In 1933 the club lost the Louth Senior Football Championship final for the first time, going down 3–03 to 1–07 against Newtown Blues at the Drogheda Gaelic Grounds, with a team that featured five Hearty brothers.[4][5] It would be a further 26 years before Clans would reach their next senior championship final. In 1959 they came from behind to draw with St Mary's, going on to win the replay at the Gaelic Grounds by 0–08 to 0–05. The side was captained by Benny Toal.[6]
In 1954 Louth reached the final of the Leinster Junior Football Championship. The team, which lost to Dublin by seven points, included five Clans' players. They were Eddie Murphy (goal), John McArdle, Paddy Dixon, Benny Toal, and Séamus Connolly.[7]
The early 1960s saw the emergence of Newtown Blues as the dominant force in Louth football.[8] The Drogheda men would win seven Louth SFC titles during the decade. Their replay victory in 1964 at Ardee came at the Clans' expense, on a scoreline of 3–08 to 0–04.[5]
The club's new home ground Clan na Gael Park was officially opened in 1966, coinciding with 50th anniversary celebrations.[9]
The club's minor team won the Minor Championship in 1976,[10] beating Oliver Plunketts 1–02 to 0–04 at St Brigid's Park, Dowdallshill. This side contained Jim Brady, Aidan Wiseman, Gary O'Callaghan and the McKeever brothers who all went on to win SFC titles in the 1980s.
The drought at Louth Senior Football Championship level finally ended in 1985 with a 1–06 to 0–04 win over Roche Emmets in the final at Dowdallshill.[11] A bid for two in-a-row ended at the semi-final stage with defeat to Kilkerley Emmets in 1986. The Clans returned, however, the next year and defeated Newtown Blues in the final at Ardee, 1–07 to 0–04. The Louth county team now included several Clans players, including the O'Hanlon brothers, Niall O'Donnell, Peter Fitzpatrick and Gerry Curran. More success at minor level followed in the Eighties, with the Fr. Larry Murray Cup returning to the Ecco Road in 1981, 1983 and 1988.[12]
The next few years saw Clan na Gael lose three county finals in a row, all narrowly, to opponents Newtown Blues (1988),[5]Cooley Kickhams (1990)[13] and Stabannon Parnells in 1991.[14] Only a late equalizing point from the boot of Séamus O'Hanlon prevented a fourth straight county final defeat, against town rivals Dundalk Gaels in 1992. Clans won the replay at Dowdallshill on a scoreline of 3–11 to 1–06.[15] The arrival of Stefan White from Castleblayney Faughs in 1991 further strengthened the team.[16] The club went on to win all three Senior football competitions in both 1992 and 1993. The 1993 SFC final versus St Mary's at the Gaelic Grounds was won by four points, 1–12 to 1–08. This side was managed by Peter Fitzpatrick who also played centre-half back.
Clan na Gael won their eighth county SFC title in 1998 with a 0–08 to 0–04 win over Lann Léire in Castlebellingham.[17] This was followed by further silverware in each of the next two seasons - the ACC Cup in 1999 and the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup in 2000[18] - defeating Cooley Kickhams in both finals. There was also success at underage level in this period, as the club won consecutive county Minor championships in 1999[19] and 2000.[20]
A 1–10 to 1–07 defeat to Mattock Rangers at the semi-final stage ended the Clans' hopes of winning another Joe Ward cup in 2002.[21] The club reached their last Senior championship semi-final to date in 2004, losing to eventual winners St Patrick's on a scoreline of 0–08 to 0–06.[22] Relegation to the intermediate grade of Louth football was confirmed at the end of the 2006 season.[23]
Clans' efforts to return to senior football since being relegated have been hindered by four successive defeats in the final of the Louth Intermediate Football Championship - in 2011 to O'Raghallaighs,[24] to O'Connell's in 2012,[25] in 2015 to Kilkerley Emmets (via replay)[26] and O'Connell's again in 2017.[27] As of 2023, the Ecco Road men are still competing at intermediate championship level and in Division 2 of the county football leagues.[28] The club's manager for the 2023 season is Alan O'Neill.[29]
Catchment area
The club was founded by residents of the Castletown district of Dundalk and draws its players from the housing estates in the vicinity of the Castletown Road and the Redeemer parish. The clubhouse and pitches are located on Ecco Road just off Castletown Road and adjacent to the Dublin-Belfast railway line.[30] In 2004, the County Board honoured the club by choosing Clan na Gael park as the venue for that year's Louth Senior Football Championship final, for the first time since their foundation in 1916.[31] Three further SFC finals have since been staged at the Ecco Road grounds, in 2006, 2009 and 2022.
The O'Hanlon Brothers - Kevin, eldest of the trio, captained Louth from full-back in 1990 and also skippered the 1993 Clans side that won the county title for the second year in a row. Won All-Ireland underage boxing medals as a youth. Middle brother Séamus was a nominee for the Louth football team of the Millennium at midfield.[38] Captained Louth in 1996–97. Winner of five Louth Senior Football Championship medals and a regular on Leinster Railway Cup sides. Younger brother, Cathal, was man-of-the-match at corner-forward in the 1987 county final win over Newtown Blues aged 16 and again in the 1998 final against Lannléire. Like Séamus, Cathal represented Louth in the Leinster Senior Football Championship in three different decades. As of 2023, he was the manager of Dundalk Gaels.[29]
Gerry Curran - Played in all five of Clans' SFC finals wins between 1985 and 1998 in a variety of different positions. Captained the team from midfield to a 0–08 to 0–04 victory over Lannléire in 1998. Made 17 appearances for Louth in Leinster Senior Football Championship.
Conal McKeever - son of former Clans player Gerry. Debuted for Louth senior team in 2015. Can operate in both half-back and half-forward lines. Holder of NFL Division 3 and Division 4 winners' medals.
