Inside Track: Derry make a rare appearance in Louth for Sunday’s league tie

Until recent years, Louth seniors hadn’t too many games with Derry. Sunday’s at Ardee is only the second in the National League on Louth soil, while the championship has brought the counties together on just one occasion.

The sides met a few times in the O Fiaich Cup, a competition which at one time was contested by the four counties in the Armagh Archdiocese, Louth, Derry, Tyrone and Armagh.

It was initiated by Cardinal O Fiaich and played In Crossmaglen. That was in the 1980s, when the Rangers’ grounds bore little resemblance to the excellent venue it is today.

The pitch had mud patches had all over it, caused by British helicopters based at the adjacent barracks using the pitch as a landing strip, and often hovered above while games were in progress. Captained by Gerry Farrell and guided by Mickey Whelan, Louth won the first running.

There has been a number of challenges between the counties, one that doesn’t evoke very happy memories for me, or anyone else on the Louth side.

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It was played at the opening of a new pitch in Ballerin on the day the Louth under-21s were out in Croke Park in the final of the 1970 Leinster Championship.

Because of the under-age side’s engagement, the team that lined out in Derry had, let’s say, an experimental look to it.

To make matters worse, Derry were preparing for an All-Ireland semi-final, having only a few weeks earlier whipped Antrim in the Ulster decider.

They were all there, Sean O’Connell, Seamus Lagan, Tom Quinn, Mickey Niblock, Eamonn Coleman, Henry Diamond, Gerry O’Loughlin and the player whose name runs off your tongue, Malachy McAfee.

The result was as you would expect, but the pain of an awful thrashing was eased for the travellers with the news that the under-21s had won, giving the county a first title in the grade.

Another challenge that comes to mind was played at St Brigid’s Park around the same time. Eugene Sheelan, of honoured memory and who was part of the winning under-21 side, was at left-half, playing in his first senior county match.

The Pat’s man certainly could have done with an easier examination than the one provided by his marker, the aforementioned Sean O’Connell, who numbered among his Croke Park appearances the one that had Derry playing against Dublin in their first All-Ireland final, in 1958. I was behind Eugene, and could do nothing to ease his burden.

We were beaten that day as well – and also in the league match, which is another that doesn’t figure among my most memorable outings. It was a league tie played at Ballinascreen, and having made a few decent clearances from my wing-full position, marking Niblock, I thought I was doing okay.

But then I got the curly finger after about 15 minutes, and couldn’t understand why. No-one ever told the reason, or put an arm around a crouched shoulder; but, then, that’s how it was when there were five selectors in charge.

There was a time when I thought Louth were really going places after scoring a win over Derry. The 1-9 to 0-8 defeat of the Ulster side came at Swatragh in the second round of the 1983/’84 National League.

It followed an earlier 1-10 to 0-9 victory over Tyrone at St Brigid’s Park, and when the hat-trick was bought up, Roscommon beaten in round 3 – this tie also taken place at the Dowdallshill venue – the team coached by Jimmy Mulroy, who was on his second coming as manager, was looking down at all others in Division Two.

But then the wheels came off, not in a dramatic fashion, but off nonetheless, never to be got in a working order for a time.
With the game against Mayo at Crossmolina ending in just a one-point defeat, the feeling was that it would be back on the horse again on December 4 with the visit of lowly Wexford to St Brigid’s.

It was to be Aidan Wiseman’s last outing before emigrating to America, Louth couldn’t control the man-of-the-match, Seamus FitzHenry, and ended up losing by 2-5 to 1-5.

There was more woe in the New Year, defeats by Cavan (in Cootehill), and Galway (Salthill) putting a gloomy look on what at one time had looked a campaign with real potential.

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Let’s take a look at the team that beat Derry: Gerry Farrell (Cooley K); Paddy Matthews (O Plunkets), Matt McDermott (St Fechin’s), Barry O’Brien (S O’Mahonys); Dessie Callaghan (N Blues), Aidan Wiseman (Clan Gael), Mickey McCabe (Y Irelands); Eugene Judge (N Blues), Pat Mulligan (St Joseph’s); Frank Brannigan (St Fechin’s), Peter Fitzpatrick (Clan na Gael), Noel Cluskey (S McDermott’s); Jimmy McDonnell (Geraldines), Paul Renaghan (Geraldines), Johnny McDonnell (St Fechin’s). Davy McDonnell (Dlk Gaels) and Richie Culhane (N Blues) came in as reserves.

Barry O’Brien at wing-full for this and the following three games? I can see a lot of capital being made out of this down around the Quay.

There have been three clashes of the sides since that 1983 meeting, and two went Derry’s way. The other, a league match at Celtic Park, brought Louth just a modicum of good fortune – a share of the spoils.