETURN O’Raghallaighs certainly didn’t disgrace themselves upon their long-awaited return to the SFC. In the 2012 all-county Division One league, the 2011 Louth IFC winners finished just two points off the Top Four (and a semi-final place). In the senior football championship, they emerged from Group Three to take their place in the quarter-finals only to be well beaten by town rivals Newtown Blues therein. Midfielder Andrew Rogan was reasonably content with how the Hoops acquitted themselves, though he does feel they could have done a little better bearing in mind their blistering start to the season…

O

’Raghallaighs cemented their Division One status with a solid performance over the course of the year, pushing hard for a place in the business end of the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup. While a mid-table finish is respectable, the fact that they finished with just twelve points was a source of frustration as they had culled ten out of ten in their first five games.

In the championship, Colin Kelly’s

2012 RESU

LTS

Division 1 Naomh Mai rtin 1-9 2-12 O`Raghalla O`Raghalla ighs ighs 0-15 15 Oliver Plu Newtown B nketts lues 1-10 17 O`Ragha Glyde Range llaighs rs 1-6 2-13 O`Raghalla O`Raghalla ighs 0-13 0ighs 4 Kilkerley Cooley Kic Emmets khams 1-14 311 O`Raghalla O`Raghalla ighs ighs 0-8 1-11 Mattock Ran St Patricks gers 3-10 29 O `R O`Raghalla ighs 1-7 1-13 aghallaighs O'Connells Dreadnots 2-21 2-11 O `Raghallaig O`Raghalla hs ighs 2-7 2-6 Sean O’Mah onys SFC O`Raghalla ighs 0-6 3-10 Dundalk Yo Cooley Kic ung Irelands khams 0-7 1-15 O Newtown B `Raghallaig lues 0-17 0hs 10 O`Ragha llaighs - QF

men returned to the top tier and they were pitted in Group Three alongside Cooley Kickhams and Dundalk Young Irelands. After losing their group opener to the peninsula men, they strolled to a facile 1-15 to 0-7 victory over DYI in a repeat of the 2010 intermediate final, setting up an allDrogheda quarter-final derby against Newtown Blues.

The side that accounted for Young Irelands at the group stage

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was: Joe Flanagan; Stephen Murphy, Alan Doyle, Graham Leech; Eoin Moore, Johnny Clerkin, Graham Murray; Robert Mulroy, Ciaran Brassil; Chris Smith, Andrew Rogan, Barry Flanagan; Ben Rogan, Ruairi Moore, Joe Rogan. Subs: Damien Boyle, Cathal McGinty, Tomas Callan, Darren Hoey, James Morgan.

The quarter-final was played at Haggardstown in early September and the Blues took charge of

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This year's minor crew, front l/r: Matthew Moore, Craig McDonnell, Mason Moran-Traynor, Jamie Murray, Roy Rogers, Liam Hanna, Dylan Darby. Back: Cillian Curran, Micháel Callan, Dean Farrelly, Robert Matthews, Stuart Cuningham, Padraig Heslin, Eabhan Tiernan, James Levins, James Morgan

The O'Raghallaighs U7's, front l/r: Finn McGeown, Oisin Lambe, Matthew Synnott-Smith, Kyle O'Brien, TJ Tuite. Back: Luke Mohan, Conor McGinty, Pearse Branigan, Davidas, Zoe Synott- Smith

proceedings from the second quarter onwards to emerge victorious on a 0-18 to 0-10 scoreline. On duty for O’Raghallaighs on this occasion were: Joe Flanagan; Stephen Murphy, Alan Doyle, Graham Leech; Eoin Moore, Johnny Clerkin, Graham Murray; Robert Mulroy, Ciaran Brassil; Chris Smith, Andrew Rogan, Barry Flanagan; Ben Rogan, Ruairi Moore, Joe Rogan. Subs: James Moonan, Damien Boyle, Damhan Finnegan,

The O'Raghallaighs ladies, front l/r: Niamh Cunningham, Shannon Stowe, Sarah Callan, Kelly Thornton, Eleanor Collins, Jessica Healy, Caitlin Newman. Back: Naomi Kelly, Charlene Murray, Jessica Smith, Shauna Kinsella, Sophie Brady, Jade McElroy, Cherrie Murray, Orlaith McEntee, Emily Connor, Amy Kinsella

295

Cathal McGinty.

Though the players had hardly disgraced themselves, that defeat did leave a bitter taste in the mouth and was a low note on which to end the year. All in all, there was a sense of the year having fizzled out, as team stalwart Andrew Rogan concedes: “It was definitely a feeling of disappointment after the way we had started the year. We made an excellent start so we were disappointed to finish outside the top four and also to get knocked out of the championship at the quarterfinal stage. The way we started, we probably expected to do a little better.

But I suppose when we sit down and look back at it you wouldn’t be too disappointed.

“We started brilliantly and everything went for us in the first games of the year. We won five out of five at the start of the league and were looking good for a place in the semi-finals of the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup at that stage, but then we had a dip in the middle of the season and lost a bit of momentum.”

Reaching the knockout

stage of the SFC is a worthy achievement, though, especially for a team tasting senior football for the first time? “Once you get out of the group, you feel that you can push on and win it. We were disappointed to be beaten so comprehensively by the Blues in the quarter-final – that certainly wasn’t our goal at the start of the year - to lose a quarter-final by so much. But considering that it was our first year back senior it’s hard to be completely disappointed with how it went.”

Coming up from intermediate, it’s a tall order to try to rub shoulders with established powers like the Pats, Cooley, the Blues and Mattock – did O’Raghallaighs genuinely believe they could match the big boys of Louth football? “The confidence would be high in the club and, yes, we would fancy ourselves to go out and compete with anybody. You go into those games confident that you can beat any team but at the same time it’s always a learning curve. The Blues had a lot more experience of that kind of game – a knockout match in the senior championship – and that told on the night.”

Are there lessons to be learned from 2012 and to be carried forward into the new campaign? “Absolutely.

Any year you spend in senior football you should learn from and it’s important to carry that experience into another year. It’s three years since we were finished up so early in the year, so we have plenty of time to think things through and hopefully get it right for next year.”

Though there a good attitude and spirit in the dressing room, a spate of injuries proved problematic: “We did struggle with a couple of injuries during the year but overall the commitment levels were always going to be good after the high of winning the intermediate championship. It was tough at times when we suffered the injuries but in general we got a good response from all the players in 2012,” Andrew notes.

What would be a realistic target for 2013? To go a bit further and perhaps win one of the senior trophies? Does the league or championship take priority for O’Raghallaighs? “You approach any year the same – your

The O'Raghallaighs U10's

Ones for the future - the U9's

The club's U12's

296

Ben Rogan

Joseph Rogan

Captain Chris Smith

No.1 priority is the league first and foremost and you set out to maintain your status and avoid the drop. Once you’ve achieved that, you can look at the championship. So it’s a matter of downing tools for a few months over the winter and then getting stuck into the league.”

And hope for a nice draw in the The club's U8's, front l/r: Oisin Lambe, Alanna Hughes, Pearse Branigan, Karol Connor, Conor McGinty. Back: Killian Skelly, championship?

Thomas Murray, Fiachra Lambe, Dominic Connor, “There’s no point Daniel Back-Herke, Ciaran Branigan. worrying about the encouragement is that the age profile draw. At the end of the day, of the team is young enough to everybody is in the same boat hoping suggest a bright future, as Andrew for the best draw possible. It all comes down to the luck of the draw concludes: “There are some good but you don’t fret over it - there’s a bit young lads on the team already and of excitement and drama about it and we also have two or three young lads everybody looks forward to it.” coming behind them. The juvenile Would it be fair to say that system in the club is very good and O’Raghallaighs are back now, that you would be hoping to get some new the years of struggling to re-establish talent every year. themselves as a senior entity are well “There are a few lads coming from and truly behind them? “I wouldn’t U16 / minor who can push on this say that just yet. It’s a long road and year and challenge the established every year we spend in senior players, which is what every team football will be important. For now, we needs.” need to consolidate our status.

All the indications that Further down the line, if we can O’Raghallaighs are here to stay. They maintain our senior status, then I’m might not be the best senior team in sure the ambition will grow.” the county just yet – but they’re a long A definite source of great way from being the worst!

The U8's at a blitz in Collon, front l/r: Finn McGeown, Jennifer Murtagh, Stephen Moore, Matthew Synott Smith, Alex Murtagh, Oisin Lambe. Back: Sorcha McGeown, Zoe Synott Smith, Conor McGinty, Killian Skelly, Fiachra Lambe, Daniel Back-Herke, Joe Meehan

297

On duty for the senior panel. Front, from left: Sean Brennan, Michael Flanagan, James Deveraux, Harry McArdle, Brian Devlin, Paul Dillon, Colm O'Neill, Conor Haughney, Paul King, Jamie King, Derek Younger, Conor Philips, Niall Devlin. Back, from left: Tadgh Berkery, Mark Hynes, Beven Duffy, Gerard Campbell, Ronan Holcroft( Captain), David Collier, Vinny Corrigan, Leo Cunningham, Brendan Fanning, Niall McCabe, Ryan Sheridan, Eoin Duffy, Sean McConnell, Robert Flynn, Keith McCarthy

ST FECHINS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

ST FECHINS

Brian Devlin

2012 RESU

LTS

THE UPWARD CURVE OF ST FECHINS The last number of seasons have been extremely successful ones for the St Fechins club with a Division 3 League title followed by victory in the Junior Championship. Although the club were the relatively unusual position of not claiming any silverware in 2012, there are few who could argue that they didn't continue to make progress over the course of the campaign. By Eunan Whyte.

W

hile there was a sense of disappointment that they didn't finish the year with more to show for their efforts, the fact that they reached the league play-offs and the quarter-final of the championship is a measure of their consistent form over the season.

When you throw in the fact that those achievements came on the back of an appearance in the Leinster Junior Championship Final is it easy to see that this is a team very much

Div Dundalk Gae ision 2 ls 2-11 0-8 St Fechins St Fechins 1-12 3-6 St Josephs Na Piarsaigh 0-6 1-14 St Fechins St Fechins 0-10 1-8 St Finbarr's St. Mary's 19 1-14 St F Naomh Mal achi 3-7 2-13 echins St Fechins St Fechins 4-13 0-8 St Mochtas St Fechins 2-17 0-7 St Brides Geraldines 1-9 2-8 St F St Fechins echins 0-10 3-13 C lan na nGae Roche Emm l ets 2-6 3-12 St Fechins St Fechins 1-15 2-14 G eraldines – Playoff SF IF C St Fechins 1-10 0-8 Sea n O Mahon St Fechins ys 2-15 1-10 N a Piarsaigh St Fechins 1-12 1-13 O 'Connells – QF

on the up and a club with plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

The team is bustling with bright young talent who have a confidence in their own ability and that spirit is embodied by the emerging star, David Collier.

The player was rewarded by making the breakthrough into the Louth panel and having enjoyed the experience of playing at that level, he his hoping to be involved under the new regime.

At club level, the full back has

299

played a pivotal role in the team in recent seasons and although pleased with their success at Junior level, he reveals that there is a determination to continue to make progress.

While there are some regrets that the team didn’t claim a Leinster title and go a bit further in league and championship this year, he is convinced that there is sufficient talent and self-belief in the squad to push on in 2013.

“Last year our aim was to win the

On duty for the senior panel. Front, from left: Sean Brennan, Michael Flanagan, James Deveraux, Harry McArdle, Brian Devlin, Paul Dillon, Colm O'Neill, Conor Haughney, Paul King, Jamie King, Derek Younger, Conor Philips, Niall Devlin. Back, from left: Tadgh Berkery, Mark Hynes, Beven Duffy, Gerard Campbell, Ronan Holcroft( Captain), David Collier, Vinny Corrigan, Leo Cunningham, Brendan Fanning, Niall McCabe, Ryan Sheridan, Eoin Duffy, Sean McConnell, Robert Flynn, Keith McCarthy

ST FECHINS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

ST FECHINS

Brian Devlin

2012 RESU

LTS

THE UPWARD CURVE OF ST FECHINS The last number of seasons have been extremely successful ones for the St Fechins club with a Division 3 League title followed by victory in the Junior Championship. Although the club were the relatively unusual position of not claiming any silverware in 2012, there are few who could argue that they didn't continue to make progress over the course of the campaign. By Eunan Whyte.

W

hile there was a sense of disappointment that they didn't finish the year with more to show for their efforts, the fact that they reached the league play-offs and the quarter-final of the championship is a measure of their consistent form over the season.

When you throw in the fact that those achievements came on the back of an appearance in the Leinster Junior Championship Final is it easy to see that this is a team very much

Div Dundalk Gae ision 2 ls 2-11 0-8 St Fechins St Fechins 1-12 3-6 St Josephs Na Piarsaigh 0-6 1-14 St Fechins St Fechins 0-10 1-8 St Finbarr's St. Mary's 19 1-14 St F Naomh Mal achi 3-7 2-13 echins St Fechins St Fechins 4-13 0-8 St Mochtas St Fechins 2-17 0-7 St Brides Geraldines 1-9 2-8 St F St Fechins echins 0-10 3-13 C lan na nGae Roche Emm l ets 2-6 3-12 St Fechins St Fechins 1-15 2-14 G eraldines – Playoff SF IF C St Fechins 1-10 0-8 Sea n O Mahon St Fechins ys 2-15 1-10 N a Piarsaigh St Fechins 1-12 1-13 O 'Connells – QF

on the up and a club with plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

The team is bustling with bright young talent who have a confidence in their own ability and that spirit is embodied by the emerging star, David Collier.

The player was rewarded by making the breakthrough into the Louth panel and having enjoyed the experience of playing at that level, he his hoping to be involved under the new regime.

At club level, the full back has

299

played a pivotal role in the team in recent seasons and although pleased with their success at Junior level, he reveals that there is a determination to continue to make progress.

While there are some regrets that the team didn’t claim a Leinster title and go a bit further in league and championship this year, he is convinced that there is sufficient talent and self-belief in the squad to push on in 2013.

“Last year our aim was to win the

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300

The St Fechins hurlers

Junior Championship and having achieved that we wanted to give Leinster our best shot. Fortunate and we just seemed to keep going and made it through to the final.

Unfortunately we missed a great chance to win the game and it was disappointing to miss out so narrowly.

“I think it would have been great for our club and for Louth football as there are too many teams who do well in Leinster but we just didn’t have the luck on the day,” explained David.

On the positive side, Collier felt that the extended run in Leinster helped the team’s preparation for the new campaign as they were in good condition when the season started again.

More important was the fact that it also helped boost confidence levels and the team regrouped with a desire to make a real impression. While

The up and coming U8's

some teams might have been content to consolidate themselves in the Intermediate grade, David reveals that the players themselves had set their sights higher.

“This was our first season back in the Intermediate grade in both league and championship so we knew it was

going to be a tough challenge. We had a new manager in Kit Henry and at our first meeting we discussed what we wanted to achieve.

“He suggested that we should set ourselves a target of getting into the league play-off and making the group stages of the championship. When

Paul Matthews receives the U15 Division 2A League Cup from Sean Reid

Representing the Fechins at U9

301

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The U13 Division 1B Feile winners Michael Mooney on PRO duties with St Fechins

he asked the players what we wanted, we said that we wanted to win one of them. We knew that was ambitious but that just shows the belief we had as a unit. “Perhaps a lot of teams would have been happy just to consolidate but we felt that after just missing the top five in 2011 that we had the ability to go all the way,� added David who

The U15 Division 2A League winners

Tom Ryan in charge of team affairs at St Fechins hurling club

The Minor League Division 1B finalists

303

The U10's

Kit Henry getting the message across

pointed out that this belief was enhanced by the fact that the majority of the squad remained intact.

“We knew we were good enough to compete at the top end of Division 2 and unlike many teams, we didn’t lose too many to emigration so we had the base to make a strong challenge.”

Despite achieving their first The U7 squad at Darver

Niall Devlin

The St Fechins U14's

304

objective of making the play-offs and reaching the championship quarter-final, the season wasn’t to end in glory as the Fechins couldn’t continue their momentum.

“We lost our first game against the Gaels and then had a couple of slipups when we lost to Naomh Fionnbarra and St Josephs after leading for much of the way. Only for that we could have won automatic promotion but instead had to be content with the playoffs.

“Unfortunately, we just couldn’t finish the job as we lost to the Geraldines in the first play-off game to continue our poor record against the Haggardstown side over the past number of years.

“We did have a long season all right but I don’t think it was a case of suffering from fatigue in the end. It just didn’t happen for us in the closing stages but it is a very competitive league and any team can beat any other so you have to be at your best on any given day.

“There is no doubt it is going to be the same again next year but we will hope to learn from this year and push on a bit more,” added David who felt that it was a similar story when it came to the championship.

“In our first game we had a very good win over the Sean O’Mahonys which was encouraging as they are a Division 1 side and showed that we

The promising U12's

can compete with those teams. After that we defeated Na Piarsaigh to go into the quarter-finals as group winners.”

The draw wasn’t kind to St Fechins as it was one of the favourites, O’Connells, who were waiting in the last eight and it was perhaps a game that summed up their season as they impressed for spells but after a couple of slip-ups just came up short in the end.

“We knew the O’Connells game was going to be a big challenge but we didn’t help ourselves by making a slow start. However, we managed to get ahead before the break only to let them dominate for the next 20 minutes. We did hit back to get within a point but left it too late,” explained the full-back.

Despite that disappointing end, David feels there are many positives

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to be taken from the campaign and there are plenty of reasons to approach the new campaign with optimism.

“Firstly, I think we will all be glad to get a break after 18 months of nonstop action. However, we will be equally keen to get back on the field next year. We have shown once again that we can compete at the top end of this grade and we have to take a lot of positives from that.

“Hopefully we will be at full-strength again next year and put in a big challenge for the major honours in league and championship,” concluded David.

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www.zenofficefurniture.com 305

The Sean McDermotts senior panel, front l/r: Kevin McMahon, Ian Corbally, Alan O'Neill, James Woods, Sean McMahon, Lorcan Myles, Daniel Reilly, David O'Neill, Tony Kelly.

Back: Kevin Carroll, Declan Carroll, Eoin Lynch, Brendan McGahon, Daniel Woods, Niall McEneaney, Adam Finlay, Mark McEneaney, Emmett Duffy, Gavin Reilly

SEAN McDERMOTTS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

SEAN McDERMOTTS Adam Finlay

2012 RESU

LTS

SHAPING UP NICELY Sean McDermotts will go into the 2013 season in good spirits following a campaign that saw them very much get back on track.

S

ince losing the 2010 Junior Championship final in heartbreaking fashion, the Mountrush side haven’t enjoyed the best of times. That defeat to the Finbarrs coincided with a loss of consistency, which wasn’t helped by the loss of a series of key players to emigration.

However, the players showed great pride and commitment to regroup this year as they turned in a season that gives them great hope for the future.

Although they ultimately ended the year without any silverware to show for their efforts, there was no shortage of encouragement for the club as they were competitive in all three competitions.

Division 3 Dundalk Yo ung Irelands 0-5 0-7 Sea Sean McDer n McDermot motts 0-11 ts 1-6 Dowda Lannleire 1llshill 7 05 S Sean McDer ean McDer motts motts 2-10 3-10 Hunte St Nicholas rstown Rov 0-10 0-11 S ers ean McDer Sean McDer motts motts 2-11 1-9 Western John Mitche s ls 1-9 4-7 S Sean McDer ean McDer motts 1-12 motts 15 Stabannon Glen Emmet Parnells s 4-3 1-12 Sean McDer Sean McDer motts motts 5-12 Wolfe Tone 2-11 St Kev s Football 3ins 8 3-8 Sean Sean McDer McDermotts motts 5-23 17 Annaghmin Sean McDerm non Rovers otts 0-4 0-11 D undalk Young Irelands – playo ff JFC Wolfe Tone s Football 110 3-11 Sea Westerns 2n McDermot 8 0-18 Sea ts Sean McDer n McDermot motts 0-16 ts 0-7 St Kevin Sean McDer s - QF motts 1-11 3-12 Lannle ire - SF

The championship brought a semifinal appearance, and a good league campaign saw them finish joint second, while they were very unlucky to lose out in the final of the Kevin Mullen Shield.

While there are many reasons to be positive, team captain, Sean McMahon, reveals that the main disappointment was the fact that they didn’t take at least one opportunity to get some silverware on the table.

Although they were competitive against all teams throughout the year and found themselves in the latter stages of all three competitions, when it came to the crucial game they just fell short.

“I think we have to be positive when

307

we look back as we got to the latter stages of all three competitions and there are many teams who would like to be in that position. Unfortunately for us, we just couldn’t push on from there and when it came to the big games, I don’t think we did ourselves justice.

“We had some good performances in the championship and got to the semi-final against Lannleire. We felt we were in with a good chance of getting back to the final but we really didn’t show up in the first half and they got off to a great start.

“We tried to get back in the second half and made a good effort but we just left it too late,” explained Sean.

“We also qualified for the promotion

The Sean McDermotts senior panel, front l/r: Kevin McMahon, Ian Corbally, Alan O'Neill, James Woods, Sean McMahon, Lorcan Myles, Daniel Reilly, David O'Neill, Tony Kelly.

Back: Kevin Carroll, Declan Carroll, Eoin Lynch, Brendan McGahon, Daniel Woods, Niall McEneaney, Adam Finlay, Mark McEneaney, Emmett Duffy, Gavin Reilly

SEAN MCDERMOTTS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

SEAN MCDERMOTTS Adam Finlay

2012 RESU

LTS

SHAPING UP NICELY Sean McDermotts will go into the 2013 season in good spirits following a campaign that saw them very much get back on track.

S

ince losing the 2010 Junior Championship final in heartbreaking fashion, the Mountrush side haven’t enjoyed the best of times. That defeat to the Finbarrs coincided with a loss of consistency, which wasn’t helped by the loss of a series of key players to emigration.

However, the players showed great pride and commitment to regroup this year as they turned in a season that gives them great hope for the future.

Although they ultimately ended the year without any silverware to show for their efforts, there was no shortage of encouragement for the club as they were competitive in all three competitions.

