Clan na Gael GFC is a GAA club from

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...

, which fields

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

teams in competitions organised by

Louth GAA The Louth County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Coiste Chontae an Lú) or Louth GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Louth. The co ...

. Their motto is 'Once a Clan, Always a Clan'.

History

Affiliating in 1916, the club won the

Louth Minor Football Championship The Louth Minor Football Championship is an annual competition organised by Louth GAA between the premier teams in minor (under-17) Gaelic football in County Louth. Trophy The winning team is presented with the Father Larry Murray Cup, named aft ...

in 1920. The first adult title followed in 1922 with victory in the

Louth Junior Football Championship The Louth Junior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition, organised by Louth GAA and contested by the junior One/A grade Gaelic football clubs in County Louth, Ireland. The winner qualifies to represent the cou ...

. 1923 saw the club win the

Louth Senior Football Championship The Louth Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition organised by Louth GAA among the top Gaelic football clubs in County Louth, Ireland. The winning club qualifies to represent the county in the Leinster S ...

by defeating Boyne Rangers of

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

, captained by inter-county player Peter Garland. In 1924 the Clans retained the championship by beating Larks of Killineer in the final on a scoreline of 1–06 to 0–01 at the

Athletic Grounds. In 1933, the club lost the

final for the first time, going down 3–03 to 1–07 against

Newtown Blues Newtown Blues are a Gaelic Athletic Association club from Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. The club fields Gaelic football teams in competitions organised by Louth GAA. They are the most successful club in Louth GAA. Newtown Blues hold the re ...

at the Drogheda

Gaelic Grounds The Gaelic Grounds, know for sponsorshop reasons as the TUS Gaelic Grounds, is the principal GAA stadium in the Irish city of Limerick, home to the Limerick hurling and football teams. It has a capacity of 44,023. History 9 October 1926 saw f ...

. It would be a further 26 years before Clans would reach their next senior championship final. In 1959, they came from behind to draw with St Mary's, going on to win the replay at the Drogheda

0–08 to 0–05. The side was captained by Benny Toal. The early 1960s saw the emergence of

as the dominant force in Louth football. The Drogheda men would win seven Louth SFC titles during the decade. Their replay victory in 1964 at Ardee came at the Clans' expense, on a scoreline of 3–08 to 0–04. The club's new home ground Clan Na Gael Park was officially opened in 1966, coinciding with 50th anniversary celebrations. The club's minor team won the Minor Championship in 1976, beating Oliver Plunketts 1–02 to 0–04 at St Brigid's Park, Dowdallshill. This side contained Jim Brady, Aidan Wiseman, Gary O'Callaghan and the McKeever brothers who all went on to win SFC titles in the 1980s. The drought at

level finally ended in 1985 with a 1–06 to 0–04 win over Roche Emmets in the final at Dowdallshill. A bid for two in-a-row ended at the semi-final stage with defeat to Kilkerley Emmets in 1986. The Clans returned, however, the next year and defeated

in the final at Ardee, 1–07 to 0–04. The Louth county team now included several Clans players, including the O'Hanlon brothers, Niall O'Donnell, Peter Fitzpatrick and Gerry Curran. More success at minor level followed in the Eighties, with the Fr. Larry Murray Cup returning to the Ecco Road in 1981, 1983 and 1988. The next few years saw Clan Na Gael lose three county finals in a row, all narrowly, to opponents

(1988),

Cooley Kickhams Cooley Kickhams Gaelic Football Club is a Gaelic football and ladies' Gaelic football club based on the Cooley Peninsula, County Louth, Ireland. History The club was founded in 1887 and is named after the Cooley Peninsula on which it stands. ...

