Just after seeing Dunshaughlin fail in their bid to land the 1999 Meath SFC title as Skryne won the final with seven points to spare, losing manager Eamon Barry remarked of his charges: "This team is mainly a young side and there is a sound foundation to build on. Dunshaughlin football should have a bright future." We obviously did not realise it at the time but those 'words of wisdom' would be proved an understatement three years later. Three Keegan Cup successes and one Leinster triumph down the road it is strange to be reviewing a year in which the black and amber brigade were championship also-rans. It was a case of one journey too many to the well when losing to local rivals Blackhall Gaels in the second of the semi-finals on the first Sunday of September last. That evening, as has been the case in all their games over the last five years, Dunshaughlin battled to the bitter end. But like some contestants on 'Who wants to be a millionaire,' they ran out of lives and could have no excuses as their romantic run came to an end. Back in 2000 they would have settled for one county championship but, apart from the successes already mentioned, they also gained Division 1 League and Feis Cup victories. In times when retaining football titles is so much more difficult than in decades past, Dunshaughlin did remarkably well to chalk up three SFC outright successes in a row. As well as the provincial triumph, gained 12 months ago with the final win over first time Louth kingpins Mattock Rangers, there were those memorable matches against Rathnew when the Meath representatives enjoyed so much support from other clubs in the county. In 2003 Eamon Barry's hopes of emulating the four in a row feats of Summerhill in the '70s and '80s were badly hit by injuries with the loss of influential midfielder Dermot Kealy, who had been the engine of the team, being acutely felt. The 2000 captain was affected by a knee problem during Dunshaughlin's third SFC triumph and subsequent march to Leinster glory. He had the operation a few weeks after the provincial final and returned to action in the quarterfinal against Skryne. However, there was a recurrence of the injury and Kealy was sorely missed in the 'semi' against Blackhall Gaels. Remarkably the team in black and amber started their 'semi' of last autumn with just one Kealy on the pitch. That was Aidan, who missed out on the previous year's county triumph because of a suspension. Tigerish defender Denis Kealy missed most of the games because of a shoulder injury and brother Richie was sidelined for some matches by an arm ailment. Michael McHale, one of their most consistent performers in 2002, was troubled by a groin problem while a suspension ruled Ray Maloney out of a few outings. Such a disruption of the team obviously took its toll with Dunshaughlin losing twice, to Walterstown and Trim, and being held to draws by St Patrick's and Cortown. The bigger groups enabled them to just scrape through to the knock out stages again but they were unconvincing and lucky against Cortown. Dunshaughlin, who were 3/1 favourites before a ball was kicked in the 51st Keegan Cup competition, had drifted out to 11/2 in the betting after such indifferent group form with Skryne replacing them at the head of the matter at 3/1. However, the sight of the royal blue jerseys seemed to have a rejuvenating effect on Dunshaughlin. After losing to them in 1999, beating Meath's longest serving senior club in the final put an extra gloss on the 2001 success and Barry's charges were obviously 'up for' this year's quarter-final clash. The holders turned in their best display of the year in that August Sunday evening encounter at Pairc Tailteann to beat the more fancied opposition by 3-8 to 1-12 with Trevor Dowd helping himself to 2-3 and David Crimmins netting the first goal. However, Dunshaughlin were a big disappointment in the penultimate round when losing their way after a bright start which saw them gallop into an early lead of four points. Crimmins grabbed the goal but after that they managed just one more score from play, a David Tonge point. It was strange indeed to see a Dunshaughlin side only lash the leather over the bar once in an hour. Niall Kelly fired seven frees between the uprights and Trevor Dowd converted four more. The three times champions battled to the bitter end. On two occasions in the third quarter they trailed by seven points but this time they found the climb back up just too much. Played before the best crowd so far in a year of poor attendances, it was a teak-tough but also a very sporting encounter. When the curtain came down on the wonderful run of success there were two Kealy's on the pitch. Aidan had been dismissed after Eugene McDonnell flashed a yellow card at him for the second time while Richie and Brendan had come on as replacements in the second half. Also among the substitutes who joined the action in the second half were Michael McHale, again not deemed fit enough to start, and Roscommon senior county player Mick Ryan, who was unable to command a regular place on the first 15. Caoimhin King and Shane Kelly came on to command regular berths and John Crimmins got a start at midfield in the semi-final. With St Martin's prospering at under age level, Dunshaughlin have some useful young footballers coming up and that should keep the black and amber to the forefront in SFC's over the next few years. Even though Dunshaughlin were tipped to add to their impressive lists of successes in this decade, retaining the grip on the county title was always going to be difficult. Even more so when injuries began to hit them and the Kealy influence was not as strong as in other years. For the second year in a row, Summerhill were Dunshaughlin's first round opponents and the impressive Trevor Dowd was the