Louth GAA
Encyclopedia
The Louth County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

 (GAA) or Louth GAA is one of the 32 county boards
GAA county
A Gaelic Athletic Association county is a geographic region within the Gaelic Athletic Association , controlled by a county board and originally based on the counties of Ireland as they were in 1884. While the counties of Ireland have changed since the foundation of that date, the GAA counties have...

 of the GAA in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, and is responsible for Gaelic games
Gaelic games
Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...

 in County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...

. The county board is also responsible for the Louth inter-county teams.

History

The earliest recorded inter-county football match took place in 1712 when Louth faced Meath at Slane
Slane
Slane is a village in County Meath, in Ireland. The village stands on a steep hillside on the left bank of the River Boyne at the intersection of the N2 and the N51 . In 2006 Slane's population was 1,099, having grown from 823 in 2002. The population of the village and the surrounding rural area...

. A fragment of a poem from 1806 records a football match between Louth and Fermanagh at Inniskeen, Co Monaghan.

Gaelic football

Louth invented team-training for big Gaelic football matches. When they sent the team into training in Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...

 for the 1913 Croke Memorial replay under a soccer trainer from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, the move caused more than a ripple through the Association. For thirty years full-time training in bursts of a week or so before a big match were common. After that the two or three times a week gatherings became more popular.

Between 1945 and 1953 Louth and Meath
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...

 met 13 times. The crowds got bigger and bigger each time as they played draw after draw in the Championship. The attendance of 42,858 at a thrilling 1951 replay remained a record for a provincial match other than a final for forty years the four match series between Meath
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...

 and Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...

 in 1991. The rivalry with Meath
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...

 has never fizzled out, as witnessed by a stirring Leinster semi-final in 1998. Nor has controversy, as witnessed by Graham Geraghty's "wide" 45th minute point.
In 1957 showband star Dermot O'Brien
Dermot O'Brien
Dermot O'Brien was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club St. Mary's and was a member of the Louth senior inter-county team from the 1950s until the 1960s. O'Brien captained Louth to the All-Ireland title in 1957. O'Brien was also a renowned musician and singer and...

 was late for the All-Ireland final and joined the team when the parade was completed. Prior to the game O'Brien had captained the side in the semi final success, when the regular captain Patsy Coleman had been injured. Both Ardee men tossed a coin to see who would captain the team. O'Brien won the toss. Coleman today still has the match ball. O'Brien played a key role as Louth beat Cork with the help of a goal from Sean Cunningham with five minutes to go. Dermot O'Brien died on 21st of May 2007.
As both Cork and Louth wear Red and White, on that day Louth wore the green of Leinster, while Cork wore the blue of Munster.

Eamonn McEneaney
Eamonn McEneaney
Eamonn McEneaney is a retired Irish Gaelic Football player and current manager of the Monaghan Senior Football Team.He took over as manager in October 2010 from Seamus McEnaney who confirmed that he would not allow his name go forward for the role which he had held for the previous six years...

 was manager from 2006 to 2009 and guided them to their most recent success, the O'Byrne Cup
O'Byrne Cup
The O'Byrne Cup is a Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster GAA. The competition is named after Matt O'Byrne, a former Wicklow GAA club officer. Participants include the twelve county teams and four colleges. The O'Byrne Cup 2011 champions are Kildare, who beat Louth in the final by...

 when they defeated DCU
DCU
DCU may mean:*D.C. United, a Washington, D.C. soccer club*DC Universe, the shared universe of most DC Comics publications*Darden Employees Federal Credit Union, a credit union with headquarters in Orlando, FL*Dublin City University...

 in the 2009 final played in the Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda.

On June 27th, 2010, Louth reached their first Leinster Final in 50 years.
During the Leinster Final
2010 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final
The 2010 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final was the last football match of the 2010 Leinster Senior Football Championship, played between Louth and Meath on 11 July 2010 in Croke Park, Dublin. Louth were appearing in their first Leinster Senior Football Championship Final in 50 years...

 on July 11th, 2010, anger and controversy erupted when, during the 74th minute of the match against Meath
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...

, a goal was awarded by the referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...

 after brief consultation with only one of the match umpires (although close circuit camera evidence shown on the RTE 2 coverage of the game proved that the ball was carried over the line by a Meath player). However, Meath received the 2010 Leinster Title and the cup.

2010 Leinster Football Final controversy

On July 11, 2010, Louth reached the Leinster Final against neighbors Meath. Meath won the match but both the way the match ended and the violent reaction of some Louth supporters to this led to controversy.

