border pull spices up Louth

Three years ago, the annual treasure trove of released state papers revealed that in the 1970s, the Irish government had drawn up secret plans to redraw the controversial border that separates the north of Ireland and the south.

The national archives showed that Dublin was prepared to act fast in the face of the collapse of the Sunningdale Agreement, which aimed for power-sharing in the north and a cross-border Council of Ireland, following a two-week general strike and the violence that accompanied it.

One aspect of the redraw was for south Armagh to move to the other side of the border; whether that was in their own right or to be absorbed by Louth was never made abundantly clear - but we can assume the Wee County wouldn't have minded Messrs McGeeney, McConville and McDonnell donning the red rather than the orange.

Orange they were, but that distinguished trio never played Louth in a championship game. No Armagh player has, for today's All-Ireland clash at Inniskeen in Monaghan is a first-ever senior championship clash between the neighbours.

It’s an unusual rivalry in that while social media has labelled it 'Oil Classico’, it really has very little of any notable history - in terms of truly significant moments anyway.

The infrequent peaks of both have never matched up, Louth’s excellence in the late 1940s and throughout the ‘50s coming up against an Armagh side relying on sporadic seasons of success that almost always ended up with Cavan spoiling their fun.

Armagh’s true golden age in the noughties coincided with a Louth team that were more used to early qualifier exits. One way to wind up a Louth fan is to talk about the amount of Armagh jerseys that used to be on show in Dundalk around those times.

True or not, Louth are well fit to stand on their own two feet now - and a win this weekend will see them finally being taken seriously as a Sam Maguire contender, with the added boast of claiming a 100% record over their neighbours in senior championship football.

Armagh GAA historian Brendan McCann has been looking at the data, and we’re 100 years on from the first meeting between the counties, the 1925 All-Ireland Junior semi-final played in 1926 - Armagh, in dark green and amber, losing out in Dundalk.

Seven months later was the first senior meeting, a Four County League match in Forkhill won by Armagh.

Between National League, Four County League, Lyons Cup and O'Fiaich Cup matches, the sides have clashed 35 times with Louth winning 17, Armagh 14 and four draws.

While border arrangements, successfully enforced by the hand of the British or unsuccessfully by Dublin 50 years ago, do influence the narrative around this tie, the parish of Dromintee seems like as good of a place as any to look at how imaginary lines can only do so much to disassociate.

The south Armagh club is noted in the Orchard County’s history with 2002 All-Star Aidan O’Rourke and 2024 match-winner Aaron McKay the most famed, but their reach extends into the Wee County in a number of ways.

On the most basic of levels, parts of Dromintee are actually in Louth.

Back in 1998, local woman Teresa Fearon studied ordinance survey maps and, with the help of the local church, outlined parochial boundaries. A striking picture was created, acting as the local luncheon club’s 1999 Christmas card. It sold well.

That determined work established that Louth’s Edentubber, Carrickcarnon, Dromad, Feede, Carrickaneena, Plaster, Aghnaskeagh, Annaverna and Ravensdale townlands all contribute to Dromintee, in a geographical sense anyway.

In a footballing sense, players from those areas gravitate exclusively towards Louth clubs, there’s no Ballaghaderreen controversy here.

That’s not to say the respective ecosystem integrities haven’t been compromised by cross-border pollination.

Take Dromintee’s last two minor managers. O’Rourke, who last season guided the club to their first-ever Armagh minor crown, and followed it up with an Ulster title, is a previous Louth manager. The club’s current minor manager, Shane McCoy, was the former Louth goalkeeper at a time when Dromintee also had Armagh’s number one, Philly McEvoy [on the subject of goalkeepers, another former Orchard number one, Paul Hearty, is the current Louth goalkeeper coach].

It works the other way too. Peter Fitzpatrick, the man in charge of Louth for their famed 2010 Leinster final defeat to Meath, when Joe Sheridan dotted down, is highly revered in Dromintee having guided them to a county final previously. Another Wee County boss, Colin Kelly, had a short stint in charge of the St Patrick’s club too.

While educational routes pull Dromintee students first to Newry and then onto Belfast, Dromintee coaches tend to head the other direction into Leinster, many doubling up underage managing at their own club with duties in the Wee County.

Playing duties have taken Dromintee players over the county border too.

Benny McArdle, an Ulster Under-21 winner with Armagh, went on to play senior championship football for Louth.

Shauna Grey, centre half-back on the Dromintee side that won the 2018 Armagh intermediate title, was helping Armagh to Ulster titles at the same time as her brother – Leonard - was making his name for Louth. Having come off the bench against Dublin, Grey could very well see action in what is set to be a packed Inniskeen this weekend.

[As an aside, at the time of writing, this reporter had just bumped into a former GAA Footballer of the Year from Armagh who couldn’t get near a ticket. We’ll not say who, but the Orchard County have only won the accolade twice and Kieran McGeeney is one and should be grand for a ticket].

The 7,000 or so lucky enough to find a way into Grattan Park should have a big part to play, although there’s trepidation in Louth about whether or not they’ll hold the lion’s share of support for what is a ‘home’ game for them.

If it were still in action, regardless of the result, Louth and Armagh fans would have congregated in Lacey’s nightclub on Sunday night after the game. A bit like a Copper Face Jacks with dealer boots, many a man started a row in the Louth part of the dancefloor and ended up on the ground in Armagh.

Lacey’s belonged to the famed Carrickdale Hotel – the Louth venue, located in Dromintee parish and scene of Armagh’s All-Ireland homecomings in 2002 and 2024. No better place then to sum it all up.

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