On the morning after a group of Louth footballers last set off to try to defend a Leinster senior title, the headlines on the front page of The Irish Times included news on the resignation of a TD from Dáil Éireann and reports of unrest in Lebanon.
That was in May 1958. The more things change, and all that.
Louth beat Westmeath in that Leinster quarter-final at Navan in 1958. They were not only reigning provincial champions at the time, but Louth were also Sam Maguire holders. Wee, only in name.
They progressed to the Leinster final but it was there, against Dublin, where Louth vacated the throne as kings of both province and country. Sixty-eight years would pass following their 1957 provincial title before they finally won Leinster again.
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There were plenty of short summers and long winters during that fallow period. It’s what made last year so special.
For the first time since the fifties, Louth will this weekend start a championship campaign wearing the badge of reigning champions. They have won the Leinster SFC on nine occasions in total but only successfully managed to navigate back-to-back titles once – 1909-10.
Thus, it’s a pretty significant pursuit they are about to embark upon. And yet despite the historic nature of it all, there has been noticeably little discourse on the possibility of Louth actually succeeding in pulling off back-to-back triumphs. Their Leinster defence is very much opening with a soft launch.
“Yeah, it’s pretty quiet but I think that shows you the maturity and standards the players hold themselves to now,” says former Louth player Declan Byrne.
“They don’t get too excited when things are going well or too down if things go poorly. After a really positive National League, I think the focus in the group is to work hard, get on with it and try to defend that title. There is a maturity to their approach.”
Louth are third favourites in Leinster with most bookies – behind Dublin and Meath, and just ahead of Kildare. But if there are any signs the reigning champions are affronted by their place in the pecking order, Louth are concealing it pretty well for now.
“No, it’s not a big talking point in the county,” says Dan Bannon, creator and host of the Louth and Proud podcast. “I think there is a natural tendency to revert to the traditional narrative in the province of Meath and Dublin in some ways.
“Like, this whole idea that Louth are being disrespected, I certainly wouldn’t be looking at it that way and I don’t think many Louth fans would be either. I think just the way the landscape has gone, we have a lot to prove after the All-Ireland series last year.
“The litmus test is the league and we were beaten by Meath this year – who also went further than Louth in the All-Ireland series last summer. And while Dublin have come down from Division One, they were playing at that level, so the reality is those teams have been above Louth in the league.
“At the same time, Louth won’t mind entering the championship under the radar and having all the talk focused on other teams in Leinster. To be honest, we’re happy enough not to be getting the limelight, because we’re not used to it.”
Louth’s league started with two defeats and one victory from their opening three games. However, they blazed a trail thereafter with four straight wins – beating Tyrone, Cavan, Derry and Kildare. As a test of character and desire, they ticked plenty of boxes during the latter stages of the league.
Byrne was part of the Louth panel as recently as 2023 and knows the level of talent within the dressingroom. He is also currently a coach with the county’s under-20 side. Just last season, Louth won the Leinster under-20/21 title for the first time in 44 years. The minors also contested their provincial final last season.
“For years we probably didn’t achieve at underage level and that didn’t help the senior team,” adds Byrne. “So it was important to kind of get across the line with regard to the 20s winning Leinster last year, having played in the final the year before too.
“In some ways, it’s uncharted territory, we seem to be getting a conveyor belt of talent coming through. There are six players from last year’s under-20s team involved with the seniors now and there are a few more boys this year who are going to go in after the 20s are over.
“So it does seem to be going in the right direction but at the same time, you’ve got to keep the momentum when you have it.”
The under-20s are currently preparing for a Leinster semi-final while the county’s minors are also in the last four at their grade having won all three group games.
Combined, since late February the Louth seniors (four), under-20s (three) and minors (three) are currently on a 10-game winning streak. A rising tide.
Sam Mulroy is the captain of the county’s flagship team and the 2025 All Star hopes to make some more history in the weeks ahead – though he is not getting bogged down in the noise around Louth’s perceived place in the provincial order of power.
“I suppose we can’t control what’s talked about or what’s not talked about,” says Mulroy. “We’ve had numerous managers over the last number of years and high-profile managers as well, but I’ve said it numerous times – it’s our team, it’s our county and we have a responsibility and a role within driving that on.
“I suppose what the last number of years has done is give people in Louth something to follow and the young kids something to look up to and want to aspire to.”
Byrne’s younger brother, Ciarán, is involved with the Louth squad and there is a general sense they now have a stronger panel than last summer.
“Wexford had a very good league and they will see this as a free shot,” says Byrne, who has watched Louth several times this year in his role as a match analyst with LMFM. “Louth have to be careful because you also have a tag on your back this season as champions and that’s not something Louth would be used to.”
Bannon believes the appointment of Gavin Devlin to replace Ger Brennan was an inspired decision.
“The feel-good factor is still there from last year and there have been great crowds going to games,” he says. “And I think what has really helped is the freshness and input of Gavin Devlin. And that’s what makes this type of provincial defence a little bit more malleable.
“The players wanted him, the players got him and they are backing each other up. He is challenging them and they are responding.”
And so it comes to pass, for the first time in almost seven decades a Louth team will take to the field on Sunday as reigning Leinster champions.
“It’s going to be a massive test for us,” adds Mulroy. From watching Wexford, they’re operating at a serious level and will feel hard done by not to have won the Division 3 final. “Everybody is chasing everybody now [in Leinster], there’s no room for error.”
John Murphy, a TD for Dublin South-Central, was the politician who resigned in May 1958. He never again served in the Dáil.
Getting back is hard. And Louth are about to test how hard it is to go back-to-back.