Division 3 Dundalk Yo ung Irelands 0-5 0-7 Sea Sean McDer n McDermot motts 0-11 ts 1-6 Dowda Lannleire 1llshill 7 05 S Sean McDer ean McDer motts motts 2-10 3-10 Hunte St Nicholas rstown Rov 0-10 0-11 S ers ean McDer Sean McDer motts motts 2-11 1-9 Western John Mitche s ls 1-9 4-7 S Sean McDer ean McDer motts 1-12 motts 15 Stabannon Glen Emmet Parnells s 4-3 1-12 Sean McDer Sean McDer motts motts 5-12 Wolfe Tone 2-11 St Kev s Football 3ins 8 3-8 Sean Sean McDer McDermotts motts 5-23 17 Annaghmin Sean McDerm non Rovers otts 0-4 0-11 D undalk Young Irelands – playo ff JFC Wolfe Tone s Football 110 3-11 Sea Westerns 2n McDermot 8 0-18 Sea ts Sean McDer n McDermot motts 0-16 ts 0-7 St Kevin Sean McDer s - QF motts 1-11 3-12 Lannle ire - SF

The championship brought a semifinal appearance, and a good league campaign saw them finish joint second, while they were very unlucky to lose out in the final of the Kevin Mullen Shield.

While there are many reasons to be positive, team captain, Sean McMahon, reveals that the main disappointment was the fact that they didn’t take at least one opportunity to get some silverware on the table.

Although they were competitive against all teams throughout the year and found themselves in the latter stages of all three competitions, when it came to the crucial game they just fell short.

“I think we have to be positive when

307

we look back as we got to the latter stages of all three competitions and there are many teams who would like to be in that position. Unfortunately for us, we just couldn’t push on from there and when it came to the big games, I don’t think we did ourselves justice.

“We had some good performances in the championship and got to the semi-final against Lannleire. We felt we were in with a good chance of getting back to the final but we really didn’t show up in the first half and they got off to a great start.

“We tried to get back in the second half and made a good effort but we just left it too late,” explained Sean.

“We also qualified for the promotion

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play-off in Division 3 and were drawn against Young Irelands, but again we didn’t play as well as we know we can and after finishing second on the league we were disappointed to lose at the first hurdle.

“The Kevin Mullen Shield Final gave us a chance to get something from the season and we were optimistic going into the game. This time we played reasonably well but we just couldn’t take our chances in the first half when we were on top.

“Lannleire got ahead with two goals and although we managed to hit back in the second half, once again we left it too late,” explained the captain.

It was a disappointing end to the season that has to be viewed as relatively successful given that Sean admits they went into it unsure of what to expect.

The Sean McDermotts U9's, front l/r: Cian Finlay, Mia Duffy, Leah Halpenny, Logan McConnon, “The end of the 2011 season was a bit of John McGuiness, Alice Hughes, Shaney McConnon. Back: Sean Martin, Mark Hughes, Ciaran Baylon, AJ Finlay, Liam Mohan, Harry Geraghty. Missing from picture: Sean Vicreggie, Lee a downer for us particularly as we felt that McCormack, Leon Myles, Oisin Englishby, Seldi Hyseni we still had a lot of quality in the team, with the majority of players who had reached the 2010 Championship Final.

“We had Ciaran Quinn in as manager and he proved to be very good and we were determined to show the ability we have. I suppose like every other team at the start of a season we look at the three trophies there to be won and aim to get our hands on at least one, but naturally the championship is the main on.

“Although we had lost a number of players to emigration, we still had the belief that there was strength in the team to compete at this level, so we were in a positive frame of mind at the outset,” he revealed.

That optimism appeared to be well founded as the Seans got the start to the The U7's, front l/r: Ronny Ruikij, Jack Melia, Adam McMullen-Murtagh, Daniel Commins, Shane season that they needed, going through Finlay, Tomas Devlin, Alan Martin. Back: Jamie McCourt, Shaney McConnon, Charlotte McElroy, Ronan Kerley, Cathal McCourt, Nathan Commins, Donnacha McCourt, Mia the Kevin Mullen Shield group stages Halpenny. Missing from picture: Alice Hughes, Aoibheann Murray, Cian Finlay unbeaten and qualifying for the semi-final.

Although sometimes a team can see their good early form evaporate when it comes to the league, the McDermotts managed to maintain that momentum as they went through a Division 3 campaign losing only two games.

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309

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make up the gap,” explained Sean.

There was still plenty to play for over the remainder of the season, but the captain recalls that further disappointment would follow in both the league and shield.

“Going into the league playoff against Young Irelands we had been hoping to recapture the level we had displayed in the Division 3 campaign, but once again we didn’t perform as we know we can. It was disappointing that after finishing second we fell at the first hurdle and missed the The Sean McDermotts ladies celebrate with the Division 3 Shield, front l/r: Trisha Brennan, Hannah Kelly, Michelle Ludden, Shannon White, Andrea McConnon, Ella Nulty, Carla Emmerson, Aisling Scriven. Back: chance to get back to Division Alannah Conlon, Amanda McElroy, Maire Martin, Catherine Myles, Orla Eccles, Amiee O'Neil, Sinead Dempsey, Aoife Sweeney, Laura Scott, Anne McCormack, Joanne Mooney 2,” added Sean.

“We still had the Kevin Mullen Unfortunately, those two defeats the group stages.

Shield Final to come and we were came against Hunterstown Rovers determined to finish on a high. The “We had Wolfe Tones in the first and Lannleire in the third and fourth first aim was to make sure we lifted game and they had been going very rounds, meaning that they were our game and while we managed well in the league this year but we always playing-catch up to the that, we just couldn’t take the managed to beat them. We followed unbeaten league champions, chances that our play deserved. up by defeating the Westerns in the Hunterstown.

“Lannleire, on the other hand, were next game and that put us through to Nevertheless, they didn’t let their very economical and although we the quarter-final. standards slip, winning a total of eight restricted them to a few opportunities “We were going well at that stage games and claiming two draws to they were very clinical on the day with and we had another good display finish level in second place with Glen two first half goals that proved against St Kevins in the last eight to Emmets. decisive. make it through to the semi-final With those displays establishing the “It was a disappointing way to end against Lannleire.

McDermotts as one of the top sides in the year as we wanted something to “We knew it was going to be a tough the grade, it was no surprise that they show for our efforts but we have to game but we did believe we were in managed to maintain that level when take a lot of positives from the year. with a good chance. However, we just We have been competitive in all three it came to the Junior Championship. didn’t get going in that game and we grades and are definitely in a better To add to their self-belief, the gave them a great headstart in the position than we were at the end of Mountrush side had also qualified for first half. last season. the Kevin Mullen Shield decider “We had a good chat in the “The performances allow us to go thanks to a semi-final victory over dressing-room at half time and made into 2013 in a very positive frame of Hunterstown Rovers. mind and hopefully we can learn from a bit improvement that led to a bit of “At the start of the championship we this campaign and go one step a comeback. However, time was were determined to give it a good go further next year,” concluded Sean. and we managed to lift ourselves for always against us and we couldn’t

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The Naomh Moninne senior hurlers, front l/r: Ger Collins (management), Sean McLoughlin, David Bellew, Liam Blundell, Diarmuid Murphy, Mark McDonnell, Dean Carolan, Tommy McArdle, Darren O’Hanrahan.

Back: Kieran Somers (management), Padraig Mulholland, Andrew McArdle, Philip Englishby, Chris Lennon, Donal Griffin, Ronan Geoghegan, Mark McGuinness, Evan McArdle, Donal Connnolly

NAOMH MONINNE - SENIOR HURLERS 2012

NAOMH MONINNE

The Moninne minor squad

EDDIE KEEPING THE FAITH Naomh Moninne didn’t have a great year in 2012 but first-team stalwart Eddie McArdle is confident that the future remains bright for the Black & Amber. A massive effort is being made at underage level in the club and their long-serving county man believes Moninne will reap the rewards of this investment sooner rather than later. Eddie also points out that, as the club embarks on its major pitch development programme, they need all the help they can get in these dark economic times.

F

ounded in the Fatima area of Dundalk in 1959, Naomh Moninne acquired land at Toberona in 2009, which will be used to develop the first dedicated hurling pitch in the Wee County. Planning permission has been secured for a development to include two hurling pitches, dressing rooms, car park, fencing and outdoor toilets.

Phase One of the development will cost somewhere in the region of €300,000. To help raise funds for this essential venture, the club launched its ‘Field Hero’ initiative in 2012, whereby at a cost of just £5 per month, supporters or helpers were asked contribute towards the new development. By enlisting the help of 500 ‘Field Heroes’, the club can get

2012 RESU

LTS

SHC Knockbridge Hurlin Naomh Mon g 3-11 1-3 Naomh Mon inne 1-14 2inne 12 Pearse Naomh Mon Óg inne 0-17 0Mattock Ran 10 St Fechi gers 2-12 0ns 7 Naomh M oninne SHL Knockbridge Hur Naomh Mon ling 4-15 2-8 Naomh M inne 2-5 2oninne 14 Mat St Fechins 2-7 2-9 Nao tock Rangers mh Moninne Naomh Mon inne 2-7 312 Pearse Óg

on with the task of developing the best-possible facilities for the kids of the area.

On the field of play, Moninne never really got going in the year gone by.

By the time they recorded their first victory in the 2012 Louth SHC - 0-17 to 0-10 against the Fechins at Darver on Friday August 24th – they were already out of contention for a place in the decider.

The side that got the better of St Fechins in the SHC was: Padraig Mulholland; Sean McLoughlin, Chris Lennon, Andrew McArdle; Mark McGuinness, Diarmuid Murphy (0-7), Ger Collins; Oisin Drumm (0-1), Donal Rafferty (0-1); David Yore (03), Darren O Hanrahan (0-2), Andrew Mackin; Daire Flanagan (0-2), Eddie

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McArdle, Stephen Ryan. Subs: Dean Carolan (0-1) for S Ryan, Ronan Geoghegan for D Flanagan, David Bellew for S McLoughlin, Liam Blundell for A Mackin.

Naomh Moninne also qualified for the final of the Louth MHC only to be beaten by Termonfeckin at Stabannon on Saturday, October 27th – 4-9 to 0-11. Moninne outscored the winners 0-9 to 0-6 in the second half but the concession of four first-half goals had left them with a mountain to climb.

This was the side on duty in the minor decider: Donal Connolly; Shane Connolly, Evan McArdle, Eoin Farrell; Shane McBride, Conal McEneaney, Stephen Bellew (0-1); David Yore (0-4), Joe McCann; Tadhg

The up and coming U11's

The U14's

Representing the club at the Kilmacud 7s

McEneaney (0-3), Daire Flanagan (02), Aaron Kelly; Aaron McMahon, Darren Whyte, Colin O Connor.

All in all, it was a disappointing year for the 2010 Louth senior hurling champions, as team stalwart Eddie McArdle confirms: “Senior-wise, I would be disappointed because there was a lack of effort. Pearse Og only beat us by a point and they went on to win the championship, which shows what we are capable of. But we had a lot of players away or

injured and we didn’t get going as a group.”

Eddie is far from downbeat, however. “Naomh Moninne will come again. We are an up-and-coming team. Our minors got to the final and there are signs that we are on our way back. I suppose when we did win the championship a couple of years ago it was unexpected and maybe that win went to people’s heads a bit and set us back. But the underage in the club is going very well at the

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moment.”

This is no exaggeration. The numbers involved are quite remarkable: “We have 200 young lads there in the Marist every Saturday and that can only be good for the club,” notes the popular Louth hurler. “There are three or four mentors there for every ten to twelve lads, which is an awful lot of people working away behind the scenes.

There are literally too many to mention, but they are doing a fantastic job. It’s a great underage club and if we can carry that through into the senior end of it then we’ll be okay.”

The proposed new facilities at Toberona have a key part to play in the club’s future plans: “It’s a big venture and we’re always looking for any help we can get with that. These things cost money and we need as much help as we can get to try to get that development up and running. If anybody can help us out with money – or in any way at all – it would be greatly appreciated. We want to provide proper facilities for the young people in the community and this development will enable us to do that.”

As for the current team: “We’re not that far off. We lost to Pearse Og by a point and the manner of that defeat was disappointing as we had a late free – trailing by two points - and Diarmuid Murphy was told by the referee that there was time for another play so he popped it over the bar to close the gap to one. Then the final whistle went and that was frustrating.

“Having said that, whoever wins the championship in Louth has to have their heart in it and we didn’t seem to have that this year. The management team of Kieran Somers and Ger Collins stuck with it but didn’t get the response they deserved.”

Naomh Moninne took part in the Tain league early in the year but a combination of bad weather and injuries wreaked havoc with their hopes. They also continued to play in the Armagh league, so there were plenty of matches to be played over the course of the season.

“Sometimes you’ll pick up injuries but

youngsters coming along – although I’m not getting any younger myself!”

At 37, having suffered a few bad injuries over the years, Eddie is starting to feel the pace. He has always made himself available to the county team (more recently to provide experience and guidance to the younger players) and was on duty again in 2012 but has decided – with a heavy heart – to knock the intercounty hurling on the head: “I think I’ll call it quits on the county at this stage,” he says. “I have a wife and three young daughters and it takes a serious commitment. I hate leaving it because my heart has always been in hurling but I don’t recover from games as quickly anymore and I don’t really want to miss out on any more of the family stuff. The kids grow up very quickly and it can pass you by.

“My wife has always been very understanding and knew my background and that I loved hurling.

But I’ve been hurling with Louth for a long time now and it’s two nights a week plus a game at the weekend. I think I’ll just stick to the club now and spend more time at home.”

The U10 squad versus Termonfeckin

The successful U12's with the O Broin Shield

these are the chances you take because you need game time,” says Eddie.

“This club has a great tradition and hopefully success will come our way again soon.”

Eddie’s personal story is unusual in that he was from Knockbridge

Stars of the future – the U8's

originally and then joined Naomh Moninne. When Knockbridge split away from Moninne at adult level, he decided to stay with the town side: “I had moved into town and I decided to stay with Naomh Moninne. I felt that Knockbridge had enough players and somebody had to stay to keep things going here.

“I could have left and had things easier but I wanted to stick around and help out with Moninne. I’ve done well for myself and don’t regret a thing. I still have six or seven SHCs and two AllIreland ‘Sevens’. This is my club and I’m happy enough. If everyone had have left, the club could have faded away. This is a good club and there are plenty of

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Captan Mark McGuinness

Representing Roche Emmets in 2012

ROCHE EMMETS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

ROCHE EMMETS Dan O'Connell

2012 RESU

LTS

SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS Twenty-twelve was a tale of two competitions for Roche Emmets. In the league, they never got up and running and suffered the decided disappointment of relegation to Division Three. But in the championship, they emerged from the group stage (for the first time) to push Clan na Gael all the way in an evenly-contested IFC quarter-final. Looking back on the season as a whole, midfielder-come-full-forward Dan O’Connell was frustrated by how the Faughart men started the year but encouraged by their barnstorming finish.

U

nfortunately, by the time Roche Emmets found their form in 2012, the damage had already been done. There were a lot of changes in personnel in the team and they struggled to hit the ground in Division Two of the allcounty league, winning just once all year and ultimately suffering demotion to the bottom rung.

The championship started similarly

Division 2 St Finbarr's 0-10 1-7 Roc he Emmets Roche Emm ets 1-13 012 St. Mary' Naomh Mal achi 2-17 2s 7 Roche Em Roche Emm mets ets 3-4 1-12 Dun St Josephs 1-13 1-6 Roc dalk Gaels Roche Emm he Emmets ets 1-5 1-10 Na Piarsaigh St Brides 111 0-7 Roc he Emmets Roche Emm ets 2-4 4-7 Clan na nG St Mochtas ael 3-16 1-9 Roc he Emmets Geraldines 3-12 0-11 R oc he Emmets Roche Emm ets 2-6 3-12 St Fechins IFC Roche Emm Roche Emm ets 1-4 1-18 St Mocht as ets 1-13 112 Naomh Clan na nG Malachi ael 1-13 112 Roche E mmets – Q F

with a heavy 1-18 to 1-4 defeat to St Mochtas at Haggardstwon on Sunday, July 29th and one would have been forgiven for believing at this stage in the season that the club’s championship status was also under threat.

However, they hit a rich vein of form in the latter stages of the IFC, securing a fantastic 1-12 to 1-11 derby victory over Naomh Malachi in

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late August to progress to the knockout stage for the first time since the group stages had been introduced seven years earlier.

Trailing by 1-11 to 0-5, the Faughart men took the points by reeling off 1-7 without reply in a stunning transformation.

Regular midfielder Dan O’Connell had started at full forward and his personal return of 1-5 was

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Roche Emmets celebrate their Junior 2B championship win over Oliver Plunketts at The Grove

The Roche Emmets ladies senior squad, front l/r: Denise Coburn, Shannon Murphy, Shauna Finn, Lauren Meehan, Aisling Begley, Tara McGivern, Aoife Halligan, Tracy Rogers, Amy Gribben, Olivia Grant. Back: Megan Kelly, Dearbhla Begley, Jennifer Mulligan, Fiona Levins, Caoimhe Hearty, Terese McCann, Megan Fitzpatrick, Nicola Mills, Niamh Callan, Arlene Marmion, Nicole Callan, Roseanna Heeney, Fionnual Begley, Jennifer McCourt

The U14's

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instrumental in the reinvigorated team’s wonderful victory. The side that defeated the Mals was: Sean O'Hare; Niall Treanor, Harry O'Connell, Conor Traynor; Andrew Carroll, Aaron Callan (0-1), Tom Quigley; Ciaran Sloane, David Quigley; Conor Carthy( 0-2), Tom Campbell (0-1), Enda Murphy (0-2); Bernard McConnon, Dan O'Connell (1-5), Paudie Callaghan (0-1). Subs: James Tiffany.

Clan na Gael provided the quarter-final opposition on the first weekend of September but, despite a valiant

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Tommy Campbell

effort, Roche fell to a narrow 1-13 to 1-12 defeat at Haggardstown. An eleventh-minute Dan O’Connell goal had the underdogs ahead by 1-5 to 03 after 18 minutes, but that advantage had been pared down to a single point by the short whistle.

It was 1-9 to 0-9 going into the final quarter but the following team was edged out in agonising fashion: Sean O'Hare; Niall Treanor, Harry O'Connell, Conor Traynor; Aaron Callan, Joe Bishop, Andrew Carroll; David Quigley, Ciaran Sloan; Enda Murphy (0-1), Tom Campbell, Conor Carthy; Gerry Murphy, Dan O'Connell (1-9), Paudie Callaghan (0-1). Subs: Bernard McConnon, Barry McConnon.

Gerry Murphy

The up and coming U10's, front l/r: Dylan Keenan, James McDonnell, Daniel Chong, Callum Rice, Shane McArdle, Dara Reilly. Middle: Jack McKay, Fionnan McGurk, Devin Callan, Ciaran Lennon, Matthew Greene. Back: Aidan Grant, Brogan Kelly, Peter Lynch, Josh Rice Martin, Aran Ralph, James McArdle, Mikey McCourt. Missing from the picture are Fintan Watters, Liam O’Donnell and Cian O’Shaughnessy

Lining out for the U7's, front l/r: Cathal Corcoran, Luca Craig Hay, Diarmuid Reilly, Killian McArdle, Luke O Connell, Andrew McArdle, Taylor Ward. Back: Carl Meegan, Oisin Nash, Ryan Martin, Matthew McArdle, Rachel McKay, Aine McEneaney, James Corcoran, Andrew McKay

Roche Emmets U15's, front l/r: Ryan Ferguson, Stephen O’Malley, Chris Smith, Gary Carroll, Shane Byrne, Chris Watters, Sean Agnew, Ross Dillon. Back: Daniel Mulligan, Ryan Quinn, Tiernan McGurk, Sean Murphy, Darren Murphy, Evan Quigley, Aaron Kelly, Paul Carroll, Ben Sullivan, Aaron Casey. Missing from photo is C Reilly.

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“We just didn’t get going during the league,” the versatile Dan O’Connell reflects. “We showed a bit of form towards the end of the year in both the league and the championship. It was too late to save ourselves in the league, though, and I suppose in the end we could have gone further in the championship. Morale had been low but we picked it up and showed what we are capable of.”

As is the case with most clubs, emigration and retirements took its toll. “We had lost about seven or eight players from the previous year’s starting team and the average age of the side this year was about 22 or 23. A lot of young lads came in and it took a bit of time for them to bed into the team. But we really kicked on after the Malachis game in the championship.

“We were well beaten in the first group game against the Mochtas. After that we had nothing to lose - the pressure was off. We had already been relegated in the league and had lost our first game in the championship, so we started to relax. We had a good win over the Malachis and gave it a good shot against the Clans in the quarter-final.”

The one-point losing margin suggests that Roche could just as easily have progressed to the last four? “It was a game we could have won,” Dan affirms. “We were well

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ahead in the first half and we still led by three points with around ten minutes left. Then they got the goal from a penalty to level the scores and it was nip and tuck until the end. But they shaded it by a point.”

Despite the obvious disappointment of such a narrow defeat, the mood in the Roche dressing room after the final whistle was surprisingly upbeat: “The mood wasn’t too bad,” Dan admits. “I know we could have won it and that was disappointing but the lads were still proud to have done so well and to have stood toe to toe with the Clans like that in a big game. It was a positive note to end the year on and it’s a good memory to have going into next year.

If we continue on where we left off that day, we’ll have no problems.”

Indeed, there is much cause for optimism going into 2013, with Barry O’Hare one of the players due to return to the team for the new season. “He was a big loss this year and will be a big addition,” Dan continues. “We’re in the junior league now and we hope to do well there, build on that and keep moving forward. We responded well to being relegated. I think the pressure got to us a bit earlier in the year when we knew we needed to win games.

But once the pressure was off we played a lot better.”

Dan has been on the first team for seven years now and 2012 was the first year Roche got out of the group stage The Roche U8's had a great day in Croke Park, front l/r: Mark Litchfield, Niamh of the championship. While that represented definite McEneaney, Andrew McKay, Conor Maddy, Josh Churchill, Diarmuid Reilly.

Back: Abi Keenan, Aishling Reilly, Eimear Haughey, Luke O'Connell, Oisin progress, relegation in the league was the opposite! So it Nash, Conor Litchfield, Callum Dowdall. Back: Cian Gorhan, TJ Begley, Mark was an up and down year all in all.

