Inside Track: Kerry point in 1953 All-Ireland semi-final
Inside Track with Joe Carroll
A crowded Hill 16 is in the background as the ball sails over the bar for a Kerry point in the 1953 All-Ireland semi-final. Note spectators sitting along the sideline.
Kerry won by 3-6 to 0-10, thus avenging the defeat they suffered at the hands of Louth, three years earlier.
Louth players in the photo: Niall O’Neill (in goals), Jack Bell (2), Hubert Reynolds (8), Tom Conlon and Peter Judge (facing camera), Paddy McArdle (5) and Pat Markey (6).
Kerry scored three early goals, and at half-time, were ahead by 3-1 to 0-5. Louth staged a rally after the break and, with ten minutes remaining, were within three points. However, Kerry finished the stronger to book a place in the final, which they won, beating Armagh.
The Louth team for the Kerry match was: Niall O’Neill (Dundalk Gaels); Jack Bell (St Mary’s), Tom Conlon (Stabannon Parnells), Jim Conlon (Stabannon Parnells); Paddy McArdle ( St Mary’s), Paddy Markey (St Mary’s), Stephen White (Young Irelands); Hubert Reynolds (Oliver Plunkets), Michael McDonnell (Darver Volunteers); Dermot O’Brien (St
Mary’s), Jimmy McDonnell (Darver Volunteers), Peadar Smith (Oliver Plunkets); Kevin Beahan (St Mary’s), Jack Regan, captain (Dundalk Gaels), Hughie O’Rourke (Cooley Kickhams). Kevin Connolly (Cooley Kickhams), Peter Judge (Oliver Plunkets), Paddy Beahan (St Mary’s) and Fintan Wynne (St Bride’s) came in as reserves.
Mayomen included when Louth last contested an All-Ireland semi-final
A win over Tyrone qualified Louth for the 1957 All-Ireland final. Prior to last Sunday week, this was the last time Louth made the last four.
That year’s Leinster Championship run was highlighted by the defeat of Dublin in the final, a game that is remembered for Mayo-born Dan O’Neill’s outstanding display at midfield.
Another Mayoman, Séamus O’Donnell, was also included on the Louth side and both he and O’Neill won National League medals with their native county before transferring to Louth.
Louth early round wins in the 1957 provincial series had come at the expense of Carlow, Wexford and the titleholders, Kildare. The team for the final was much changed from the opening round, with Tom Conlon and Jimmy McDonnell, both on a comeback, included.
Tyrone’s Ulster win was only their second in the 70-year history of the competition. The previous year they beat Cavan by 3-5 to 0-4 to win the Anglo-Celt for the first time, and in qualifying to meet Louth beat Derry by a couple of points. Iggy Jones and Jody O’Neill were their stand-out players.
Louth justified the confidence placed in them by beating Tyrone 0-13 to 0-7. It wasn’t a classic by any means. Tyrone made the early running but were overhauled with Louth leading 0-6 to 0-5 at the interval. After that it was nearly always one-way traffic.
Louth team: Seán Óg Flood (Young Irelands); Ollie Reilly (Hunterstown Rovers), Tom Conlon (Stabannon Parnells), Jim Meehan (Naomh Mhuire); Peadar Smith (Oliver Plunkets), Jim McArdle (Roche Emmets), Stephen White (Young Irelands); Dan O’Neill (St Dominic’s, Drogheda), Kevin Beahan (Sean McDermott’s, Dublin); Séamus O’Donnell (Cooley Kickhams), Dermot O’Brien, Captain (St Mary’s), Frank Lynch (Geraldines); Seán Cunningham (Young Irelands), Jimmy McDonnell (Darver Volunteers), Jim Roe (St Mary’s). Patsy Coleman (St Mary’s) came in as a sub.
The win over Tyrone was a stepping stone to the All-Ireland title coming to Louth for the first time since 1912.
On the day of the senior semi-final, Louth juniors played Mayo at the same stage and were beaten 2-7 to 1-6. The decisive Mayo goal was scored by Mick Loftus, who would later become GAA President.
Louth team: John McEnteggart (Lannleire); Eugene Duffy (Dundalk Gaels), Fintan Wynne (St Bride’s), Oliver Judge (Newtown Blues); Phil Lynch (Geraldines), George Carroll (Oliver Plunkets), Joe Sweeney, captain (Darver Volunteers); Peter Judge (Newtown Blues), Paddy McDonnell (Oliver Plunkets); Niall Craven (Roche Emmets), Mickey Gartlan (Roche Emmets), John ‘Bing’ Crosby (St Fechin’s); Frank Reid (Dundalk Gaels), Jim Judge (Newtown Blues), Owen Moran (Glyde Rangers).
