Cooley Kickhams GFC will host their annual fireworks display at Fr McEvoy Park at 6.15pm tonight.
Safety is a priority at this event, with all spectators seated in the stand and the firework display on the opposite side of the field.
All are welcome to attend.
There is no entry fee, however donations can be made at the gate on the night to help cover the costs.
Dundalk GAA club Clan na Gael plan a second pitch on the Ecco Road with the €107,000 they have received
Louth sports clubs and organisations have received over €1.3 million in funding in Sports Capital Grants.
The largest amount went to Cooley Kickhams GFC, who will received €130,000, while Dundalk GAA club Clan na Gael GFC will receive €107,000.
Louth County Council will receive €100,000 while Dundalk Rugby Club are to get €90,000.
In total €1,300,292 will go to Louth clubs, with local TD Peter Fitzpatrick welcoming the news. He said: “I have worked very closely with many of the clubs involved and I am thrilled that they are receiving much needed funding.”
The full list of those who benefitted is as follows:
A Back to the Eighties disco will take place this Saturday in the Cooley Kickhams clubrooms at Fr McEvoy Park.
The event gets underway from 9pm with music from DJ Mickey ‘Dynamo Disco’ Duffy.
Entry is €10 and includes spot prizes on the night.
Dundalk FM 100 will have live and exclusive coverage of the Louth Ladies Senior Championship final between Stabannon and the Newtown Blues from The Grove in Castlebellingham on Sunday.
Joining commentator Dermot Woods will be ex-Louth star Orlaith Kirk and Patsi McGuinness, who captained Cooley Kickhams to the county title in 2013.
Coverage begins on Sunday at 1.15pm, with throw-in at 1.30pm. You can also listen online at www.dundalkfm.com
St Patrick’s GFC’s centre at Pairc Eamon in Lordship – one of the clubs facing a rates bill totaling €12,500
All sports clubs with bars will have to pay commercial rates this year.
That’s according to Minister of State Simon Harris, who moved to clarify the situation after a number of clubs around the country received bills from their respective local authorities recently.
In Louth, both Cooley Kickhams and St Patrick’s GFC received rates bills totalling €28,500.
Clubs who rent their pitches out for other community games will not be subjected to rates providing they are not profiting from it.
An evaluation is set to be carried out on all clubs with bars in the coming months with the Minister urged to contact all clubs directly to clarify the situation to them.
Appearing on LMFM last week, St Patrick’s chairman Alan Duffy and Cooley Kickhams chairman Gerry Malone said there’s no way that local clubs can afford to make rates payments of that size.
Indeed, Mr Malone said clubs could face closure over such a bill.
St Patrick’s GFC’s centre at Pairc Eamon in Lordship
Two of Louth’s most prominent GAA clubs have been hit with huge rate bills from Louth County Council.
Last night’s County Board meeting heard that the local authority is seeking €16,000 from Cooley Kickhams and €12,500 from their neighbours, St Patrick’s GFC.
The bills are believed to relate to various business activities being carried out at the two peninsula club’s respective grounds, Fr McEvoy Park and Pairc Eamon.
The Louth County Board insisted they would seek clarification on the matter in the coming days, amidst fears that other clubs could be targeted.
Appearing on LMFM this morning, St Patrick’s chairman Alan Duffy and Cooley Kickhams chairman Gerry Malone said there’s no way that local clubs can afford to make rates payments of that size.
Indeed, Mr Malone said clubs could face closure over such a bill.
St Patrick’s GFC will be hoping for more silverware this year after clinching a championship and league double last season. They are pictured here celebrating their league success
County champions St Patrick’s have been paired with Mattock Rangers and the O Raghallaigh’s in the group stages of this year’s Carrickdale Hotel Senior Football Championship.
The Lordship men were drawn in Group 4 following last night’s draw in Darver and will face a stiff test from the outset against a Mattock side who won back-to-back titles as recently as 2010 an an ever-improving O Raghallaigh’s side.
Elsewhere, last year’s beaten finalists the Dreadnots were drawn in Group 1 alongside St Mary’s and Naomh Mairtin while intermediate champions the Sean O’Mahony’s have been drawn in Group 2 alongside the O’Connells and Cooley Kickhmas.
