Deserved recognition for a Louth Leinster Championship-winning team

Seán Geeney, known to this page as a punter, canvasser, solid GAA supporter, but most especially ‘Garraulous Geeney’, was in flying form at a recent get-together in his O’Connells club’s well-appointed clubhouse, at The Grove.

The occasion was a celebration to mark the 50^th anniversary of a Louth Leinster championship football win that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves whenever there’s a debate on the county’s achievements.

Few would have known how good the under-14s were before setting out on the 1974 championship road. However, even before the final was played, many had taken notice; and after the defeat of Wexford, there were more in admiration.

Geeney, MC for the night, had all the facts, and they were impressive. A first round defeat over Meath was followed by another in the clash with Dublin, and after accounting for Offaly in the semi-final, the county’s youngest representatives were rightly given a Croke Park setting for the final.

Not only were Meath, Dublion and Offaly beaten, the score Louth ran up in each of the games was huge, leaving a mighty draught on the different scoreboards. The trend was maintained in the joust with Wexford.

Honours were even enough in the first half, Louth leading by two points, 2-2 to 2-0. But after that it was one-way traffic. Louth finished with 4-7, while Wexford could manage just one further goal.

No-one could disagree with the man on the mic when he said it was a pity there hadn’t been an All-Ireland series to follow. Each province ran its own championship, and that was the end of it. We can only conclude that the winners would need to have been very good to stop Louth from going the whole way.

Seán Óg Flood was a selector with the team, and it was great to see Louth’s 1957 All-Ireland goalkeeper there to make a presentation to some of the under-14 team survivors. Sadly, three of the team are no longer with us, captain, Martin Byrne, among them.

The team that played Wexford was: Alan Milne (Nh Mhuire); Peter Conry (St Brigid’s, Clogherhead), Eugene McArdle (Young Irelands), Kevin Byrne (Cnoc Bríde); Kieran Maguire (Young Irelands), Eddie Kirk (Cooley Kickhams), Martin Byrne (Newtown Blues); Pat McDermott (St Brigid’s), Eric McLoughlin (Oliver Plunkets); Simon Rainsford (Oliver Plunkets), Noel Berrills (Naomh Baoithe), Brendan Lennon (Dundalk Gaels); Noel Doyle (Clan na Gae), Pádraig O’Callaghan (Ardee), Frank Curran (Newtown Blues).

Three of the team, McArdle, Maguire and Kevin Byrne, along with sub, Martin Carr, won a second Leinster medal seven years later, figuring with the under-21 side that beat Longford in the final, another game played in Croke. It’s no longer the case, underage finalists at provincial or All-Ireland levels getting the opportunity to play at headquarters. That’s wrong.

Sean Geeney hardly stopped for breath as he related the facts and figures surrounding the under-14s’ win. He was effusive in his praise of Seán Óg Flood, who, after his All-Ireland win went to live in Cavan, and in the blue of his adopted county won another provincial medal.

He also and gave deserved recognition to John Roche, Monasterboice, whose idea it was to have the celebration. John would have taken delight at the fine reception his former colleague, Noel Berrills, got when he went up to receive his scroll as a member of the under-14 team.

As expected, Geeney tried his hand at humour, and got about 8 out of ten. He’ll be on the mic again on Saturday, October 12^th, regaling those at the Louth County Board raceday in Fairyhouse. Those in the anticipated 700-plus attendance should be warned: you could be called out from the podium.