Over 250 guests packed the Park Country House Hotel in Omeath last March for the launch of Louth's newest GAA club, Cuchulainn Gaels. The fledgling club already boasts 300 members and according to chairman Roddy McQuaid, is fortunate to have a generous team sponsor in local company Morgan's Ocean Fresh. Established in response to a lack of Gaelic games in the Omeath area, Cuchulainn Gaels was formally welcomed into the Louth GAA family on March 24 last when the launch of the county's newest club took place in the Park Country House Hotel. The great sense of occasion was heightened by the presence of Sean Kelly who, in one of his last engagements as GAA president, made the long journey to the Cooley Peninsula to personally welcome the club's members to the GAA and to encourage the people of the Carlinn parish (encompassing Omeath and Carlingford) to stand behind this new club and to get involved in any way possible. Cuchulainn Gaels was formed on July 21 2005 and Kelly spoke of his amazement at how much the club had progressed in such a short period of time. He also noted how fortunate the new club was to have the use of two fine community pitches on Chapel Hill, bearing in mind that many clubs are struggling to keep one. He concluded his speech by commending all those involved in launching the club and offered his continued support in the club's endeavours, assuring members that the GAA would be there to support the club financially and otherwise. While there were teething problems initially, Cuchulainn Gaels has blossomed to the extent that it now boasts a 300-strong membership, 100 of whom are underage players who would otherwise not be playing Gaelic games. The fledgling club fields both men's and ladies adult football teams, and also caters for underage teams ranging from under 8 to under 13 level. "The response so far has been fantastic," enthuses Cuchulainn Gaels chairman and one of the founding members Roddy McQuaid. "Before we set up the club, there was a major void in the area as far as the playing of Gaelic Games was concerned. The nearest clubs to us were St. Patrick's and Cooley Kickhams, who are both over 10 miles away from us. And with the amount of development which has taken place recently in the parish, we felt that it was big enough to support a GAA club of its own. "Things have fallen into place very quickly for us and we now cater for a wide range of teams. Our adult team is still awaiting its first competitive win, but I'm sure it will be only a matter of time before it happens," he adds. Cuchulainn Gaels was given the green light to affiliate to the Louth county board after club members made their presentation to county chairman Paddy Oliver and county minor board chairman Tomas O hEochaidh. Former Down and Fermanagh football star Shane King was also involved in the early discussions and his expert advice was taken on board by all involved. The club's first executive was subsequently elected and is follows - chairman: Roddy McQuaid; secretary: John Bruen; treasurer: Matthew Jones. McQuaid, who spent many years in New York before returning to his native Omeath, explains that the club's objective is to promote all aspects of the GAA, including the Irish language and Irish culture. The club contributed handsomely to this year's Omeath Feile by organising its own sports day. Last March's historic launch in the Park Country House Hotel was attended by some of the biggest names in the GAA. Tyrone star Enda McGinley brought the Sam Maguire Cup along, while TV pundit Joe Brolly spoke at length to the 250 guests. Also in attendance were Steven McDonnell (Armagh), Jody Devine (Meath), Benny Coulter (Down), Paddy Bradley (Derry), Brian Burns (Down), Jody Gormley (Tyrone) and the aforementioned Shane King. Manager Eamonn McEneaney, Paddy Keenan and Colin Goss represented the Louth football team, while Kevin McKiernan and Kevin Dyas of the Hogan Cup-winning Abbey CBS team were present as well. Louth's 1957 All-Ireland winners Kevin Beahan, Frank Lynch and Ollie Reilly were also among the attendance, while Paddy Oliver and Tomas O hEochaidh represented the Louth county board. At present, the club has use of the dressing rooms at the local Astroturf pitch, but plans to develop their own and have already carried out improvements at Chapel Hill by erecting ball-stopping nets. One of Cuchulainn Gaels' most committed members is Carrickcrupper, Co. Armagh native Damien Lynch who manages both the adult men's team and the under 13 side. In his first season as manager, Damien assembled an adult squad of between 25 and 30 players, about 60 per cent of who had never played Gaelic football before. This team competed in the junior 'B' championship and Division 4 of the league. After receiving a walkover from Hunterstown, they reached the championship quarter-final which they lost to St. Fechin's by 0-11 to 0-4. Cuchulainn Gaels recently established a ladies football team which will compete in the county championship for the first time next year. This team is managed by John Bruen and Brian Elmore. The club also plans to field under 11 and under 14 teams next year, bringing its total of underage teams to five. "It's a gradual progression and we realise that things aren't just going to happen overnight. We'll have two more underage teams next year and hopefully in a few years we'll be able to enter under 16, minor and under 21 teams as well. "St Brigid's National School in Omeath won a Cumann na mBunscol title this year and that was a big boost for our underage structure. We'd love to win a few games at adult level next year and maybe in a few years time we might win a championship in one of the grades. That's the target anyway," Roddy says. The club colours are black and amber - the same as those worn by St. Michael's Secondary School in Omeath, which sadly closed a few years ago. Roddy has been overwhelmed by the amount of good will and support which has been shown to the new club by the local business community. The club is especially appreciative of the sponsorship provided by Morgan's Ocean Fresh, which is owned by the Morgan brothers. "We're proud to be associated with the county's newest GAA club which offers the youth of the area a chance to compete in one of the world's greatest games," Pat says. "We wanted to give the new club a kick-start by coming aboard as their main sponsor. I would like to wish the founders, members, players and supporters every success and here's to a great future." The Morgan family name has been associated with fishing for five generations in the Omeath area. Back when transport was by horse and cart, they would set off for ports such as Kilkeel, Ardglass and Clougherhead and had boats fishing and landing locally in Carlingford and Omeath. The main catch was the favourite Herring. From Omeath, the Morgans visited towns such as Cootehill, Cavan, Armagh and Portadown to sell their catch, often travelling well into the night, guided only by candle-lit lamps. They stayed in digs and their horses were fed and rested in adjoining stables before setting off again the next morning to sell their catch of Herring. All far removed from the fleet of refrigerated transport which is now owned by the company. Morgan's Ocean Fresh supplies seafood to leading outlets in more than 15 counties and is one of the most successful businesses of its kind in Ireland. In a further commitment to the North Louth area, Morgan's have opened a dedicated fish shop in Omeath. Tweet

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