Jim McArdle had a club career distinguished by unparalleled success

Jim McArdle has a record in Louth club football that is never likely to be equaled. He played in county senior finals with three different teams, winning a medal with two of them.

And his achievements didn’t end at that. He won junior and senior titles in the same year while still a teenager, and before that, was successful at minor league level.

Something to boast about, surely. But that was never his style. He was rightly proud of his accomplishments, but in conversation with him you’d find that it was more about the teams, not him.

Though born in the parish of Faughart, Jim was already on the Young Irelands books, playing at underage level, when Roche Emmets were founded, in 1947. He attended Dundalk CBS, and as he related to Eunan Whyte for the ‘Heroes of ‘57’ book, “I was drawn to play with Young Irelands”.

He won a minor league medal with Irelands in 1949 and the following year brought up a quite unique double, playing at left-half back for the seniors’ win over Drogheda St Magdelene’s in the final, and at centre-half when the junior side defeated Dowdallshill.

His transfer to Stabannon Parnells gave him another taste of championship final football. After a semi-final win over St Bride’s in ‘54, Parnells were set for one of those finals that were such a feature of the decade – a meeting with neighbours and deadly rivals, St Mary’s.

The sides had met the previous year, when Stabannon were successful. This time, however, Mary’s prevailed, winning a thriller at Drogheda by a point, the crucial score falling to Christy Timmons late on. Jim McArdle had a 1957 colleague alongside him, Tom Conlon, that day.

Winners of the 1953 second division championship – at the time a grade 3 competition – Roche Emmets were in junior football in 1956, strengthened for the championship with the inclusion of McArdle.

It was nearly first time lucky for the county player on his return home. The Emmets made it to the final only to be beaten by Darver Volunteers. But everything came good the following year.

Responding to the treatment he had received after the All-Ireland football, McArdle led his team to a 0-6 to 0-3 win over Glyde Rangers.

And, so, just over a decade after they had come into existence, Roche were in senior football. This was the North Louth side’s golden era. There were those second division and junior championship wins, but it got even better in ’58, an initial success, at the first time of asking, in the most important competition of all.

Victory over Naomh Mhuire on a score of 1-7 to 1-5 brought the Joe Ward Cup to the iconic Treanor’s Field and its surrounds. There was more to come, Cardinal O’Donnell Cup wins in ’60 and ‘61, the former accompanied by an Old Gaels Cup.

Jim McArdle was part of the richest of those successes, playing alongside other great Roche names, the likes of Mickey Brady, Mickey Gartlan, Vincie Kirk, Paddy Gallagher, Niall Craven and Tommy Flood.

The club with the blue jersey and the St Brigid’s Cross might see those days again, but will hardly produce one as good as Jim McArdle.