main scorer with 1-2 in the 2-12 to 0-11 win at Dunsany. But after that there were stumbles in rounds two and four with Walterstown inflicting a two points defeat and St Patrick's holding the holders on the unusual 3-2 (for the Stamullen side) to 1-8 scoreline. In between they recorded a four points win over Dunboyne but the form was patchy. Dowd netted three goals in the first four rounds but Ray Maloney was dismissed in the Pat's game and received a ban of three months. Christopher Carey was in goals instead of Ronan Gogan that day and had an unhappy hour. Dunshaughlin's less than convincing form continued when losing by four points to Trim in a 'repeat' of the 2002 final. Dowd again found the net but Richie Kealy and Michael McHale were both forced to retire with injuries. With five points dropped, questions were being asked. Maybe the black and amber brigade were more hopeful after the 4-13 to 1-8 trouncing of Kilmainhamwood in which two goals from David Tonge in the third quarter put daylight between the sides. Trevor Dowd kept up his good scoring form with 1-3 and Martin Reilly put his name on the winners' fourth goal. Dunshaughlin were quite fortunate to get a 0-10 to 1-7 draw with Cortown after leading by 0-9 to 0-4 at the three-quarter stage. They could have lost at the end but fourth place ahead of Dunboyne was their reward. 'Holders are not 'Dun' yet' read one headline after the four points success over Skryne with Dowd bringing his goals haul to seven for the campaign and Niall Kelly supplying a lot of ammunition from around the half way line. Dunshaughlin were back as favourites, at odds of 7/4, and some of us were regretting not taking the 11/2. But there were more twists in the tale with both of the semi-finals going against predictions. When the end of the exciting adventure was reached there could be no excuses. Perhaps there were regrets about being unable to field a full team but Dunshaughlin could be a strong force again next year. Dermot Kealy will hardly be back but his former centrefield partner Graham Dowd should return after his knee operation. Supporters of the black and amber have a lot to look back on with pride. Back in 1984 Jim Gilligan and Patsy McLoughlin published an excellent club history - the best by far from any club in Meath over the years. They could hardly have envisaged what was in store a few years down the road. Perhaps the time is ripe to a new updated publication. Eamon Barry obviously played a big part in the success story of the last few years and the players responded so well. Their rise was very comparable to Summerhill in the '70s with provincial honours being gained by the two teams. This winter Dunshaughlin have been enjoying a well deserved break but they will be keen to bounce back in the near future. Extra special Firsts in anything are always extra special and that was certainly the case for the St. Martin's club in 2003 when they claimed the Under-16 Football Championship title for the first time. By Paul Clarke. It was a success that augured well for the future, and the club can surely anticipate possible Minor Championship glory with renewed optimism, but the triumph was also highly significant due to the fact that this panel of players had achieved ultimate honours at under-14 and under-13 levels - championship and league - and took part in the Feile in 2001. St. Martin's got off to a bad start in their quest for the under-16 title when a weakened team was well-beaten by Round Towers first time out. However, they got their campaign firmly back on track with victories over Summerhill, St. Peter's, Skryne and Simonstown, but lost to Duleek. They were safely through to the semi-finals and a rematch with Round Towers. This time a great all-round team performance reversed the earlier result and St. Martin's were into the final against Summerhill. The decider, which was played at Pairc Tailteann, proved to be a very competitive affair, but a second-half goal from Brian Coughlan was decisive as Martin's won by 1-9 to 0-9 after they had led by 0-6 to 0-3 at the interval. James Gaughan, David Devereux, Michael Ahern and Conor Staunton were particularly influential in a fine team display, while Ahern had the added honour of captaining the victorious and history-making team. A feature of the under-16 side was the fact that no fewer than 11 players represented Meath at various levels in football and hurling in 2003. David Devereux captained the highly successful Royal County under-16 football team, which included the prestigious Gerry Reilly Memorial Cup Tournament in Oldcastle among its triumphs, and Michael Ahern, Alan McLoughlin, Ciaran Farrelly, Adrian Toolin and Conor Staunton were also members of that very talented panel. Devereux had the added satisfaction of being named 'player of the match' after the 2-12 to 2-8 final victory over Cavan. David Wallace captained the Meath under-16 hurling team, which also included James Gaughan and Brian Coughlan, Wallace and Caoimhin King were part of the Royal County side that reached the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship 'B' final against Carlow in early November, losing narrowly, while Cillian Finn and Brian McKeown played with the Royal County under-15 football team. The victorious St. Martin's under-16 football panel was - Brian Coughlan, Stephen McGroder, James Gaughan, Patrick Doohan, John Coffey, Alan McLoughlin, David Wallace, Adrian Toolin, Christopher Dixon, Michael Ahern, Ciaran Farrelly, Conor Staunton, Shane Kelly, Cillian Finn, David Devereux, Mark Caldwell, Martin Cosgrove, Fionan O'Kane, John Coleman, Brian McKeown, Emmet O'Callaghan, Stephen Fox, Ian Hand and Shane Toolin. The manager of the successful team was Macartan McGroder and Don McLoughlin, Tim O'Kane and Tom Finn were selectors. To make