New plans for Louth county ground likely to be revealed at tonight’s board meeting

There are some weighty matters to be discussed at tonight’s meeting of the Louth GAA County Board in Darver.

It’s the first get-together of clubs since July, and since then there have been a number of issues, not least the one surrounding the new county grounds.

In addition, objections and appeals, one of which went all the way to Croke Park, have exercised a lot minds, not only those of the clubs involved.

It’s been the main topic of conversation among the GAA fraternity over the past month or so.

There have also been two resignations of County Board officers. Both were withdrawn, one within 24 hours of being tendered.

Delegates left the most recent meeting believing that on the following Monday, July 17, work on the new stadium off Dundalk’s inner-relief road, would begin.

However, on the night before the launch, an emergency meeting of the Board’s management committee, decided, on a vote, not to go ahead with the work.

The vote came after word had been conveyed from Croke Park that if the launch took place, insurance would be withdrawn from all of the county’s clubs, which effectively meant football or hurling would have to be suspended.

It was following that meeting that chairman, Peter Fitzpatrick, who had argued that the launch should go ahead, stood down.

However, he was back in the chair on the Tuesday.

Croke Park wasn’t satisfied with the plan which the County Board had drawn up to finance its share of €25 million, the estimated cost of the grounds.

Several warnings not to go ahead with the project had been issued by the authorities, but until the management committee voted to stall proceedings at its Darver meeting, there was still a determination to continue, led by the chairman.

Several meetings between the County Board personnel and Croke Park have since taken place, and the upshot is, a new committee, comprising three Croke Park representatives and four from the County Board, has been formed to oversee the building of the stadium.

The probability is that that tonight’s meeting will be informed of all that has happened over the past couple of months and what the plans are for the future.

Cooley Kickhams had the recently-recruited Paul Brennan suspended, along with the club’s chairman and secretary, after Kilkerley Emmets had lodged an objection to the player’s involvement in a Division Two match which Kickhams won.

When the County Board found in favour of Kilkerley, Kickhams lodged an appeal which the Board threw out.

The peninsula club then went to the Leinster Council, and again were unsuccessful.

Their next move was to go to Croke Park, and at a meeting on Friday night last got the answer they were looking for – awarded the points, which are vital to them – and Kilkerley – in the fight for Division Two honours.

It was during this saga that County Board vice-chairman, Peter Sage, stood down.

However, the Seán O’Mahony’s clubman has since been restored to his position, one of his duties being responsible for fixtures.