McArdle, Martin Skelly (Leinster Council Chairman), Charlie Reynolds, Ryan Martin, Peter McLoughlin, Ben Gartlan, Neil Gartlan, Michael Fra Fagan took charge of the team again. “Training was McLoughlin, Killian McKay, Callum Grant okay but, like the rest of us, I think Fra is learning as he goes. We had 20-25 lads at training most nights but we had also lost a good few players through emigration and retirement, which didn’t help.”

It was quite noticeable that one of the catalysts behind Roche’s sudden improvement in form towards the end of the year was Dan O’Connell’s repositioning from midfield to full forward. In the two championship matches he played on the edge of the square he was exceptional, particularly against Clan na Gael, where he bagged 1-9.

Needless to say, he thoroughly enjoyed his new brief: “I’m happy enough with how I’m Roche Emmets U13's

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U14 Division 2B League winning captain Emmet Hughes

Best Wishes To Roche Emmets GAA

playing. I had played midfield for most of the year but when I got the chance in at full forward I think it worked out well, so hopefully I’ll be in there again.”

What is the most that Roche Emmets can aim for in 2013? How much can this crop of players achieve?

The Roche ladies minor championship winning squad “If we have a full panel available, I so there might be a bit more hope definitely think we can win the junior there this time. Personally, I think we league and have a good go at the intermediate championship. I’m sure will be pushing for an intermediate it’ll be a dogfight down there but we title in a year or two. We have a want to get out of Division Three and young panel and a lot of good give the championship a good rattle. footballers with potential, so hopefully It’ll definitely be a disadvantage they can push on over the next playing down there – I’d say the gap couple of years.” between Division Three and Dan’s father Danny played football intermediate championship is fairly for both Dowdallshill and Roche. His big.” brother Harry is full back on the What will expectation levels be like current Roche team, while another amongst Roche’s supporters? “They wouldn’t have expected us to get to a brother David (19) is just starting to championship quarter-final this year, break through into the adult ranks.

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The promising U8's

323

The Kilkerley senior panel for 2012

KILKERLEY - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

KILKERLEY

Shane Lennon

2012 RESU

LTS

KILKERLEY HOLD THEIR OWN It was a satisfactory year for Kilkerley, who managed to preserve their top-flight status under very difficult circumstances. Stripped of a number of key players, the Emmets found themselves with their backs to the wall, but they delivered when it mattered most. Long-serving midfielder Donal McElroy reflects on a challenging but ultimately successful year for the club.

K

ilkerley Emmets preserved their Division One status for another year by virtue of a dramatic 2-8 to 0-13 victory over Geraldines in a closely-contested play-off final in late September.

County man Shane Lennon had returned from injury in the nick of time and he fired 1-6 for the winners, while

Division 1 St Patricks 0-15 0-2 Kilk Kilkerley Em erley Emm ets mets 0-7 212 Newtow Cooley Kic n Blues khams 1-6 23 Kilkerley Em Kilkerley Em mets mets 1-6 09 O`Raghalla ighs 0-13 0- Oliver Plunketts 4 Kilkerley Kilkerley Em Emmets mets 1-10 0Kilkerley Em 11 Glyde R angers mets 2-6 016 Mattock Dreadnots Rangers 1-14 0-8 Kilk erley Emm Kilkerley Em ets mets 1-9 3Sean O’Mah 13 O'Conne onys 1-8 0lls 12 Kilkerley Kilkerley Em Emmets mets 1-12 0Geraldines 10 Naomh 0-13 2-8 Kilk Mairtin erley Emm ets – rel. fin al SFC Newtown B lues 1-16 18 Kilkerley Dundalk G Emmets Kilkerley Em aels 2-9 0-6 Kilkerley Emmets mets 1-8 16 Dundalk Young Irelan - Rel SF ds

Daniel McKeown registered the second goal.

This was the side that was on duty as Division One football was secured for the 2013 season: Cillian Quigley; Paddy Mulholland, Alan McGeough, Fintan Clarke; Ronal Lennon, Ultan McElroy, Sean Doherty; Donal McElroy, Cathal Bellew; Sean

325

McElroy, Sean Hand (0-1), Ciaran Bellew; Daniel McKeown (1-1), Shane Lennon (1-6), Andrew McGuill.

Sub: Brian Gernon for S Doherty.

Survival constituted a fantastic end to the year for Kilkerley, who were facing an uphill battle from before a ball was kicked, having lost a number of key players from the very spine of

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The proud Kilkerley-St Malachy's U16 1B Championship winners

their starting team.

The championship brought disappointing defeats to Newtown Blues (1-16 to 1-8) at Dunleer and Dundalk Gaels (2-9 to 0-6) on July 22nd and August 24th respectively.

This consigned Kilkerley to a SFC relegation play-off semi-final against Young Irelands at Ardee on Sunday, September 2nd, a match which they duly won on a 1-8 to 1-6 scoreline to preserve their championship status.

Those wins over Young Irelands and Geraldines in the championship and league play-offs meant that, all things considered, there was no real harm done in 2012 and a year that had threatened to be a disastrous one for Kilkerley ended up being quite a decent one. Midfielder Donal McElroy believes that, under the circumstances, survival was an achievement in itself: “Starting off at the beginning of the

year, after losing James Fagan to emigration - and Cathal Bellew was in America and Shane Lennon was injured, while Niall Lennon also went to America – the talk really would have been about survival.

“We would have been disappointed in the championship the way we were beaten, especially against the Gaels where we conceded a couple of soft goals and then the team just fell apart. But we were struggling for numbers and there were times we only had 16 or 17 lads available.

“James was a massive loss. He had been captain the previous three years and was a really committed club player. He’s one of those guys who was the backbone of the team.

He was a big presence on and off the field and his departure left us with a big hole to fill. When you take Shane out of the team as well, you are talking about your two best

Representing Kilkerley-St Malachys at U15 level

327

players…”

A dogfight ensued but a real turning point arrived when Glyde Rangers were beaten in the league in the second week of June, with Sean Hand firing the decisive goal. “We had a big, big win against Glyde when we were depleted, missing all those key men, and we still managed to pull a result out of the bag. That was a massive win and as things turned out it was probably that result that kept us up because it was between ourselves and Tallanstown for automatic relegation and they went down in the end.”

All things considered, Kilkerley did extremely well to weather the storm and consolidate their SFC / Division One standing. “We know that if we can stay up over the next couple of years we have an U16 side that won a Division One league and a ‘B’ championship this year and there are a few lads from that team that we’d be hoping to bring into the first team in the next three or four years.

“Some people say we’d be better off going down and that we might have a chance of winning something then, but Kilkerley is a proud senior club and we’re very proud of our senior status,” Donal continues. “Our intention is to survive for another couple of years and then to get stronger again when these young lads start to come through.

“I love playing for Kilkerley and it meant an awful lot to me to stay up because a lot of us would have uncles, fathers and brothers who have played for the club down through the years. There’s a great family connection in the club. Family would be a big part of it. Lads stuck at it this year and did what they had to do.

“It would have been easy to let the heads drop and give up after the championship, especially as we had to wait around for a month, but the lads kept going and dug out the result when it counted.”

Twenty-twelve was Alan O’Neill’s third year at the Kilkerley helm and training went very well. “He did an excellent job,” says Donal. “He has a serious interest in the club and he definitely did all he could for us over

the past three years, which we appreciate.”

What are the prospects of any of the wild geese returning to Kilkerley in 2013? “James is coming home for Christmas but he’s going to return to Australia in January. My brother Ultan also went to Australia on October 1st and he’s gone for the year. Niall Lennon is coming home but I believe he’s also going to head back out. These are all players who play down the middle of the team, so we’re going to be left with a small pick again.

“Daniel McKeown came in this year and got 1-1 in the

Kilkerley-St Malachy's captain Martin Connolly receives the U16 1B League Cup from Robbie Brady, minor board treasurer

play-off against the Geraldines and we have a few other young lads coming through, but I was saying to a lad recently that we could nearly field a team in Australia quicker than we’d field one in Kilkerley!

“It’s disappointing but that’s the way the world is these days and you certainly can’t blame lads for going. They have to work and you couldn’t expect them to put football first.”

Donal has been playing senior football for 16 years and he admits that “every year is getting harder”. With a new arrival in the family home and long hours of farming to put in every day, the spare time can be hard to find but he’s going to give it another shot in 2013.

His brothers Ultan (who’ll miss next year) and Sean are also Kilkerley Emmets stalwarts and the McElroys get their football from the mother’s side of the family.

Their uncle is John McEvoy who won a couple of SFC medals with St Fechins in 1983 and ’84.

In 2013, the McElroys will maintain that proud family tradition of playing in the premier competition!

The up and coming U9's, front l/r: Caoibhine Brady, Conal Brady, Pauraic McGee, Eoin McKenna, Aidan Corrigan. Middle: Ciara Lennon, Liam Cawley, Conal Quinn, Morgan Quigley, Niall Quigley. Back: Joe Lennon, Adam Duffy, Beth Deery, Lucy Litchfield, Rory Kirk, Fionn Cumiskey

The Kilkerley-St Malachy's U8's

Lining out at U10 level, front l/r: Andrew Cummins, Adam Duffy, Morgan Quigley, Colm McKeown, Rory Kirk, Gerard Finnegan, Conal Quinn. Back: Caoimhe Coleman, Calum Mulholland, Aaron Crawford, Niall Quigley, Shay Coleman, Kilian McKenna, Calum Bourton

The Kilkerley-St Malachy's squad at the U16 blitz

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ST BRIDES David Mackin

2012 RESU

LTS

ST BRIDES REBUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

Divis Na Piarsaigh ion 2 1-7 0-17 St Brides St Brides 114 1-14 St Finbarr's St. Mary's 117 2-7 St Brides St Brides 19 0-13 Nao mh Malachi Dundalk Gae ls 0-5 2-5 S t Brides St Josephs 1-11 0-10 S t Brides St Brides 111 0-7 Roc he Emmets St Fechins 2-17 0-7 St Clan na nG B ael 0-11 1-13 rides St Brides St Brides 14 2-10 St M ochtas St Brides 111 0-15 Ger aldines

St Brides have enjoyed some good times over the past decade with the senior team ranked among the top sides in the county for much of that time. By Eunan Whyte.

T

he club experienced the thrill of reaching a Senior Championship Final and a Cardinal O’Donnell Cup Final and although both games ended without any silverware, there is no doubt that it was very enjoyable spell for the Knockbridge men.

Inevitably, after a spell at the top comes the more challenging times and in the last two seasons the Brides have found themselves battling for their survival in both league and championship.

IFC St Brides 07 1-3 O'Con nells St Finbarr's 0-6 1-13 St St Brides 0Brides 8 1-13 Sea n O’Mahon ys – QF

The loss of key players and a dip in form resulted in the Knockbridge outfit suffering successive relegations in the past two years. Firstly, they lost their senior status after a dramatic series of games against Naomh Malachi and in 2011 the slipped out of the Division 1 league.

That season also saw them have to come through an Intermediate Championship relegation play-off.

Consequently, it was no surprise that at the start of the 2012 campaign, the focus was very much

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on halting that slide and getting the team back on a solid footing.

Although many players have retired or are reaching the twilight of their careers, the silver lining for the Brides was the emergence of a highly talented underage team in recent years that delivered on its promise by winning the 2011 Minor Football Championship.

With a number of these players ready to burst on to the adult team there are plenty of encouraging signs for St Brides and team captain, Ruairi

Shoulder to the wheel from the Brides, front l/r: Gavin Kane, Darren McGuinness, Richie Halpenny, Aaron Hoey, Killian Kirk, Colin McNally, Stephen Kettle, Aidan McNally, Stephen Smyth, Kevin Hearty, Brian Og Corr, Stephen Hilliard, David Kettle. Back: Conaill Devin, Ray Kelly, James Costelloe, Paul Prendergast, Michael McKenna, Pauric Marry, Paddy Reilly, Niall Meegan, Shane Kerrigan, Michael Keane, Conor Deane, Pearse Murphy, Kevin Kirk

ST BRIDES - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

St Brides seniors, front l/r: Darren McGuinness, Conaill Devin, Ray Kelly, Paul Prendergast, Conor Deane, Richie Halpenny, Michael McKenna, Kevin Hearty, Stephen Kettle, James Costelloe, Brian Og Corr, John Lynch. Back: Ciaran Drumm, Pierce Murphy, Shane Kerrigan, Pauric Marry, Niall Meegan, Philip Clarke, David Mackin, Mark Hoey, Niall Mackin, Kevin Hilliard, Stephen Hilliard, Sean McDonnell, David Kettle

Kelly, is one who believes there is reason to be optimistic.

Although 2012 may not have produced any silverware, he feels that this is more of a long term project and the experience of this season is vital in progressing the club over the coming years. While consistency has, understandably, been a problem some of the results over the year offer huge encouragement for all involved.

“Last year we had come down from Division 1 and the year before that we had lost our Senior Championship status, so our first priority for this year was to make sure we didn’t slip any further.

“We also had to come through a relegation play-off in the championship against Naomh Fionnbarra and those play-off games are not nice places to be. As a result The U10's

St Brides captain Emmet Kirk receives the U16 Division 3A League Cup from Sean Reid

St Brides U16 Division 3A league winners

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we were determined not to be in that position again this year and that was our main focus.

“We are all wise enough to know that the club is in transition at the moment as the nucleus of the team that had good success in the 2000s is getting old or has moved on,” explained Ruairi.

However, we have a very good minor team from last year with some quality players that we need to make sure are part of the senior set-up. It is vital that `they come through to form the backbone of a new team and ensure there is a bright future for the club,” he added.

While there is no doubt in Ruairi’s mind that the players have the talent to make a big impression, it would be too much to expect it to happen in such a short space of time, but it represents progress to see so many involved.

“There were a total of seven minors from last year who played in the championship this season and that is great for us to bring them through. In the last game, I played at fullback and either side of me we had Cillian Kirk and Andrew Smyth, who are U-18 this year.

“While that is great to see, the reality is that it is also too many if you are to expect success in the short term.

However, we are looking at this in terms of a long-term project and in that context this year has to be seen as hugely positive.

“We managed to hold our own in the Division 2 league and when it came to the championship we got to the quarterfinal, so in both competitions we were able to avoid the dreaded relegation play-offs,” added the 35-year-old captain.

Not only did the Brides retain their status, they also showed along the way that on their day they can compete with, and beat, some of the best teams in the grade and that is another positive when looking to the future, according to Ruairi.

“There is no doubt that the league campaign was a mixed bag for us, but some of the results against the better teams just show what we can do.

“We went into Dundalk and beat the Gaels at a time when the league was beginning to take shape. We also scored a really good win over Clans and again that was on their

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The U7's

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home ground.

“They proved to be the top teams in the league as Gaels went on to win the division and Clans just missed out on promotion. It is great for everyone involved in the team, but particularly the young lads to see that we can compete with the best in the grade on any given day,” he explained.

While the benefit of such performances might be seen in the long term, there was also the shortterm gain as Ruairi points out that it gave the team a huge boost going into the championship. Although once again they weren’t among the challengers at the business end of the year, they did come away from the competition with some impressive performances.

“Our first game was a tough one as we came up against the O’Connells who were among the favourites for the title. They were flying high in

Up and coming - the U9's

Division 1 and definitely the form team but we got our tactics right on the day and came away with the victory.

Taking part in the U16 blitz

Representing the Brides at U13 level

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“We had to play the Finbarrs next and we were wary of them as they had given us a tough game the previous year in the relegation battle.

However, we produced a good display and came away with the victory that put us into the quarterfinal.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to maintain that momentum against the Sean O’Mahonys. We didn’t have Ray Kelly through holidays and he was a big loss having been playing well as a sweeper during the year.

Overall, we didn’t play that well on the night and they proved too strong,” added the captain.

“I firmly believe that as a club we are moving in the right direction and the challenge is to continue that progress next season. Some of the players, like myself Aaron Hoey and Pierce Murphy are pushing on, but we will have a role to play in helping the lads come through.

“Experienced players have to lead by example but our problem is that at the minute we don’t have enough players in their 20s apart from the likes of Shane Kerrigan and Mark Hoey.

“I think the target for next year is to improve as a team and to give the young players bigger responsibility in the team and hope this year stands to them. We know we can compete with the best and the challenge is to get the consistency in our game so we can compete for silverware in the near future,” concluded Ruairi.

ST BRIDES LADIES

ST. BRIDES LADIES It was another super year for St. Brides Ladies now into their seventh season competing in ladies football.

Once again many pieces of silverware were added to their growing collection.

JUNIOR LADIES

T

he first piece of silverware added this season was the Intermediate nine a side league trophy won by our ladies team, who were playing in this division for the first time. This was a great achievement with the Brides getting the upper hand on the Newtown Blues in the final. Our ladies team narrowly missed out on a place in the Intermediate league semifinal. It was this team that were favourites to win the Junior Championship title this year and they duly obliged.

They met their neighbours and rivals Kilkerley Emmets in the final of this competition in a very tense and closely fought match, which ended in a draw. The replay was equally exciting with the Knockbridge girls finishing four points ahead at the final whistle.

This was the first Championship title at adult level for our ladies club captained by Ashling Ruddy.

They will now compete at Intermediate level in both league and championship level in 2013.

MINORS Our Minor girls competed in both league and championship competitions. This talented squad always serve up some great entertaining football and this year was no exception. In the championship semi-final they met the combination side of Cooley/Dowdallshill, this was a very closely fought exciting match which the Knockbridge girls led from the start only to see their lead of six points slip away in the dying stages of the match. Victory in this semi-final narrowly went to the Cooley/Dowdallshill side.

The Knockbridge girls had to lift themselves for the final of the league the following week in which they were to face the same opponents.

Unlike the championship semi-final Cooley/Dowdallshill lead all the way and were ahead by as much as twelve points midway through the second half but defeats are not part of this teams make up and bit by bit they clawed their way into the match and were ahead by one point when the final whistle blew.

The successful Ladies junior team

Edel Woods presented team captain Tara McEnteggart with the league trophy on behalf of the Louth Ladies County Board.

U16 Our under 16 team continue to be the team to beat this season, taking both league and championship titles beating St. Fechin’s in both of these finals. In the league final in played in August on a very wet and heavy Hunterstown pitch these girls served up a treat in ladies football. This was a closely fought encounter with the teams on level scores at half time, the second half continued in the same vein as the first half with the Knockbridge girls managing to edge out their opponents with a final score of 5-9 to 4-8 to get their name on the trophy for the third year in succession. The championship final was against the same opponents so naturally both teams entered the match with a lot to prove. This match proved to be an even more exciting encounter than the league final showcasing everything that is good about ladies football in terms of skill, commitment and sportsmanship. It was a match that commanded undivided attention from start to finish and it was the Brides girls’ strength of character that won out in the end seeing Captain Emily McGee lifting the championship trophy to make it a double for this very talented group of girls.

semi-finals by a very strong Cooley squad. They also competed in the Feile competition where they reached the quarter-final where they met eventual winners The Geraldines. St Brides under 14 had three players on the Louth under 14 team, Kate Keenan at corner back, Aisling McEnteggart at midfield and Emma McArdle at wing forward. The team was managed by

Bronagh McArdle, Darina White and Aoife McGeough represented Louth U12's

U14 St Brides under 14 girls had a very encouraging year. They made it to the semi-final of both league and championship beaten in both those

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Emily McGee being presented with the U16 Championship Cup by Louth Ladies County Board representative Edel Woods

by all girls in both training and matches. During the year the girls built on their skills, physical fitness, made great friendships and enjoyed being part of St. Brides Ladies GFC. Behind every club there is a dedicated hard working committee and St. Brides Ladies G.F.C. can certainly boast one such committee.

Thomas McGeough, Philip McArdle and Declan Marry with great assistance from Deidre McGeough, Linda McArdle and Teresa McEnteggart.

U12 St Bride’s u12 girls’ team had a great year which promises well for the future. They finished in the top 4 of the league which was a great achievement as this is a very young team with many u10 girls on the team. They defeated the Dreadnoughts in the first round of the championship but were beaten by eventual winners Cooley in the quarter final. With so many younger girls having gained experience playing this year the prospects are very bright for next year’s team. Three girls from the club represented Louth u12’s at a number of feile’s this year, Bronagh Mc Ardle, Dairine White & Aoife Mc Geough.

U10

Irene Brennan (Chairperson), Dolores McNally(Vice Chairperson), Mary McKenna (Secretary), Ann Sweeney (Vice Secretary), Caroline Dunne (Treasurer), Rosemary Reilly (Registrar), Caroline McGee(P.R.O.), Ann Sweeney, Irene Brennan (Child welfare officers), Antoinette Tinnelly, Sheila Tobin, Sarah Kieran and Debbie Toner (Development Officers). Other committee members include, Rose McGeeney, Declan Hillard, Thomas McGeough, Teresa McEnteggart and Siobhain Marry. The club owes its gratitude to Declan Hillard, David Reilly, Fra Fagan, Declan Marry, Ray Rooney, Shane Fennel, Thomas Mc Geough, David Hoey, TJ Meegan, Philip McArdle, Ashling Rudd, Deirdre Muckian and all our above mentioned hard working committee members.

The U10 squad at inter-county blitz in St. Fingallians Dublin

The Geraldine's travelled to our pitch for an enjoyable friendly for both clubs youngest members. Our U8's also travelled to Geraldine's and St Mochta's for two entertaining games among these young players. At this age, it’s the parents that ensure our club is successful and luckily we have great support from our parents.

The future of ladies football is very promising with the great level of commitment and camaraderie amongst our U8's and U 10's in St. Brides ladies GFC. All year round there were great team performances and enthusiasm shown

Our U10's team of 20 travelled to blitzes locally in Kilkerley, Geraldine's, St. Pats, St. Mochta's and Dowdallshill.

We also hosted the above clubs for a home blitz which proved very successful. U10's were fortunately invited to attend an inter-county blitz in St. Fingallians GFC in August. About 50 people travelled including our players, their families and supporters. We reached the semi- final with our strong but young team.

This was without a doubt the highlight of the season for our U10's.

All but six of our twenty strong squad will be The celebrations begin as Sarah Fagan shows off the U16 League Shield eligible to play U10's again in 2013.

U8 2012 was a great year for young girl’s football in St Brides Ladies GFC. This year was a new experience and learning curve for our 15 strong team of Under 8's. We had a mixed level of ability within this age group. Our girls ranged in ages from 5-8 years and for some football was a new experience.