(1990) and Stabannon Parnells in 1991. Only a late equalizing point from the boot of Séamus O'Hanlon prevented a fourth straight county final defeat, against town rivals Dundalk Gaels in 1992. Clans won the replay at Dowdallshill on a scoreline of 3–11 to 1–06. The arrival of Stefan White from Castleblayney Faughs in 1991 further strengthened the team. The club went on to win all three Senior football competitions in both 1992 and 1993. The 1993 SFC final versus St Mary's at the

was won by four points, 1–12 to 1–08. This side was managed by

Peter Fitzpatrick Peter Fitzpatrick (born 11 May 1962) is an Irish Independent politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency since the 2011 general election. He was a former soldier in the 27 Infantry Battalion and also a former man ...

who also played centre-half back. Clan Na Gael won their eighth county SFC title in 1998 with a 0–08 to 0–04 win over Lann Léire in Castlebellingham. This was followed by further silverware in each of the next two seasons - the ACC Cup in 1999 and the

Cardinal O'Donnell Cup The Cardinal O'Donnell Cup is an annual senior league competition organised by Louth GAA for the Division 1 teams in Gaelic football in County Louth. Format All 12 teams play each other once, with the top four traditionally qualifying for the se ...

in 2000 - defeating

in both finals. There was also success at underage level in this period, as the club won consecutive county Minor championships in 1999 and 2000. A 1–10 to 1–07 defeat to

Mattock Rangers Mattock Rangers Gaelic Athletic Association is a Gaelic football, camogie, hurling and ladies' Gaelic football club based in Collon, County Louth, Republic of Ireland. 2] 4] History The club was founded in 1952 and is named after the Mattock R ...

at the semi-final stage ended the Clans' hopes of winning another Joe Ward cup in 2002. The club reached their last Louth Senior Football Championship, Senior championship semi-final to date in 2004, losing to eventual winners St Patrick's on a scoreline of 0–08 to 0–06. Relegation to the intermediate grade of Louth football was confirmed at the end of the 2006 season. Clans' efforts to return to senior football since being relegated have been hindered by four successive defeats in the final of the

Louth Intermediate Football Championship The Louth Intermediate Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition, organised by Louth GAA, among the intermediate grade Gaelic football clubs in County Louth, Ireland. History The competition, introduced as a bri ...

- in 2011 to O'Raghallaighs, to O'Connell's in 2012, in 2015 to Kilkerley Emmets (via replay) and O'Connell's again in 2017. As of 2023, the Ecco Road men are still competing at intermediate championship level and in Division 2 of the county football leagues. The club's manager for the 2023 season is Alan O'Neill.

Catchment area

The club was founded by residents of the Castletown district of Dundalk and draws its players from the housing estates in the vicinity of the Castletown Road and the Redeemer parish. The clubhouse and pitches are located on Ecco Road just off Castletown Road and adjacent to the Dublin-Belfast railway line. In 2004, the County Board honoured the club by choosing Clan Na Gael park as the venue for that year's

final, for the first time since their foundation in 1916. Three further SFC finals have since been staged at the Ecco Road grounds, in 2006, 2009 and 2022.

Rivalries

The club's main local rivals are cross-town neighbours Dundalk Gaels - whom they beat in the 1992 Louth SFC final replay - and Seán O'Mahony's. At various times in their history, the Clans have had rivalries with clubs such as

and Stabannon Parnells.

Inter-county players

Current and former club members, who have played with Louth inter-county football teams, include: *John McArdle - centre half-back and captain of Louth team beaten in 1960

Leinster Senior Football Championship The Leinster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship and shortened to Leinster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA ...

final by

Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

. * Leslie Toal - full-back on Louth senior team from 1962 until retirement in 1978. Won

All-Ireland Junior Football Championship The All-Ireland Junior Football Championship is a GAA competition involving four Junior Gaelic football inter-county teams. Prior to a change in competition structure in 2021, the competition was previously for all Junior Gaelic football inte ...

medal as substitute on 1961 Louth team aged 17 and

All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship The All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship was a hurling competition organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland. The competition was originally contested by the second teams of the strong counties, and the first teams of the weaker ...

medals in 1976 & 1977. Managed Clans to two SFC titles in 1985 and 1987. * Benny Gaughran - Made senior inter-county debut while still a teenager in 1964. Played his last game for Louth in 1983

