Ardee crew St Marys enjoyed a fairly satisfactory year as they returned to Division 1A of the all-county league and twice came agonisingly close to a place in the last eight of the SFC. The Deesiders started the year brightly with five straight wins in the league and were also responsible for removing back-to-back winners St Patricks from the Joe Ward equation. Unfortunately, there was no silverware at the end of the rainbow for first-team captain Alan Balfe. Having romped through their Division 1B programme in 2004, the new year saw St Marys reassume their rightful place in the top echelon of Wee County football. The Ardee men acclimatised as easily as one might expect from a club with such pedigree and tradition, kicking off with five consecutive victories and staking a strong claim for a place in the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup final. However, bad injuries to key attackers Niall Sharkey and Alan Doherty severely disrupted the Marys campaign and they finished the year in an unlucky third spot on the 1A table. Thus, Cooley Kickhams and the Blues progressed to the O'Donnell decider in early November, while the mid-county men were left to ponder the whats, ifs and buts of another promising but ultimately unfulfilling term. In the championship, St Marys were pitted in the toughest group of all, with peninsula pair Cooley Kickhams and (holders) St Patricks for company, as well as bogey team St Brides. Cooley finished top and the Pats misfired, leaving the representatives of Ardee and Knockbridge to fight it out for the group's second quarter-final berth. The sides were almost inseparable. After two draws, the issue was finally decided when the Brides prevailed by 1-9 to 1-7 at Louth village on August 28. It was tough luck on the Marys, who can point to the fact that the Brides benefited from meeting Cooley in Round Three when the Kickhams were already assured of top spot in Group C, but there are no such excuses emanating from Pairc Mhuire direction. Instead, the Marys are taking it on the chin and regrouping for next year. If their injury problems clear up and they get a full complement on duty in '06, they know they should be in the shake-up for major honours once more. It's hard to believe that ten years have now passed since Brendan Kerin shook the Joe Ward Cup at his people in Dromiskin after the Marys signalled their return from the wilderness with a comprehensive defeat of the Pats in the '95 senior decider. That win suggested that the good times were about to roll for the town side again but somehow they've since failed to add to their tally of senior football championships. As captain for the '05 season, a campaign that marked the tenth anniversary of St Marys' last SFC triumph, Alan Balfe hoped he would be the man to bring Joe back to Ardee. But it never quite happened and, instead, the most sought after trophy in Louth football will winter a few miles south along the N2 in Collon. Alan admits that the Marys were thinking big at the outset: "Like every other club, we were hoping to win the senior championship. We were also aiming for a good run in the league and we achieved that. Having come up from Division 1B, our main goal was to re-establish ourselves as a Division 1A side. We did that and we can draw plenty of positives from some of our league performances. I suppose anything else on top of that would have been a bonus. "Though we missed out on a place in the final, finishing third in the league gave us a big lift. But the championship was a big disappointment. We thought we'd go on after we beat the Pats but we just couldn't get past the Brides." In fairness, it wasn't exactly the easiest group in the history of the present championship format. The fact that the finalists of two years earlier were both eliminated (while Cooley were in the '04 final and the Brides were there in '02) speaks for itself. "We knew it was going to be tough," Alan states. "The Pats are always going to be hard to beat in the championship, and they were gunning for three-in-a-row. Everyone knows that Cooley are an exceptional team and the Brides have developed into a real bogey team for St Marys. I still feel that we should have beaten them, but we just couldn't get over that hurdle and into the quarter-finals." St Marys played a total of five matches in Group C of the 2005 Louth SFC - three of them against St Brides. They kicked off with a 1-6 to 0-9 draw with the Knockbridge men at Castlebellingham on May 28. Ronan Carroll fired the Marys goal after seven minutes but, buoyed by excellent free-taking from Aaron Hoey, the Brides forced a deserved draw. Next up were Cooley and St Marys were well beaten by the Green & Gold at Pairc Clan na Gael on June 25 (1-10 to 0-6). Without the services of Doherty and Sharkey, the Marys also lost Ronan Carroll during the match and county man Darren Clarke was their only scorer on the day. St Marys had to win their final Group C outing against the Pats and they duly obliged with a stunning 2-14 to 0-7 demolition job on July 23. Robert Leavy found the net after five minutes and the Deesiders never looked back after storming into a 1-5 to 0-0 lead. When Alan Balfe got the winners' second major 13 minutes from time the game was well and truly over as a contest. St Brides' surprise defeat of Cooley meant that a play-off would be required. Cooley topped the group with four points, with Brides and the Marys tied in second place on three apiece. The Pats were out. A play-off would determine which of the second-placed teams advanced to face Naomh Mairtin in the knockouts. St Marys and St Brides had finished all-square in the group opener and they did so again in the play-off at Louth on August 11 - St Brides 2-10, St Marys 1-13 after extra time. In the replay, despite a second-half fightback and a late penalty from the returned Alan Doherty, the Marys were edged out by just two points. So near and yet so far. The bottom line, however, is that the Marys won only one of their five championship games during the year, which Alan Balfe admits simply isn't good enough. "It's definitely not championship-winning