Under 16 league and championship winners

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St. Brides GFC chaired by Micheal McNally in 2012 has given great help, support and encouragement to St. Brides Ladies GFC since its foundation in 2006.

The committee would to thank all those who have in any way given sponsorship to our club throughout the year, to those who supported our church gate collection, to Brodigans Daybreak, Knockbridge Vintage Club and anyone else who contributed in any way.

A final word of thanks to the parents and supporters for their continued encouragement and support throughout the year. The club looks forward to next season when they will hopefully build on the success of 2012.

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The new multi-purpose hall at Dundalk Grammar School

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Work in progress at Dundalk Grammar School courtesy of Ganson Building & Civil Engineering Ltd.

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The pair had studied together at Dundalk IT and Queen’s University Belfast, both lining out at Sigerson Cup level for the northern college. In ’03, they opted to go into business together and set up Ganson Building & Civil Engineering Ltd., operating out of Balbriggan Business Park. Almost ten years on, Ganson has forged a reputation for itself as one of the most dependable civil engineering companies on the island, operating nationwide but carrying out a large volume of work in David’s native Louth.

David Rogers wore the county colours at minor level and his wife Fiona won an All-Ireland junior ladies medal with the Wee County in 1998. David also represented St Kevins with distinction on the field of play for a number of years and is a former club chairman. His sons Cormac and Conor and daughter Aoife are currently lining out for the local club at juvenile level.

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schedule at the time of writing. David explained: “The first phase is finished and we are currently building the new school. In the meantime, we have provided temporary accommodation for the students.

“The first phase was a new multipurpose hall with sports facilities and a stage. The second phase started with the demolition of 80% of the school.

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The lighting is also state-of-the-art and there is seating space fo 800 people.

Phase II comprises a modern, twostorey, purpose-built, fully-equipped complex. Rooms have been designed to accommodate all subjects. The project is due for completion next September, when the temporary accommodation can be removed.

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“It’s a difficult job, with a lot of demolition involved,” David notes.

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“We got the demolition done during the summer holidays, while the school was closed, so that when they came back there would be no major noise on site. We weren’t actually supposed to start the second phase until October but we went in in July and we’re now well ahead of schedule.”

With anything up to 15 jobs running concurrently at any given time, Ganson Building & Civil Engineering Ltd. directly and indirectly provides employment to well over 100 people – a massive boost to the economy during these darkest of economic times. With numerous projects taking place locally within the Wee County, Ganson is one of Louth’s most significant employers.

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Louth’s Shane Fennell cuts a dejected figure after the 2012 Nicky Rackard Cup final

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The company’s success is founded on providing a high quality service on every project from multi-million euro commercial and retail Ganson joint-MD David Rogers is an ardent St Kevins clubman developments to the single private domestic house. than Former Hurler of the Year Brian Whelehan himself! All in They employ highly experienced project managers and foremen combined with the best traditional crafts and skills. all, the signs are encouraging that St Kevins are moving in the Ganson’s core philosophy is to establish and maintain right direction and perhaps it won’t be too long before they can strong relationships with clients, architects and engineers, field an adult hurling team. That would certainly represent a suppliers and sub-contractors. Forging partnerships and good proud day for building pioneer David Rogers and everyone relations within the industry has allowed them to grow and else associated with the progressive Philipstown outfit. adapt to meet the needs of a challenging construction industry.

“We do a lot of work for Louth County Council and Dublin City Council,” says David. “At the moment, we’re also doing a job for South Dublin County Council, which involves high-tech, energy-efficient green housing in Clondalkin and we’re also working on a new hangar for the army in Baldoyle.”

How has the recession affected the business? “We’re not doing too badly, thankfully. “A lot of our work would be for local authorities and we are being kept busy. Obviously, these are tough and challenging times, but you just have to roll up your sleeves and get on with it.”

Reflecting on his own gaelic football playing career, David quips: “Sure, that was a long time ago.” He’s much more concerned with the efforts St Kevins are making in promoting juvenile hurling at present, with his own sons both lining out (in football and hurling) and his daughter playing camogie: “The juvenile hurling is going very well in the club.

We’ve only been at it a few years but we’re making progress and we’ve won the McCreesh Tournament at U11 level for the last two years.

“A lot of this is down to the calibre of coaches we’ve brought in. We have three men doing great work here – Joe Kennedy from Tipperary, Joey Callan from Louth village who’s a former Louth manager and Joe Whelehan, who’s a cousin of Offaly legend Brian Whelehan. They are three very good coaches and they are the main men.”

Indeed, during the summer, the young hurlers of St Kevins had the honour of travelling to the Faithful County and receiving some tuition from none other

The St Kevins U11 hurlers who won the McCreesh Shield in 2012

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SPECIAL FEATURE The proposed Odeon UCI cinema at Drogheda Town Centre

DROGHEDA TOWN CENTRE CINEMA COMING SOON...

Drogheda is to get a new five-screen cinema which will be located in the heart of the town and will create up to 60 jobs

C

inema-goers in Drogheda and surrounding areas are eagerly looking forward to the opening of the town’s first five-screen cinema in the Drogheda Town Centre in the near future.

An Bord Pleanala granted the Centre’s owners, Melcorpo Commercial Properties Ltd, permission to develop the new cinema in September, and a further application was lodged in October to add a sixth screen, which would bring the overall number of seats to 1,000.

Preparatory work has commenced for the development and the cinema is expected to open to the public before Christmas 2013.

Up to 40 jobs will be created during the construction phase with a further 20 part-time and full-time jobs when the cinema opens.

Odeon UCI are in negotiations to operate the new cinema.

Drogheda Town Centre is located on West Street in the heart of the bustling Co. Louth town opposite the Cathedral. The Centre was originally developed in 1985 and refurbished and extended in 2001. The current development will see the conversion of existing first floor retail and service accommodation to create the new cinemas, which will be accommodated within the existing structure by popping up the roof of the building to provide the required headroom.

The five-screen cinema will have seating for 650 people. The sixth screen will be able to seat a further 350, but this is subject to planning permission being received. The cinemas will incorporate the latest technology with movies downloaded via satellite and displayed by state-of-the-art digital projectors.

“We are about to start an enabling works package,” Melcorpo

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property manager Karen Breheny explains.

“Planning permission for the fivescreen cinema was received in September and a further application for a sixth screen has just been lodged. We intend to start construction very soon and hope to be in a position to hand over the proposed cinemas to the operator (Odeon UCI) before the end of 2013.

It’s an exciting time for everyone involved with Melcorpo,” she adds.

Melcorpo is adamant that this development will breathe new life into West Street and will have a positive spin-off for retailers in the area. They also strongly argue that there is need for a facility like this in Drogheda.

“With this development, which is being privately funded, we are utilising the space we were having difficulty filling. We are basically transforming retail space, which there isn’t a demand for in the current climate, into something that the demographics show there is a real need for,” Karen says.

“We are convinced that this

development will sustain and enhance our footfall. It will also bring increased footfall into West Street which can only be good news for retailers in that area. The other side of it is that it will create 20 jobs and a further 40 during construction. This will lead to more jobs in Drogheda Town Centre, following on from the recent opening of a Dealz outlet in the Centre.”

She continues: “Market research has shown that, even though there is already a three-screen cinema in Drogheda, many people prefer to go to other towns to watch their movies.

We want to bring that business back to the centre of Drogheda. It is a wellknown fact that the Irish love their cinema, and we are determined to provide this facility for the people of Drogheda and the surrounding areas.

Going to the cinema has rarely been as popular as it is now, especially as it’s still considered to be a relatively cheap night out.”

Existing occupiers in the Drogheda Town Centre include Dunnes Stores, Easons, Dealz, Specsavers,

The Louth team that took on Monaghan in the National League

344

Vodafone and Meagher’s Pharmacy.

There are 140 car spaces on the lower ground level of the Centre with access off Dyer Street, which will have direct lift access to the proposed cinema foyer. Ample additional car parking is available in the adjacent to the centre.

Footfall in Drogheda Town Centre is averaging 60,000 people per week which is expected to substantially increase with the opening of the cinemas, which will continue the process of re-establishing West Street and Drogheda Town Centre as the heart and soul of Drogheda.

Drogheda Town Centre is owned and managed by Melcorpo Commercial Properties Limited and the letting agents are Mason Owen & Lyons. Established over a decade ago, Melcorpo is headquartered in Loughlinstown, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin and has Nick Furlong as its managing director. Melcorpo also owns and manages the Castle Street Shopping Centre in Bray, Co. Wicklow and the Ballybrack Shopping Centre in Ballybrack, Co. Dublin.

DUNDALK YOUNG IRELANDS

2012 RESU Division 3

Shane O'Connell

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Dundalk Young Irelands may have surrendered their senior status in 2012 but there’s much, much more to the story of their season than that. The Wee County’s oldest club achieved their prime objective of promotion to Division Two, blooded a host of new players and also recorded notable successes at U16 and minor levels. As first-team stalwart Simon Flynn quite rightly points out, it was a very good year for the Green & Black.

L

ooking back on 2012 as a whole, Dundalk Young Irelands attacker Simon Flynn is happy with his lot: “Overall, I would look at it as a successful year. The goal at the start of the year was to get out of Division Three no matter what happened and we did that, so we are happy enough.

“Player-wise we were struggling to get a full squad of 20 together for some games. We called on a lot of young lads who would have had no

Westerns 22 2-11 Dun dalk Young Dundalk Yo ung Irelands Irelands 2-12 0-5 Jo Stabannon P hn Mitchels arnells 0-5 16 D Dundalk Yo undalk Youn ung Ir g Irelands St Kevins 1- elands 1-6 1-4 Glen E mmets 8 0-3 Dunda Dundalk Yo lk Young Irelan ung Irelands ds Annaghminno 2-10 1-6 W olfe Tones n Rovers 2-3 6-11 Dundalk Dundalk Yo Young ung Irelands 3-13 0-6 Dow Irelands Lannleire 2dallshill 8 1-11 Dun dalk Young Dundalk Youn Irelands g Irelands 18 2-12 Hunte St Nicholas rstown Rover 1-10 4-7 Dun s dalk Young Sean McDer Irelands motts 0-4 011 Dundalk Young Irelan ds - play Dundalk Yo ung Irelands off 0-12 0-11 Glen Emmet Dundalk Youn s - playoff g Irelands 2-11 1-4 St Finbarr's – Promotion fin al S FC Dundalk Yo ung Irelands 0-5 1-9 Coo Dundalk Yo ley Kickham ung Irelands s 0-7 1-15 O Kilkerley Em `Raghallaig mets 1-8 1hs 6 Dundalk Young Irelan ds – Rel pl Dundalk Youn ayoff g Irelands 4-8 1-19 Glyde Ra ngers – Rel fin al

previous experience of adult football and they now have a full season behind them, which is a real positive.

While we were missing a lot of players through emigration – with three or four in Australia, four or five in America and Nicholas O’Connor in Chile – we developed our squad in terms of numbers and it was a successful year from that point of view.”

Young Irelands played Cooley in their first championship match of the

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LTS

year at Dowdallshill in late July and fell to a 1-9 to 0-5 defeat. Next up in Group Three was O’Raghallaighs, whom they had beaten in the 2010 IFC final, but on this occasion a 1-15 to 0-7 defeat was their lot at Dunleer on Sunday, August 26th.

Two defeats meant that the town side went into the relegation play-offs and a couple of late points (after Sean Watters had levelled matters with a last-minute penalty) consigned them to a luckless 1-8 to 1-6 defeat to

On duty for Young Irelands, front l/r: Donal Duffy, Alan Hanks, Robbie Farrell, Dermot Mone, Stephen Coburn, Stephen Lally, Andrew Nixon, Shane O'Connell, David Lally, Ryan White, Peter Nixon, Peter Flynn.

Back: Aaron Rogers, Peter McCourt, Ian Campbell, Simon Flynn, Conor Nixon, Ciaran Murray, Craig McKenna, Joseph Flynn, Mark Savage, Michael Mone, Cian O'Nairaigh, Sean Watters

DUNDALK YOUNG IRELANDS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

Kilkerley Emmets on Sunday, September 2nd before – a fortnight later – Glyde edged the men in green and black out on a sensational 1-19 to 4-8 scoreline after extra time in a dramatic SFC relegation play-off final.

The Young Irelands team on duty in that thrilling play-off final was: Kevin Keelan; Robbie Farrell, Peter Nixon, Peter McCourt; Stephen Lally, Ciaran Murray, Peter Flynn (1-0); Aaron Rogers (1-0), Andrew Nixon; Simon Flynn, Joseph Flynn (0-1); Dermot Mone (1-2), Mark Savage, Sean Watters. Subs: The U16 Division 1 league winners, front l/r: Brian O’Hagan, James McKenna, Ryan Donnelly, Aidan McDonnell, Deane Maguire, Jordan O’Donoghue, Barry Carr, Fergal Sheehy, Alan Flood.

Shane O'Connell, Cian O Nairaigh, Derek Back: Conor Lynch, Cathal Hamilton, Cialan Copas, Alan Minto, Stephen Bellew, Frank Maguire (1-5), Michael Mone.

Osadebe, Ryan Malone (captain), Ciaran Newbury, Jason Lynch, Shadam Azeeze.

Missing from picture: Stephen Boothman, David Osadebe All was far from lost, however, as a solid Division Three league campaign league was: Kevin Keelan; Robbie Farrell, Peter Nixon, culminated in a Division Two / Three promotion / relegation Cian O Naraigh; Stephen Lally, Ciaran Murray, Peter Flynn; play-off against Naomh Fionnbarra at Darver on Aaron Rogers (0-1), Andrew Nixon; Simon Flynn (0-1), Wednesday, October 17th. By virtue of a comprehensive 2Derek Maguire (1-4), Joseph Flynn; Dermot Mone (0-4), 11 to 1-4 success, Young Irelands achieved their main Mark Savage (0-1), Sean Watters (1-0). Subs: Alan Hanks objective for 2012 by booking their place in the second for Robbie Farrell, David Lally for Sean Watters, Peter division.

McCourt for Stephen Lally, Shane O'Connell for Derek The team that beat the ‘Barrs to earn promotion in the Maguire, Jason Mulligan for Joseph Flynn.

Considering that they didn’t field the same team in successive matches at any stage during the year and that they were struggling all season to put out an experienced side, winning promotion in the league represents a great accomplishment.

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Representing the club at U9, front l/r: Eoin Reilly, Toheeb Agunbiade, Jake Cunningham, Liam McCarthy. Back: Kahlid Osemi, Brendan Prendergast, Caoimhe Crichton, Conn O’Donoghue, Conor Murphy

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“The league was our goal,” Simon confirms. “We didn’t pay too much attention to the championship.

Obviously, we were disappointed to go down but we know we can go back up again. We did it two years ago and we can do it again.

“Next year, we will have a better idea of what level we are at. It’s unusual playing in the senior championship and Division Three and that was always going to be hard. Division Three football isn’t great preparation for the SFC but those senior games really stood to The Minor C winners us when it came to the play-offs in the league. Hopefully we won’t be looking over our shoulders now.”

Going forward, the club has a very talented young crop at its disposal. “We’re still a very young team,” Simon notes.

“The average age is no more than 22 or 23. We are playing at a better standard of football than we were in the past and there is plenty of talent coming through. If you look at where we were five years ago, when we were stuck in junior, we are in a much healthier position now.

“Our players all have experience of The U 14C competitions winners senior football now and fellas who might have thought they weren’t up to it got to perform at that level in 2012 and that will bring them on a lot. For the first game in the championship against Cooley, we used two very young subs who had never played adult football before. They went on to play a full season and they acquitted themselves very well. That has to be a huge plus for the club in the future.”

Money in the bank, as they say…

Looking to 2013, Simon is only too aware that a lot will again depend on the availability of players. “We have to keep The Young Irelands U13's our players. We were badly hit this year and we don’t want a repeat of that, but you never know what’s going to happen with emigration. If we hold onto most of the team, we have played i n t e r m e d i a t e championship before and we had a successful year in 2010 and there’s no reason why we can’t The minor C championship winners, front l/r: Niall Murphy, Feargal Sheehy, Dean Maguire, Aidan McDonald, Alan Flood, Jason Reddy, Barry Carr, Jordan O'Donoghue, Brian O'Hagan, Stephen Bellew. Back: Jason Mulligan, Colin do the same again.

Carragher, Ryan Malone, Frank Osadebe, David McCarthy, Sean McLoughlin, Ciaran Newberry, Jason Even though we got Lynch, Shadam Azazeez, Stephen Boothman, Alan Minto, Cathal Hamilton

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The Feile Division 2B winners

The up and coming U10's

relegated in the senior championship this year, we weren’t a million miles away. We stayed with Cooley for 45 minutes and we led at half-time in the first play-off against Kilkerley. Against Glyde, we started very poorly but we took it to extra time before their bit of extra experience told. Kilkerley and Glyde are big clubs who have been senior for a while and they had more

experience and belief than we had. In contrast, we had been junior for so long that we didn’t have the same belief.

Confidence-wise and experience-wise, they had the edge on us, but ability-wise there’s not that much between us.”

Simon is joined on the Irelands first team by brothers Peter and Joseph. The three Flynn siblings will be hoping to kick on and push for promotion in both competitions in 2013.

Simon also trained the club’s U16s to a league title in 2012 and steered the DYI minors to a ‘C’ championship, with a lot of the same players featuring on both those teams.

“When you look at it, we have a lot of young players who came onto the first team this year and we should have more coming through in the next three or four years. I think the club is on an upward spiral. We hope to go for a Division One MFC in a couple of years and if we can bring through the current minors and U16s, we will be stronger.

“For the time being, we are still a young team. The likes of Derek Maguire, Peter Nixon, Ciaran Murray and Peter Flynn are all still young lads, but these guys have all played underage for the county and they can backbone the team for many years to come. That’s why I’m confident that Young Irelands is still an up-and-coming team and we took a step forward in 2012 by winning promotion to Division Two.”

Minor board chairman Liam O'Neill presents the U16C Cup to Ryan Malone.

Sean Reid presents the Feile 2B Cup to Dylan Mulligan

Chinedu Osadebe receives the U14 C Cup from Tom Flynn

The U12's

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The Naomh Fionnbarra senior panel, front l/r: Larry McEntee, Kieran Murphy, Brian Sharkey, Gerry Leonard, John Dolan, Trevor Dolan, Stuart Osborne, William Woods, Liam McDonnell, Des Murray, Chris McGlynn.

Back: James Butterly, David Woods, Bernard Osborne, Darren McConnon, Oisen McGee, Colin McGrane, Allan Matthews, Shane Fanning, John Doyle, Colin McCollough, Nicholas Butterly, Liam Woods

NAOMH FIONNBARRA - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

NAOMH FIONNBARRA John Doyle

2012 RESU

LTS

DOUBLE DISAPPOINTMENT It was disappointment on the double for Naomh Fionnbarra in 2012 as the Togher men surrendered their intermediate status and also suffered relegation to Division Three of the league. Basically, anything that could go wrong did.

Looking back on the events of the year gone by, disappointed midfielder Darren McConnon can find little consolation amongst the ruins.

H

aving just about stayed up at the end of 2011 (when the relegation play-off final against Oliver Plunketts was awarded to Naomh Fionnbarra by Leinster Council following that now infamous floodlights failure seven minutes from the end of their match at Clogherhead), the ‘Barrs went into 2012 hoping to set the record straight. The goal for the 2010 junior champions was to preserve their middle-tier status with something to

Division Naomh Fio nnbarra 0-10 2 1-7 Roche St Brides 1Emmets 14 1-14 Nao Naomh Fio mh Fionnba nnbarra 3-6 rra 3-13 St Fechins 0-10 1-8 Nao Clan na nGael mh Fionnba Naomh Fio nnbarra 0-12 rra 1-14 St Moc Geraldines htas 2-13 1-7 Nao Naomh Fio mh Fionnba nnba rra Dundalk Gae rra 0-6 0-14 Naomh Malachi ls 1-12 0-11 Naomh Fio St. Mary's 2nnbarra 18 0-8 Nao Naomh Fio nnbarra 1-13 mh Fionnbarra 2St Josephs 12 Na Piars 2-13 2-12 N aigh aomh Fionn Dundalk Yo barr ung Irelands 2-11 1-4 Nao a Fionnbarra mh - playoff IFC Naomh Fio nnbarra 0-6 1-13 St Brid Naomh Fio es nnbarra 2-8 Na Piarsaigh 1-13 O'Con 1-9 0-7 Nao nells mh Fionnbar Naomh Malac ra – rel play hi 0-13 0-7 N off aomh Fionnb arra – rel play off

spare this time around – but things don’t always go according to plan and Martin Crosbie’s charges were relegated in both league and championship.

The IFC campaign got off to a disappointing start when St Brides – who had the advantage of making their second outing, having already played O’Connells the previous weekend - scored a 1-13 to 0-6 victory in the ‘Barrs’ group opener at Clan na Gael Park on Friday, July

351

27th. Naomh Fionnbarra enjoyed plenty of possession on the night but their execution was poor.

Local rivals O’Connells – who would go on to win the competition – were next up and the Togher men produced one of their best performances of the year as they were edged out by a couple of points in a derby thriller at Dunleer on Sunday, August 26th – 1-13 to 2-8.

With the following personnel on duty, the ‘Barrs had led by 0-8 to 0-5 at the short whistle: Allan Matthews; Kieran

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Aidan Doyle of Oxigen presenting new jerseys to Naomh Fionnbarra chairman Patsy Matthews and team captain Allan Matthews Darren McConnon breaking for goal

Lenihan, Colin McGrane, Hugh McGrane; Nicholas Butterly, Stuart Osborne, Kieran Murphy; John Doyle, Darren McConnon (0-2); Larry McEntee, Oisin McGee (1-1), Bernard Osborne (0-3); Conor Osborne, John Dolan (0-1), William Woods (1-0). Subs: Shane Fanning for Butterly, Bryan Sharkey for Lenihan.

This meant the relegation play-offs beckoned and Na Piarsaigh came out on top in the ‘semi-final’ at The Ramparts – 1-10 to 0-6 on Sunday, September 9th. And Naomh Fionnbarra kissed goodbye to their IFC status when they were beaten by Naomh Malachi at Clan na Gael Park twelve days later – 0-13 to 0-7. The return to junior ranks came as a massive blow.