Win over Kerry made way for Louth’s All-Ireland final with Mayo
The Louth team that beat Kerry in the 1950 All-Ireland semi-final: back row (l to r): Pat Markey (St Mary’s), Hubert Reynolds (Dundalk Gaels), Tom Conlon, captain (Stabannon Parnells), Jimmy Tuft (Young Irelands), Jack Regan (Dundalk Gaels), Ronan Lynch (Geraldines), Seán Thornton (Civil Service, Dublin), Paddy McArdle (St Mary’s).
Front row: Frank Reid (Dundalk Gaels), Roger Lynch (Geraldines), Mickey Reynolds (Stabannon Parnells), Jimmy McDonnell (Darver Volunteers), Michael ‘Huckle’ Byrne (St Bride’s), Nicky Roe (St Mary’s), Stephen White (Young Irelands).
After beating the Sam Maguire holders, Meath, in a Leinster final replay – the drawn games had ended 1-3 each – Louth faced a strongly fancied Kerry side, and after trailing by 0-6 to 0- 2 at the change-over, turned in a great second half performance to win 1-7 to 0-8.
By then, Mayo had beaten Armagh in the other semi-final, and this led to the first-ever championship meeting of the Westerners and Louth, in the All-Ireland final.
There was a turn-out of 76,174 on the big day (gate receipts of £6,524). Simon Deignan, who had won an All-Ireland with Cavan in 1947, was referee, and as the game unfolded, he played a significant role in the destination of the title.
Mayo led by 1-3 to 0-1 in the early stages. But then Louth got a run going, and at half-time were just a point behind, 1-4 to 1-3. It was point for point after that, Nicky Roe claiming nearly all of Louth’s scores. The game was still in the balance when Mick Flanagan scored Mayo’s second goal.
That was the decider. It ended 2-5 to 1-6. But questions were debated for many years afterwards: Did Flanagan over-carry the ball? Did he throw the ball into the net?
There are many who have no doubt that the goal should not have stood, including a former Louth player who was in contact with Inside Track last week.
He wrote: “I am one of a diminishing band that was in the old Hogan Stand, as a 10-year-old, when Mick Flanagan threw the ball into the net.” He adds: “Can’t wait for revenge.”
By coincidence, there was a further correspondence on the issue, also last week. It came from a Louth-born Dublin reader who said he was once speaking to a grandnephew of the referee, who told him that Deignan had considered the goal to be illegal, “but because he couldn’t get the whistle out of his pocket in time (to penalise Flanagan) he had to let the goal stand after the umpires had waved the green flag”.
Referee with a whistle in his pocket? Maybe that’s how it was then, but not today. Aside from having the whistle at hand, the arbiters are wired up, linked to their linesmen.
And we wonder, did the call to red-card Seán Callaghan in the Monaghan match come from afar? Certainly, referee Hurson took a long time before dismissing the young St Mary’s player.
Back to the 1950 final. All but one point of Louth’s 1-6 came from the boot of Nicky Roe, some of his points from frees. Unfortunately, the St Mary’s clubman couldn’t see out the game, and in his absence, Louth missed a few very scoreable frees.
Mayo won the following year’s All-Ireland but haven’t won it since. Maybe they’re paying the price for the 1950 ‘robbery’.
Peter Corr was key member of 1943 team
The Louth team that beat Dublin on the way to winning the 1943 Leinster title, the county’s first in 31 years. Laois were accounted for in the final, and after that came an All-Ireland semi-final with Roscommon.
Peter Corr, who scored 1-8 in the Laois game, came in for some rough treatment, leaving him unable to reach his best. This was a deciding factor in a game won by the Westerners 3-10 to 3-6.
There were many changes in the final from the above picture, which reads: back row (l to r): Paddy Cluskey, trainer, Eddie Boyle (Sean McDermott’s, Dublin), Ray Mooney (St Mary’s), Jim Quigley (Young Irelands).
Middle row: Jimmy Thornton (Cooley Kickham's), Seán Boyle (St Mary’s), Brian Reynolds (Stabannon Parnell's), Gerry Devine (St Magdalene’s), Drogheda), Kevin O’Dowda (St Bride’s), PJ Clarke (Dundalk Gaels), Joey Halpenny (St Mary’s).
Front row: Peter Corr (Seán O’Mahony’s), TJ Clarke (Cooley Kickham's), Ollie Halpin (St Magdalene’s), Hugh Fanning (Wolfe Tones), Larry Waller (Young Irelands). Current Louth panellist, Seán Reynolds, is a grandson of Brian Reynolds.