During the Leinster Final on July 11, 2010, deep into injury time in the 74th minute of the match against Louth, a goal was awarded by the referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...

 after brief consultation with only one of the match umpires although television coverage of the game proved that the ball was carried over the line by Meath player Joe Sherdian. Prior to the goal being awarded Meath had trailed by 1 point and with the referee blowing his whistle shortly afterwards this proved to be the decisive score.

Irate Louth fans stormed the pitch and commenced a process of chasing and physically assaulting the referee, who had to be led away by a Garda
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...

 escort in scenes broadcast to a live television audience. Other scenes of violence saw bottles being hurled from a stand, one striking a steward who fell to the ground and Meath substitute Mark Ward
Mark Ward
Mark William Ward is a former footballer from Liverpool. He started his career as a youth player with Everton F.C. and then played for Oldham Athletic, West Ham United, Manchester City, Everton, Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town, Ayr United, Wigan Athletic, Dundee, Valur and Northwich...

 was hit by a Louth fan.The situation led to much media debate in the days that followed, the violence was condemned and there were many calls for the game to be replayed in the national Media (including former Meath players Trevor Giles
Trevor Giles
Trevor Giles is a successful Meath Gaelic Footballer. He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation. He plays club football for Skryne. He came to prominence first when he won an All Ireland minor medal with Meath in 1992. He would go on to win 2 All Ireland Senior medals, 3...

 and Bernard Flynn
Bernard Flynn
Bernard Flynn is a retired inter-county Irish Gaelic footballer for County Meath in Ireland. As a teenager he attended secondary school in St Mary's of Drogheda. He enjoyed success play inter-county football in the 1980s and early 1990s on the Meath team's managed by Sean Boylan. For Meath he...

.). GAA President Christy Cooney
Christy Cooney
Christy Cooney is the current President of the Gaelic Athletic Association...

 said the events were a "watershed" and one where the "circumstances were bizarre. I have never seen circumstances like it as long as I have been a member of this Association". He promised life bans for those who assaulted the referee.

The day after the match the GAA released a statement confirming that Sludden admitted he had made an error. The GAA also stated that the rules left it powerless to offer a replay and that this would be decided by Meath, Following a Meath County Board meeting it emerged that in his match report that the referee had originally blown for a penalty for Meath but when the ball ended in the net decided to award the 'goal'. The county board decided not to offer of a replay and that that would be "the end of the matter".. This decision was met in some quarters with mixed feelings and commented upon in one national newspaper, The Evening Herald, by three times All-Ireland winning manager Mickey Harte who said the Meath county board was even more culpable because their officers had time to form a considered opinion

The Louth County board issued a statement on the 14th July saying that they would not be taking the matter any further and that the matter was now closed..

In the statement, the Louth County Board spoke of the enormous sense of injustice which was being felt in Louth GAA. They also questioned the referee’s official report saying it was contrary to Playing Rules where he indicated in his report that he blew the whistle for a penalty, but then changed his mind and awarded a goal instead. The referee also wrote that "he made a terrible mistake".

Louth County board referred to Rule 6.41 Award //facts of game: The award of the game rests with the committee / council in charge acting on the referees report.

In doing so the Louth County Board intimated that the committee/council in charge erred in leaving the matter to Meath County Board to offer a replay without seeking clarification from the referee in relation to his match report and his statement that "he made a terrible mistake".

The debate on who officially won the game is now over with Meath recorded as being the winners but numerous TV replays show that the goal was indisputably a technical foul in respect to the Playing Rules of Gaelic Football as quoted below and as outlined in the GAA Official Guide, also Paddy Keenan(St.Patricks) is the only Louth All-Star -Part 2.

2010 All-Ireland Qualifiers

Louth exited the All-Ireland championship on July 24th when defeated fairly convincingly by Dublin in the last qualifier round by 2-14 to 0-13.

Ógsport Lú

Ógspórt Lú is the organisation in County Louth for the promotion of Gaelic Games and Activities among young children.

Its approach is new and innovative,concentrating on maximum participation, skill development and the inculcation of best practice.

It was founded in 2007 following a consultative process that identified the need for a new beginning and a system that would provide a solid foundation for the future development of Gaelic games in Louth.

