Two-thousand-and-five belonged to Louth's hurlers. In a remarkable reversal of fortunes, the Wee County stickmen stole the county footballers' thunder when they blazed to an All-Ireland final (the inaugural Nicky Rackard Cup competition) and rose to national prominence as a result. Gerry Robinson reflects on the excellent adventure. It's not often that the Louth hurlers steal the limelight, but that's exactly what happened in 2005 as the Wee County stickmen embarked on an astonishing Nicky Rackard Cup run that took them all the way to Croke Park on Sunday August 21. For the first time in this writer's memory, hurling was the buzzword all over the county and the players on the Louth senior team stepped out of the shadow of the footballers to finally get the attention they deserve for their largely-unappreciated efforts. London proved too strong in the Rackard Cup decider and, though disappointment was Louth's lot leaving Croke Park on the penultimate Sunday in August '05, there was no denying that they had come a long, long way in a short space of time. The new championship format, incorporating the Christy Ring Cup and the Nicky Rackard Cup for second- and third-tier teams, was designed specifically to promote the ailing ancient game in the so-called weaker counties. In Louth's case, it certainly had the desired effect. The Wee County reserved all their best hurling of the year for the major competition. Under the guidance of passionate management triumvirate Kevin McDonnell, Seamus Moore and Paul Callan, they exceeded all expectations by seeing off the likes of Tyrone and Armagh to advance to an All-Ireland final. They also went further in the competition than Donegal, who looked a cut above the rest at this level all year. With a high-profile All-Ireland final appearance (the match received prime billing on the undercard of the Galway-Kilkenny SHC semi-final and went out live on RTE television) and a marked increase in interest throughout the county, 2005 was a landmark year for Louth hurling. For a county that's fast developing an inferiority complex over the inadequacies of its footballers, this is a welcome boost and a development worthy of celebration. The national league was akin to the calm before the storm, belying the great things that were to come. Louth were in Division 3B of the 2005 NHL. They began their national hurling league campaign with a 1-12 to 0-10 defeat of Cavan at Ballyconnell on February 20. Despite trailing by 0-8 to 1-3 at the interval, the Wee County played with renewed purpose thereafter and won out thanks largely to five points from Gerard Smith and four from Paul Dunne. Naomh Moninne clubman Declan Byrne scored the first-half goal. Seven days later, Fermanagh provided the opposition and the Reds (fielding the same starting fifteen) recorded a second successive victory, 1-15 to 0-11 in Cooley. Smith and Dunne were again the top marksmen with ten between them. This time, Dee McCarthy got the goal. A draw with Monaghan in the third group outing (1-12 to 0-15 in Monaghan town on March 20) was enough to assure Louth of passage to the latter stages of the league, even though they still had one game outstanding - against Tyrone. Gerard Smith's goal just before half time kept Louth in touch against Monaghan and the Pearse Og player finished that game with an impressive 1-7 to his credit but the Wee County were powerless to prevent the hosts from landing a late leveller. In the final round of games, with top place in the Division at stake, Louth produced a sterling effort at Drogheda on March 26 to beat Tyrone by three points, 0-16 to 1-10. This guaranteed them passage to Series Two as table-toppers, unbeaten with seven points out of a possible eight. Monaghan finished second on six points, while Tyrone came third in the five-team section with four points. Louth had done well to reach the second phase of the national league, but their unbeaten record wouldn't last long as they lost all three Phase Two outings. The Reds looked out of depth in their first Phase Two outing against Mayo, shipping a hefty 2-17 to 1-11 defeat in Dundalk on April 10. In the next round, seven days later, Louth were well and truly hammered by high-flying Donegal, 6-11 to 2-7 at Letterkenny on Sunday April 17. There was no way back into contention and Round Three produced a third successive defeat, 3-13 to 3-5 against Armagh in Dundalk on April 23. Louth (with a scoring difference of -33), Tyrone and Monaghan all finished pointless at the bottom of the group and, at this stage, there didn't seem to be any great cause for optimism going into the inaugural Nicky Rackard Cup. When the Wee County subsequently lost highly-rated manager Pat Dunny, things appeared even bleaker - but how the new management triumvirate turned things around. Against all odds and in the face of adversity, Louth hurlers salvaged their season from the ashes of an unfulfilling NHL campaign. Given the backdrop, Louth's Nicky Rackard Cup performances were nothing short of astounding. They opened with a magnificent 3-19 to 0-15 victory over Leitrim at Drogheda on June 18 and followed up a week later with a ruthless annihilation of Cavan - 4-22 to 2-4 at Clones. The group went down to a do-or-die winner-takes-all meeting of Louth and neighbours Armagh. Though the Orchard County started as favourites, the Leinster county produced a stellar display in Keady to prevail by two points, 2-11 to 2-9 on July 9. Sweet. Unbelievably, Louth then breezed past Tyrone in the semi-final (3-10 to 1-8 at the Gaelic Grounds on August 6) to book their place in the inaugural Rackard Cup final. - a first appearance at Croke Park for Louth's hurlers since 1981. The game, on Sunday August 21, was billed as part of a double-header with the All-Ireland SHC semi-final between Galway and Kilkenny and was screened live by RTE. Unfortunately, the Wee County never rose to the occasion, leaking soft goals and falling to a 5-8 to 1-5 defeat at the hands of a well-drilled London combo that many contend were far too strong to be competing in this championship in the first place. Drawing their players from traditional hurling counties like Kilkenny, Clare, Limerick, Cork, Tipperary, Antrim, Galway and Laois, the Exiles were clearly punching below their weight, but defeat didn't detract from Louth's