Things went from bad to worse when the ‘Barrs also found themselves in the Division Two / Three promotion / relegation play-off final against Dundalk Young Irelands, who’d had the benefit of playing in the 2012 SFC. At Darver on Wednesday, October 17th, the town side compounded Naomh Fionnbarra’s woes with a 2-11 to 1-4 victory, sending them crashing down to Division Three.

Partnering the long-serving John Doyle at the middle of the park, it was Darren McConnon’s first season with Naomh Fionnbarra since his transfer from Roche Emmets. He doesn’t try to gloss things over when he says: “The club has definitely had better years. We had tough games week in,

The U15 Division 2B League winners

Stuart Osborne

Trevor Dolan

353

week out in the league and we were unlucky in some of those matches but we didn’t make it count and that’s why we ended up getting relegated. When we played well, we didn’t put the points on the board.”

The goal for the year was a reasonably modest one, but the team fell short. “The goal was to stay up – simple as that,” says Darren. “The main aim was to stay up and then to push on a bit in the following years and get the younger lads used to intermediate football. We still have a young enough team. Conor Osborne, John Dolan and Kieran Lenihan are good young players for the future and you can see them doing something.

Then we have the likes of John Doyle and Allan Matthews to provide a bit of leadership, so overall the average age is good.”

Numbers-wise, how was the year? A lot of clubs are struggling for numbers as more and more players emigrate…

“We had a panel of about 25 to 30 lads at training every Tuesday and Thursday night. But, like every other club, we are struggling to hold onto players with a lot of lads going to Australia.

We’ve been struggling to hold onto lads and there’s talk of even more going, so it’s going to be tough. It was tough this year already and, from listening to the lads, we were missing a few players who would have made a difference. Then when you add in injuries and losing William Woods to Dundalk FC, which is a big blow to lose a Louth U21, it’s not easy. But hopefully there are more lads there to step up.”

Meath man Martin Crosbie was at the helm in 2012 and Darren believes he gave of his all: “Martin put in his time and he had the lads motivated to go out on the pitch. He tried to help the Finbarrs on as best he could.”

Was the championship performance against O’Connells one of the highlights of the year? “In the championship, yes... We felt before the game that we could beat them as you always think you can beat your neighbours. But they had a bit more experience on the bench and bringing on Stuart Reynolds got them over the line. I suppose we can take a bit of confidence from the fact that they went on to win the championship, but that’s just about all we can take from the year…

“In the league, we started well and had something like two wins and a draw from our first four games. Against Dundalk Gaels, who won Division Two, there was only a kick of the ball between us. But after a good start, we struggled and we were lacking that killer instinct to win games and to get those vital scores that would make the difference.”

Looking back on the season as a whole, Darren cannot hide his disappointment: “We were very disappointed to get relegated in both the league

The Naomh Fionnbarra/St Kevins squad at the U16 Blitz

Representing the club at U9 level

A promising bunch, the U7's

354

and the championship. You don’t spend all your time down at the pitch training twice a week and then playing at weekends to get relegated.

We were well beaten by Naomh Malachi and Young Irelands in both play-off finals and they just seemed to have the experience to find us out.

We started badly in both those games and couldn’t get going.”

At least Naomh Fionnbarra will have a better chance of winning silverware in 2013, I venture… “That’s no consolation. Nobody likes being relegated. We feel that intermediate is where we should have been and there wasn’t really a whole pile in any of the games. But the reality is that we’re junior now and we have to think we are one of the stronger teams down there.

“The aim now is to restore some pride and get back up to intermediate as quickly as possible, then to hold

Naomh Fionnbarra/St Kevins minors, front l/r: A McCollough, D McMahon, L Finnegan, P Callan, Gary Byrne, C Osborne. Back: Ryan Woods, Ricky Dolan, Conor Lenihan, Jack Butterly, John Dolan, Kieran Lenihan, Chris McGlynn

onto our intermediate status. But we are not happy to be down there.

Nobody likes scrapping down in the bottom league. That’s not the level of football you want to be playing.

The U10's

“Having said that, at the end of the day, it’s a game of football and regardless of whether you are senior or junior, there are worse things happening in life every day and you have to keep it in perspective. It’s not the end of the world so we’ll roll our sleeves up and hopefully kick on next year.”

Shane Fanning

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LANNLEIRE

2012 RESU

LTS

Mark Dunne

PLUSES OUTWEIGH DISAPPOINTMENT OF FINAL LOSS Of all the games Lannleire played in 2012, there is probably one result that stands out most of all, that being the Junior Championship Final when the Dunleer men lost out by a single point. By Eunan Whyte.

I

t is not surprising that attention should focus on this fixture against the Glen Emmets, but the result should not overshadow what was otherwise an excellent season for the club.

While championship success or failure is the way most teams will assess their fortunes over the course of the year, it would serve as an injustice to the efforts of Lannleire to define their year as a failure.

While there is no denying that the final defeat came as a huge disappointment to those involved, the sense in the club is one of positivity and the belief that this season will serve as a stepping stone for success to come in the future.

Losing to Glen Emmets is the one real blot on what has been a very encouraging season. Defender, Andrew Flanagan, is one of those who remains upbeat and he believes

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Lannleire 0- Division 3 13 1-13 Hun terstown St Nicholas 3-9 0-7 Lann Rovers Lannleire 1leire 7 0-5 Sean McDermotts Westerns 26 0-10 Lann Lannleire 1leire 18 0-6 John Stabannon Mitchels Parnells 07 0-10 Lann Lannleire 2leire 8 2-8 Glen Emmets St Kevins 07 1-9 Lannleire Lannleire 013 1-12 Wol fe Tones Foo Annaghmin non Rovers tball 0-2 2-22 La Lannleire 2nnleire 8 1-11 Dun da lk Yo ung Irelands Dowdalls Glen Emmet hill 0-2 1-17 Lannleire s 0-10 1-6 Lannleire – playoff JF C Stabannon Parnells 08 1-20 Lann Glen Emmet leire s 1-10 1-8 Lannleire 2Lannleire 20 2-5 Ann aghminnon Hunterstow Rovers n Rovers 17 2-14 Lann Sean McDer leire - QF motts 1-11 312 Lannleire Lannleire 0- SF 9 1-7 Glen Emmets - F inal

that when the pain of defeat fades, 2012 will be remembered as being extremely successful.

After a season in which the team was in the shake-up in all Junior competitions and the Division 4 team was also successful, Lannleire also saw a number of talented young players come through to adult football.

As a result Andrew is in no doubt that this season sends out a clear message to all that Lannleire have a

Representing the club in 2012, front l/r: John Boylan (selector), Niall Lennon, Richard Kiernan, Bob Murphy, Shane Kennedy (captain), Mark Dunne, Andy Flanagan, Ian Mulroy, Donal Clare, Justin McCarville, Patrick O’Connor, John McGeough, Steven Callan, Darren Noone. Back: Robert O’Rourke, Paul Kearney, Cathal Grimes, Lee Smith, Andy Dowd, Colin Murphy, John Farrelly, Brendan McEvoy, John King, Alan Murphy, Carlos Lambe, Craig Devlin, Nicky Malone (manager), Noel Grace (selector)

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Best Wishes to Lannleire GFC 360

The impressive U9's, front l/r: Ben Grogan, Cillian Daly, Tom Bolger, Ryan McArdle, Ciara Callan, Ciaran McCabe, Cayman Kirwan, Kyle Van Ryan. Back: Lorcan Callaghan, Evan McDonnell, Laurence Jones, Liam Horan, Sean McConnon, Hannah McGrory, Johnny Jones, Conor Dunne, Grace McGuinness

solid foundation on which to build and he sees a great determination to realise the potential over the coming years.

“I have no doubt that as a club overall we have had a very good season. Apart from the Junior Final, we also got to the Kevin Mullen Shield Final, and reached the Division 3 play-offs.

“There is also the fact that we got through to the Junior 2B Championship semi-final and the Junior League final. I don’t think there are many clubs in the county who can boast a record like that so we have to be happy with the year overall.

“There is no doubt that we really have moved on as a team and a club this year and we are definitely building for the future,” explained Flanagan who has seen some very positive signs at all levels of the club.

“Nicky Malone came in as manager this year and has a really good backroom team with him. Training

has been going really well and has been consistent in terms of standard and numbers attending.

“The effort put in during the week has obviously paid off as you can see that what we were doing on the training pitch has transferred into games.

“One of the really encouraging aspects has been that the Second Division team has also been performing very well and from a club point of view a lot of importance has been attached to this team.

“In previous years there were probably lads on that team who would never make it on to the first team, but this year we have noticed a big difference. A lot of the players are pushing themselves to make the main team and that has really raised the standards.

“In those terms, I would say that just because you lose a championship final doesn’t make it a bad year as there is definitely huge progress being made,” continued the defender who has been one

of the leading lights for the team this year.

The opportunity to make it a truly memorable year came in the championship when they team just failed narrowly to get their hands on the Christy Bellew Cup. “Since we lost the Junior Final to St Nicholas in 2008, we have made the semi-final every season and last year we took Glen Emmets to a replay. As a result, it was a major breakthrough to get to the decider, and having got there, we were determined to finish the job.”

Unfortunately for Andrew and his colleagues the game didn’t go as they had wished, with the team failing to reach the performance level of previous rounds. As a result, Flanagan accepts that the Tullyallen men were worthy winners on the day.

“It looked for a long time as if we were actually going to win the game.

Unfortunately we gave away a penalty and that goal really turned the game for the Emmets.

“Although there was only a point in it at the end, we have to concede that the better team won on day. They had a lot of possession around the middle and created plenty of chances but kicked a huge amount of wides.

However, they finished strongly after the penalty and we were unable to respond.

“The biggest disappointment for us was that we just didn’t perform as we know we can. I don’t think we really got out of the blocks and couldn’t get into any real rhythm.

“We knew we had a better performance in us as we proved in the quarter-final against Hunterstown just how well we can play. They had won the league comfortably and were one of the favourites for the championship but we came out on top.

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Jo Jo Lannleire U10's, front l/r: Ben Maguire, Callum O’Brien, Cian Kieran, Shane Butterly, Jason Shearman. Back: Daragh Malone, Dillon Kiernan, Leon Clements, Aaron Lynch Fitzpatrick

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West Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth

Eamon Victory of Centra Dunleer presents a new set of jerseys to Chairman Thomas Clare and captain Shane Kennedy

Referee Kevin Levins with rival captains Stephen Healy and Shane Kennedy before the JFC final

Ian Mulroy

“In fact we were the only team to beat them all year and we did so in the shield and championship, so that is a mark of the level we reached this season,” continued Andrew.

The defender feels that perhaps there was a bit of inexperience in the team that cost them, but he hopes that the taste of the The U7's, front l/r: Mark Grogan, Matthew Malone, Liam Rafferty, Luke Boylan, Cian Smith, Annie Thompson. Back: Sam Maguire, final will inspire players Daniel Reilly, Ali Maguire, Tadhg O’Hare, Shane O’Brien to come back stronger next year.

Murphy, Alan Murphy (0-2), John “We have to look at the fact that this McGeough (0-1); Carlos Lambe (2year we went one step closer now we 2), Paul Callan, Niall Lennon. Subs: need to focus on making even more Paul Doyle for A Flanagan, Patrick progress. It is hard to lose a final and O'Connor for P Callan. come back but lots of teams have done it – including Glen Emmets – so that has to be our aim next year,” revealed Flanagan who feels that this season should represent the start of a journey, rather than the end.

“When we played the Junior Final in 2008 a lot of those lads had played in a Senior Championship Final ten years earlier so after that there was a feeling that we might not get another chance.

“However, we did get back and this time there is no sense that this was a last chance. We have plenty of good young players so we are feeling very positive about the future.

“I think that if you told any club at the start of the year that they would reach a championship final, shield final and league play-off they would take it. So overall, I think we have to Colm Murphy be happy with what we have done this year.

“However, I think the most important thing is that as a group of players we can take confidence from this season and use that to step up to the next level. It is vital that we push on and hopefully we can make the breakthrough by bringing home some silverware in the near future,” concluded Andrew.

Lannleire grabbed some silverware for their year’s work when they defeated Sean McDermotts by 2-5 to 0-8 in the 2012 Kevin Mullen Shield final at Ardee on Sunday, October 21st, with the following men on duty: Lee Smith; Bob Murphy, Peter Neacy, Thomas Doyle; Brendan McEvoy, Andrew Flanagan, Ian Mulroy; Shane Kennedy, Robert O'Rourke; Colin Donal Clare

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ST NICHOLAS

The Minors, included are: Gary Beirne, Ike Isichei, Dean Foran, Dean Johnstone, Sean Hoey, Colm Goring, Tadgh Gill, Shane Finnegan, Sam Henry, Dylan O’Brien, Conor Finnegan, Chad Fleming, Andrew Starr

UNDERAGE WORK WILL REAP REWARDS FOR NICK’S St Nicholas went into the 2012 knowing they faced a difficult task in terms of challenging for top honours in league and championship. By Eunan Whyte.

H

owever, despite this realistic outlook, those involved with the Jimmy Pentony Park will look back on the year with disappointment having failed to make the knock-out stages of the Junior Championship, while only managing a ninth place finish in the Division 3 league.

The Drogheda club have enjoyed some good times over the past number of years, with the 2008 Junior Championship victory still relatively fresh in the memory. However, for a

2012 RESU

LTS

Division 3 Dowdallshi ll 0-7 1-8 S t Nicho St Nicholas 3-9 0-7 Lann las Hunterstow leire n Rovers 27 0-5 St Nic St Nicholas holas 0-10 0-11 S ean McDer Westerns 1m otts 9 1-10 St N icholas St Nicholas 08 29 John Mitche Stabannon ls Parnells St Kevins 0- 1-7 0-10 St Nicholas 13 0-5 St N St Nicholas icholas 0-5 1-12 G len Emmet St Nicholas s 06 0-2 Wolfe Annaghmin Tones non Rovers v St Nichola St Nicholas s – not play 1-10 4-7 Dun ed dalk Young Irelands JFC St Nicholas 1-8 0-12 Jo Hunterstow hn Mitchels n Rovers 215 0-9 St N icholas

variety of reasons, the Nicks were not as strong as they might have been this season and as a result their expectations were somewhat tempered at the beginning of the campaign.

Despite the failure to perform to their potential on a consistent basis, the Nicks remain positive that they can get back into contention for the top honours in the grade over the coming years.

Declan Heeney is one of those players who believes the team has

363

much more to offer than they showed on the field of play this season.

‘Looking back on the year, you would have to say that it didn’t go as well as we would have hoped for. We showed in some games at the beginning of the season what we were capable of, but it was very disappointing the way our season ended.

“We had a reasonably good start in the Kevin Mullen Shield and the league but couldn’t maintain that effort. Unfortunately when it came to

The club's 10's, included are: Padraic Downey, Harry Ryan, Sean Byrne, Michael Redmond, Adam Rooney, Josh Hoey, Sean White, Conor Dyas, Keane White, Adam Brady, Fola Oginawa

account of themselves.

“I suppose at the beginning of the season we were looking at challenging for a top five place in the league and at least making the Junior quarter-finals.

“There were some encouraging signs in the Mullen Shield when wins over the likes of Young Irelands and Glen Emmets, along with a draw against Sean McDermotts, helped up finish second in the group and qualify for the semi-finals,” added Declan.

That form continued into the Division 3 campaign when their opening two games saw the Nicks record wins over Dowdallshill and Lannleire, but according to Declan the team couldn’t kick on from there.

“It was a good start for us but things then began to go wrong in the middle part. I think after we lost the Kevin Mullen Shield semi-final to Lannleire that perhaps the heads dropped a bit for some of the younger players.

“We also had two very tough games in the league as we lost to Hunterstown and Sean McDermotts. We did get another win over Westerns but then only managed one point from four games which really ended our hopes of getting to the play-offs,” he continued.

That run of form certainly didn’t help inspire confidence ahead of the Junior Championship and the Nicks were made pay for their lack of consistency when they finished bottom of the group.

It was no surprise that they lost to one of the competition’s favourites, Hunterstown Rovers, in the opening game, but they still had a great chance to make the knock-out stages when they faced John Mitchels in the second outing.

the championship we couldn’t lift ourselves and missed out on a place in the quarter-finals,” explained Declan.

“We lost out to Hunterstown in the group game but failing to beat John Mitchels was a big disappointment for us.

However, we had a relatively young team this year and hopefully we can learn from that defeat,” he continued.

The task for the Nicks was made more difficult by the fact that they were hampered by the loss of a number of key players for a variety of reasons and a big turnover in players made if difficult to attain the level of consistency they would have liked.

“When you look back at the team that won the Junior Championship in 2008, there are probably only three or four players still involved so that represents a huge change in personnel in just four years.

“At the beginning of the year we lost Andrew Tinley and Keith Arnold to Newtown Blues and when you see them playing so well at senior level it illustrates the quality of those players.

“We were also without Adi Gates and Johnny Carter due to long term injuries, while Paddy O’Boyle was unable to give full commitment this season. Starting off without five top players would make it difficult for any team as they were very hard to replace,” explained Heeney.

Despite such challenges, St Nicholas made an encouraging start to the season and their form in the With the Under 11's, included are: Sean White, Harry Ryan, Rory Hanlon, Sean opening weeks suggested that they would give a good McCann, Ben Tracey, Dan Oginawa, Evan Byrne, Feime Famousa, Jack Rooney, Sean Caffrey, Padraic Rooney, Stevie Finneagan, Tadgh Pentony

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Best Wishes to St. Nicholas GFC 364

Representing the club at Under 9 level, included are: Naomh Coogan, Josh Hoey, Michael Redmond, Holly Kelly, Cleo Kelly, Patrick Browne, Tadgh Martin, Sophie Reilly

The talented Under 12's, included are: Sean McCann, Dan Oginawa, Rory Hanlon, Jack Rooney, Evan Byrne, Tadgh Pentony, Stevie Finnegan, Keane White, Harry Ryan, Padraic Downey, Sean White

Unfortunately for the Nicks, it didn’t go according to plan.

“It was very disappointing to lose that game by just a point, but in fairness to the Mitchels they played very well that night. We found ourselves in a good position and probably should have won the game but they came back strongly to snatch victory,” he revealed.

Despite what Declan describes as “one of those years”, there is a great sense determination in the Nicks ranks and plenty of reasons to be optimistic as the club battle to bring young players through.

“I think in most of the games this year the majority of the team was under the age of 25 so that allows us to look to the future with some degree of optimism.

There is a good crop of young players around the club and that gives us hope.

“We even had some of the minor players out training with us and there is plenty of talent in the underage ranks, but I suppose the challenge is to keep them interested and keep them involved with the club,” added Heeney.

Declan revealed that a lot of hard work is being done at underage level to ensure that the best young players in the Rathmullen area come through to wear the red and white.

“We have Hugh Downey doing a great job looking after the juvenile section up to the age of 14 and we have massive

numbers turning out every week which is a great sign, and that is an area of the club that is really thriving.

“Moving up the age groups, the U-14 side won their league last year, while the U-16 and Minor teams are competing well. We do have some decent teams and decent players, but we are always battling with other codes, and like many other clubs we are losing players to emigration.

“It is a problem for a lot of teams and you realise how hard it is when you see some clubs unable to field at Division 4 level, so hopefully something can be done about it,” concluded Declan who is looking forward to a more positive year in 2013.

The St Nicholas U13's

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365

Representing the club at Under 9 level, included are: Naomh Coogan, Josh Hoey, Michael Redmond, Holly Kelly, Cleo Kelly, Patrick Browne, Tadgh Martin, Sophie Reilly

The talented Under 12's, included are: Sean McCann, Dan Oginawa, Rory Hanlon, Jack Rooney, Evan Byrne, Tadgh Pentony, Stevie Finnegan, Keane White, Harry Ryan, Padraic Downey, Sean White

Unfortunately for the Nicks, it didn’t go according to plan.

“It was very disappointing to lose that game by just a point, but in fairness to the Mitchels they played very well that night. We found ourselves in a good position and probably should have won the game but they came back strongly to snatch victory,” he revealed.

Despite what Declan describes as “one of those years”, there is a great sense determination in the Nicks ranks and plenty of reasons to be optimistic as the club battle to bring young players through.

“I think in most of the games this year the majority of the team was under the age of 25 so that allows us to look to the future with some degree of optimism.

There is a good crop of young players around the club and that gives us hope.

“We even had some of the minor players out training with us and there is plenty of talent in the underage ranks, but I suppose the challenge is to keep them interested and keep them involved with the club,” added Heeney.

Declan revealed that a lot of hard work is being done at underage level to ensure that the best young players in the Rathmullen area come through to wear the red and white.

“We have Hugh Downey doing a great job looking after the juvenile section up to the age of 14 and we have massive

numbers turning out every week which is a great sign, and that is an area of the club that is really thriving.

“Moving up the age groups, the U-14 side won their league last year, while the U-16 and Minor teams are competing well. We do have some decent teams and decent players, but we are always battling with other codes, and like many other clubs we are losing players to emigration.

“It is a problem for a lot of teams and you realise how hard it is when you see some clubs unable to field at Division 4 level, so hopefully something can be done about it,” concluded Declan who is looking forward to a more positive year in 2013.

The St Nicholas U13's

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365

The Mattock Rangers senior football panel, front l/r: Martin McGuinness, Brian Corcoran, John Reid, Earnan Roche, Shane Maguire, Niall Callan, Connor Leneghan, David Reid, Michael McKeown, Shane Grimes, David Carson, Niall Sharkey, Greg Monaghan, Pauric Bannon. Back: Sean Gilsenan, Tom O'Reilly, Ruairi Hickey, Keith Brennan, Martin Sherlock, David Brennan, Mike Englishby, Daniel Bannon, Terry Donegan, Ciaran Maguire, Ciaran Taffee, Colm McCarthy, Adrian Reid, Christy Grimes, Timmy Smyth

MATTOCK RANGERS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

MATTOCK RANGERS

Daniel Bannon gets the better of Paddy Keenan

2012 RESU

LTS

ATTACKING ON ALL FRONTS Twenty-twelve may not have gone according to plan for Mattock Rangers but the Collon club is now a force to be reckoned with in both football and hurling and they’ll be going out all guns blazing for both the SFC and SHC titles in 2013. Dual star Brian Corcoran – who picked up a Nicky Rackard Cup All Star award for his exploits with the Wee County hurlers in 2012 – is bracing himself for another busy year.

