Cardinal O'Donnell Cup explained

The Cardinal O'Donnell Cup is an annual senior league competition organised by Louth GAA for the Division 1 teams in Gaelic football in County Louth.

Format

All 12 teams play each other once, with the top four traditionally qualifying for the semi-final stage. The semi-final victors then face off in the final of the competition. There is also relegation to Division 2 for the worst-performing team(s).^[1]

Trophy

The winning team is presented with the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup, named after Patrick O'Donnell, who was Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1924 until his death in October 1927.

The trophy, which was donated to the County Board of Louth GAA by the Cardinal in 1926,^[2] is a replica of the Ardagh Chalice. The inaugural winners of the competition were Wolfe Tones of Drogheda.

Roll of Honour

	Team	Wins	Years won
1	Cooley Kickhams	15	1936, 1937, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1989, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
2	Newtown Blues	14	1933, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1977, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2005, 2010, 2018, 2022
3	St Mary's	13	1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1971, 1975, 1991, 2002, 2021, 2024
4	Clan na Gael	10	1929, 1982, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000
5 rowspan=2	5	Dundalk Young Irelands	6	1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1948, 1978
St Patrick's	6	1999, 2003, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014
7 rowspan=2	7	Stabannon Parnells	5	1945, 1950, 1951, 1995, 1998
Wolfe Tones	5	1927, 1928, 1931, 1934, 1935
9	Roche Emmets	4	1958, 1960, 1961, 2001
10	Dundalk Gaels	3	1942, 1943, 1944
11 rowspan=4	11	Mattock Rangers	2	2011, 2015
Naomh Máirtín	2	2017, 2019
Oliver Plunketts	2	1957, 1959
Dreadnots	2	1988, 2016
14 rowspan=7	15	O'Raghallaighs	1	1973
St Fechin's	1	1985
St Bride's	1	1968
St Mochta's	1	2023
Kilkerley Emmets	1	1980
Glyde Rangers	1	1932
Boyne Rangers	1	1930

Finals

winners also won Louth Senior Football Championship that year

§ Title awarded to St Mary's after objection. Oliver Plunketts fielded an ineligible player

