It is a century since Armagh and Louth crossed swords in competitive inter-county action.
After capturing the Ulster Junior Football Championship for the first time by defeating defending Champions Cavan in the Final, Armagh entered unchartered waters by playing in the All-Ireland stages of the competition for the first time as well as a first ever competitive game in any grade against neighbours Louth.
Armagh travelled to the Athletic Grounds Dundalk, on 03/01/1926, to play the 1925 Semi-final clash, where the home side expected a comfortable passage to the All-Ireland Final.
Special trains travelled from Armagh and Dublin and the crowd brough a gate of over £100.
Louth wore their county colours of red. Armagh would later that year wear their county colours for the first time, donning a quartered jersey of dark green and amber for this contest. The Armagh team comprised players from Camlough, Killeavy, Mullaghbawn, Whitecross, Keady and the Armagh city clubs.
The home team played with the advantage of the elements in the opening half and struggled to gain the ascendency. The pitch had pools of surface water making underfoot conditions exceedingly slippery. J. Cassidy pointed to register the solitary score of the first half, one which Armagh demonstrated great ability in their first competitive visit to the county.
Armagh attempted to overturn the lead in the second period but it was the home side who went further ahead. A free was lobbed in around the Orchard goalmouth by J. Tuite who in some quarters is said to have scored directly to the Armagh net. Other reports suggest that the ball was finished to the net by either J. McMahon or B. Sharkey. Toner replied with a point for Armagh ensuring a nervy last few minutes for the home support, but Louth secured a final berth in a very low scoring encounter, as Louth edged the game 1-1 to 0-1.
Louth defeated Mayo later that year to becoming Junior Champions for the first of four occasions. Of course Armagh learnt greatly from this defeat and themselves won the 1926 All-Ireland Junior title, with five of that team on duty against Louth.
Armagh fans are known for bringing great energy to games and one media outlet at the time stated that Armagh supporters must have awakened echoes in the mountains of Cooley with their vociferous support during the game.
Their first recorded meeting at senior level was at the outset of an ill-fated Four County League, when Armagh won by the narrowest of margins 2-6 to 3-2 at Forkhill on 01/08/1926.
Their first National Football League meeting occurred the following year when Armagh raided the Wee County in Dundalk. On sodden ground, the home side were forced to start with fourteen players before achieving their full complement of players after ten minutes. Despite that, the home county started well, before a long shot from Cumiskey found the net for Armagh. Scores were exchanged and the Orchard County continued to lead by three at the break before a Donaghy goal settled the result early after the restart.
Armagh returned to Dundalk for the next three meetings with Louth in this competition, remaining undefeated in those encounters which included two draws, highlighted by a recovery from a six-point deficit by the home team, against a Fearon and McCullough inspired Orchard selection in late 1931.
Armagh were amongst a group of counties who withdrew from the National League in the early 1930’s, which saw both Armagh and Louth feature in a four county competition called the Lyon’s Cup, playing each other on five occasions during the three years, which the competition was played.
Armagh returned to National League action in the GAA’s Jubilee year, meeting Louth next in 1939 where a strong rearguard display was not enough to prevent a heavy 1-5 to 0-1 loss.
It was thirty-three years before the counties paths met again, indeed nine encounters occurred between 1972 and 1978, including two in one National League competition when group members played each other twice, with initial games played after the conclusion of one league and the remainder after the conclusion of the All-Ireland, in an experiment that has not been repeated since.
The pendulum of success swayed between the counties during these years, with Louth notably scoring the biggest win between the teams in 1973 when goals from Michael McDonald, Barry Gaughran and Richie Barry helped steer a 3-12 to 1-3 victory.
Armagh returned the compliment with big wins in 1975 at Clann Eireann and 1978 in Armagh, with two goals in three minutes key in the former and three goals in four minutes seeing up the latter success. Legendary players such as Peter Loughran, Jimmy Smyth, Martin Murphy and Peter Trainor were amongst the goalscorers in these games, as Armagh arose from the doldrums.
After Armagh reached the All-Ireland Final in 1977, Louth certainly had something to prove when Armagh came to Dundalk in late 1977, when despite a goal from Paddy Moriarty and a later equaliser from Joe Kernan, a goal five minutes from time from Michael McKeown won it for the home team.
Indeed, McKeown would create a piece of history in this fixture a year later, scoring three goals, though his team lost, remaining the only player to achieve that feat in previous National League meetings between the counties. It was all the more impressive in doing so in that game as his team spent most of the game playing with fourteen men. Two goals from Eamon O’Neill and five points from Jim McKerr helped see Armagh home and hosed, those this was one of two games in 1978 between the counties where unsavoury scenes were witnessed.
The establishment of the O’Fiaich Cup saw five further clashes over three decades between the counties, including a final in 1986.
Fate saw the counties not in the same NFL division again until the mid-1990’s, when three games all went the way of the visiting side, including a 1996 clash in the cathedral city when Armagh failed to register a score in the opening half.