F

ew were busier than Mattock’s Brian Corcoran in 2012. A member of the Mattock Rangers senior football and senior hurling teams, he also lined out for the Louth hurlers, who reached their fourth Nicky Rackard Cup final, and the county U21 footballers. Throw in colleges fare with St Pats, Drumcondra and one can see that it was all go for the exciting young Collon dual star.

While the major honours he sought [Louth SFC, Louth SHC, Rackard

Division 1 Cooley Kic khams 0-8 2-4 Mattock Mattock Ran Rangers gers 1-8 010 St Patric O'Connells ks 1-17 0-13 M attock Ran Dreadnots gers 3-13 1-9 M attock Ran Mattock Ran gers ge Mattock Ran rs 2-8 2-8 Sean O Mah onys gers 2-10 310 Naomh Kilkerley Em Mairtin mets 2-6 016 Mattock Mattock Ran Rangers ge Glyde Range rs 3-10 2-9 O`Raghalla ighs rs 1-9 3-10 Mattock Ran Mattock Ran gers gers 2-14 29 Oliver Plu Newtown B nketts lues 1-14 38 Mattock R O'Connells angers 4-11 0-9 M attock Ran gers - SF SFC St. Mary's 1Glyde Range 9 0-13 Mattock Range rs rs 2-7 0-12 St Patricks Mattock Ran 2-14 0-12 M gers attock Ran gers - QF

Cup] may have eluded him, Brian received a welcome consolation in October when he was one of three Louth players to pick up a 2012 Nicky Rackard Cup All Star award (Donagh O’Sullivan and Shane Fennell being the others). It was a nice accolade at the end of a hectic innings: “I was delighted with the award,” the 20-year-old says. “I put in a fair bit of work with the county. Between hurling for Louth, playing football and hurling for Mattock, the college and the U21 footballers, a lot of effort went into the

367

year. It was a long, hard season with Louth but it paid off in the end to an extent when I was chosen for the All Star. It would have been even nicer to have won the All-Ireland title in Croke Park but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.”

This was Brian’s third year with the Louth hurlers. His first year was while he was still in fifth year at secondary school. He then took a year out for his Leaving Certificate and has been back on board in 2011 and 2012.

Through all the GAA activities, he’s also studying to be a Primary School

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The Mattock Rangers senior hurlers, front l/r: Niall MacEneaney, Eoin McKeon, Jonny Matthews, Diarmuid McCarthy , Dominic Maguire, Rory Walsh, Ciaran Maguire, Ken Tobin, Aiden Carter. Back: Paddy Coyle, Gary O’ Hare, Edward Condon, Darren Reid, Ruairi O’Reilly, Jason Condon, Declan Madden, Seamus Walsh, Kevin Conway, Michael Callan, Mark Kirwan

teacher and hopes to start teaching next year – preferably as close to home as possible!

How difficult is it to give so much dedication to football and hurling, even at such a young age? “I suppose there should be a good few years left in me yet but it is very tough,” he concedes. “At club level, you’d have hurling training twice a week and football training twice a week.

The dual players got a bit of leeway but we still had to train three times on average – and then you have matches as well.

“You could have a hurling championship match on a Friday and then a SFC game on a Saturday and obviously you’d be below 100% for the second game. That happened a few times during the year but we got through it.”

A former Wolfe Tones and Louth hurler, Brian’s dad Tony is originally from Kilkenny and – along with his wife Audrey – was responsible for setting up the hurling club in Collon.

The Mellifont U13's

Mellifont U18 Division 3A League winners

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The Mellifont U15's

So, was Brian brought up as a hurler first and foremost?

“Yeah, I would have been brought up more as a hurler but I always played the football too. I found myself getting more and more involved in the football and once you break through into the senior panel you have to treat them both equally. You can’t give one preference over the other.

“I was born in Louth. Dad would have moved up here maybe five years before that and he would have played with the Tones in Drogheda for a long time before starting up the club here in Collon.”

Remarkably, father and son have played together quite regularly as Tony is still going strong even though he’ll never see the sunny side of 40 again! “I never thought it would happen but we have played a good few games together. He plays the league games and he was player-manager this year. I’d say he’s fitter than me! We were disappointed not to make any impact in the championship in 2012, having got to the final the previous year, but we reached the league final, which was a big day for the club as we had a point to make.”

That match was played at Ardee on Sunday, November 4th and Mattock gave as good as they got before losing by a single point, 1-8 to 0-10.

Brian thinks it’s time for Mattock’s hurlers to lay down a marker. “We’ve never really won anything,” he notes. “We

Lining out for the club at U9 level

won the Louth junior hurling championship three years in a row – in 2005, ’06 and ’07 – and have been senior since but haven’t managed to claim a senior title yet. I missed the county final last year as I was concentrating on the footballers, who reached the semi-final stage of the SFC and gave it a good go, but also came up short in the end. The hurlers also got to a league final back in 2008, I think.

“We had a good big panel this year and the Wolfe Tones lads who transferred over in 2011 have really boosted the team. Most of the Collon lads would be fairly young and the ex-Tones boys who came in are helping us along. Also, the Collon lads who were there at the very start are still there, so we have plenty of numbers and the club is looking strong at the moment.

“Our goal is to become the best team in the county. We know we didn’t perform in the championship this year and we really wanted to make an impact. But we know it takes a lot of hard work to get to

Representing Mellifont at U16

371

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The Mellifont-Lannleire minor Division 3A league winners

the top and we have to first win one SHC before we can start talking about being the main men.”

Meanwhile, Brian has been on the Mattock senior football team for two years. In 2011, they won the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup and were beaten at the semi-final stage of the championship. In 2012, it was step back in each competition as they lost at the quarter-final stage of the SFC and the semi-final stage in the league.

“I joined the squad late last year after playing in the Nicky Rackard Cup final,” the dual player reflects.

“We went at it big time after that but were beaten by the Pats after a semifinal replay. This year, I was pushed up into the forwards, which I really enjoyed. We were beaten in the

The Mattock U10's

The hurlers celebrate their Special Hurling League final win in Ardee

373

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Mellifont captain Terry Donegan receives the U18 Div 3A Cup from Sean Reid Vice Chairman Minor Board

U13 Division 1B league winning captain Ben Watters

Jason Condon accepts the Special Hurling League trophy from Sean Carroll

knockout stage of both competitions.

“We came up against the Pats in a championship quarter-final and they are a very strong side. We had two men sent off on the night and we were also missing two key men, one of whom was in England while the other was doing best man at a wedding. But we still put it up to the Pats for a long time in that game and we have something to build on going forward.

“In the league, we came up against O’Connells in the semi-final and they were playing very well, having just won the IFC, while we hadn’t played much football since losing to the Pats. We were training away but it’s hard to keep the interest up when you have no championship games anymore and the levels had dropped. We didn’t have the same focus anymore. The goal had been to win the championship and we weren’t really ready for that game against O’Connells.”

Next year, Brian will have three main goals – a senior double in Louth and a Nicky Rackard Cup with the county hurlers. “That will be the target,” he admits. “And all three teams are good enough. Obviously it’s going to take a lot of effort but I’d be hoping that the work will pay off. I think Mattock can challenge on both fronts and I believe Louth now have the panel to do it, especially with Armagh gone up to the Christy Ring.”

Brian admits that all the training can be demoralising at times: “The training is tough. It’s a real struggle through the winter but it’s a lot nicer in the summer. It’s hard going up to Darver for the county hurling training but there’s no way around it. You have to put the work in and it has to be done.”

Brian also hopes to give the county U21 footballers a proper crack in 2013. Would there ever be time in his busy schedule to play for the county seniors in the big ball game?

“It the opportunity ever came up, it would be very hard to turn down. I’ll try to give the U21s a real go and see how that works out. I’m not under any illusions – there are a lot of very good footballers in Louth – but it’s definitely something I’d like to do at some stage in the future.”

Right now, the sky is the limit for Brian Corcoran. And also for Mattock Rangers!

375

Sean Gilsenan

Hurling manager Tony Corcoran

Mattock football manager Padraig Coyle

The Cuchulainn Gaels panel, front l/r: Francis O’Hagan, Aaron Rogers, Daniel Brown, Owen McDonald, Mattie Jones, Brian Elmore, John O’Hagan, James Walker, Emmet McGuigan. Back: John Paul Elmore, Chris Connolly, Gavin Magee, Matthew Woods, Paddy O’Hanlon, Conor O’Hanlon, Gavin Mullen, Paul O’Hanlon, Ryan Hughes, Francis Elmore

CUCHULAINN GAELS - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

CUCHULAINN GAELS Chris Connolly

2012 RESU

LTS

IT’S ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY Aside from their efforts aimed at improving the footballing skills of the young people in Omeath, Cuchulainn Gaels have set the standard for community involvement in their very short history. By Eunan Whyte.

N

ot a season has gone past without the hard-working and innovative committee coming up with some novel event that helps foster a community spirit and raise funds for various organisations.

The Superman world record is one project that captured the imagination but this year they went for a much more GAA focused event.

What they came up with certainly was another unique effort as one of Ireland’s youngest clubs celebrated the oldest recorded game of Gaelic football.

GAA legends were joined by Olympic medalist Paddy Barnes, as they took part in the Retro GAA match to commemorate the first

Division 4 Cuchulainn Gaels 0-15 1-11 St Kev Wolfe Tone ins s 3-12 1-8 Cuchulainn Cuchulainn Gaels G aels 2-8 4-8 Dundalk Gae Lannleire ls 2-14 2-4 C Cuchulainn Gaels v Sea uchulainn Gaels n McDermot ts – not played Westerns 011 1-10 Cuc Cuchulainn hulainn Gae Gaels 2-13 2-6 Annaghm ls innon Rovers Dowdallshi ll 2-10 0-13 Cuchulainn Gaels JF C 2B Cuchulainn Gaels 1-20 1-6 Wolfe To St Kevins 0nes 5 1-15 Cuc Cuchulainn hulainn Gae Gaels 0-5 1ls 13 Roche E mmets – Q F

recorded match which took place in Omeath in 1750. It was something of a local legend in Omeath but an event that a lot of people might not have been aware of so they thought it would be a good idea.

According to club chairman, Roddy McQuaid, it proved to be a hugely successful event that captured the imagination of people across the country.

“The success of that day really blew us away as we never thought it would be so big. The idea behind it was to celebrate the centenary of Colaiste Bhride which was set up in Omeath in 1912 before moving to Ranafast in Co Donegal in 1927.

377

“We were asked to do something and we came up with the idea of a match. I asked my brother Ivan to get a few names before I went to England for two weeks but when I came back he had 25 legendary players, the GAA President and Paddy Barnes all involved. It was unbelievable.

“It just grew from there and we had the likes of DJ Kane, Michael McCann, Peter Fitzpatrick, Kieran McGeeney, Shane Lennon and Cathal Short so it got huge support,” added Roddy.

Prior to the throw-in, GAA President Liam O'Neill unveiled a plaque to commemorate the historic match

which took place at Bavan's Meadow.

The plaque was blessed by Fr. Brian MacRaois and speeches were made

by Club Chairman, Roddy McQuaid; Louth Chairman Padraic O'Connor and GAA President, Liam O’Neill.

The game was played between the Morgan Clan and the O’Neill Clan – two of the family names mentioned from the original match – who were wearing the green Louth 1957 and 1930s red Cork retro kits.

The game wasn’t the only venture organised by the club as over the May Bank Holiday weekend they hosted their ‘It’s a Knockout’, and once again Roddy explains that it was also hugely successful.

“This was another idea that the club came up with win an effort to raise some money and to bring the community together. Thankfully we were successful on both fronts.

“We had a total of 33 teams of ten participants competing over the Saturday and Sunday in the Sports Field on Chapel Hill and it was a great venture for us,” added Roddy.

“It was a really good family day out

and we were able to give a lot of money to various groups and organisations such as the local hospices and Omeath Tidy Towns, while also getting some revenue for the club,” continued the Chairman.

According to Roddy, such events encapsulate what the Cuchulainn The U8's, front l/r: Jacob Dunlevy, Adam Sharkey, Larry Brennan, Gaels club is all James Keenan. Back: Sean Brennan, James Sharkey, James McGuinness, Euan McArdle about as they aim to foster the Cuchulainn Gaels and they have community spirit as well as providing been making great strides to bring football. through young players over the “For us it is not just about what coming years. happens on the field of play but to Being such a young club means that include everyone in Omeath. We in terms of football, they are working have a great committee who are on a long-term project but with a lot of determined to bring the people of the hard work being carried out at locality together and to enhance the underage level, the signs are very area. encouraging according to the “I think we chairman. have been “Overall, I would have to say that successful since our formation this has been our in that best year yet and there is a great regard over sense of optimism around the club. the years “The underage section is continuing a n d to blossom while we are getting huge hopefully support from people in terms of that will helping out with coaching, so there is continue in a real positive feel to the club at the years to present,” added Roddy. come,” he “One of the big success stories for explained.

H o w e v e r, us was the U-16 team who really had there is no a wonderful season. It was a big thing doubt that for us to be able to field a team on our the football own but for them to get to the final is also a and be in with a chance of silverware m a j o r is a real bonus.

Representing the club at U10 level priority for “The good thing is that the majority

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will be U-16 next season so hopefully we will be able to push on and continue to progress,” explained the chairman.

“Elsewhere, we joined with St Patricks for the Minor competitions and our four representatives were among the stars of the team and that provides great encouragement for us.

“The adult team is continuing to improve under Francis and JP Elmore. They had some very good results in the league and won about half their matches with is great for everyone involved. We got to the quarter-final of the Junior Championship only to lose out to Roche Emmets.

“We are also competing well in Ladies football with John Bruen and Neville McCann looking after that team. They did brilliant in the league and are getting stronger all the time so we hope to continue those efforts next year,” added Roddy.

One of the reasons for the

John O’Hanlon

Brian Elmore

forward to help out. The committee improvement in fortunes this year has has been brilliant over the past few been the number of new coaches years but you always need new blood who have come on board and made a to come in with fresh ideas and real difference to the club. enthusiasm to help push things on,” “While we have set out to give as concluded Roddy. much as we can to the community, it The chairman also expressed his is great so see that people are now sincere thanks to Morgans Fine Fish responding and looking to get for coming on board as the main club involved with the club. sponsor for a four year term.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

F

THE LOGISTICS MAN Logistics is a massive part of any business and one that takes a great deal of attention to detail and so there is a great emphasis placed on this area. Transport Managers are employed to ensure that this end of the business runs smoothly and Boyne Valley Foods will feel that they have one of the best in the industry as Niall McKenna heads up this sector.

or this year's edition of the Wee County Yearbook, we profile the Drogheda based company and speak to Niall about his role and what it entails. Boyne Valley Foods manufacturers a wide range of food and household products as well as acting as distributors for a myriad of household products from its headquarters in the Co. Louth town.

The Boyne Valley brand is synonymous with honey as that is where the company's roots stem from. Chairman Malachy McCluskey started off the business 50 years ago, selling honey from the boot of his car, but has grown the business dramatically over the years.

The company also does a wide range of food, non-food, snacks and confectionary brands. The group's brands include Don Carlos, Lakeshore, Killeen, Harvest Fare and many more household names. It distributes more than 950 product lines, the best known of which are Walkers Crisps and Don Carlos olive oil.

The nerve centre of the whole operation centres around a 274,000 square foot warehouse at Platin, Drogheda. Dealing with vast quantities of FMC goods with time sensitive expiry dates, the warehouse has a state-of-the-art computer system that rotates and locates the products for picking and delivery.

Niall revealed that in the few short years that he has been employed with Boyne Valley, he has seen a major change in their production rates. “When I joined in 2008, the company was in the process of expanding the premises from 50,000sq ft to 274,000, which was a huge increase. I wanted to get involved in the planning stage and I was allowed to do so. We now have 25 loading bays operational,� revealed Niall.

"We are a manufacturing and distribution company that needs transport. That was the angle we came from. Therefore we set about getting the best utilisation we could from the distribution

381

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was working with all the carriers to ensure that fuel efficiency was something that was maximised to the full.

“The price of diesel is a big problem and one that has to be looked at on a regular basis. I've spoken to all the carriers and we are working together to make sure that every vehicle is utilised to the maximum.”

Many of the brands distributed by Boyne Valley are manufactured outside the country which adds an import dimension. Likewise the Boyne Valley brands are sold in the UK and mainland Europe adding yet more complexities to the distribution function.

“Time is of the essence in this industry and everything has to run smoothly or our customers will not be happy.

Thankfully, we are in a situation that our expertise counts for so much and although we produce a very high quality of service, we are always looking at ways to improve it.”

department.”

Unlike many businesses that run their own fleet of trucks for distribution, Boyne Valley Foods opt to use contract hire and have five carriers strategically placed all around the country. “We found that operating our own fleet just cost too much and contract hire was brought in to replace it.

“We have five carriers and they are Duffy Transport, Waterford Transport, Sligo Haulage, JMC Trans and Shannon Transport all of who would have numerous trucks, rigids and vans operating for us on a daily basis.

“My job is to ensure that everything runs smoothly in this end of the business and to do so I would meet up with each carrier on a weekly business and look at ways that we could improve every area. I must add that we are delighted with the carriers that we have, they have proven to be very efficient and reliable, which is one of the most important aspects of this business.”

Since the introduction of contract hire, Boyne Valley Foods has been able to focus its attention on its core competencies of manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. Niall added: "We no longer have the headaches associated with running a large fleet of vehicles. The contract hire companies now have those headaches."

The new contract hire arrangement has also helped to improve levels of customer service, which were already on a high plateaux. "Our service has certainly improved, even taking into account that we were starting at a high level. All our customers are serviced without fail on a 24-hour basis," he affirmed.

The cost of fuel is one of the biggest problem areas in the transport industry at the moment and Niall stated that he

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SPECIAL FEATURE The very friendly and efficient staff, from left: Pat Wogan, Alan Nulty, Barry Quaile, Henry Bickmore, Francis McCullough, Noel O’Connor, Vincent Battersby and Fiona Geraghty

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or the past 23 years, Eddie’s Hardware in Drogheda’s Scarlet Street has been offering customers a wide range of designs and solutions for building, renovating, extending and heating requirements, from floors and doors to bathrooms and paints. Eddie’s stocks a wide range of products and accessories for your household, garden and farm.

Founded by Eddie Battersby, the store was sold to Heiton Buckley – Ireland’s largest builder’s merchants and DIY providers – for a mind-boggling €14 million in 2004. However, the Eddie’s Hardware sign still hangs proudly above the front door which Heiton Buckley decided to keep out of respect to the man who grew the business from having a turnover of €1 million in its first year to €11 million in 2004. In that time, staff numbers jumped from four to 30.

The recession, which has had a devastating effect on the Irish construction industry, has resulted in Eddie’s Hardware reducing its staff to 18, but the store still continues to trade successfully nevertheless.

“We haven’t been as badly hit by the recession as some hardware shops have,” says Noel, who joined Eddie’s Hardware in 1990.

“It’s all about trying to hold onto what you have and fighting harder for business. We are fortunate in that we have a good shop in a good location. There is a huge footfall in Scarlet Street, which is surrounded by housing estates, and it also helps that we have everything the builder, farmer or ordinary householder

The well laid out interior of Eddie’s Hardware, Drogheda

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SPECIAL FEATURE The very friendly and efficient staff, from left: Pat Wogan, Alan Nulty, Barry Quaile, Henry Bickmore, Francis McCullough, Noel O’Connor, Vincent Battersby and Fiona Geraghty

F EDDIE’S HARDWARE 20 YEARS A-GROWING Since 1989, Eddie’s Hardware has been providing the people of Drogheda and surrounding areas with a friendly, reliable and efficient service. Branch manager Noel O’Connor explains more.

or the past 23 years, Eddie’s Hardware in Drogheda’s Scarlet Street has been offering customers a wide range of designs and solutions for building, renovating and extending. Whatever you want, from your heating requirements, to floors and doors, or bathrooms and paints are under one roof.

Eddie’s stocks a wide range of products and accessories for your household, garden and farm.

Founded by Eddie Battersby, the store was sold to Heiton Buckley – Ireland’s largest builder’s merchants and DIY providers in 2004.

The recession, which has had a devastating effect on the Irish construction industry, has resulted in Eddie’s Hardware reducing its staff to 18, but the store still continues to trade successfully nevertheless.

“We haven’t been as badly hit by the recession as some hardware shops have,” says Noel, who joined Eddie’s Hardware in 1990.

“It’s all about trying to hold onto what you have and fighting harder for business. We are fortunate in that we have a good shop in a good location. There is a huge footfall in Scarlet Street, which is surrounded by housing estates, and it also helps that we have everything the builder, plumber, painter, farmer or ordinary householder needs.

The well laid out interior of Eddie’s Hardware, Drogheda

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Best Wishes To Eddie’s Hardware

CONTINUED BEST WISHES TO EDDIE’S HARDWARE

Would like to wish Eddie’s Hardware continued success

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www.hoganstand.com/louth

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“We have an experienced and courteous staff and are very appreciative of the support we have received and continue to receive from our customers. We will always go out of our way to look after our customers.

The customer is king as far as we’re concerned.”

Simply put, Eddie’s Hardware stocks everything you need to build your house from start to finish – building, plumbing and heating, plastering, insulation, painting, tools – everything you need is there in Eddie’s.

Once you are in your house, all your DIY needs can be looked after, with household products and accessories, gardening essentials and stoves.

Eddie’s Hardware is proud to be part of Heiton Buckley, which is Ireland’s leading builder’s merchant operation. The company operates

Making sure that the yard runs smoothly from left: Joe Savage, Mark McGuinness, Colm Gallagher, Billy Taaffe

from 27 strategically located branches nationwide to provide a full service to the building, repair and maintenance sectors.

Heiton Buckley is committed to providing the highest standards of customer care, quality products and

competitive prices. This combination of products, branch network, services and industry expertise and experience allows them to provide for the complete needs of the construction and related industries in Ireland.

A great selection at the Paint Centre

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Best Wishes To EDDIE’S HARDWARE 34 Lavery Avenue, Park West, Dublin 12 Tel: (++353) 01-625 1950 Fax: (++353) 01-625 1948 E-mail: custserv@rawlplug.ie www.rawlplug.ie BEST WISHES TO EDDIE’S HARDWARE

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The stove centre is attracting great interest in the present economic climate

To be a leading builder’s provide, it takes a lot of hard work and you must carry a huge range of materials. Eddie’s Hardware will cater for all your needs and is certainly well worth a visit.

