Inside Track: Reel’s recruits give county a place under-20 All-Ireland final for first time

And now for something completely new. The under-21 grade (now the under-20) became part of the GAA calendar in 1964. Louth didn’t engage in the first year or two, but is now a fully-fledged member.

Provincial success came early – in 1970. After that there were, before this year, two further Leinster wins. But no All-Ireland success to follow, not even a stab at the big one.

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All of that is now changed. After storming through Leinster, scoring a famous win over Meath in the final – all wins over the Royals in games of significance merit that tag – this year’s team has broken the glass ceiling.

By beating a hotly-fancied Mayo side in Longford less than a fortnight ago, Fergal Reel’s recruits step on to the biggest stage of all tomorrow evening, playing Tyrone at Armagh’s Athletic Grounds.

It’s sure to be a special occasion, a huge chunk of the Red Army that almost took over Croke Park for the seniors’ provincial championship win expected to make the journey.

Buses are running from all over the county, and as the venue is easier and quicker to access than most of those housing recent Louth championship ties, the road from Newry to Ireland’s ecclesiastical capital will be witness to a convoy, vehicles carrying red, which will be a change from the tangerine of last year.

And you can imagine the colour there’ll be at the grounds, all of it red and white. The counties are meeting at the business end of a championship for the first time since 1957, the year which has been so much a part of the narrative in recent week.

Louth were winners then, scoring in an All-Ireland senior semi-final victory before advancing to take custody of the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time. An omen?

Tyrone are the overwhelming favourites to make it three All-Ireland wins in four years. There’s always been a strong emphasis on underage and college football in the county.

And it has paid dividends, for in addition to county teams’ achievements, Omagh CBS, in particular, has been to the forefront in Ulster’s premier college competition, the McRory Cup, and after that at national level.

They’re raving about Rúairí McCullagh and Eoin McElholm down in the Red Hand. Both play in attack, and are being described as the modern day Purcell and Stockwell. Clubmates, they shared 1-13 in the 2-goal win over Kerry in the semi-final.

Fergal Reel and his sideline team of Declan Byrne, Barry Murtagh, Séamus Mulholland, and David Brennan, wouldn’t be learning this for the first time. They would have had the Loughmacrory colleagues sussed out, and will have their troops prepared.

Reel wasn’t totally satisfied with his team’s performance in the semi-final win over Mayo, but could have had no complaints with the way his side demolished Meath’s challenge in the Leinster final.

The second half performance that evening at Newbridge was nothing short of devastating, and if repeated over the hour tomorrow evening will see the Leinster champions make the bookies’ odds of 4/1 look very generous.

Louth, in the middle of a renaissance, has had some wonderful outings in recent weeks. This one promises to be a repeat of Croke Park on May 11th.

If it yields a win, history will be creat5ed, the Clarke Cup finding a resting place here for the first time in the competition’s 61-year history.