Louth GAA hoping for another 'day of days' in Croke Park

'Supreme title within our grasp! Will tomorrow be the day of days?'

This headline from the Dundalk Democrat and People's Journal newspaper in September 1957 is just as appropriate today as it was then, as the Louth football team heads into another historic match.

It has been 69 years since a Louth team last played in an All-Ireland football semi-final, and tomorrow they will go head-to-head with Mayo in Croke Park.

1957 was a great year for Gaelic football in the Wee County.

Not only did they play in the semi-final, they saw off Tyrone and went on to beat Cork in the final, to become All-Ireland champions.

Frank Lynch is among those pictured in that newspaper before the All-Ireland Final from all those years ago.

He was just 18 when he played for Louth but remembers it like it was yesterday.

Frank was selected in 1956 after being spotted playing for his club Geraldines GFC.

He played his first match against Roscommon, and "appeared to be on the Louth team forever after that".

"It was a long spell, the best part of 14 years," he said.

'Everybody went mad'

Frank describes the All-Ireland Final against Cork in 1957 as a "hectic sort of a game. We won the match 1-09 to 1-07 on that occasion".

He can relate to the pressure that the passage of time since a big win can have on a team.

"It was unbelievable, because we hadn't won an All-Ireland since 1912. That was a long time back."

Recalling the reaction to the win over favourites Cork, Frank said that "everybody went mad".

"They were beaten by the Wee County. It was a great achievement to get playing against Cork and it was the greatest day in football, as far as Louth was concerned, because it was the first time they won since 1912."

He said it was "unreal" at the time.

"We had the homecoming and all the rest, through Drogheda, Dunleer, Castlebellingham, Lurgangreen, Dundalk. There were thousands of people everywhere. It lasted for a week after that."

Frank will be among the thousands of Louth fans heading to Croke Park this weekend to see their team in action, and he fancies their chances.

"I think Louth have a good team, and I think they'll be able to take Mayo. I won't say anything about Kerry at this stage. They should get to the final at least."

He has proudly kept his All-Ireland medal, and many other medals, along with newspaper articles and the jersey he wore in the final.

It's not the red and white of Louth, but instead it is green, as both Louth and Cork had to change their county colours on the day.

Fever pitch

The excitement ahead of this weekend's semi-final clash with Mayo has reached fever pitch in Louth.

Shop windows and lamp posts in the county's towns and villages have been decked out in red and white.

The Naomh Máirtín club in Monasterboice is at the epicentre of it all.

It's the home club of Louth captain Sam Mulroy and stand-out player Dara McDonnell.

Senior players Darragh Dorian and Eoghan Callaghan are also in the panel.

"It's amazing," said club chairperson Martin McHugh.

"The atmosphere, the buzz from everybody in the whole parish, the whole county, it's just fantastic to see.

"Our club was founded in 1957, we're taking that that maybe it's a sign that this is our year, this is the year for our lads to go all the way."

The players are getting plenty of support, especially from their grannies.

Margaret Mulroy, grandmother of Sam, said he's "not a bit nervous. Not a bother on him".

Her advice for the team is to go out and play their best, but she has a few tricks up her sleeve as well.

"I say the rosary and I light plenty of candles. I'll have them lighting at St Peter's Church in Drogheda. I'll have them lit everywhere!"

Dara McDonnell's grandmother Paula said the excitement in the parish is fantastic.

"Everybody is so proud of them," she said.

Her advice is to "keep the heads down, play their football, and ignore what's said in the press or on paper. Paper never refuses ink".

Allegiances are split for Mayo man Oliver Ginty, who is also the juvenile chairperson at Naomh Máirtín.

Proudly wearing his Mayo jersey, he said he was "nearly physically sick" when he heard the draw.

"It wasn't the one I was looking for," he said.

"I wish Dara and Sam the very best, I hope they do fantastically well, I hope they play really well. I don't know how that works with Mayo winning at the same time, but we'll have to see!"

His prediction? "Mayo to sneak it by a point."

Paddy Briscoe and his son Gerard will be supporting the Wee County this weekend too.

Paddy was just a teenager when he attended the last semi-final in 1957.

"It was fantastic, a well-fought game I remember."

"I can't believe we're even touching at it now," he said.

'We're building a home'

Building on the rise of this Louth team in recent years, is the construction of a new stadium in Dundalk that will be the new county ground.

"We're building a home," said Sean McClean, chairman of the Louth County Board. "This is the first time we've had our own stadium. We're the last county in Ireland not to have a home stadium."

The new grounds will have a 14,000 capacity when fully completed, at a cost of €36.5 million.

The first phase is almost completed and will be ready for Louth's championship matches next year.

This includes one stand with a 6,000 capacity, floodlights, car parking, and other facilities. The topsoil of the pitch was being installed this week, ready to be seeded.

Mr McClean said that phase two will "start shortly", but they are waiting on government approval for further funding.

He said the momentum behind the team and GAA in the county hasn't happened overnight, and credited structures put in place in recent years, management and support for the teams in the last decade.

He said they were "up to high doe" and "extremely nervous" ahead of the semi-final, but there is a belief that Louth can win.

"We're going up with as good a chance as Mayo has. We believe we're good enough and the way the lads are playing the last couple of games, they're playing very well.

"Mayo are an extremely strong team, they have that experience of the last 15 to 20 years. We know we're going up for a very tough game, but we believe we are capable of playing a game for them."

The Chairman said everyone in the county is behind the team, with 30-40,000 fans expected to go to the match.

"I think it's a case that we're going to empty the county out and everybody's heading for Croke Park."

Whether history repeats itself for Louth with semi-final success this weekend will be evident in newspaper sports pages this Sunday.