form," he concedes. "You need to win a few more games than that if you really intend to go on and compete in the latter stages of the competition. Our performances - in the two play-offs especially - weren't good enough. We thought when we beat the Pats that it would act as a stepping stone and we expected to get over the Brides. After the performance against the Pats we felt that we were one of the favourites, but the Brides were just too good for us on the day. "They are a good side and they don't get the credit they deserve. People underestimate them but they're a very strong team. They grew up together and they play together with a lot of determination. They're a very hard team to beat." Alan was delighted when he was nominated to captain the team at the start of the year: "It was brilliant to be captain. I returned home last year from a year in Australia and had decided to give it a real go. When I was named captain, it was a huge bonus and it gave me a real boost. I thought this might be our year then and I was really hoping to collect a trophy for the club. "We've had success in the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup but it's been too long since we won a championship." St Marys have been in two finals since '95 but lost to Stabannon after a replay in 1997 and to the Pats - again after a replay - in 2003." Alan was gracious enough not to mention injuries as an excuse during the course of this interview. But I put it to him that surely these had a major impact on the club's prospects: "Everyone knows what Niall Sharkey is like. He's a great finisher and he's very important for both club and county. He was a huge loss coming up to the championship and then to lose an experienced player like Alan Doherty as well was a big blow. Those two can make a big difference to any team and we definitely missed them." With everyone back on board, the Marys can make a big impression in '06, though. "We would have to be confident about our prospects next year," Alan admits. "We have a good blend and county men like Darren Clarke and Ronan Carroll have a lot to offer. If we have everybody fit, we can stake a serious claim." Des Lane, Enda Kerr, Ken Rooney and Brian Scott looked after team affairs in 2005. And the Marys got off to a perfect start with five wins from five in the league. "We thought that would prove a big stepping stone for the championship," the club captain reflects. "Our main goal was to stay in 1A and that was a great start because we were already halfway there. The championship just seemed to come at the wrong time for us." A member of the Marys first team for the best part of ten years, Alan is looking forward to meeting the challenges presented by 2006: "I'm hoping we have all the lads back fighting fit and then we can push for a place in the county final and hopefully go on and win it." Who will provide the main opposition? "Cooley look very strong and they beat us three times in 2005. But Collon are strong and fast as well and I wasn't a bit surprised to see them win it this year. Those are probably the two teams to beat but the Blues will always be there or thereabouts…as will the Marys." A lifelong servant to the Marys Ardee man Francie Gillespie was a thoroughly deserving recipient of the 2004 Louth Supporters Club's 'Club Worker of the Year' award. The Marys stalwart has enjoyed a lifelong association with his beloved club. As a player, he garnered an array of honours with the Deesiders during the glorious '40s and '50s and he later became one of the most committed and conscientious groundsmen in the Wee County. The impressive facilities currently coming on stream at Pairc Mhuire would not have been possible without Francie's enormous contribution. Sometimes mere words cannot convey the contribution an individual has made to his club and community. This is certainly the case with St Marys clubman Francie Gillespie, who served the Ardee club above and beyond the call of duty throughout his lifetime. The Marys have always been Francie's labour of love and he served the town club selflessly in a variety of capacities over the years. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to suggest that few in the proud history of Louth GAA have done more for their club. Francie served the Marys for decades as a player and caretaker and his eyes still light up perceptibly today at the very mention of St Marys GFC, the club he helped to two senior championships during his impressive playing career. After hanging up the boots, Francie couldn't drag himself away from Pairc Mhuire. He spent the best part of 15 years almost single-handedly ensuring that Pairc Mhuire was the best-appointed grounds in the county, looking after the playing surface and facilities on the Dublin Road as one would their own child. It was a vocation for Francie and one that has been rightfully recognised and acknowledged by the good folk of Ardee and beyond. The fruits of Francie's labour are clearly visible to all at the home of St Marys GFC today as the Ardee outfit boasts grounds favourably comparable to any others in the Wee County. Francie Gillespie take a bow! In 2004, the Ardee man was honoured by the Louth Supporters Club's prestigious 'Club Worker of the Year' award - a fitting testament to his vast input into the well-being of the most feted club in mid-Louth. A modest man by nature, Francie was quite taken aback when he learned that he had been selected to receive the 'Club Worker of the Year' accolade: "I love the club and I was delighted to get something like that. To be honest, I was very surprised when I heard that I'd been selected. The only disappointing aspect of the whole thing was that I was on holiday down in Lisdoonvarna at the time and I wasn't able to pick the award up myself. "I'd love to have been there in person but I couldn't get a bus back up in time. Thankfully, though, the committee were very understanding and they agreed to let my son Dermot go to the ceremony in the Fairways and he collected the trophy on my behalf." When asked where the trophy is now, Francie reveals that it's "safe and sound" in his Currabeg