Year	Winner	Score	Opponent	Score	Final Venue
2024[3]	St Mary's	1-15	St Mochta's	1-12	Stabannon
2023[4]	St Mochta's	0-12	Naomh Máirtín	0-11	Darver
2022[5]		0-11		1-07	Darver
2021[6]		-	A Final was not played	-	-
2020	Cancelled (COVID-19)
2019[7]		2-19		1-12	The Grove
2018[8]		2-10		1-08	Gaelic Grounds
2017[9]	Naomh Máirtín	0-18 (AET)	Dreadnots	1-10	The Grove
2016[10]	Dreadnots	2-15	Geraldines	1-16	Stabannon
2015[11]	Mattock Rangers	1-12	St Patrick's	0-14	Páirc Uí Mhuirí
2014[12]	St Patrick's	1-10	Dreadnots	1-06	Clan na Gael Park
2013[13]	St Patrick's	1-17	Cooley Kickhams	2-05	St Brigid's Park
2012[14]	St Patrick's	0-18	O'Connells	0-08	St Brigid's Park
2011[15]		3-13 (AET)	Dreadnots	2-12	McGeough Park
2010[16]	Newtown Blues	0-15	Kilkerley Emmets	0-09	McGeough Park
2009[17]	St Patrick's	0-12 (Replay)		1-08	McGeough Park
2008[18]		1-07		0-08	Clan na Gael Park
2007[19]		0-08 (Replay)	Naomh Malachi	0-06	Clan na Gael Park
2006[20]		1-06	Glyde Rangers	0-08	St Brigid's Park
2005[21]		0-11	Cooley Kickhams	0-07	Páirc Na nGael
2004 [22]		1-10	Glyde Rangers	0-07	Clan na Gael Park
2003[23]	St Patrick's	0-13	St Bride's	1-07	Clan na Gael Park
2002[24]		1-05	Mattock Rangers	0-04	Gaelic Grounds
2001 [25]	Roche Emmets	1-09	St Patrick's	0-08	St Brigid's Park
2000[26]	Clan na Gael	2-05 (Replay)	Cooley Kickhams	1-06	St Brigid's Park
1999	St Patrick's	1-14	Cooley Kickhams	0-09	St Brigid's Park
1998	Stabannon Parnells	0-08	Newtown Blues	0-05	Páirc Mhuire
1997	Clan na Gael	1-08 (Replay)		1-05	The Grove
1996	Clan na Gael	1-12	St Patrick's	0-03	St Brigid's Park
1995	Stabannon Parnells	0-11	St Joseph's	0-07	The Grove
1994	Clan na Gael	3-07	Dundalk Gaels	1-11	St Brigid's Park
1993		2-07 (Replay)	Stabannon Parnells	1-08	St Brigid's Park
1992	Clan na Gael	0-12	Newtown Blues	1-05	The Grove
1991	St Mary's	1-11	Stabannon Parnells	0-04	Knockbridge
1990	Clan na Gael	1-09	St Mary's	0-06	Cluskey Park
1989	Cooley Kickhams	0-06	St Patrick's	0-05	St Brigid's Park
1988[27]	Dreadnots	0-13	St Mary's	2-04	The Grove
1987	Clan na Gael	1-08	Dreadnots	0-05	The Grove
1986	Newtown Blues	0-10	Clan na Gael	1-04	Páirc Mhuire
1985[28]	St Fechin's	0-09	Cooley Kickhams	1-03	McGeough Park
1984	Newtown Blues	0-08	Dundalk Young Irelands	0-03	McGeough Park
1983	Cooley Kickhams	2-07	Clan na Gael	0-07	St Brigid's Park
1982	Clan na Gael	2-10	Newtown Blues	0-04	The Grove
1981	Newtown Blues	2-11	Kilkerley Emmets	1-05	Cluskey Park
1980	Kilkerley Emmets	1-09	Cooley Kickhams	2-05	Clan na Gael Park
1979	Cooley Kickhams	1-07	Clan na Gael	1-06	St Brigid's Park
1978	Dundalk Young Irelands	1-11	St Mary's	0-04	Páirc Mochta
1977	Newtown Blues	2-09	Roche Emmets	2-05	The Grove
1976		2-10	Newtown Blues	1-09	Clan na Gael Park
1975	St Mary's	w/o	O'Raghallaighs	scr.	Páirc Uí Mhuirí
1974	Cooley Kickhams	1-14	St Mary's	1-06	Knockbridge
1973	O'Raghallaighs	1-11	St Bride's	0-06	Páirc Mhuire
1972		3-08 (Replay)		2-05	Knockbridge
1971	St Mary's	1-07		1-05	Páirc Uí Mhuirí
1970	Cooley Kickhams	4-03		2-05	The Grove
1969	Newtown Blues	1-08	Mattock Rangers	1-05	The Grove
1968	St Bride's	1-10 (Replay, AET)	St Mary's	0-07	Páirc Mochta
1967	Cooley Kickhams	-	A Final was not played	-	-
1966		2-08		1-10	St Brigid's Park
1965	Newtown Blues	3-08	Clan na Gael	1-07	Páirc Uí Mhuirí
1964		1-10	O'Raghallaighs	1-05	Gaelic Grounds
1963	Newtown Blues	3-07	Roche Emmets	0-05	The Grove
1962	Newtown Blues	1-15	Roche Emmets	0-05	Knockbridge
1961	Roche Emmets	1-10	Newtown Blues	1-05	St Brigid's Park
1960	Roche Emmets	3-04	Newtown Blues	1-09	Knockbridge
1959[29]	Oliver Plunketts	0-06	Roche Emmets	0-03	Páirc Mhuire
1958	Roche Emmets	2-07	Darver Volunteers	0-04	Knockbridge
1957	Oliver Plunketts	1-04	Dundalk Young Irelands	0-05	Knockbridge
1956[30]	St Mary's	0-06	Dundalk Young Irelands	0-05	Athletic Grounds
1955	St Mary's	2-08	Stabannon Parnells	1-04	Athletic Grounds
1954	§ St Mary's	1-07	Oliver Plunketts	1-08	Gaelic Grounds
1953	St Mary's	-	A Final was not played	-	-
1952	St Mary's	3-09	St Magdalene's	2-03	Gaelic Grounds
1951	Stabannon Parnells	2-07	Dundalk Young Irelands	0-07	Stabannon
1950	Stabannon Parnells	2-03	Dundalk Gaels	1-00	The Grove
1949	St Mary's	3-03	Dundalk Young Irelands	1-05	Páirc Mhuire
1948	Dundalk Young Irelands	2-10	St Mary's	2-05	Athletic Grounds
1947	St Mary's	w/o	Clan na Gael	scr.	Gaelic Grounds
1946	Cancelled
1945	Stabannon Parnells	0-05	St Magdalene's	0-04	Athletic Grounds
1944	Dundalk Gaels	0-07	St Magdalene's	0-02	Athletic Grounds
1943	Dundalk Gaels	1-06	St Bride's	1-05	Athletic Grounds
1942	Dundalk Gaels	1-06	St Bride's	1-03	Athletic Grounds
1941	Dundalk Young Irelands	3-07	Darver Young Irelands	1-01	The Grove
1940	Dundalk Young Irelands	1-05	Glyde Rangers	1-03	The Grove
1939	Dundalk Young Irelands	3-03	Darver Young Irelands	1-03	Athletic Grounds
1938	Dundalk Young Irelands	2-05	Wolfe Tones	1-03	Athletic Grounds
1937	Cooley Kickhams	1-06	Wolfe Tones	1-04	Gaelic Grounds
1936	Cooley Kickhams	3-06		1-01	Athletic Grounds
1935	Wolfe Tones	1-04	St Magdalene's (Drogheda)	1-03	Gaelic Grounds
1934	Wolfe Tones	0-07	Newtown Blues	0-03	Gaelic Grounds
1933	Newtown Blues	1-04	Glyde Rangers	1-02	Athletic Grounds
1932	Glyde Rangers	2-03	Newtown Blues	1-01	Gaelic Grounds
1931	Wolfe Tones	2-06	Newtown Blues	1-06
1930	Boyne Rangers	4-03	Wolfe Tones	1-02
1929	Clan na Gael	3-02	Wolfe Tones	0-03	Athletic Grounds
1928	Wolfe Tones	0-06	Boyne Rangers (Drogheda)	0-01	Gaelic Grounds
1927	Wolfe Tones	1-07	Gardaí	0-06	Gaelic Grounds