A native of Slane in Co. Meath, but now living in Broomfield, Co. Monaghan, Noel reveals how Eddie’s Hareware has always been a great supporter of the local GAA scene.

“There isn’t a GAA club in and around Drogheda that we haven’t given sponsorship to at some stage. It’s the same with

From doors to bathrooms to gardening tools Eddie’s Hardware has it all

other local sporting organisations, golf classics, schools and charities. It was always Eddie’s way to give everyone a bit, rather than giving it all to one team or organisation.

“Among the local GAA clubs we’ve given sponsorship to are St. Fechin’s, Newtown Blues, Oliver Plunkett’s, Glen Emmets, Naomh Mairtin, The Dreadnots, Wolfe Tones, O’Raghallaigh’s, St. Nick’s and Mattock Rangers.

“Many of our best customers are involved with the GAA, and it’s nice to be able to give them something back,” he concludes.

Derek Maguire has Meath’s Michael Burke for company during the O’Byrne clash at Pairc Tailteann

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OBITUARIES

FRIENDS WE LOST Eugene Sheelan (Riverstown, Wicklow) The late Eugene Sheelan of Wicklow town and formerly of Mountbagnel, Riverstown had the distinction of scoring championship goals for Louth at U21, junior and senior grades in the one year. He exploded onto the scene with St Patricks when winning a Ranafast Cup medal at the age of 16, defeating St Marys in the final. In 1972, he was Man of the Match as the Pats won the Louth junior football championship. He was also named Louth junior Footballer of the Year that same year. The Lordship man moved to Dublin later in the ‘seventies and was centre back on the Civil Service side that captured the Dublin SFC in 1980. Three years later, he rejoined St Patricks. Eugene debuted for the Louth seniors in 1969 and remained a regular up until 1978, mostly starting on the 40. He was midfield on the Wee County U21 team that captured the Leinster title in 1970.

Eugene was the goalscorer when Louth last got the better of Dublin – in 1973.

He starred as NFL winners Meath were beaten in the first round of the 1975 championship. Louth later went under to reigning All Ireland champions Dublin before 35,000 people in Navan.

Bernie McGrory (Dunleer) Bernie McGrory (nee Geraghty), The Lynns, Annagasson, Dunleer, passed away on September 9th, 2012.

Originally from Kilsaran, Bernie was involved with the O’Connells GFC ladies committee. The club provided a guard of honour at her removal.

Jim Faulkner (Drogheda) The late Jim Faulkner from Wellington Quay passed away on June 27th, 2012.

Synonymous with the electrical business FES, he was a talented gaelic footballer as a young man Nancy Wynne (Knockbridge) There was much sadness on Friday, August 24th, 2012 when news spread of the passing of Nancy Wynne, 81 Lisheen Park, Knockbridge. An avid camogie player in her youth, Nancy loved all sports and this was reflected in the number of local clubs which contributed to her guard of honour.

Peadar Taaffe (Dowdallshill) The sudden passing on the morning of August 13th, 2012 of Peadar Taaffe from Ardee Terrace, Dundalk caused widespread shock and sadness. Peadar lined out with Dowdallshill in his youth but fishing was always his preferred hobby.

Peter McCarthy (Cooley) It would be no exaggeration to describe

the late Peter McCarthy, Greenore Road, Carlingford – who passed away on July 11th, 2012 - as a Cooley Kickhams and Louth GAA legend. As a player with club and county, Peter was a strong and uncompromising midfielder.

He won SFC medals with Cooley in 1973, ’76, ’77 and ’78 alongside his brothers Harry and Martin. Peter lined out in a total of nine senior championship finals, including his last year with the team - 1981. As well as the four SFCs, Peter also amassed a host of Cardinal O’Donnell and Old Gaels Cups. He came out of retirement in 1984 to play a key role in Cooley’s success in the Centenary ACC Cup final. Peter featured on the first Cooley side to contest a Leinster club final – against UCD in 1974 – and captained the Louth U21s to victory over Dublin in the first round of the 1970 Leinster FC. By the time the Wee County captured the provincial title, however, he had emigrated to Canada. After returning home, Peter lined out regularly for Louth at senior level in the 1970s and he also served the Wee County as a selector under both Frank Lynch and Declan Smyth. Peter McCarthy worked for Cooley Kickhams in all capacities, including club chairman (when he was a driving force behind the development of the club’s magnificent facilities), senior manager and juvenile coach. As an underage trainer, he led Cooley to their first-ever U14 championship in 1994, their first U16 titles in ’95, ’96 and ’97, and their first minor crown in 1998.

Cooley Kickhams GFC provided a guard of honour as a wide selection of GAA people from Louth and beyond turned out in force to bid their final farewell to Peter McCarthy. With Peter’s passing, there is a void that can never be filled but the great Cooley clubman has left a legacy that will last forever.

Gerard Connor (Jenkinstown) Gerard Connor of Loughanmore, Jenkinstown, Dundalk passed away on August 8th, 2012. A member of the Pioneer Association, Gerard was actively involved with St Patricks GFC and St Patricks Youth Club. He had a deep love of gaelic games and regularly travelled near and far to attend both club and county games. Members of St Patricks GFC and St Patricks Youth Club provided a guard of honour.

Antoinette Mullany (Dundalk) The was great sadness in the town of Dundalk and beyond following the untimely death on Thursday, July 12th, 2012 of 35-year-old Antoinette Mullany, Ard Na Carraige, Lis na Dara, Carrick Road. Originally from Omeath, Antoinette was a gifted school teacher

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with a wonderful flair for languages. She played gaelic football for the Cuchulainn Gaels ladies team and also served the club as cultural officer.

Michael O’Brien (Riverstown) The late Michael O’Brien of Castletowncooley, Riverstown, Dundalk, who passed away on July 4th, 2012, aged 80, had a great love of the GAA. A native of Belfast, where he enjoyed success at club level in both football and hurling as a young man, he was once caretaker for St Patricks GFC. He was involved with Cooley Kickhams briefly before joining the Pats, becoming a massive supporter of the Lordship club and even serving them as secretary. Michael was also secretary of the North Louth Minor Board for a spell and he followed the fortunes of both St Patricks and O’Raghallaighs in his later years.

Ellen Lynch (Dundalk) Ellen Lynch of Heynestown, Dundalk was actively involved in the Geraldines GFC ladies committee for many years, especially while her sons were playing for the club. She contributed greatly to community and family life in the Haggardstown area.

Pat Finnegan (Cooley) Pat Finnegan, who passed away on April 28th, 2012, had a great passion for his native Cooley and supported the local Kickhams GAA club all his life. As a young man, he played for Cooley Kickhams.

Nicholas Carroll (Carlingford) Nicholas Carroll from Ballug, Carlingford was a keen footballer in his youth, representing his local team The Garrowiers and also Cooley Kickhams.

Outside of the GAA, Nicholas was interested in a variety of other sports.

He passed away on April 30th, 2012, aged 93. Members of Cooley Kickhams GFC and Cooley Bowling Club provided a guard of honour at his removal.

Sean Duffy (Dundalk) From Afton Drive, Greenacres, Dundalk, Sean Duffy passed away on June 18th, 2012. He was highlyregarded by all who knew him during his 73 years. Originally from Knockbridge, he played for St Brides with distinction and won a Macardle Cup medal in 1959. Sean togged out in goals in the final and played a leading role in the victory as he saved a penalty. He also represented Kilkerley Emmets and was a regular at Louth GAA games far and wide for a number of years. A true family man, Sean loved all sports and had a tremendous interest in general

knowledge. St Brides GFC members provided him with a guard of honour.

Peter Finegan (Meath/Dundalk) A native of Cormeen, Moynalty, County Meath – where he was born in 1926 – Peter Finegan of Sandymount Drive, Blackrock, Dundalk never lost his love of the Royals despite living in the Wee County for many years. He passed away on May 8th, 2012. Peter togged out for Kilmainhamwood and followed the fortunes of Meath all his life. He had a great knowledge of Meath GAA and the banter was always great when Louth played their neighbours! A Meath jersey was on the altar during Peter’s requiem mass.

Patsy Rogers (Kilkerley) There was much sadness at the final farewell to Patsy Rogers, Tateetra, who passed away on April 27th, 2012, aged 88. Well known as an outstanding mechanic, Patsy lined out for Kilkerley Emmets as a young man and held a great love of all sports during his lifetime. His grandchildren followed in his footsteps, making their mark in the GAA world.

Ignatius McGee (Dundalk) From Fatima Drive, the late Ignatius McGee passed away on March 23rd, 2012. He was in his 97th year. Born in Plaster, Kilkerley, he was a lifelong Clan na Gael member, putting his building prowess to good use when helping out with the construction of the new clubrooms on the Castletown Road.

Ignatius was also involved in helping the club move to their new pitch and clubhouse on the ECCO road.

Teresa ‘Teasie’ McGuinness (Carlingford) Teresa McGuinness, Rooskey Road, Carlingford passed away on June 14th, 2012, aged 77. Teasie always followed the fortunes of Cooley Kickhams GFC and took great pride from seeing her grandchildren line out for the local GAA club. She also supported the Louth team, especially when her grandson Conor was part of the squad.

Cathy Maguire (Riverstown) The entire community was shocked by the tragic death of Cathy Maguire, Benagh, Riverstown and formerly of Gaultrimsland on Monday May 21st, 2012 – a day before she was due to celebrate her third wedding anniversary.

Aged just 23, Cathy (nee O’Rourke) was loving wife to Seamus and mother of Matthew and Callum. She was a supporter of Cooley Kickhams GFC, who contributed to the guard of honour along with members of Monksland NS, Rathcor NS, Bush Post Primary School and Templetown Transport.

Brian McDonald (Dundalk) The town was left in mourning by the death on Wednesday, June 7th, 2012 of Brian McDonald, Maddoxland, Gyles Quay, Dundalk. Brian, who ran the family painting business for six

decades, was a talented gaelic footballer and soccer player, winning a Leinster MFC medal with Louth and also lining out for Dundalk FC. He captained the CBS to McArdle Cup glory in 1951 and was only 16 in 1953 when the Wee County beat Kildare in the Leinster minor decider. Louth’s seniors defeated Wexford in the Leinster SFC final on the same day. As corner forward with Dundalk Young Irelands, Brian lined out against Naomh Mhuire in the 1954 Old Gaels Cup final.

Three years later, he was on the winning side as Young Irelands defeated the same opposition in the decider. Brian McDonald’s GAA career was cut short when he switched to soccer but he had certainly made his mark.

stalwart of both St Brides GFC and Louth GAA. Born and reared in Knockbridge, where he would spend all his life, Brendan developed a love for the Brides from an early age and was full back on the side that won the McArdle Cup in 1959. Shortly after making his Louth senior debut in the national league, the Knockbridge man sustained a serious knee injury which prematurely ended his intercounty career. He went on to serve the Brides at administrative level, acting as vicechairman from 1980 until 1982, chairman from ’83 until ’97 and club representative on the County Board from 1993 until 2006. Players and members of the club provided a fitting guard of honour for Brendan Marry, who passed away on April 19th, 2012.

Owen ‘Owenie’ Grimes (Dundalk) Owen Grimes from Marian Park passed away on Saturday, June 2nd, 2012. He was 83 years old. Owenie was a lifelong member of Dundalk Gaels GFC and he supported the Blue & Whites faithfully, rarely missing a match at The Ramparts venues old or new. A Dundalk Gaels flag, a tricolour and a Philip Daly Cumann flag were draped across Owenie’s coffin as he made his final journey.

Patrick James McGivern (Omeath) The late Patrick James McGivern was a great community worker, which was evident in the fact that he helped prepare The Dolmen Centre for a confirmation reception on the morning of his sudden death. A fine family man and neighbour, who worked all his life as a farmer, PJ was involved in many sports and organisations, including Cooley Kickhams GFC. He got wrapped up with the club at juvenile level when his son PJ started playing and served on various committees as well as acting as kit man to the senior team.

Collectively, Cooley Kickhams GFC, FAS workers, school children, Cuchulainn Gaels GFC and Omeath Youth Project formed the guard of honour at his removal. PJ’s coffin was draped in a Cooley jersey, which was signed by the players.

Philomena ‘Mena’ McGuinness (Dundalk) The late Philomena McGuinness of 15 New Street was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Nee Hughes, Mena played camogie with distinction in her youth and was good enough at the game to represent Louth. She also loved soccer and was a season ticket holder at Oriel Park for nearly 40 years. Mena passed away on Tuesday, May 29th, 2012, aged 84.

Tommy Marks (Carlingford) On April 28th, 2012, Carlingford lost one of its oldest citizens when Tommy Marks of Monksland passed away at the age of 95. Tommy was a good footballer in his youth, representing the Garrowiers and Cooley Kickhams. In 1947, he was on the Kickhams side that won the junior championship – a team that also included Stephen and John White, Mick Callaghan, Hughie O’Rourke and Tommy Thornton.

Players and members of Cooley Kickhams GFC provided a guard of honour at Tommy’s removal.

Teresa Tinnelly (Dundalk) Teresa Tinnelly, McSwiney Street passed away on April 22nd, 2012. The last surviving member of the McDonnell family from Knockbridge, Teresa raised her own family under very difficult circumstances after her husband was tragically killed in an accident. She played camogie in her youth and won an All-Ireland medal with Louth.

Brendan Marry (Knockbridge) Brendan Marry of Newtown, Knockbridge was a member of one of Louth’s best-known families. He was a

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John F Kelly (Drogheda) Originally from Morganstown, Grangebellew, the late John F Kelly was known more for his exploits in boxing and athletics but he was also a gaelic footballer in his youth, particularly at Dysart NS. Seamus Reilly (Kilcurry) The late Seamus Reilly, Roskeagh, Kilcurry passed away at the age of 39 on Monday, April 30th, 2012 after a long battle with illness. A keen GAA fan, he followed the fortunes of local club Roche Emmets and kept a close eye on the county teams of both Louth and Armagh. Members of Roche Emmets GFC and staff from Murphy Brothers joined together to form a guard of honour.

Mary McShane (Riverstown) The late Mary McShane of Mountbagnal, Riverstown, Dundalk was a keen supporter of St Patricks GFC. Affectionately known as ‘Ciss’, Mary (nee Hoey) followed the club with enthusiasm and listened to all their matches on the radio when she was unable to attend. Mary passed away on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012 and members of St Patricks GFC provided a guard of honour at her removal.

Patrick ‘Packy’ Faul (Louth village) Although he never played, Patrick Faul of Ard Patrick, Louth village was a keen St Mochtas supporter all his life. Packy, who passed away on Christmas Eve, 2011, was a well-known farmer in the local community and he was regularly seen at Mochtas and Louth matches all across the county and beyond.

Dominick McFarland (Ravensdale) On Sunday, February 19th, 2012, Dominick McFarland, Dulargy, Ravensdale passed away, aged 95. A gifted accordion player, he enjoyed all sports and followed the fortunes of both St Patricks GFC and Dundalk FC. Peter ‘Pete’ Treanor (Dundalk) A lifelong member of Roche Emmets GFC, Peter ‘Pete’ Treanor, Bridge Street, Dundalk passed away on Easter Monday, April 9th, aged 88. Pete attended the inaugural meeting of Roche Emmets GFC in 1947 along with his brothers and was a member of the club all his life. The Treanor family practically ran the Roche Emmets club for the first 30 years of its existence and Pete was often called upon to drive the players to away matches. He was at the 1957 All-Ireland final and gaelic games were usually the main topic of conversation at his business premises on Bridge Street, where Pete operated as a television and electrical technician.

Johnny Belton (Dundalk) Johnny Belton, Lis na Dara, passed away suddenly on Friday, December 30th, 2011, aged 73. As a young man, Johnny had been a talented footballer, lining out for both St Brides at juvenile level and Dowdallshill at intermediate and senior grades.

Derek Burn (Dundalk / New Zealand) A native of the Dundalk area, Derek Burn lived for over 50 years in New Zealand. He passed away at his home in Auckland on February 6th, 2012. In his youth, Derek was a prominent gaelic footballer with Roche Emmets.

Ellen Flood (Wexford/Ravensdale) Wexford native Ellen Flood, Ballymakellet, Ravensdale, Dundalk passed away on October 3rd, 2012.

Ellen loved the GAA and was a keen follower of the Model County’s footballers and hurlers as well as the local St Patricks GFC. Oliver Allen (Dundalk) A very popular figure around the town, Oliver Allen, 26 Mulholland Avenue passed away on Monday, October 1st, 2012. Ollie worked for the CIE and then ran The Ascot Bar on The Ramparts, which was a well-known venue amongst sporting enthusiasts.

Particularly renowned in soccer circles, Ollie also played gaelic football for Kilkerley Emmets.

Enda J Ward (Donegal/Kilsaran) Formerly of Donegal and Kilsaran, Enda J Ward passed away on January

12th, 2012. A former school teacher in both Dundalk and Kilsaran, he taught at Kilsaran NS from 1968 until 1981. As a talented sportsman, Enda played football and hurling.

Harry Fee (Kilkerley) From Cortial, Kilkerley, Dundalk, Harry Fee – who will be fondly remembered for his great personality – passed away on Thursday, January 19th, 2012, aged 87. Harry played for St Brides as a young man and won a JFC medal in 1949. After hanging up his boots, he supported both the Brides and Kilkerley.

Johnny McEvoy (Dundalk) The late Johnny McEvoy, Vincent Avenue, gave 53 years of service to The Dundalk Democrat newspaper from 1948 until 2001. Johnny played soccer and was proud of the fact that his father lined out for Geraldines GFC in the 1920s. Johnny passed away on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012, aged 81.

Stephen Fergus (Dundalk) There was widespread shock and grief in the Quay / Point Road community and beyond following the tragic death at sea on February 12th, 2012 of Stephen Fergus, Waterview, Lower Point Road, Dundalk. Born in 1963, Stephen was an outstanding footballer with Sean O’Mahonys, winning minor titles in 1981 and ’82 and netting the first goal as the club captured the county intermediate championship in 1992.

Sean O’Mahonys GFC provided a guard of honour at Stephen’s requiem mass, where a huge congregation gathered in his honour.

Maureen McKeown (Dundalk) The late Maureen McKeown of Ard Easmuinn passed away on Monday, February 6th, 2012, aged 83. Originally from Knockbridge, she enjoyed playing camogie in her youth.

Peter Dixon (Dundalk) Peter Dixon of St Nicholas Avenue was twice elected as Chief Scout of Ireland – in 1998 and 2001. His family is steeped in GAA tradition and Peter himself sometimes drove Louth players to matches. His father John was County Board registrar for over 50 years.

Patrick Malone (Dunleer) Patrick ‘Paddy’ Malone from Dunleer passed away on February 15th, 2012.

Paddy participated in a variety of sports during his life, including gaelic football and rugby.

Paddy McNally (Dundalk) Paddy McNally, Toberona Cottages, Dundalk died suddenly on March 2nd, 2012. He was 76. The GAA was always close to Paddy’s heart and he was a keen Louth supporter.

Niall ‘Nobbie’ Garland (Dundalk) The Dundalk Gaels club was plunged into grief once more on Wednesday, March 28th, 2012 when news broke of the passing of Niall ‘Nobbie’ Garland of

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11 Cuchullain Terrace, Dundalk and late of Jenkinstown / Knockbridge. Niall played minor football and hurling with Clan na Gael and then transferred to the Gaels, where he was involved in many aspects of the club and made a huge impression on all who knew him.

His work behind the scenes and dedication to the club was greatly appreciated by all its members. Nobbie was a great club volunteer who was never afraid to roll up his sleeves for the Gaels cause. He was also connected with the St Brides club and the esteem in which he was held was reflected in the fact that Na Piarsaigh and Sean O’Mahonys both observed a minute’s silence before their matches following the passing of a great GAA man whose energy will be missed throughout Dundalk.

Tony McArdle (Dundalk/Birmingham) Tony McArdle of Birmingham and formerly of St Nicholas Avenue passed away on Tuesday, July 17th, 2012. He was 67. As well as playing a lot of soccer before emigrating, Tony also lined out for Clan na Gael GFC. Margaret Mullen (Dundalk) Margaret Helen Mullen, Park View, passed away on July 13th, 2012.

Known affectionately as Marjorie, Margaret (nee Coleman) was the wife of the late Kevin Mullen – a well known Louth GAA name. The couple lived on the Point Road after getting married and Kevin forged strong ties with Sean O’Mahonys GFC. Chris Johnson (Ardee / Liverpool) Formerly of Old Dawson’s Demense, Ardee, Chris Johnson passed away at his home in Bootle, Liverpool on March 18th, 2012, aged 82. Before leaving Ardee, Chris was an active playing member of St Marys GFC, winning a Division Two Ranafast Cup medal in 1950 and a Louth SFC the following year. His deep love of the GAA never waned and the Ardee man won numerous Lancashire SFCs in the colours of John Mitchel’s of Liverpool.

He was on the Lancashire team narrowly defeated by Cork in the 1953 All-Ireland JFC final and served his adopted club as chairman for many years. Chris Johnson was also a member of the Great Britain Council. He was the life and soul of the club, working tirelessly over the years, and was a particularly proud man in 2009 when he accompanied John Mitchel’s to Croke Park as life president for their AllIreland junior club final clash with Skellig Rangers of Kerry.

Jim McDonnell (Monasterboice) A great GAA man and part of a family steeped in Louth GAA, Jim McDonnell was the proud father of Karen, Michelle, Julie, James, Paul, Nicola, Linda and Nicholas. Born in Stonehouse, Jim lived in Togher for a spell and actually lined out for both Naomh Fionnbarra and Naomh Mairtin. He also represented

Louth, as would his sons after him.

Patrick ‘Pat’ Connolly (Louth village) Pat Connolly from Tullycahan Lane passed away on March 27th, 2012. Pat always supported the local St Mochtas GAA club in any way possible and was delighted that his four sons lined out for the village outfit. Members of St Mochtas GFC and Louth Credit Union provided a guard of honour at the removal to the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Enda Corcoran (Knockbridge/England) Enda Corcoran wore the St Brides jersey with distinction during his days in Knockbridge, winning a Ranafast Cup medal in 1974. Enda made a name for himself as a talented jockey and enjoyed a stint in England. When he left the village for good, he settled in Avenue Road, Dundalk. Enda passed away on Friday, February 24th, 2012, aged 62. St Brides GFC formed a guard of honour at his funeral.