. Member of Clans team beaten by

in replayed county final of 1964. * Aidan Wiseman - Played with Louth between 1978 and 1986. Won Louth SFC medal in 1985 at right-half forward. Selected by

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

on team of 15 best players between 1975 and 1999 never to win a

medal. *

- Centre-half back, captain of winning side in both 1987 and 1992 SFC finals. Player-Manager of winning side in 1993. Captained

Louth county football team The Louth county football team represents Louth in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Louth GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Se ...

in 1988 and 1994. Later chairman of

county board A county board is a common form of county legislature, particular of counties in the United States. Related forms of county government include: * Board of Supervisors — a form of county legislature in some U.S. states * County commission, ...

. Also a T.D. for

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...

, being returned in the general elections of

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

and

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

. *The O'Hanlon Brothers - ''Kevin'', eldest of the trio, captained Louth from full-back in 1990 and also skippered the 1993 Clans side that won the county title for the second year in a row. Won All-Ireland underage boxing medals as a youth. Middle brother ''Séamus'' was a nominee for the Louth football team of the Millennium at midfield. Captained Louth in 1996–97. Winner of five

medals and a regular on Leinster

Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...

sides. Younger brother, ''Cathal'', was man-of-the-match at corner-forward in the 1987 county final win over

aged 16 and again in the 1998 final against Lannléire. Like Séamus, Cathal represented Louth in the

in three different decades. As of 2023, he was the manager of Dundalk Gaels. * Gerry Curran - Played in all five of Clans' SFC finals wins between 1985 and 1998 in a variety of different positions. Captained the team from midfield to a 0–08 to 0–04 victory over Lannléire in 1998. Made 17 appearances for Louth in

. * Niall O'Donnell - Goalkeeper, winner of four Louth SFC medals. Made Louth debut in

at age 17, retired eleven years later after 1999 season. * Conal McKeever - son of former Clans player Gerry. Debuted for Louth senior team in 2015. Can operate in both half-back and half-forward lines. Holder of

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

Division 3 and Division 4 winners' medals. *

Steve Staunton Stephen Staunton (born 19 January 1969) is an Irish football manager, scout and former professional footballer. He played as a defender (association football), defender with two separate spells each with Premier League sides Aston Villa F.C., A ...

- better known as a Republic of Ireland international soccer player, he represented Louth from Under-14 to minor level. He scored a goal in Clan's 1985 SFC final win over Roche Emmets as a 16-year old. He played his last match for the club in 1986 before signing for

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...

His brothers, David, Thomas and Pádraig, have all won SFC titles with the Clans.

Honours

(8): 1923, 1924, 1959, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1998 * Senior Football League (10): 1929, 1982, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000 *

(1): 1945 *

(4): 1922, 1930, 1936, 1954 *

Louth Junior A Football League The Louth Junior A Football League, or Division 3A of the county football Leagues, is an annual Gaelic football competition. Introduced in 1921, it is contested by Junior clubs in County Louth. The captain of the winning team is presented with ...

(4): 1929, 1947, 1953, 1954 *

(9): 1920, 1927, 1952, 1976, 1981, 1983, 1988, 1999, 2000 * Louth Senior Football League Division 1B (1): 2002 * ACC Cup (6): 1979, 1982, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1999 *

Louth Junior 2A Football Championship The Louth Junior 2A Football Championship is an annual knockout gaelic football competition organised by Louth GAA The Louth County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Coiste Chontae an Lú) or Lo ...

(9): 1920, 1923, 1927, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2005 *

Louth Junior 2A Football League The Louth Junior 2A Football League, or Division 4 of the county football Leagues, is an annual Gaelic football competition that was introduced by Louth GAA in 1941 and contested by the second teams of Senior clubs in County Louth. The captain ...

(6): 1991, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2003, 2014 * Louth Junior 2 Football League (Division 4C) (1): 1998 * Louth Junior 2 Football League (Division 4D) (2): 2001, 2013

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clan Na Gael GFC) Gaelic games clubs in County Louth Gaelic football clubs in County Louth