There's no stopping Sean McDermotts these days. Club stalwart Gerry Curran is a mightily proud man to have witnessed the Mountrush men book a place in Division 2A, intermediate's top flight. In 2002, the Mountrush men clinched promotion to Division 2A, leaving them within striking distance of senior football - and also safe from the threat of demotion to the bottom grade. The turnaround in the club's fortunes under Tommy Kirk over the past four seasons has been nothing short of remarkable and they are nicely positioned to launch a double-pronged attack on senior football next season. The 2001 finalists may have disappointed in the championship in '02, but they are more than capable of putting together a decent run next term. Expect them to make a concerted effort in the league competition too. Club stalwart Gerry Curran has a big smile on his face. And why not? He isn't complacent or cocky . . . he's just delighted with the progress his beloved Seans have made in such a short space of time. "We are extremely happy considering that four years ago we were officially the second worst team in Louth," Gerry affirms. "That year, Wolfe Tones were the only club who finished below us on the league table - and they've been having a real hard time of it lately. They've hit upon tough times and it's sad to see. They have tremendous facilities up there in Drogheda and hopefully they can bounce back. "Fortunately, we've been able to turn the corner. What makes our own recovery all the more remarkable is the fact that there are three clubs in the parish [the others being Glyde Rangers and Westerns], so we're not exactly spoiled for choice when it comes to players." Gerry has been involved with the McDermotts for most of his life. He played for them but is more renowned for his boundless work at committee level (he's a former County Board delegate) and as a long-serving team selector (he was on the line for the 1989 IFC final against Stabannon). These days he's busy behind the scenes, where he takes a backseat to the club's three key administrators: chairman Kevin Carroll, secretary Barry McMahon and treasurer Eugene Woods. Gerry believes that two factors have been central to Sean McDermotts' recent impressive form: a good crop of players and a manager who fine-tuned them. "Tommy Kirk deserves the highest praise and he has definitely had a lot to do with our success," he says. "The players were there but you still need somebody to get the best out of them and that's what Tommy has done. They all got on really well with him and here we are now only one step away from senior football!" Kirk's four-year term at the helm is up and if - as expected - the former St Marys player moves on, the new manager will certainly inherit a very talented bunch of players. Who will ever forget the team's heroics in 2001 when they almost captured the IFC (only losing the final to Naomh Fionnbarra after a replay)? Gerry Curran reflects: "The players are very young and they have worked very hard at it. Time is still very much on our side and, in hindsight, perhaps losing that final wasn't exactly a disaster. They should have won it the first day, but when you see what happened to the Finbarrs this year, coming straight back down, you start to think that perhaps you'd be better going up the other way, through the league - at least then you'd have a consistent run of results behind you. "Next year, we're playing in the higher level of intermediate, against the likes of Dundalk Gaels, Naomh Fionnbarra, the Geraldines and Kilkerley. We know it's going to be very difficult but at the same time we feel we've earned the right to play at that level by reaching an intermediate final and earning promotion in successive years." In the 2002 IFC, the Seans never got into their stride in a group that contained eventual champions Naomh Malachi, finalists Geraldines, neighbours Westerns and O'Connells. But - " - we beat Naomh Malachi in our last game. Unfortunately that result came too late to be of any benefit to us, but it showed what we're capable of. I think we would have won the group but two or three lads were on holidays - they had booked their holidays according to the fixtures list, but that changed. "We were caught by the Westerns but in fairness to them they deserved to beat us on the day and they beat the Geraldines as well. "I have a lot of time for the idea of running the championship on a league basis ... but not the way it's done here in Louth. They try to get it over inside three weeks and it's a real rush job - that's of no benefit to the clubs. "They have a far better system in place in Meath. Drumconrath are close to us here and they played their first game in April and their last one in October. At least they had a season! "In Louth, they have a terrible attitude. It's all about getting the games out of the way as quickly as possible as that's no good to anyone. We played our last championship game in the middle of July and the lads had nothing to play for then for the rest of the season. After three weeks, our year was over. "Okay, in fairness, the team dug in and earned promotion but there's no comparison between league and championship. We finished second to Sean O'Mahonys in Division 2B and went up with two games to spare. We actually beat the O'Mahonys but it was the Fechins who stopped us from winning the cup. They beat us twice and beat us well .... theywere an imposing side and were too strong for us physically." During the year, Sean McDermotts were missing a number of the players who had powered them to the 2001 intermediate final. Naturally, this hindered them greatly. Michael McMullen retired; Adam Finlay was injured; David Matthews missed most of the season through injury; Alan Reilly was in America; and Daniel Woods also missed a number of games through injury. So, the McDermotts really were fighting an uphill battle at times and the success they enjoyed despite this was quite phenomenal. On a sad note, the Seans lost two great clubmen at the end of 2001. It was with great sadness that they bade farewell to staunch clubmen Sean Curran (Gerry's brother) and Sean McGahon. The former served the club as secretary for a number of years, while the latter will be remembered as a long-serving club chairman. Both men attended the drawn IFC final in 2001 and were extremely proud to witness their beloved club performing on such a big stage. They would want nothing else but for the Seans to keep going - and that's exactly what they're doing! Says Gerry: "We're planning some work on the pitch here at Mountrush next year - it needs to be drained and we're also going to put up lights. We've been playing here since the early 'eighties and already have a fine clubhouse, hall and youth club. "Things are looking good on the field of play too. We have some great young players coming through and Daniel Woods, David Matthews, Tommy Durnin, Brendan Finlay and Glen Callaghan all featured on the Baile Talun side that won the county minor championship in 2001. We're fortunate to have so much young talent at our disposal." How will the Seans do in 2003? "We're looking forward to the new season. It's a big step up into Division 2A and our main aim is to stay there. We're up against a lot of big clubs so we'll have to be on our game. We have already shown that we're capable of a good run in the championship and we could do well again if we have all our players and get the breaks. I'll tell you one thing: if we hit form, we'll take a lot of stopping." "Our aim is to go senior eventually. Ultimately, that's what everyone strives towards and we're no different in that respect. We'll give it a good lash and if we don't make it in 2003 we'll try twice as hard the following year! Gerry's father Joe Curran (who was secretary of the Wolfe Tones for years while he worked in Reid's Bar in Drogheda) was a founder member of the Sean McDermotts club in 1947 along with Paddy Byrne and Paddy Murray. They'd be proud of the legacy they've left behind: 55 years on, the Seans are going stronger than ever! Friends we lost This last year has seen the club lose two former Chairmen within one month of each other. Sean McGahon was one of the best clubman Seans ever had. He was a great motivator and a fundraiser for the club; he was the eternal optimist, always cheerful. No matter how bad things were going for the club Sean would see a way out of it. He played with the Seans for over three decades, winning a 2nd Division championship in 1958. He had the distinction of playing on the same team as his three sons, Gerard, Sean and Kevin (RIP). He also served the club as a committee member, selector and chairman. He received the Hall of Fame Award from the club in '95. Sean also served as a Louth selector in the mid-eighties. The club was never short of a pitch of a set of goalposts when Sean was about. No doubt he is now playing football in the sky. Sean Curran was the oldest son of one of the clubs founding members Joe Curran. The family have a long association with the club. His brother Gerard was a selector and is a present committee member. Another brother Ignatius runs the youth side and that's where the club's present success stems from. Indeed his son was club captain in the 2001 intermediate final. Sean was a very good neighbour as well as a committee member, chairman, secretary and PRO. Every club needs a Sean Curran. Tweet

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