Kelly ratified for second season as Louth boss

Louth manager Colin Kelly

There will be no change of management in the Louth GAA structures for 2016.

Football boss Colin Kelly was last night ratified for a second season as Wee County manager, with County Board officials backing him to bounce back from a disappointing league campaign this year in which Louth were relegated to Division Four.

Despite that setback and a heavy championship defeat to Tipperary, there was no appetite for change.

Meanwhile, Diarmuid McCarthy was also ratified for a third successive season as Louth hurling manager.

Sports clubs with bars will have to pay commercial rates this year, Minister confirms

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.

Two Louth GAA clubs hit with rates bills by council totalling €28,500

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.

Halpenny elected new Louth County Board chairman

New County Board chairman Des Halpenny

Des Halpenny was last night elected the new chairman of the Louth County Board at its annual convention in The Fairways Hotel.

The John Mitchels clubman, who has served as secretary for the past five years, won the vote to succeed Padraig O’Connor after pipping outgoing vice chairman Declan Byrne 95-25.

Meanwhile, Clan na Gael’s Fra Kieran was elected the new County Board secretary on the night after defeating Bob Doheny by 68 votes to 53, with the latter later being returned to his outgoing position of PRO.

The new make up of the County Board is as follows:

• Chairman: Des Halpenny (John Mitchels)
• Vice chairman: Peter Moore (O Raghallaigh’s)
• Secretary: Fra Kieran (Clan na Gael)
• Assistant Secretary: Sean Carroll (St Mary’s)
• Treasurer: Aidan Berrill (Naomh Mairtin)
• PRO: Bob Doheny (St Kevin’s)
• Coaching Officer: John Grogan (St Patrick’s)
• Development Officer: Tomás O hEocaidh (Oliver Plunketts)
• Central Council delegate: Paddy Oliver (St Patrick’s)
• Leinster Council delegates: Paddy McMahon (Sean O’Mahony’s) and Padraig O’Connor (St Patrick’s)
• Children’s Officer: Stephen O’Connor (St Patrick’s)
• Delegates to Leinster Convention: Des Halpenny (John Mitchels), Declan Byrne (O’Connells), Bob Doheny (St Kevin’s), AN Other (to be elected in January)
• Delegates to Congress: Aidan Berrill (Naomh Mairtin), David Rogers (St Kevin’s)

O’Connor to host 5k run in Dundalk for children’s cancer

The route for Stephen’s run

Local businessman Stephen O’Connor will be hosting a run of children’s cancer and respite in Dundalk on Saturday March 8^th.

The 5k event will take place along the Old Newry Road, the by-pass and the Racecourse Road.

Details on how to sign up for the race will be released in the coming days but people can contribute to Stephen’s fundraising campaign here or call him at 087-6487466.

A former PRO of the Louth County Board, Stephen runs his own company, Stephen O’Connor Insurance and Loss Assessors.

Joe Carroll to feature on tonight’s In Off The Post

Tonight’s In Off The Post GAA show on Dundalk FM will have former Sean O’Mahony’s, Inniskeen and Monaghan star Joe Carroll as a special guest.

In Off The Post airs each Wednesday night at 9pm on Dundalk FM 100 and is presented by former County Board chairman Peter Brannigan and Naomh Malachi clubman, Dermot Woods, a former chair of the Louth Ladies County Board.

The show can also be accessed online at www.dundalkfm.com and is repeated on Saturdays at 6pm.

Leinster club finals to be discussed on In Off The Post this Wednesday on Dundalk FM

This week’s In Off The Post GAA show on Dundalk FM will have all the reaction from Sunday’s Leinster club finals involving the Geraldines and Hunterstown Rovers.

Amongst the guests on the show will be Geraldines chairman Padraig McDonnell and team manager Eamon McEneaney. There will also be a chat with ex Clan na Gael and Louth star, Benny Gaughran, who is now a member of Naomh Olaf.

In Off The Post airs each Wednesday night at 9pm on Dundalk FM 100 and is presented by former County Board chairman Peter Brannigan and Naomh Malachi clubman, Dermot Woods, a former chair of the Louth Ladies County Board.

The show can also be accessed online at www.dundalkfm.com and is repeated on Saturdays at 6pm.

Related articles

• McEneaney earns Geraldines a second bite at the cherry (talkofthetown.ie)

Little change on Louth County Board

There will be little or no change on the Louth County Board next year with all the major players set to return to their positions unopposed.

The nominations for Monday week’s annual Convention were released earlier today with chairman Padraig O’Connor, secretary Des Halpenny, treasurer Aidan Halpin and all of their assistants set to be returned unopposed.

The only major change will be the appointment of Bob Doheny of St Kevin’s as PRO.

Louth GAA clubs vote to proceed with development of Drogheda

An artist’s impression of what a redeveloped Drogheda would look like

The Louth County Board last night issued a statement in relation to the ongoing County Grounds debacle.

Despite recent claims from Dundalk IT that a proposed stadium at the college would only have cost the GAA €3 million, made up by a €1.5 million contribution from Louth GAA and a further €1.5 million from Croke Park, this has been refuted.

The County Board insists the 12,000 seater stadium would have cost €10.5 million, plus VAT, which was well above the original budget of €6 million.

The Louth County Board say they are now going to seek funding from Croke Park for the redevelopment of the Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda. Once secured, they say they will sit down with the O Raghallaigh’s to try and work out a deal for a redevelopment of the grounds.

Ownership issues have held up previous planned investments in the Drogheda venue with Croke Park unwilling to pump money into a County Ground that is not owned by the association.

Clubs last night voted 33-9 in favour of the Drogheda Grounds proposal, subject to funding and legal agreements being agreed upon.

The Drogheda plan is estimated to cost in the region of €3.7 million.

Related articles

• Plans for County Grounds at Dundalk IT are shelved as Louth’s focus turns to Drogheda (talkofthetown.ie)
• Dundalk IT hit back over County Ground debacle (talkofthetown.ie)

Championship delayed while Louth are in action

The Louth County Board has announced that this year’s Louth Senior and Intermediate Football Championships have been postponed until the county side are finished competing in the All-Ireland.

The club championship had been expected to get underway this day week but will not now take place until Aidan O’Rourke’s side are eliminated from Qualifiers.

The junior championship will go ahead, starting on Friday July 12th, with a double header in Ardee featuring St Kevin’s v Dowdallshill and St Finbarrs v Hunterstown Rovers.

Louth will face Kildare in the next round of the Qualifiers in Newbridge at 7pm on Saturday July 13th.