Barry O Brien and Conor Crawley pictured at the Leinster Club Championships launch.
By Cian O'Connell
Since 2014 Sean O’Mahony’s have been on a remarkable journey assuming centre stage in Louth club football.
While Dundalk is synonymous with another code following three SSE Aitricity League titles in a row Sean O’Mahony’s have enjoyed a successful stint of their own.
O’Mahony’s Chairman Eamonn Doyle charts their blistering progress. “We have been on the road since January 2014 and that year we won the Intermediate Championship in Louth and we followed that up with a Leinster Intermediate title,” Doyle tells GAA.ie.
“Then we went into 2015 and we reached a County Senior Final for the first time in our history, beaten by a very good St Patrick's team, who have been dominant in Louth.
“We came out on the wrong side of that result last year so when we came back in 2016 the main aim was sustatin our League status which we have done, playing Senior League for the last 10 years. To get out of the group in the Championship was the first thing and when the Championship draws were made we were pitted against reigning champions St Pat's again and the Intermediate Champions from 2015, Kilkerley Emmets.”
Despite the difficult draw O’Mahony’s were still able to navigate their way to the Louth title before claiming a Leinster Championship triumph over Baltinglass.
“Getting out of the group was the most important thing, which we did and then we went on to win the Senior title without actually losing a game in Louth,” Doyle says.
“We followed that up with a win over Baltinglass so in the Championship games this year we are on a run and we haven't been beaten so there is that bit of momentum behind us. Sarsfields will be favourites with their tradition and the titles they have won so we know the task at hand.”
So how have O’Mahony’s stitch such an impressive run together? “Sometimes a combination of things come together,” Doyle replies. “First of all you need a bit of luck and to stay injury free, which we have done to a certain extent. We did get some injuries, but they came at the right times.
“We had a couple of guys that had operations, but they happened early in the year so they were able to come back. The other thing is there is probably a belief in the squad. It probably not the most talented squad or biggest squad, we are a very small club.
Ben McLaughlin in action during the 2015 Louth SFC Final.
“We are a town team, but we are basically a country team within the town, we are very community based with a lot of guys that had fathers playing for us, their cousins play.
“I put it down to a combination of things rather than just having a great minor team a couple of years ago or anything like that. It is a squad that we have added to each year, we have got one or two from minor teams each year so that helps.”
Doyle stresses the working relationship O’Mahony’s have with local soccer outfit Quay Celtic in the town and how important Jim McLaughlin, who managed Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers, and Derry City to glory. “Our club where we are situated we work hand in hand with a club called Quay Celtic in Dundalk.
“We have young guys that play soccer and Gaelic Football aswell so we change our training nights, we switch around our games aswell if there are clashes and things like that.
“Down through the years a couple of lads who have won Championships with us, they have also played League of Ireland at a high level.
“David Crawley, who has gone into goals, he played with Shelbourne and he was captain of Dundalk before. We have Ben McLaughlin, who was with Everton for three years, he plays with us aswell, his grandfather is Jim McLaughlin. The actual sponsors of O'Mahonys, Fastfix, a local company actually own Dundalk Football Club.
“Ben, Keith, and Niall McLaughlin are all Jim McLaughlin's grandsons and his son Paul McLaughlin has won two Intermediate medals with us and he managed the team last year. All our management teams have been from within the club, we haven't had outside managers so to speak.”
Current boss Alan Craven has made a significant impact according to Doyle. “Alan Craven actually transferred to us many, many years ago. He won an Intermediate title with us in 1998 and managed us previously, he came back last year and said he would manage us.
“He did a few training sessions last year in the build up to the game against Pat's and he felt that looking at the lads and the way they were committed that he thought there could be a title in them.”
Doyle also highlights O’Mahony’s links with the Army Barracks in Dundalk. “A number of our players are involved with the 27th Infantry Batallion in Dundalk so they are Army guys. The Army Barracks is just 50 yards from our pitch, Conor Crawley, the full forward, Stephen Fisher, Liam Dullaghan are all in the Defence Forces.”
Having steered O’Mahony’s to glory in Louth, they are all striving to take some scalps in Leinster now with Sarsfields set to provide a stern challenge in Drogheda on Sunday.