Tony Lynch (Cavan/Dundalk) Bailieboro, County Cavan native Tony Lynch, Riverside Crescent, Dundalk died on March 16th, 2012. He was a hard-working, visionary and deeplyreligious man. A keen member of Dowdallshill GFC over the years, he served the club as treasurer in the 1970s. Members of Dowdallshill GFC provided a guard of honour at his funeral.

Joseph ‘Joe’ Roe (Tallanstown) Born and reared in Thomastown, Joe Roe had a great passion for the GAA throughout his life – whether he was living in Louth, Lucan, New Jersey or Kildare. A proud father and family man, he passed away on February 22nd, 2012 and was reposed at his childhood home in Tallanstown before removal to St Malachy’s Church, Reaghstown.

Stephen Lynch (Cavan/Hackballscross) Renowned as a great fundraiser, Cavan native Stephen Lynch, Slieve, Hackballscross, Dundalk passed away suddenly on March 8th, 2012, aged 76.

Stephen remained a dedicated supporter of the Cavan footballers throughout his life.

Kevin Dawe (Clogherhead) Dreadnots clubman Kevin Dawe, who was a prolific scorer during his days in the red jersey of Louth, passed away on Friday, April 13th, 2012. He was just 51.

A former O'Raghallaighs and Newtown Blues forward, Kevin really came to prominence when representing Dreadnots in the ‘80s. He was just 18 (and still with O'Raghallaighs) when Frank Lynch handed him his Wee County debut in 1979. Two years later, he won a league and championship double with the Blues. Kevin also collected a Leinster U21 medal with Louth in 1981. In 1983, he switched allegiances to Dreadnots, winning

intermediate league and championship honours before securing a Cardinal O'Donnell Cup success in 1988. He was forced to retire four years later due to a succession of injuries. Kevin Dawe lined out for Louth for a decade (197988) and was top scorer on five occasions - in 1980, '81, '82, '86 and '88. He boasts the highest scoring average of any Louth player ever - an impressive 3.63 per game. Just 27 when he was forced to retire from intercounty football, Kevin Dawe scored 14 goals and 147 points in 52 appearances for Louth. Dreadnots GFC and many Louth GAA representatives formed a guard of honour at Kevin's removal to St Denis's Cemetery.

Charlie McAlester (Drogheda) Louth's legendary kit man Charlie McAlester passed away on Tuesday, April 17th, 2012. Charlie was a giant of Louth GAA and his passing has left a void that can never be filled. The Newtown Blues clubman brought kit management to a new level of professionalism during 35 years working with all Louth teams and also had the honour of acting as kit manager to the Irish International Rules team. He was forced to step down from his role three years ago, when he was diagnosed with cancer. Sadly, Charlie lost that battle during the year but he will be fondly remembered as one of the Wee County's greatest servants and most-passionate supporters.

In November 2009, Louth's much-loved kit manager stepped down. The inimitable Charlie had become an instantlyrecognisable face at all Louth matches over the years, having given incredible service to the GAA. Widely regarded as the greatest servant that Louth GAA has ever had, Charles James Riordan McAlester was given a guard of honour

by Louth’s footballers as he took his final journey. He may never have represented his county on the field of play but Charlie helped countless others to do so in real style and will be remembered as a genuine Wee County legend. Hundreds of gaels attended his funeral and the presence of well-known figures like Pete McGrath, Robbie O'Malley, Pat McEnaney, Colm O'Rourke, Brian Carthy, Bernard Flynn, Graham Geraghty and Patsy Coleman alongside a host of Louth footballers past and present speaks for itself.

Tommy Quigley (Dundalk) Tommy Quigley of Waterview, Lower Point Road and formerly of Mournview, Dublin Road, who passed away on Friday, October 24th, 2012, had a strong association with the Dundalk Young Irelands club, whom he represented with great distinction.

Tommy’s dad Thomas won a SFC medal with Geraldines at the start of the 20th century but Tommy would go on to line out in the Black & Green – as did his brothers Jim, Paddy and Owen Joe. Tommy Quigley collected Louth SFC medals in 1938, ’44 and ’50 as well as a JFC, a Cardinal O’Donnell, a Macardle

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Cup medal and a Sweet Afton Cup. Tommy also played in the factory leagues and his brother Jim was coach of Louth’s 1957 All-Ireland winning team. A Young Irelands rosette, photos and trophies were offered as gifts at the requiem mass, where Tommy’s coffin was draped in the Young Irelands colours.

Nicholas Ginnity (Dromiskin) A very popular figure in the locality, Nicholas Ginnity from Dromiskin passed away on May 3rd, 2012, aged 80.

Nicholas and his brothers played for O’Connells but he went on to support both the ‘Bellingham club and the Joes.

Nicholas had a keen interest in most sports.

Sean Floyd (Tullyallen/Chester) Sean Floyd emigrated in 1951 and soon joined the John Mitchels GAA club in Liverpool. He won a total of 15 medals with the Mitchels and was good enough to line out for Lancashire at senior level.

Sean, who came home to Ireland every year for the All-Ireland final, played for the Mitchels for over 40 years all told and the club colours adorned his coffin as he made his final journey.

Kevin Lambe (Monasterboice) The late Kevin Lambe, who spent all his life in Monasterboice, was a keen GAA follower who supported both the local Naomh Mairtin club as well as the Louth county team, travelling far and wide to attend matches. He served on the Naomh Mairtin club committee and was particularly proud to see five of his sons all line out for the club at once. Kevin’s coffin was draped in Naomh Mairtin and Louth flags and past and present club players provided a respectful guard of honour at his home and by the graveside.

Laurence O’Hanlon (Dundalk) From Balriggan, Kilcurry, Dundalk, Laurence O’Hanlon was a keen GAA supporter all his life. He lined out for Clan na Gael and went on to support both the Clans and the Louth county team with fervour for the remainder of his 71 years. After leaving De La Salle, Laurence starred alongside the likes of Leslie Toal, Jim Ryan, Paddy English and Sean Greene on the successful double-winning 1958 Clan na Gael minor side. He was proud to see his son-in-law Stephen Fitzpatrick play for and manage the Wee County and also to observe his grandson Stephen Fitzpatrick pull on the red jersey more recently. Laurence passed away on December 15th, 2011.

Patrick ‘Blondie’ Callan (Tallanstown) The late Patrick Callan – known as ‘Patsy’ or ‘Blondie’ – was a stalwart of the Glyde Rangers club. Widely known through his barber’s business in Ardee – Blondie’s Barbers – Patsy lined out with distinction at midfield for Glyde Rangers and was also on the Louth county squad in the 1950s. Patsy was a

trustee of his local club and was one of the driving forces behind the purchase of their playing field. He won junior honours with the club in the 1940s and was still around for Glyde’s championship successes of 1962 and ’69. After hanging up his boots, he served the club as a dedicated committee member for decades.

Ann Ross (Ardee) The late Ann Ross was a St Mary’s lady committee member and was also part of the club’s Scor team.

Benny McConnon (Dundalk) Benny McConnon, Tatreeta, Dundalk passed away on Sunday, December 4th, 2011, aged 80. The last surviving member of his family, Benny was a loyal supporter of Roche Emmets GFC and he regularly helped them out with maintenance work on their playing surface. Members of the club formed a guard of honour at his removal.

Donal O’Callaghan (Dundalk) On Wednesday, December 7th, 2011, the death occurred of Donal O’Callaghan, Pearse Park, Dundalk.

Originally from Dowdallshill, he took great pride in his son Brendan’s career with Dundalk FC, Drogheda United, Cobh Ramblers, Dundalk Gaels and Sean O’Mahonys GFC. Johnny Mullen (Dundalk) The late Johnny Mullen was a founder member of the Louth Supporters Club in 1991 and served as chairman. A superb cyclist – who was Leinster and AllIreland champion – Johnny once cycled to Croke Park to see Louth in action.

Johnny of 64 O’Hanlon Park passed away on Friday, November 25th, 2012, aged 92.

Patrick Connolly (Dundalk/USA) Patrick ‘Paddy’ Connolly, who was originally from Barrack Street, passed away in the United States on October 21st, 2011. Before leaving Ireland, he had lined out in gaelic football for Dundalk CBS, Dundalk Gaels and the Louth minors. Paddy was full back on the Gaels side that won the Louth MFC in 1962.

Joey Hand (Togher) Joey Hand of Drogheda Road, Togher hailed from a family steeped in GAA tradition – and Naomh Fionnbarra in particular. He was a member of the famous Walshestown Rovers team along with his late brothers Jack, Georgie and Patser. They won a Ranafast Cup in 1948 and faced Stabannon in the second division championship final three years later. In 1952, however, Joey was on the 40 as St Michaels from Clogherhead were beaten in the Division Two

championship decider. In 1953, he was corner forward as Oliver Plunketts were defeated in the junior championship final. Naomh Fionnbarra was formed in 1957 when Walshestown and St Colmcilles, Togher amalgamated, with Joey Hand as a founding member. He would serve as chairman from 1967 until 1973, during which time the Ranafast Cup and Macardle Cup were both won. Joey was instrumental in securing the club’s present grounds at Ballygassan and he was a proud man in 2001 when the IFC was secured with his nephew Pat Hand as manager.

When Naomh Fionnbarra won the 2010 JFC, Joey’s grandson Allan Matthews was a key member of the team.

Benny Duffy (Haggardstown) Benny Duffy, Little Mills passed away on Saturday, November 19th, 2011. Born in Crumlin, Haggardstown, Benny moved to Manchester after getting married and then returned to Knockbridge in 1977.

Benny’s three sons lined out for Na Piarsaigh and Philip won a county SFC medal with St Josephs in 1996.

Joe Finegan (Jenkinstown) Joe Finegan, Piedmont, Jenkinstown, Dundalk passed away on November 14th, 2011, aged 85. A well-known mechanic in the Lordship area, he was a talented footballer in his youth and helped St Patricks to their first-ever junior championship success in 1960.

The club provided a guard of honour at his removal.

Gertrude Finnegan (Armagh/Dundalk) From Feede, Mountpleasant, Dundalk, Gertrude Finnegan (nee McArdle) was originally from Dromintee and her family then moved to Faughart before she married Peter and settled in Mountpleasant. She always took a keen interest in the various community activities her family were involved in, including Dowdallshill GFC. Eugene Duffy (Dundalk) The late Eugene Duffy, 22 Boyle O’Reilly Terrace, was an extremely popular figure around the town. Eugene passed away on Thursday, November 10th, 2011, aged 81. Eugene was involved in a lot of sports during his lifetime – including soccer and cycling – and he was also a keen Louth GAA follower. He was one of those lucky enough to have attended the 1957 AllIreland final, when the Wee County famously defeated Cork at Croke Park.

Patrick ‘Paddy’ McCarron (Ardee) It was a sad day for mid-Louth on Friday, February 10th, 2012 when Patrick ‘Paddy’ McCarron of 26 Campbell’s Park, Ardee passed away, aged 80. Originally from Ballybailie,

Paddy and his brothers lined out for John Mitchels GFC and he remained a keen supporter of the club all his life.

David McShane (Carlingford / Shropshire) The untimely death of David McShane occurred on October 15th, 2011. Aged just 23, David was originally from Moneymore, Carlingford, where he played football for Cooley Kickhams.

Cooley Kickhams GFC and Carlingford Celtic FC provided a guard of honour at his removal to St Michael’s Cemetery.

Maureen Matthews (Ardee/Limerick) Maureen Matthews (nee Hayes) of Ballybailie, Ardee – who passed away on October 15th, 2011 - was a native of Limerick but she was proud of her home in the Wee County and was a big supporter of the local GAA club.

Members of John Mitchels GFC provided a guard of honour.

Dr Jim O’Reilly (Cork/Dundalk) Dr Jim O’Reilly, Shandon, Dublin Road, Dundalk passed away on October 21st, 2012. He was aged 86. Originally from Cork – and first cousin of former Taoiseach Jack Lynch – Jim was a fine hurler in his native county, winning a Munster colleges title with North Mon in 1943. He went on to play with Glen Rovers and UCC as well. Dr Jim worked for a time as medical officer to the Louth senior football team when Frank Lynch was manager.

Frank Byrne (Dundalk) From Wolfe Tone Terrace, Frank Byrne was well-known around Dundalk for his involvement in athletics . A county champion sprinter in three successive years, he also played gaelic football in his youth, representing Dowdallshill GFC, who provided a guard of honour at his removal. Frank supported Louth all his life and travelled near and far to attend their matches. Born in 1925, he passed away on November 2nd, 2012.

Theresa Farrelly (Dunleer) Theresa Farrelly, who passed away in September 2011, was an ardent Lannleire and Louth supporter all her life. Her sons Martin and John lined out for the local club, while Martin also had the honour of captaining Louth at senior level.

Colm Hughes (Dundalk) Colm Hughes was an avid Louth GAA supporter. His brother-in-law Michael McDonnell came on as a substitute for Louth against Mayo in the 1950 AllIreland final and started against Kerry in the semi-final three years later, while his brother Paddy established himself as one of Ireland's best referees.

We have endeavoured to include all Louth Gaels who passed away between the time of publication of last year’s Wee County and the end of October 2012, when this edition went to press. Every effort has been made to ensure all relevant deaths were included. However, if an omission has been made, we apologise sincerely. We offer heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of our departed. Thanks to all the clubs who assisted in compiling this year’s obituaries.

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On duty for Naomh Mairtin, front l/r: M Byrne, F McCullough, O Ginnty, E McQuillan, E Wright, JP Rooney, C Byrne, K Lambe, B Berrill, B McQuillan, S Campbell, B Reilly, P Sullivan, L Harrington, J Byrne. Back: B Davis, S Campbell, C Smyth, G McQuillan, P Berrill, M Fanning, V Leddy, C Courtney, J Mulholland, G Mooney, P Sullivan, N McDonnell, T Sullivan, D Delaney, C Lynch, G Lambe

NAOMH MAIRTIN - SENIOR FOOTBALLERS 2012

NAOMH MAIRTIN

2012 RESU

LTS

Naomh Mairtin celebrate their Junior 2A Championship win

PROGRESS CONTINUES FOR NAOMH MAIRTIN When the Naomh Mairtin club look back on the 2012 season in a couple of years time, the abiding memory may not be of a team that failed to land any major trophies, but that of a significant turning point in their fortunes. By Eunan Whyte.

F

or much of the campaign there were high hopes around the Monasterboice club that this would be the year that would see them end the long wait for one of the top senior titles.

Although they failed to deliver on that promise when it came to the business end of the season, there were enough positives to be taken from the year to suggest there is much more to come.

Buoyed by their appearance in the senior semi-final in 2011, the Mairtins went from league strugglers to title

Division 1 Naomh Mai rtin 1-9 2-12 O`Raghalla Naomh Mai ighs rtin 2-11 28 Dreadnots Sean O’Mah onys 1-5 08 Naomh Mai Naomh Mai rtin rtin 1-10 19 O'Connells Naomh Mai rt in 1-6 1-5 S Mattock Ran t Patricks gers 2-10 310 Naomh Glyde Range Mairtin rs 0-11 0-13 Naomh Mai Naomh Mai rtin 2-13 2rtin 8 O Newtown B liver Plunket lues 0-11 1ts 10 Naomh Naomh Mai Mairtin rtin Kilkerley Em 0-12 1-12 Cooley Kic khams mets 1-12 010 Naomh St Patricks Mairtin 2-13 1-13 N aomh Mairt in – SF S F C Naomh Mai rtin 0-6 0-13 St Patricks Naomh Mai rtin 2-8 2-14 Glyde Range Dreadnots rs 1-6 0-14 Naomh Mai rtin – rel playof f

contenders with a series of impressive displays.

Unfortunately, a slight dip in form saw the unable to complete the job as they lost out in the Cardinal O’Donnell Cup semi-final.

There may also have been some disappointment in the championship, but according to team captain, Brendan Reilly, the club have to look at the season in positive terms, but more importantly build on what the have achieved and make a serious challenge in 2013.

“Overall we have to look at the

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season as being a success but the important as we can see that there is definitely something there in the squad. We now have to look at ourselves once again and see where we can improve so hopefully we can push on.

“We took great encouragement from getting to the Senior semi-final in 2011 and felt we were a bit unfortunate not to get over the Blues that day. We showed for much of this year that it wasn’t a flash in the pan as we were among the contenders throughout the league,” explained

Brendan.

With a large squad and emerging young talent, the Monasterboice outfit have been flagged over the past number of years as one of the up and coming clubs in the county.

While the Mairtin’s potential was never in doubt, it was becoming clear in the middle of last season that this promise was being transferred on to the pitch.

According to Brendan, the appointment of Colm Nally as manager had a huge influence on this.

“Last year was our first under Colm and we began to see the rewards for his professional approach when we hit form in the summer. We had a good run in the championship and that gave us confidence going into the new year.

Colm gave us a real belief in ourselves and we started well in the Paddy Sheelan Cup, although we were eventually knocked out by the Clans,” he explained.

There was a boost for the Monasterboice side as they went on to win the Paddy Sheelan Shield as a result they were in a good position heading into the league. Ultimately, the Mairtins would set the pace for much of the campaign, but Brendan points out that the main priority at the outset was to ensure they stayed away from the relegation battle.

“For the past couple of seasons we had got sucked in to the relegation zone which isn’t a good place to be.

As a result, the aim was to get the early points on board and see where

The U14B Championship winners

we would go from there,” he continued.

The campaign didn’t start too promisingly with defeat at the hands of O Raghallaighs, but the team bounced back in impressive fashion as they embarked on an eight-match unbeaten run.

“The O Raghallaighs beat us well in the first game and after that we took a look at ourselves and went on a great run of form. We beat the Dreadnots, drew with Sean O’Mahonys and then came out on top against O’Connells. When we won our next game against St Patrick’s it meant that we had seven points from five games, while in the whole of last year we finished with just six.

“As a result we felt we would be out of relegation trouble so the challenge was to push on and compete

for a place in the play-offs’, added Reilly.

The Mairtins achieved that objective after winning the next four games on the bounce, and that stage of the season many were tipping the team not only to claim the league title but also as one of the contenders for the Senior Championship.

However, just as the expectations were on the rise, the team suffered a dip in their form at the crucial part of the year. The championship saw them drawn in a difficult group that contained the eventual finalists, St Patrick’s and Dreadnots, and after failing to make the knock-out stages they were unable to recapture their form in the league.

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Best Wishes To Naomh Mairtin GAA In 2013

“We were top of the league going into the championship so we weren’t short on confidence despite the fact that we were playing the Pats in the opening game. Unfortunately we just didn’t perform on the day, missed chances at crucial stages and in the end the Pats’ experience told.

“Looking back at that game, I think it deflated us a bit because we were after going seven or eight games without losing. There was a bit of a break before we played again and in that time we suffered a couple of injuries, so things just started to go against us a wee bit at the wrong time.

“We would still have been hoping to

The U15 Division 2B League winners

Eoin Dillon captained the U15 Division 2B League winners

The club's U13's, front l/r: Eoghan Callaghan, Jack Murphy, Mark Whelan, Lee Neilon, Paul Kindlon, Colm Egan, David O'Brien, Ryan Sands, Ciaran Faulkner. Back: Kristian Mooney, James Conroy, Conor Morgan, Eoghan Winters, Darren Morgan, Ross Donnelly, Andrew Dorian, Luke Mitchell, Eoghan Gaynor, Johnny Holdcroft

Aidan Berrill presents the Kevin Mullen Shield to Benny Reilly

Naomh Mairtin's U8's

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beat the Dreadnots but, as they proved, they are a very good side and played well against us. We had no real complaints about the result but it was disappointing that we ended up in the relegation play-offs.

“Thankfully we were able to bounce back and defeated Glyde Rangers in the semi-final play-off which was a big relief as it would have been devastating to lose our senior status after such a promising year,” continued the former Louth defender.

Despite seeing their chances of landing Joe Ward evaporate, there was still a lot to play for as the Mairtins were paired with St Patricks in the O’Donnell Cup semi-final.

The U10's, front l/r: Conor Shevlin, Barry Johnson, Luke Kinsella , Conor Maguire, Brandon Molloy, Cormac Morgan, Eoin Reynolds. Back: Finbarr Johnson, Cathal Dorian, Conor Reynolds, Jarlath Jones, Jack Lynch, Ben Callanan, Sean Murphy, Tom Gray

Representing the club at U12

Thomas Sullivan raising the Division 2 A Championship cup

Conor Whelan receives the U14B Championship Cup from Michael Boyle

Naomh Mairtin's U12 girls

399

Despite a good showing in Lordship, the Mairtins lost out by three points to bring their season to an end. It was a disappointing finale for all involved, but Brendan is hoping that the lessons learnt will prove valuable in take the team to another level over the coming seasons.

“We still have a relatively young squad with the likes of myself, JP Rooney and Nicky McDonnell providing the experience, so there is a good foundation to build on.

“Overall it wasn’t a bad year as we got to the league semifinal and lost by just three points to a Pats side who are on a different level at the minute, while we were unlucky to be drawn in what proved to be the toughest championship group.

“We have to take all the positives we can and going into next season we will hope to maintain that sort of form in the league and also to make a breakthrough in the championship,” added Brendan who would love to help the club land some major silverware as a reward for all the hard work that has been put in at the club over the past number of years.

The up and coming U7's

The U9's, included are H Murphy, S Morgan, S O Donnell, C McCabe, C McGrane, C McCabe, D Dorian, Z Levins, D Little, J Hickey, J Levins, J Sebury, E Reynolds, R Hoey, D Mc Donnell, F Ryan

Naomh Mairtin celebrate their Kevin Mullen Shield win, front l/r: O Ginnty, E Wright, B Berrill, E McQuillan, B Reilly, G Briscoe (Naomh Mairtin’s biggest fan), N McDonnell, F McCullough, K Lambe, B McQuillan, V Leddy. Middle: P Berrill, J Byrne, S Campbell, C Courtney, C Byrne, N Martin. Back: P Sullivan, G McQuillan, G Mooney, J Mulholland, T Sullivan, B Sullivan, D Delaney, C Lynch, R Smyth, L Harrington, G Lambe, M Byrne. Mascots: K Martin, C Lynch

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