Honours

  • All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
    All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
    The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...

    s:
    3
    • 1910,1912,1957

  • All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
    All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
    The All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for under-18 competitors of the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland...

    s:
    2
    • 1936, 1940

  • All-Ireland Junior Football Championship
    All-Ireland Junior Football Championship
    The All-Ireland Junior Football Championship is a Gaelic Athletic Association competition for junior gaelic football inter-county teams in Ireland. The definition of what constitutes a junior player differs from county to county. In some, the junior team is the second team after the senior team...

    s:
    4
    • 1925, 1932, 1934, 1961

  • Leinster Senior Football Championship
    Leinster Senior Football Championship
    The GAA Leinster Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of football played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council and are played during the summer months. The competition involves the counties of...

    s:
    9
    • 1909, 1910, 1912, 1943, 1948, 1950, 1953, 1957, 2010.

  • Leinster Minor Football Championship
    Leinster Minor Football Championship
    The Leinster Minor Football Championship is a Gaelic football "knockout" competition played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council. Each county in the province fields a team in the competition. The term "minor" is given to players who are...

    s:
    8
    • 1931, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1951, 1953

  • Leinster Junior Football Championship
    Leinster Junior Football Championship
    The Leinster Junior Football Championship is a junior "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council. The competition began in 1906, with Wicklow winning during the inaugural year. The...

    s:
    10
    • 1910, 1912, 1925, 1928, 1932, 1934, 1946, 1957, 1961, 2009, 2010

  • Owen Treacy Cup: 1
    • 2006

  • Tommy Murphy Cup
    Tommy Murphy Cup
    The Tommy Murphy Cup is a Gaelic football competition, featuring senior county teams elimainated from the early stages of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and also Kilkenny when not fielding a team in the main All-Ireland...

    :
    1
    • 2006

  • O'Byrne Cup
    O'Byrne Cup
    The O'Byrne Cup is a Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster GAA. The competition is named after Matt O'Byrne, a former Wicklow GAA club officer. Participants include the twelve county teams and four colleges. The O'Byrne Cup 2011 champions are Kildare, who beat Louth in the final by...

    :
    4
    • 1963,1980,1990, 2009

  • National Football League
    National Football League (Ireland)
    The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...

     3:
    1
    • 2011

Louth Football Squad

Louth panel to play Carlow in The 2011 Leinster Quarter Final on June 12th,2011
Number Player Position Local Club
1 Séan Connor
Sean Connor
Sean Connor is a former footballer and manager currently without a club.-Playing career:Connor began his career at Distillery in the Irish League where he played for one full season before moving to Port Vale...

Goalkeeper St.Patrick's
2 Declan Byrne Right Corner Back St.Mochtás
3 Aaron Hoey
Aaron Hoey
Aaron Hoey is a Gaelic footballer from County Louth, Ireland. He plays with the Louth and St.Bride's GFC. He was part of the Louth team that played in the final of the Leinster Senior Football Championship in 2010 where he appeared as a sub, but were beaten in controversial circumstances by...

Full Back St.Bride's
4 Dessie Finnegan
Dessie Finnegan
Dessie Finnegan is a Gaelic football player for Louth & St.Patrick's,Lordship. He won a National Football League Division 3 medal in 2011.His older brother Ray is also a member of the Louth senior football team....

Left Corner Back St.Patrick's
5 Ray Finnegan
Ray Finnegan
Ray Finnegan is a Gaelic footballer for Louth.He plays Gaelic football with his local club St.Patrick's, Lordship and his been a member of the Louth Senior football team since 2004.His younger brother Dessie is also a member of the Senior Team.- References :...

Right Half Back St.Patrick's
6 Michael Fanning Centre Back Naomh Máirtín
7 Liam Shevlin Left Half Back Dreadnots
8 Paddy Keenan
Paddy Keenan (Gaelic footballer)
Paddy Keenan is a Gaelic football player from County Louth, Ireland. He plays for the Louth senior inter county football team and for his club St. Patrick's, Lordship...

 
Midfield St.Patrick's
9 Brian Donnelly
Brian Donnelly
Brian Donnelly QSO was a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the New Zealand First party.-Early career:Donnelly was trained as a teacher, and worked in the education sector for twenty years...

Midfield Cooley Kickhams
10 Derek Crilly Right Half Forward Dundalk Gaels
11 David Reid Centre Forward Mattock Rangers
12 Adrian Reid Left Half Forward Mattock Rangers
13 Derek Maguire Right Corner Forward Dundalk Young Irelands
14 Shane Lennon
Shane Lennon
Shane Lennon is a Gaelic footballer from County Louth, Ireland. He plays with the Louth and Kilkerley teams. He was part of the Louth team that played in the final of the Leinster Senior Football Championship in 2010, but were beaten in controversial circumstances by Meath...