remarkable odyssey to a novel All-Ireland decider. The occasion seemed to get to the Louth players and they managed just a solitary score - Gerard Smith's goal - in the second half. But they still contributed some nice touches to the All-Ireland final, especially before the short whistle. And, with the dust settled on a season that ended in a fifteen-point defeat, the sense of achievement remains absolute. Could this herald the beginning of further exciting times for Louth hurling. For too long, the game has been the impoverished relation in the county but maybe at last that is about to change. New clubs have popped up in Termonfeckin and Collon and the game currently enjoys a better profile in the Wee County than it ever has. The challenge is to harness and build upon the success of '05. Of course, it won't be easy. The cards are still stacked against Louth hurling and it's always going to be a football county first and foremost. But there is room for both codes, as the sizeable Louth contingent that trekked to Croke Park for the first ever Rackard Cup final proved. Unfortunately, London will be replaced by Derry in next year's Nicky Rackard Cup and the Oak Leafers must be considered red-hot favourites to bounce straight back up in '06. However, with the same spirit, guts and heart they demonstrated during the summer of 2005, maybe Louth can again have a say in the business end of the competition. Louth always knew they'd get nothing easy against London. The Exiles normally operate at a higher level than the Wee County and had recent experience of playing in the Ulster senior hurling championship. Thus, a Louth victory would have represented a seismic shock and London's odds of 2/7 with the bookmakers actually seemed generous. As it transpired, there was a shock result at Croke Park on Sunday August 21st - Galway beat Kilkenny in the senior semi-final! As for Louth, it just didn't happen. The Louth team that took the field for the semi-final defeat of Tyrone boasted twelve home-grown players - a welcome and significant development in a county that has worked hard in the face of adversity to promote the game. (The three players born outside the county were Shane Darcy (Wexford), Ger Collins (Tipperary) and Declan Byrne (Carlow). This statistic in itself is testimony to the mighty work being carried out by the four established clubs (Naomh Moninne, Pearse Og, Knockbridge and Wolfe Tones), while the recent emergence of Collon and Termonfeckin is also a welcome development. Louth started the final best with the opening two points from Shane Callan and Niall McEneaney, but disaster struck when they shipped two goals in the 14th and 15th minutes. Despite points from Ger Smith (free), David Dunne and Callan, the Reds trailed by 2-4 to 0-5 at the interval. Louth dominated the third quarter and London went some 23 minutes without a score, but the Wee County's only score of the second half was Smith's kicked goal 18 minutes after the restart. The losers had closed to within three points when, for the second time, the Londoners hit two goals in as many minutes. Louth eventually caved in. It was a gallant effort but their weakness under the high ball was cruelly exposed. Though the final scoreline may not have done justice to Louth's brave effort, there was no denying that they came up against a better team on the day. The run to the final had been particularly impressive and must not be forgotten. Tyrone were comprehensively beaten at the semi-final stage, 3-10 to 1-8 in Drogheda on June 18. Ger Collins and David Dunne netted either side of the interval to put the Wee County in the ascendancy, while a third major from Paddy Coyle iced the cake. Louth had opened their campaign with one of their finest displays in years to trounce Leitrim by 13 points, 3-19 to 0-15. Aidan Carter was a central figure in this victory, firing all three goals for the hosts. Points from Sean Byrne (2), Dee McCarthy and Gerard Smith (3 frees) had the winners 0-6 to 0-1 ahead inside the first quarter and they never looked back. Though Leitrim did manage to draw level, Aidan Carter's deft flick to the net put Louth back in control just before the short whistle. Donnach Callan got his marching orders towards the end of the first half but the Wee County went on to dictate the entire second period with a flurry of scores from Declan Byrne (2), Niall McEneaney (3), Gerard Smith (2), Sean Byrne (2) and two more goals from poacher supreme Carter. Cavan were trounced by 4-21 to 2-4 at Clones a week later, in a game that acted as curtain-raiser to the replayed Ulster SFC match between Tyrone and Cavan. Louth trailed by four points after ten minutes but dominated the remainder of the game and held the Breffni men scoreless after the break. This time it was David Dunne's turn to score three goals, while Gerard Smith chipped in with 0-9. The clash with neighbours Armagh at Keady on July 9 was make-or-break. Louth produced a superb performance to prevail by 2-11 to 2-9 and book a semi-final place. It was 1-2 apiece early on thanks to David Dunne's goal and points from Paul Dunne and Declan Byrne, but Louth took over with some Paul Dunne frees and a Niall McEneaney goal to lead by 2-7 to 1-3 at half time. Armagh fought back upon the resumption but their prospects were hampered by a straight red card to Francis McMullen. It was backs-to-the-wall action late on as the Orchard men pressed for a winning score, but Shane Darcy's excellent penalty save typified Louth's stern resilience and the visitors held out for a famous two-point victory. Two-thousand-and-five is a year that Louth hurling followers will never forget. Hopefully, there's more where that came from… Louth, 2005 Nicky Rackard Cup finalists: Stephen Smith (Pearse Og); David Black (Wolfe Tones), Aidan Carter (Wolfe Tones), Shane Darcy (Knockbridge); Ronan Byrne (Knockbridge), Paul Dunne (Knockbridge, captain), David Mulholland (Naomh Moninne); Diarmuid McCarthy (Wolfe Tones), Shane Callan (Pearse Og (0-2)); Trevor Hilliard (Knockbridge), Johnny Carter (Wolfe Tones), Declan Byrne (Naomh Moninne); Gerard Smith (Pearse Og (1-1)), David Dunne (Knockbridge (0-1)); Niall McEneaney (Wolfe Tones (0-1)) Subs: Sean Conroy, Ger Collins, Sean Byrne, Alan Mynes, Niall Byrne Tweet

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