homeplace. Francie has been attached to the club since he started to play juvenile football with the Marys in the early 1940s. He played all grades with the Marys, progressing through the ranks from minor level to junior, second division and then senior. Francie was left half back on what could only be described as a star-studded St Marys team, a side packed with intercounty stars and undoubtedly one of the finest the town ever produced. To break into the starting XV was an achievement in itself and Francie did much more, capturing two SFC medals (in 1948 and '51) as well as two second division titles and two Cardinal O'Donnell Cups ('47, '49). Those were heady days for the Ardee men, who suddenly emerged as a force like never before. Names like Boyle, Markey, McArdle, O'Brien, Roe, Mooney and Bell rose to prominence and Francie Gillespie was proud to play his part in the history-making exploits. "You could say that Ardee was the home of Louth football during those years," he reflects. "My only disappointment was that I never won a minor championship, even though we played in a number of finals. But we won everything else - senior championships, senior leagues, Old Gaels Cups, second division championships. They were great days." Francie had trials with the Louth minors but didn't make the grade. Hardly surprising either seeing as Wee County football was at an all-time high, which would culminate in the Leinster championships of 1948, '50, '53 and '57, not forgetting the famous All-Ireland success of 1957. "There was desperate talent around at the time," says Francie. "It was great just to be part of it all." Unfortunately, a nasty head injury sustained against Lannleire at Castlebellingham effectively put an end to Francie's playing career and he never played beyond the 1952 season. But he would find other ways to serve his club… After working as a selector with the minors, he sat on various committees and then became the groundsman at Pairc Mhuire. In this capacity, Francie Gillespie made an incalculable contribution to St Marys GFC. "I kept the place as tidy as I could," he says matter-of-factly. "I tried to go up every day on the tractor and I did my best to keep the place tidy and to ensure that the pitch was in good condition." Fact is he went over to the pitch almost every day for 15 years. During the summer months, it wasn't uncommon for Francie to put in twelve-hour shifts, from ten in the morning until ten at night. Pairc Mhuire became his pride and joy and regularly picked up the Club Grounds of the Year award. Awards were also forthcoming from Leinster Council and Francie fondly recalls trekking to Croke Park once to pick up one such honour. He says he "kept things ticking over", but it was much more than that. The venue was the prized asset of the club and attracted more than its fair share of big games. Would this have happened without Francie's input? Would the current redevelopment have been such a success? Francie's wife May has also contributed in no small way and she is always on hand at Pairc Mhuire to make sure guests don't escape without a nice hot cup of tea in their bellies. May was a very close friend of another great St Marys lady - the late Maureen Rooney. Francie and May's daughter Olive is actually married to Maureen's daughter - former Louth half back Ken Rooney. A pioneer all his life, Francie feels that football in Louth isn't as exciting as it was in the days of the catch-and-kick game. Though St Marys are a faded force, he still thinks they can reclaim the Joe Ward Cup in the near future: "They would have had a great chance this year if Alan Doherty and Niall Sharkey had been there all year. Having said that, they got their chances against the Brides and didn't take them. They should have got to a quarter-final. "But there is a championship in the current team. They have the makings of a good team and there's an abundance of youth coming through in the town. We have plenty of terrific footballers at juvenile level - if we can keep them away from the soccer and away from the pubs!" And what of the county team? "I think Val Andrews got a rough deal. He hadn't got the stuff. He had no pick and they should have given him time to put a team together. The selection committee expected him to work wonders overnight and it doesn't work that way. When you appoint a manager, you have to give him a chance." The Ardee clubman prefers to talk about the Louth team that stood toe-to-toe with the best in the land during the 1940s and '50s. "There were a lot of great Louth teams back then and they played delightful football. At that time, you could have picked two Louth teams and both would have been equally capable of winning a Leinster championship. That was a terrific era for Louth football. "The three games between Meath and Louth in 1949 were incredible. There was far better football in those matches than what you'd see in the championship now. It was catch and kick - great stuff. There's too much handpassing now and not enough football. It's a shame." Francie Gillespie describes all the time and effort he invested in St Marys as "the best years of my life". The feeling is very much reciprocated. St. Mary's Ladies GFC St. Mary's Ladies GFC was founded in 1997 as a Juvenile club. In 2004 we formed a Junior ladies team, so successful is our club that in our first year 2004 as a junior team we reached the Junior Championship Final only to be narrowly beaten by Newtown Blues. However, this year (2005) we went a huge step forward and won the double in Championship and League. Also in 2004 we reached the U16 and minor (U18) finals. At present St. Mary's Ladies GFC caters for players from all ages from U10 up to Junior level in our clubhouse in 'Pairc Mhuire' in Ardee. St. Mary's Ladies GFC Ardee Co Louth Chairperson - Gabrielle Clarke Secretary - Collette McKenny Mentors - U10 and U12: Leoine Burke, Emma Smith, Lisa McCabe, Gabrielle Clarke Mentors - U16/U18 and Junior - Collette McKenny, Gabrielle Clarke, Tony Melia, Gerry O'Dowd, Robbie Clarke Clubrooms - Pairc Mhuire, Ardee Tweet

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