Louth county hurling team
Irish hurling team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Louth county hurling team represents Louth in hurling and is governed by Louth GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Nicky Rackard Cup and the National Hurling League.
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| Sport: | Hurling | |
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| Irish: | Lughbhadh An Lú | |
| Nickname(s): | The Wee County | |
| County board: | Louth GAA | |
| Manager: | Diarmuid Murphy/Paddy McArdle | |
| Captain: | Conor Clancy[1] | |
| Home venue(s): | St Brigid's Park/Darver Centre of Excellence | |
| Recent competitive record | ||
| Current All-Ireland status: | Nicky Rackard Cup (5th in 2025) | |
| Last championship title: | 2022 Lory Meagher Cup | |
| Current NHL Division: | 3 (promoted from Div.4) | |
| Last league title: | 2025 Division 4 | |
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Louth's home grounds are St Brigid's Park and Darver Centre of Excellence.
The team has never won the Leinster Senior Championship, the All-Ireland Senior Championship or Division One of the National League.
History
As in most counties outside of the game's heartland of Munster and south Leinster, hurling has been less popular than Gaelic football in Louth. Currently, only three clubs complete in the Louth Senior Hurling Championship. They are Naomh Moninne, Knockbridge and St Fechin's.
At national level, the county's hurlers have won the former All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship twice and the Lory Meagher Cup three times. They have finished runners-up in the Nicky Rackard Cup competition on four occasions.
In 2024, the team was relegated from Division 3A of the National Hurling League to Division 3B.[2] They retained their status in the fourth-tier Nicky Rackard Cup by finishing fifth in the table.[3]
The 2025 season saw Louth clinch a return to Division 3A of the National Hurling League by winning Division 4.[4] Their Nicky Rackard Cup championship status was also secured with a fifth-place finish in the table.[5]
Current Panel
as per Nicky Rackard Cup round 4, 10 May 2025
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Managerial history
| Year(s) | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| 1991–95 | Tony Melia | Naomh Colmcille |
| 1995–98 | Patsy Mulholland | Naomh Moninne |
| 1998 | Selection committee | |
| 1999–2001 | John Kennedy | |
| 2002–04 | Joe Power | |
| 2005 | Pat Dunny | |
| 2005 | Selection committee | |
| 2006 | Kevin McDonnell | Wolfe Tones |
| 2007–09 | Pat Clancy | |
| 2010–11 | Paddy Kelly | |
| 2012–13 | Pat Clancy (2) | |
| 2014–16 | Diarmuid McCarthy | Mattock Rangers |
| 2017–18 | Philip O'Brien | |
| 2019–23 | Paul McCormack | |
| 2024–25 | Trevor Hilliard | Knockbridge |
| 2026– | Diarmuid Murphy/Paddy McArdle | Naomh Moninne/ |
Honours
National
- National Hurling League Division 3
- National Hurling League Division 3B
