One of the fastest growing counties in Ireland at present is Louth. Not only is the Wee County making strides on the GAA pitch, but the infrastructure in and around its major towns has seen phenomenal change in recent years. Conn Murray has recently taken on the role of Louth County Manager and his job entails looking after the four local authorities, Ardee, Drogheda, Dundalk and county councils. This is only the tip of the ice berg as Conn is basically in charge of 800 employees who as a team have worked closely together to improve the standard of living in the county and attract investment from global firms. It certainly is a vibrant time to be living in Louth with the economic growth far exceeding other areas in the country, while GAA followers in the county know that Eamon McEnaney's charges are on the verge of something great. "Louth has grown considerably in the last few years, but there is a lot more work to be done and we have to ensure that growth is sustained over the coming years," said Conn. "My position involves working hand-in-hand with the four authorities. There are over 120 individual services to be monitored and controlled. It is a case of managing issues and enforcing regulations. "To do that we have six directors that I collaborate with on a regular basis, while we also work very closely with the elected members, which is of the utmost importance as they relay to us the general feelings of the public." Conn has a wealth of experience in the County Council having worked his way up through the ranks so to speak since his days as a clerk with the local authority in his native county Meath. Having worked in many councils around the country including his last position as Waterford City Council manager, Conn stresses that Louth's infrastructure far exceeds many other counties. "I've been impressed with the structure that is in place in this county. We are currently preparing budgets that have to be done by the end of the year and that will determine what work will be carried out over the next twelve months." With Dundalk named as a Gateway town, the emphasis has been placed on developing roads in and around town, but Conn revealed that this has not just been confined to the one town. "Dundalk is strategically placed for a gateway town and that has been a big plus to the economy in the county. The plan is to develop Dundalk and try to increase the population from its current circa of 35,000 to 60,000 residents by 2020. "To do this, we have to ensure that the town has the proper road structure to attract more business which will create jobs, while the amenities have to be also in place. The Newry-Dundalk bypass has been a major project over the last few years and that has really opened many doors for the two towns. "We have worked with Newry Town council very closely throughout this project as it benefits both places. We rely on trade from Newry and vice-versa. Drogheda and Ardee have also seen major expansion in recent years. There are plans in place for further development as the county continues to grow." Louth County Development Board in its 10 year strategic plan for Louth (2002-2012) highlights the importance of sport as a necessary activity for health and social well being of all individuals and the communities at large throughout Louth. Louth Local Authorities are committed to the overall aim of this strategy to make Louth a place where good quality sports/recreational facilities and opportunities will be available across the county and where participation in sports and physical activities by individuals and communities will be encouraged and supported. Louth County Council has established a Sports and Recreation unit within its Corporate Services section to advance the aims of the County Strategy in this area and has appointed a County Sports and Recreation Officer to over see this area. "There are some fantastic sports facilities in this county and I'm a strong believer of working with the GAA to help develop amenities to the highest standard possible. "You have to give credit to the GAA for the work they have done and the facilities available to people here have been a huge attraction to places all over the county, rural and urban." During the summer of 2003, Louth County Board agreed the groundbreaking purchase of a 35-acre site at Darver just off the Dundalk/Ardee Road. The move demonstrated clearly that Wee County GAA chiefs were deadly serious about proposals to develop state-of-the-art training facilities that could be used by all Louth GAA teams' footballers, hurlers, ladies footballers and camogie alike. With the site acquired, there would be no turning back. To the contrary, it has been full steam ahead as Louth sets the pace in an effort to rediscover the glory days. The development is still ongoing, but is nearing completion and this saw the Louth County Board and the local authority gel together to make their dreams come true. Darver is ahead of its time in terms of quality and the facilities available are certain to ensure the safe future of gaelic games in the county. The GAA is something very much close to Conn's heart and follows the fortunes of his native Navan O'Mahony's very closely having played with the club during the eighties. "I played senior football with O'Mahony's from 1981 to '88 and during that period won four senior football championship medals. However, work brought me down the country and when I went to Tipperary to start a new job; I first played with Arravale Rovers down there before moving to Moyle Rovers. "I'd still be a keen follower of football and go to a lot of O'Mahony's games. Since moving to Louth, I've realised how passionate they are about the football up here. I've been greatly impressed with the work that Eamonn McEneaney has done with the side. They have shown great signs of improvement and certainly have the potential to win a Leinster title at the very least. "They have a tough match against the Dubs next year in the Leinster championship, but Dublin are there to be beaten. If Louth could pull off a result there, it would be a massive boost to football in the county." Tweet

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