See also

• Book: Mulligan, Fr.John. The GAA in Louth - An Historical Record. 1984.
• Book: Mulligan, Fr.John. The GAA in Louth - An Historical Record (updated). 2000.

External links

• Louth GAA official website
• Louth on Hoganstand

Notes and References

1. Web site: Dundalk Gaels capable of capping a remarkable season by relegating Dreadnots to Division 2. . 7 October 2022.
2. Web site: How Louth GAA's top trophies got their names . . 23 January 2022 .
3. Web site: Marys claim Division 1 League title as Hunterstown score last gasp winner in Intermediate Championship. LMFM. 19 August 2024.
4. Web site: St Mochtas’ prayers are answered as the Cardinal is in residence at long last. The Argus. 13 August 2023.
5. Web site: Hard working Newtown Blues gain revenge in league decider. Dundalk Democrat. 30 November 2022 .
6. Web site: CARDINAL O’DONNELL IN ARDEE FOR FIRST TIME IN 19 YEARS . Louth GAA . 3 September 2021 .
7. Web site: Sam's the man for Mairtins. The Argus. 14 September 2019.
8. Web site: O'Donnell Cup final: Blues complete memorable league season . . 10 September 2018.
9. Web site: Jocks claim maiden senior honour with extra-time win over Dreadnots . Dundalk Democrat. 14 October 2017.
10. Web site: Dreadnots finally deliver some silverware . Dundalk Democrat. 10 October 2016.
11. Web site: FL1 final: Mattock are champions as Pat's unbeaten run ends . . 27 October 2015.
12. Web site: Pat’s complete double to bring bittersweet season to an end. Dundalk Democrat. 25 November 2014.
13. Web site: Cardinal O'Donnell final: Pat's retain title in style . . 3 November 2013.
14. Web site: Paddy leads Pats to double delight . . 12 December 2012.
15. Web site: Clear signs of progress . . 27 November 2011.
16. Web site: Win gives boost to hopes for next year . Drogheda Independent. 24 November 2010 .
17. Web site: ugly end to season as Pats have the final say . Drogheda Independent. 2 December 2009.
18. Web site: Third successive title for Cooley Kickhams . The Argus. 29 October 2008.
19. Web site: League title consolation for Cooley . . 5 December 2007.
20. Web site: Heartbreaking defeat for Glyde in cup final. . 13 December 2006.
21. Web site: Lack of firepower costs Cooley again. . 11 November 2005.
22. Web site: Red card only spurred the winners on. The Argus. 5 November 2004.
23. Web site: Famous double ends St Pats perfect season . . 12 December 2003 .
24. Web site: Gutsy 14-man St Marys deny Mattock the double. . 6 December 2002.
25. News: Roche win O’Donnell Cup after 40 years. . 30 November 2001.
26. Web site: Clans win Cardinal ODonnell Cup again! . The Argus. 10 November 2000.
27. Web site: Sporting headlines from the past. The Argus. 17 December 2008.
28. Web site: Fechin’s featured in first TV match. . 5 August 2005.
29. Web site: Plunketts clinch the O’Donnell . . 12 September 1959.
30. Web site: Ardee's farewell to Paddy Beahan. Drogheda Independent. 27 February 2016.