Monaghan's Declan Loughman ... a chip off the old block Twenty-five years old Declan Loughman will captain Monaghan in their Ulster Championship bid against Derry on Sunday next. Along with the legendary Nudie Hughes and schoolteacher Eamonn McEneaney, Declan is one of the best known Monaghan football names nationwide and has been a regular on the 'Oriel County's' premier teams for the past seven years, as well as being an automatic choice on Ulster Railway Cup teams in recent times. The Loughman name has had a long, illustrious association with the Castleblayney Faughs club down the years and the Loughman brothers of the thirties wore both the green and gold club colours and the white and blue colours with distinction. Tradition means a lot to Declan Loughman, as it did to his father Tony Loughman, now a successful businessman in the music industry, who blazed a football trail from his minor days in the late fifties when he was a member of the all-conquering Castleblayney Faughs minor team that set up a record of three in a row County Minor Championships in Monaghan in 1958, '59, '60 - a triple crown never before accomplished in the county. It was natural that Tony Loughman would find his way onto the county minor team and he duly figured prominently at full forward on the county minor side that beat Donegal by 4-5 to 1-6 in the Ulster Minor Football Championship quarter final at Dungannon on 26th June 1960. That was one of Monaghan's best ever minor sides and they went on to defeat Cavan in a semi-final replay by 1-10 to 0-6 at Clones and qualify for the Ulster Final at the same venue on 31st July when they met Down but fell by 2-7 to 1-4. Down minors, like their seniors, were on the crest of a wave in those days and included many players that would win All-Ireland senior honours at a later stage, so Monaghan's defeat was far from being a disgrace. In fact, the team was to be the forerunner of many further Ulster Final appearances and was also to produce many future Monaghan senior stars. Graduating to the senior grade, Tony Loughman became part of a Castleblayney Faughs senior side that was practically unbeatable in the county, and also became an automatic choice for the county side. He was at midfield on the senior side beaten by Tyrone at Dungannon on 25th June, 1967 and, just to show his versatility, he was at left half forward on the Faughs side that beat Clontibret by 2-9 to 1-10 in one of the best Monaghan county finals ever, that same year. He was at centre half forward on the county side beaten by Cavan, 1-11 to 0-5 in the Ulster semi final at Clones on 7th July, 1968. The seventies saw Tony Loughman continue on his glory part at both club and county level and, now back at midfield, he was the mainspring of Castleblayney's march through the county championship with wins over Donaghmoyne, Toome, Ballybay and Clontibret and then lost to Crossmaglen in a replay in the Ulster Club Championship. Castleblayney retained the county title in 1971 and this time Tony Loughman was at right corner forward, just to prove that he could play in any position on a team, but the year were now catching up on the popular Tony and shortly afterwards, he decided to hang up the boots. By 1983, the next generation of the Loughmans was on the football scene in the person of Declan, and the 'new' Loughman had earned his place on the county minor side that beat Antrim and Armagh to reach the Ulster Minor Final against Derry at Clones on 24th July, 1983. Declan Loughman captained that side, playing at midfield, and was one of Monaghan's successes despite the fact that they were well beaten by Derry on a 3-9 to 0-4 scoreline. The performance soon earned Declan his place on the senior county side and he made his debut against Laois at Clontibret in the National Football League on 19th February 1984, playing at right half back. That was the beginning of a great county career and also the beginning of a great Monaghan side that would eventually take National League honours and re-capture the Ulster title in1985. Declan Loughman had moved over to left half back for the League quarter final against Meath at Breffni Park, Cavan on 11th March, 1984 and although beaten by 1-12 to 1-7, Monaghan gave a fine performance and had also earned promotion to Division Two. The Centenary Year of 1984 really 'made' Monaghan, when they won their way into the final of the special Centenary Cup competition, only to fall once again to the mighty men of Meath. Declan Loughman had moved again and was not at right corner back in that final which Monaghan lost by 0-10 to 0-8. 1985 was to be one of Declan Loughman's greatest and most memorable years with the long-awaited and much coveted Ulster Championship medal coming his way. He was again at right corner back on the side that lost to Armagh in the Ulster semi final at Breffni Park on 27th June 1984, but Monaghan made up for that disappointment in the 1985 series. Playing at centre half back, his favourite position, he led Monaghan to a 1-4 to 0-5 victory over Roscommon in the NFL at Gavan Duffy Park in Monaghan, on 2nd December 1984 in one of his best games ever, and then moved to centre half forward for the League semi final against Tyrone at Croke Park on 24th March 1985. Declan's versatility, like that of his father, had now been prove as he could adopt to any position on the field, but at this stage he was bedevilled by injury that kept him out of the game for a very long period. His injuries would have made many a stronger player decide to give up the game altogether, but not so with Declan, who fought back courageously and became an indispensable cog in the Monaghan machine that again reached the National League Final. At full back for the Meath game at Carrickmacross on 2nd March 1986, he played a major part in Monaghan's 0-11 to 0-6 victory, in one of Monaghan's hardest games of the series. For the League semi final with Mayo, again at Croke Park, on 20th April 1986, Declan had moved out to left half back and was again one of Monaghan's heroes in an historic victory that put them into the final against Laois, a game in which he again wore the number seven jersey. For the Monaghan county final later that same year, however, he was agin in his favourite position of centre half when Castleblaney defeated Emyvale at Clontibret on 28th September 1986. The NFL campaign of 1986-87 saw Declan Loughman, incidentally the proud owner of a couple of sports shops in Castleblayney and Carrickmacross, really hitting the high spots with a superb performance at left corner back against Down in Ballybay on 2nd November, 1986 when Monaghan won by 1-16 to 3-5; at centre half back in the 0-9 to 1-5 victory over Mayo at Clontibret on 14th december 1986; and back in the number seven jersey when Monaghan lost by 2-11 to 2-9 to Kerry in the League semi final at Croke Park on 12th April 1987. Declan got revenge for that Kerry defeat when he was at centre half back on the side that defeated the Kerrymen in the 1987-88 NFL at Clones on 26th February 1988. 'Loughie' was again in the number six jersey when Monaghan defeated Cavan in a highly charged Ulster senior football championship encounter by 0-16 to 0-14 at Clones in June 1988 and in the same position against Down in the semi final at Breffni Park that same year, when Monaghan won by 1-11 to 0-9. An Ulster medal followed but keen disappointment against Cork in the All-Ireland semi final. This versatility and this consistency has made Declan Loughman one of the most important cogs in the Monaghan machine, and despite the fact that the county side has been more or less 'out of things' over the past couple of years i.e. 1989 and 1990, there is a new feeling abroad that Monaghan can do much better and regain those glory days of 1985, 1986 and 1988. Declan Loughman is the very captain that can push Monaghan to such an achievement. If he does, there will be no popular man than his dad, Tony Loughman. That Loughman tradition will never die. Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 14th June 1991 Tweet

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