John Hanratty was ratified as the manager of the Louth Ladies Football team for a second successive year at a Co Board meeting held in the Clans last Thursday night.

The Collon man was a member of the Mattock Rangers team that won the Old Gaels Cup (Div 2 League) in both 1996 and again  two years later. The '96 success  was the first time that the Intermediate League winners were promoted to the Senior ranks as well as the Championship winners.

Hanratty was again on the Rangers line-out which took the Joe Ward Cup to Collon for the first time in 2002. Since that breakthrough win over St Brides, Mattock have taken Louth’s biggest sporting prize on four occasions in the past eight seasons.

John’s assistant will be fellow Mattock clubman Pat Reid. Pat wore the No. 13 jersey as Mattock defeated St Josephs in the 1982 Intermediate Championship final alongside his brothers Sean and Damien.

His two daughters Niamh and Maria have been leading players on county teams for some time. Taking charge of training will be Senchalstown man Paddy Curtis. Holder of two senior championship medals won with his native club, Paddy then took charge of Senchalstown Ladies for four seasons enjoying considerable success.

Completing what is a very impressive back room team will be ex county stars Ann Marie King and Orlaith Kirk.

When St Kevins comogie club was formed in 1978 Ann Marie despite being just a toddler was one of its first members along with her sister Linda. She has won two Senior C/Ship, 5 Junior C/Ship and 2 Senior League medals as well as being voted county camogie player of the year on three occasions and club player of year also 3 times.

As a footballer Ann Marie was one of the founding members of the Philipstown club back in 1993. A year later Kevins took their first county title as they beat a fancied St.Josephs by 3-04 to 1-02 in the League final. They also got to the Senior C/Ship final where they were unlucky to lose to Cooley (3-06 to 2-07) after a replay.

In virtually the last kick of that final which was played in Dunleer, King looked to be about to bring the game to extra time but her shot for goal to equalise went over the bar in virtually the last action of the game.

In ‘95 Kevins luck appeared to be  out again as Cooley convincingly beat them (3-9 to 2-03) in the League decider. But the Dunleer parish side captained by Fiona Sweeney would get their revenge in the Championship as they beat Kickhams by 2-01 to 0-03 in the final, with Ann Marie giving  a fine display at midfield.

It was to be her last success at senior level as Louth club football was dominated by a superb Cooley team over the next seven years and then by a fine Nh.Malachi side who contested 10 senior championship finals between 1996 and 2009. In more recent times Stabannon have emerged as the latest club to dominate in the county.

Ann Marie was a key member of the Louth team which won the All-Ireland Junior and Intermediate titles in 1998 and 1999. In the 98 victory over Roscommon in Croke Park, Ann Marie was part of an all Kevins full back line with club mates Amanda Brennan and Fiona Sweeney.

Ann Marie has also won Intermediate Championship and League medals, and she was also selected on the Louth team of the year twice, County player of the year, and was twice club player of the year.

Orlaith Kirk began her career with Dundalk Gaels in 1993. Within a matter of weeks she attracted the attention of then Louth manager Micheal Heeney and made her debut as a 13 year old in a Leinster Junior Championship outing against Wicklow.

Fittingly she made her final appearance in the red jersey in the home of GAA as Louth clashed with Limerick in the 2010 All-Ireland Final. In her 19 year inter-county career, Kirk showed tremendous loyalty rarely missing a training session or match, often travelling long distances.

Orlaith was superb as Louth won back to back All-Ireland titles in the late Nineties. Having beaten Roscomon by 4-08 to 2-09 in the "98 Junior final in Croke Park, Orlaith took the player of the match award as Wexford were put to the sword in the Intermediate  final 12 months later as the Wee County ran out 2-08 to 1-07 winners having beaten both Kerry and Cork in earlier rounds.

Orlaith also represented Leinster many times in the inter-provincial competition. Orlaith joined the Malachis on the demise of the Gaels at the end of the 1996 season. In 1996 Gaels amalgamated with the Courtbane club for the Minor competition. The Gaels/Malachis combination which was managed by P.J. Loughran and Dermot Woods took the U/18 Championship in style culminating in a big win over St Pats  (3-13 to1-04) in the final with Orlaith playing a big part in this success.

In the 97 senior championship Malachis pushed holders St .Josephs all the way in a thrilling final in Dowdallshill as they went down to a 2-05 to 1-04 defeat. The Dromiskin side went on to take the Leinster title just a few months later as they beat Oldcastle in the Junior final.

Orlaith was to experience much frustration as her  club contested four of the next five finals all against Cooley and each ending in defeat. That was to change however in 2003 as with former Louth and and Clans star Barry O’Connor now in charge, the Malachis finally got the better of Cooley in a pulsating final in the Clans giving this wonderful player her  first senior c/ship medal.

Orlaith also tasted further championship success with the mals in '04 '07 and '08 and while they took the '09 Div 1 League title by beating Stabannon, it was Parnells who took their first ever Senior C/Ship  title as they denied the border club a 3-in a-row with a narrow win after an extra time replay in the Clans (also in 09) in what turned out to be  Orlaith’s final appearance in the Malachis jersey.

Kirk now plays  her football in Antrim with St Brigids. In her first year with the Belfast club (2010) she led her side to the county final where they lost narrowly to St.Galls. In the All-Ireland 7s played last  September Orlaith was voted player of the tournament proving that the Dundalk native is very much still at the top of her game.

Louth open their 2012 League campaign with an away game in Longford on Feb 05,The midlanders  have recently installed  Diane OHora as their manager. Having won 3 All-Ireland Senior titles with her native Mayo,OHora brings a wealth of experience to her new squad and will be keen to try and guide Longford to a coveted All-Ireland Intermeadiate Championship crown. The Carnacon native is expected to have an experienced coach installed as her selector in the coming weeks as Longford gear up for the coming season.

[Report: Dermot Woods]