Joe Kernan’s reign as Armagh Manager commenced in Carrickcruppen in February 2002 when Louth threatened to spoil his opening day, before a Stephen McDonnell goal ignited Armagh’s challenge aided by nine points from Oisin McConville to secure victory, whilst Mark Stanfield had hit eleven points for the visitors.
Comebacks became a common feature in this fixture since that time, with a last gasp Stephen McDonnell goal grabbing success from the jaws of defeat in 2007, 1-5 without reply, including a Stefan Forker goal, securing a late draw in 2014 and Aidan Forker and Ciaran O’Hanlon hitting vital late scores in a narrow win in 2015.
Louth will point to their own late comeback in Armagh in 2013, when three injury time scores nudged them over the line.
Armagh have recorded victories in the two most recent tussles, each in National League fayre, but history will be made this weekend when the counties play in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship for the first ever time, one hundred years after their sole Junior Football Championship encounter.
Past Armagh v Louth games at Senior Level
1926 Four County League, At Forkhill on 01/08/1926, Armagh 2-6 Louth 3-2
1927-28 NFL, Northern Section: At Dundalk on 27/2/27, Armagh 3-2 Louth 1-3
1928-29 NFL, North East Group: At Dundalk on 28/10/28, Armagh 1-3 Louth 1-3
1930-31 NFL, Group C: At Dundalk on 16/11/30, Armagh 0-7 Louth 1-2
1931-32 NFL, Northern Division: At Dundalk on 25/10/31, Armagh 1-6 Louth 1-6
1933 Lyons Cup, At Dundalk on 12/03/1933, Armagh 0-1 Louth 4-3
1933 Lyons Cup, At Bessbrook on 09/04/1933, Armagh 0-8 Louth 1-6
1934 Lyons Cup, At Lurgan on 04/03/1934, Armagh 0-3 Louth 4-4
1934 Lyons Cup At Dundalk on 08/04/1934, Armagh 1-3 Louth 2-8
1935 Lyons Cup At Dundalk on 10/02/1935, Armagh 1-1 Louth 5-5
1938-39 NFL, Group C: At Dundalk on 05/03/39, Armagh 0-1 Louth 1-5
1971-72 NFL, Division 2B: At Armagh on 27/02/72, Armagh 1-7 Louth 0-9
1972-73 NFL, Division 2B: At Dundalk on 04/03/73, Armagh 1-3 Louth 3-12
1973-74 NFL, Division 2B: At Carrickcruppen on 17/02/74, Armagh 0-7 Louth 1-4
1974-75 NFL, Division 3A: At Cooley on 01/12/74, Armagh 1-5 Louth 1-11
1975-76 NFL, Division 3A: At Clann Eireann, Lurgan on 07/12/75, Armagh 4-9 Louth 2-7
1976-77 NFL, Division 2A: At Armagh on 05/12/76, Armagh 0-11 Louth 1-6
1977-78 NFL, Division 2A: At Dundalk, on 04/12/77, Armagh 1-7 Louth 1-10
1978-79 NFL, Division 2A: At Drogheda on 23/04/78, Armagh 2-10 Louth 4-3
1978-79 NFL, Division 2A: At Armagh on 18/11/78, Armagh 4-11 Louth 1-7
1985 O’Fiaich Cup Semi-Final, At Crossmaglen on 01/09/1985, Armagh 2-7 Louth 1-13
1986 O’Fiaich Cup Final, At Crossmaglen on 26/10/1986, Armagh 2-1 Louth 0-16
1989 O’Fiaich Cup Semi-Final, At Crossmaglen on 14/10/1989, Armagh 2-7 Louth 1-11
1994-95 NFL, Division 2: At Davitt Park, Lurgan on 19/02/95, Armagh 0-9 Louth 1-9
1995-96 NFL, Division 2: At Drogheda on 15/10/95, Armagh 1-14 Louth 0-8
1996-97 NFL, Division 2: At Armagh on 13/10/96, Armagh 0-9 Louth 1-10
2002 NFL, Division 2: At Carrickcruppen on 03/02/02, Armagh 1-15 Louth 0-13
2007 NFL, Division 1B: At Crossmaglen on 11/02/07, Armagh 1-9 Louth 0-11
2013 NFL, Division 2: At Armagh on 16/03/13, Armagh 1-10 Louth 1-12
2013 O’Fiaich Cup Group Stage, At Crossmaglen on 08/12/13, Armagh 0-14 Louth 2-7
2014 NFL, Division 2: At Drogheda on 02/02/14, Armagh 1-13 Louth 0-16
2015 NFL, Division 3: At Armagh on 28/03/15, Armagh 0-10 Louth 0-8
2015 O’Fiaich Cup Semi-Final, 15/12/15 at Crossmaglen, Armagh 0-17 Louth 4-10
2017 NFL, Division 3: At Drogheda on 19/03/17, Armagh 3-15 Louth 0-11
2024 NFL, Division 2: At the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds on 27/01/24, Armagh 0-12 Louth 0-11
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