O’Byrne Cup details revealed as Louth set to begin 2023 against Westmeath

It may only be December, but already anticipation is growing ahead of another year of inter county football. With most club competitions having already concluded, it is no wonder that eyes in Louth have begun turning to how the Senior Footballers will do in 2023.

Following their second promotion in as many years under the guidance of Mickey Harte, The Wee County will face their toughest test to date when they go into a Division 2 campaign alongside the likes of Dublin, Derry, and Meath.

However, before all that The Men in Red will warm up for this with their pre-season competition, the O’Byrne Cup, whose 2023 groupings were revealed recently by Leinster GAA.

Louth begin the year on Wednesday January 4th in Group A, when they host Westmeath in a midweek fixture likely to be played at Darver, given the need for floodlights.

They will have little time to recover from this clash before hitting the road a few days later on Saturday January 7th, when last year’s Leinster Championship conquerors Kildare will be the opposition.

Rounding off the group stages is another midweek fixture, with Harte’s troops making the trip to the Sunny Southeast to face off against Wexford on Wednesday the 11th. Of the three teams, only the group winners advance to the knockout phase. This will be their third game in the space of a week.

The Group A winners are set to take on the Group C winners in a Semi-Final on Sunday January 15th, meaning Louth could face Dublin, Wicklow or Offaly.

Meanwhile, whoever makes it out of Group B, which contains Meath, Carlow, Laois and Offaly, have been given a bye to the O’Byrne Cup Final, which has been penciled in to take place on Friday January 20th.