Form and tradition point to title number 22 for Blues

REIGNING champions Newtown Blues will be bidding for their 22nd senior title while Naomh Martin will be contesting their very first final when the sides face off in Louth football’s blue ribbon at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday afternoon.

Form and tradition would suggest the Joe Ward trophy will remain in Newfoundwell for yet another season but finals sometimes have a funny habit of throwing up unexpected results.

Both teams play an exciting brand of football and hopefully we will have a final which will do the occasion proud.

Castlebellingham’s Jonathan Conlon takes charge of proceeding which throws in at 3.30. It will be preceded by the minor decider at 1.15 where combination side St Brides/St Mochtas take on current holders, Ardee St Marys.

A glance through the recent minor championship winners will give the Ardee club encouragement for senior football battles ahead. Newtown Blues claimed titles in 2014 & 2015 while Naomh Martin landed the 2016 title.

For some reason, the County Board have dispensed with the recent tradition of recognising teams who’ve won the senior championship 25 years ago.

I’ve always enjoyed this aspect of senior final day and thought it added greatly to the occasion. At this stage however, I must declare a vested interest, as it was Clans who won senior finals in 1992 and 1993.

We beat Gaels after a replay in 1992 and St Mary in 1993. I know I’m sounding a bit like my father now, but it really is hard to believe it is 25 years ago.

Recently declared Independent TD Peter Fitzpatrick was player/ manager of the 1993 side and my brother Kevin was captain. I was selected for the Man of the Match watch but I have no problems conceding that it should have gone to my colleague Paddy McEneaney who had a fantastic game at wing back.

The final score was 1-12 to 1-8 with Stefan White accounting for 1-7 of our total.

St Mary were gallant opposition and that team would get their reward two years later when a Brendan Kerin captained side beat St Patricks in the 1995 decider.

For the record, the 1993 winning side was Niall O Donnell, Arthur O Hagan, Barry O Connor, Paddy McKeever, Paddy McEneaney, Peter Fitzpatrick, Thomas Staunton, Seamus O Hanlon, Gerry Curran, Cathal O Hanlon, David Staunton, Daragh Kirk, Stefan White, Kevin O Hanlon (capt) & Benny McKeever. Clans mascot on the day was my nephew Conal, formerly of St Josephs in Dromiskin, who lined out at the weekend with Cratloe at the weekend in their Clare SFC semi final defeat to Milltown.

Now that we’ve opened the nostalgia box, lets dig down a little deeper. 50 years ago in 1968, St Marys Ardee beat St Fechins in the senior decider in Drogheda before a crowd of over 5,000. The highlight of the game was a backheeled goal from St Mary’s Pat Landy as the Ardee men prevailed by a single score 1-7 to 0-9.

Jim Malone was outstanding for the winners who lined out as follows: Tom Rice, Tom Higgins, Sean Walsh, Barney Magennis (capt), Larry Steen, Martin Whately, Tom Joe Coleman, Michael Rice, Denis Murray, Michael Bennet, Turlough McDonald, Jim Malone, Pat Landy, Kevin Beahan & Paddy Rice.

75 years ago in 1943 St Brides won their one and only Senior Championship when they defeated Cooley Kickhams 3-9 to 2-3 in the final played in Dundalk. The winners trailed by 2-0 to 0-3 at the interval but thanks to the efforts of Kevin and Brendan O Dowda, the Knockbridge side took control in the second period and ran out comfortable winners.

The winning team was Roger McNamee, Packy Grant, Oliver Devine, Mick Byrne, Vincent O Dowda, Kevin O Dowda, Tommy Kieran, Harry Devine, Philip Byrne, Kevin Mackin, Brendan O Dowda, Fintan Devine, Jim Mackin, Packy Devlin & Jack Treanor (capt). Brendan O Dowda’s grandson Calum featured with Ireland in their Nations League 0-0 draw with Denmark on Saturday.

Dundalk was the venue 100 years ago as O Rahillys from Dundalk won the 1918 Senior Championship when defeating Drogheda Tredaghs by 1-05 to 0-02 in the final. Because of the political upheaval at the time, the game was actually played on March 30th 1919.

At the beginning of 1918 the British Government introduced military conscription to Ireland, a move that was condemned by the GAA.

Many GAA leaders were arrested later in the year following the discovery of a ‘German Plot’ and Dublin Castle then introduced emergency legislation including the prohibition of all sporting events, unless granted an official police permit.

The GAA decided to ignore this ruling and instructed provincial councils and county committees to arrange a series of matches on Sunday August 4th to openly defy the ban. ‘Gaelic Sunday’ as it came to be known was an unqualified success throughout the country and resulted in no further interference in the GAA activities by police. An outbreak of influenza in October together with a General Election in December, called following the ending of World War 1, pushed the championship into the following calendar year.

The winning team was Tom McDonald, Johnny Hearty, Nobby Garland, Andy Gibbons, Pada McElroy, Denis Leahy, John Fitzsimons, Mickey McMahon, Andy Tipping (capt), Jim Jennings, Jim Lennon, Johnny Quilton, Owen Eccles, John Dullaghan & Tommy Garland. Larry McCormack, the grandfather of former Louth player and manager Colin Kelly, captained Tredaghs.

Many thanks to Willie Dixon for his assistance in compiling the above.

And finally congratulations to St Mochtas who return to senior football for the first time in over 30 years following their Intermediate Championship success at the weekend over St Fechin’s. We also wish Ciaran Byrne a speedy recovery from the nasty injury he sustained after coming on as a second half substitute.