Meanwhile, there will be a local derby in Group 3 where both Dundalk Gaels and the Geraldines have been paired alongside 2013 champions the Newtown Blues.
Meanwhile, in the CTI Business Solutions Intermediate Championship last year’s beaten finalists St Fechin’s have been drawn in Group 4 alongside Na Piarsaigh and St Mochta’s.
In Group 1 last season’s relegated outfit Kilkerley Emmets have been paired with fellow former senior heavyweights Clan na Gael and Glyde Rangers while in Group 2 are Naomh Malachi, Hunterstown Rovers and St Joseph’s. Dundalk Young Irelands are in Group 3 with St Brides and junior champions Oliver Plunketts.
In the Junior Championship, Roche Emmets will be hoping to bounce back to the intermediate grade straight away but face a tough pairing in Group 1 alongside Naomh Fionnbarra and the Sean McDermotts.
In Group 2 are the county’s newest club Cuchulainn Gaels, the John Mitchels and St Nicholas while Group 3 contain sides who all either won the Christy Bellew Cup or came close to it on numerous occasions in the Noughties – St Kevin’s, Dowdallshill and the Westerns.
Finally, Group 4 is made up of Lannleire, the Wolfe Tones, Glen Emmets and Stabannon Parnells.
For all three grades the winners and runners up of Group 1 will face the winners and runners up of Group 3 with the winners and runners-up of Groups 2 and 4 doing likewise.
In the Senior Hurling Championship, holders Knockbridge have a bye with Mattock Rangers facing Pearse Og and St Fechin’s playing Naomh Moninne.
Alan Page in his Louth days
Former Louth defender Alan Page has been appointed the new manager of Cooley Kickhams.
Page, who played with the Fr McEvoy Park outfit during his playing days and lost five senior finals, will be aiming to bring a first Joe Ward Cup to Cooley since 1990.
He will be assisted by fellow ex-Cooley players Padraig O’Neill and Gerry Craven as selectors.
Meanwhile, former Louth boss Aidan O’Rourke has been appointed the new Armagh minor manager.
Fr Martin Kenny RIP
The death has occurred of Very Rev Fr Martin Kenny.
Originally from Ballyforn in Galway, Fr Kenny was very well known in Co Louth and was an avid follower of GAA over the years.
Most recently based in Our Lady of Lourdes Presbytery in Drogheda, Fr Kenny was best known for his involvement with Cooley Kickhams
As a trainer during the 1970s, he helped the Fr McEvoy Park outfit to numerous championship successes and remained an Honorary President of the club. He was also associated for a number of years with St Michael’s College in Omeath.
He also spoke at a 2007 vigil at Ice House Hill in Dundalk to commemorate the 126 women who had died a violent death in Ireland in the 10 years prior to that. He was asked to attend the service to mark the second anniversary of the murder of Irene White, whom he knew.
Fr Kenny is survived by his brothers Jack (Wales), Peter (Ballyforn) and Jimmy (New York), as well as sisters-in-law Vera, Maureen and Maura.
Mass for him will be offered in Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Thursday evening at 7.30pm, reposing afterwards in the church. Requiem Mass will take place on Friday morning at 12 noon followed by burial afterwards in St Peter’s Cemetery.
Dave Kearney (right) and older brother Rob with the Six Nations title earlier this year
Leinster and Ireland rugby star Dave Kearney will be out of action for the next four or five months as a result of an anterior cruciate ligament tear sustained during the province’s RaboDirect PRO12 play-off win over Ulster in the RDS last Saturday.
The winger, who hails from Willville in Carlingford, will undergo surgery on the injury in the next week so. He had already been ruled out of Ireland’s summer tour to Argentina and is also expected to miss the start of next season.
Commenting on his Twitter account last night, the 24-year-old thanked people for their support in the wake of the injury
“Gutted to be missing the rest of season. Part of the game unfortunately. thanks for the well wishes and amazing support throughout the year.”
It has been a phenomenal season for the former Cooley Kickhams footballer, however, as he broke into the Irish setup during last year’s November internationals before helping the country to the Six Nations title last March.
He will no doubt be hoping his Leinster team-mates, including elder brother Rob, can win the RaboDirect PRO12 title when they take on Glasgow in the final at the RDS on Saturday May 31st.
Talk of the Town 