it an even more successful year for the St. Martin's club they also enjoyed a hurling success as they won the Minor 'B' Championship title. They made it through to the decider thanks to a very comfortable 14-point (2-11 to 0-3) semi-final win over Gaeil Colmcille at Kilmessan and got the better of Blackhall Gaels by a point (0-10 to 1-6) in a highly entertaining final at Pairc Tailteann as David Wallace secured a last gasp victory with an injury-time point from a free. Wallace top-scored for Martin's with six points. There was a dramatic finish to the final as Wallace edged Martin's in front with just three minutes remaining, before Jonathan Meyler equalised for Blackhall. But Wallace had the final say when he fired over that winning point, handling the undoubted pressure of the situation with admirable composure. The victory completed a great week for Wallace and colleague Caoimhin King who where both members of the Drumree team that beat Clann na nGael in the Intermediate Hurling Championship final the previous Sunday, earning the club senior status. Also on the victorious Drumree panel was Ronan Gilsenan who had the added satisfaction and honour of captaining the St. Martin's minor-winning side. The victorious St. Martin's panel in the minor final was - John Crosbie, Eoin Reilly, Caoimhin King, James Gaughan, Brian Coughlan, Joseph Coffey, Ronan Gilsenan, Ciaran Kenny, Padraig Smith, David Wallace, Cormac Delaney, Ronan Cleary, Rory Bowe, Stephen McGroder, John Callaghan, Christopher Dixon, Robert Lyons, Thomas O'Regan and John Coffey. Gabriel King managed the victorious team, Seamus White was the trainer and Michael Wallace, Pat Kenny and Sean Delaney were also part of the management team. The St. Martin's under-11 hurlers certainly had a very busy time of it as they played no fewer that 11 matches to reach the 'C' Championship final, beating St. Peter and Paul's at the penultimate hurdle. However, they were just edged out in the decider by Killyon. Training for this panel of youngsters commenced in mid-April and in excess of 20 players were in attendance at most sessions. The weekly sessions helped to develop a strong team spirit among the players and it was very encouraging to see the skill levels improve with each get-together. Reaching the final certainly represented a great achievement because, for many of the panel members, it was their first year playing hurling. Fergus Toolin was the team captain and the vice-captain was Michael McCarthy. Conor Gavin was the manager, assisted by Jim Reynolds and Niall McCarthy. The under-11 hurling panel was - Stephen McCarthy, C. Gavin, J. McGovern, K. Kinsella, M. Kennedy, A. Doyle, Michael McCarthy, Fergus Toolin, C. Doolan, Christina Troy, D. Baggot, Siobhra Delaney, J. Reilly, G. Byrne, K. Lynch, S. Gavin, K. Reynolds, O. Killoran, G. Commons, T. McMahon, J. Lawless, M. Briody, B. O'Connor, O. de Bhall, K. Sweeney, K. Gavin, S. Kinsella, W. McCarthy. St. Martin's hosted the Meath under-14 skills competition and the event proved to be memorable for the club as they won the team section with a squad made up of Fergal Delaney, Duncan Geraghty, Seamus White and Shane Troy. The club put up the Paul Barry Perpetual Trophy for the individual section of the skills competition for the first time and the inaugural winner here was Michael Lynch from Kilmessan. When Meath co-hosted the All-Ireland Under-14 Hurling Feile during the summer, St. Martin's played host to the Knockbridge team from Louth. The visiting players stayed with local families and the whole weekend proved to be very enjoyable and included a disco and party in Drumree. St. Martin's played some very good matches in the Feile and it proved to be a great experience for the players involved. They togged out and travelled to Mullingar for the Feile parade and finals and also made a memorable trip to Croke Park to see the Meath football team in action in the championship. In under-14 football, Fergal Delaney and Sean Doyle were members of the highly successful Meath team that proved victorious in a number of competitions. The club's under-10 football panel played no fewer than 12 matches in the very successful Summerhill Tournament and they won their section. It proved to be a great experience for a huge panel of players and the St. Martin's club expressed their appreciation of the enormous amount of work Summerhill juvenile chairman John Carton and his committee put into this tournament which provides competitive action for so many young players. In the various other Meath under-age competitions St. Martin's fielded an impressive number of teams. The under-12 footballers reached the championship semi-finals, but went under to Simonstown Gaels. The club had sufficient numbers to field two under-14 football teams and the minors lost a crucial play-off match to Dunboyne on a day when they were unfortunate to be short five of their regulars. The under-13s were through to the Div. 1 semi-finals at the time of writing after earning a draw with Simonstown in a great game of football, while a reserve team in this grade was eliminated at the semi-final stage. The club's under-15s and under-17s were also involved in their competitions at the time of writing. All in all, the year 2003 has to go down as a very successful one for the St. Martin's club, with that historic Under-16 Football Championship triumph bringing considerable satisfaction to all involved and suggesting that they will have a very talented minor team to look forward to over the next couple of years. And there was that Minor Hurling Championship 'B' triumph which augured well for the small ball game in the club, as well as the highly progressive run of the under-11 hurlers who gained invaluable experience.. Tweet

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