Full Forward Kilkerley Emmets
15 JP Rooney
JP Rooney
J P Rooney is a Gaelic footballer from County Louth, Ireland. He plays with the Louth and Naomh Mairtin teams. He was part of the Louth team that played in the final of the Leinster Senior Football Championship in 2010, but were beaten in controversial circumstances by Meath. He helped Louth to win...

Left Corner Forward Naomh Máirtín
Substitutes
16 Neil Gallagher
Neil Gallagher (footballer)
Neil Gallagher is an Irish soccer player currently playing for Dundalk.He started playing as a goalkeeper for gaelic sides, Cooley Kickhams and Louth Minors and also in his school days for St. Marys college in Dundalk. He joined Dundalk in January 2006 from UCD.He was signed for his third spell at...

Goalkeeper Cooley Kickhams
17 Andy McDonnell Centre Forward Newtown Blues
Newtown Blues
Newtown Blues are a Gaelic Athletic Association club from Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. The club fields Gaelic football teams in competitions organized by Louth GAA.Newtown Blues hold the record for the most Louth Senior Football Championship's won...

18 Pauric Smith Right Half Forward Dreadnots
19 Ronan Carroll Full-Foward St.Mary's
20 Gerard Hoey
Gerard Hoey
Gerard Hoey is a Gaelic footballer from County Louth, Ireland. He plays with the Louth and also for his local club Geraldine's of Haggardstown located on the outskirts of Dundalk.Gereard Hoey has been a member of the Louth senior panel since 2009....

Left Corner Back Geraldine's
21 Eamonn McAuley Right Corner Back Na Piarsaigh
22 Stephen Fitzpatrick Left Half Back Clann Na Gael
23 Darren Clarke St.Sylvester's
24 Jamie Carr Newtown Blues
Newtown Blues
Newtown Blues are a Gaelic Athletic Association club from Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. The club fields Gaelic football teams in competitions organized by Louth GAA.Newtown Blues hold the record for the most Louth Senior Football Championship's won...

25 Pádraig Rath Dreadnots
26 Ronan Greene Left Corner Back Naomh Malachi
Management Team
Peter Fitzpatrick
Peter Fitzpatrick
Peter Fitzpatrick is an Irish sportsman and politician. He is the Gaelic Football manager for County Louth GAA, and one of two current Fine Gael TDs for the constituency of Louth.-Sporting career:...

Manager

Hurling

Louth compete in the Nicky Rackard Cup
Nicky Rackard Cup
The Nicky Rackard Cup is a competition for the Tier 3 hurling teams of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. The tournament is organised by the [Gaelic Athletic Association]] and is played during the summer months with the final being played in Croke Park, Dublin...

, an extension of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....

, and were runners up in the final in Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...

 to London
London GAA
The London County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or London GAA is one of the county boards outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in London...

 in 2005 and to Sligo
Sligo GAA
The Sligo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Sligo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Sligo...

 in 2008.

Honours

  • All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
    All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
    The All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship was a hurling competition organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland. The competition was originally contested by the second teams of the strong counties, and the first teams of the weaker counties...

    2
    • 1976, 1977
  • Leinster Junior Hurling Championship
    Leinster Junior Hurling Championship
    The Leinster Junior Hurling Championship is a junior "knockout" competition in the game of Hurling played in the province of Leinster in Ireland...

    3
    • 1968, 1969, 1973

Camogie

Louth contested two All Ireland senior finals in 1934 and 1936, captained by Rose Quigley
Rose Quigley
Rose Quigley is a former camogie player, captain of the Louth team that went to two All Ireland finals in 1934 and 1936.-External links:* Official Camogie Association WebsiteWikipedia List of Camogie players...

 from Darvor, where Fr Tom Soraghan was zealously promoting the game. Kathleen and Nan Hegarty two of her Darvor team-mates were leading players of the decade.

Notable players include junior player of the year winner in 1982 Vivienne Kelly
Vivienne Kelly
Vivienne Kelly is a former camogie player, winner of the AIB Gaelic Star award for Camogie Junior Player of the year in 1982. She played for Louth in their unsuccessful Junior National League final in 1981.-External links:...

.

Under Camogie’s National Development Plan 2010-2015, “Our Game, Our Passion,” Carlow, Cavan, Laois, Louth and Roscommon are to get a total of 17 new clubs by 2015.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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