By Daire Walsh 

Much like Dublin’s Hannah Tyrrell in the senior decider on the same day, Louth stalwart Kate Flood was afforded the perfect inter-county swansong at Croke Park on August 3 of this year.

A previous winner of the competition in 2015 and 2019, Flood was hoping to claim another TG4 All-Ireland junior football championship crown at GAA HQ and – in the process – make amends for their narrow 2024 final defeat to Fermanagh in the same venue. Their opponents Antrim provided a stubborn test of their resolve, but Louth ultimately got their hands on the West County Hotel Cup for a record fourth time with a 0-13 to 1-8 triumph.

In the direct aftermath of a contest that saw her contributing four fine points from open play, Flood announced her retirement from inter-county football – something the aforementioned Tyrrell also did in the wake of Dublin overcoming Meath in the All-Ireland SFC showpiece. While each of her junior victories with the Wee County have been special, Flood acknowledged the circumstances surrounding this year’s success made it particularly memorable.

“I suppose 2019, because I was captain that year it was a special year for me, but obviously this year being my last year in the jersey, it’s up there as one of the top years that I’ve had in the jersey. I think from last year, we were quite hurt and annoyed with ourselves that we weren’t able to win it then,” Flood explained.

“I think it just added that extra hunger and drive for us then going into this year, that we’d obviously gotten there last year. Obviously didn’t mean that we were going to win it again, but we knew what it took and we knew what it was going to take to obviously get over the line.

“Antrim, they’re a great side and they’re fast and they’re physical. We just knew if we got on top of them and we kept driving, that we’d be able to get the win. That’s exactly what we did.”

Considering she first made her debut as an adult footballer with Louth in 2010 when she was still a teenager – scoring 1-2 when the Leinster side lost to Limerick in that year’s All-Ireland JFC final – Flood has enjoyed a long and rewarding career in the inter-county game. She admitted she had contemplated stepping away from the panel last year, but a desire to finish her time with Louth on a high led to her committing to the cause for 2025.

“It was something I was thinking about over the year and I actually was kind of thinking about it last year. I suppose on the ending of last year, it didn’t feel right to step away, given all the hard work that we put in. I was like ‘I’ll give it one more year’ and hopefully we’ll be able to get promoted, win a Leinster and hopefully win an All-Ireland.

“We were just lucky enough that we did and it was just kind of that bittersweet moment that I thought it was time. That we could just end it on a high. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I just think personally that it was just time for me to step away from it. I would have started with the senior set-up in 2010, so I was 17.

“That’s 15 years ago, but I would have been playing probably previous to that for another four or five years through the underage set-ups. I’m blessed for the career that I’ve had and it was a privilege to be able to play for so long. It wasn’t always easy, but it was a great 15 years. I enjoyed most of it.”

In addition to ending her time in the Louth colours with the same number of All-Ireland titles, 2025 also saw Flood securing a third TG4 Junior Players’ Player of the Year at last month’s TG4 All Stars awards banquet in the Bonnington Dublin Hotel.

She previously claimed this top individual prize in 2015 and 2018, but was also nominated for the award in both 2019 and 2024. This was a well-earned honour for Flood, who contributed an outstanding scoring tally of 3-28 over the course of Louth’s All-Ireland campaign.

She was also one of seven Louth players to be selected on the TG4 Junior Team of the Championship and while the success of the squad as a whole is always the main priority, Flood was nevertheless pleased to pick up these prizes in her final season as a county star.

“It was obviously great, to end the whole year on such a high. I was lucky enough to win it in 2015, ’18 and then this year as well. You never really start out playing to do individual awards, but it’s always nice to get them then.

“It is great to see that some of the girls that are on the panel are getting recognised for what they put into the county set-up as well. Probably being a bit biased that you could have had probably a few more on it [team of the championship], but it’s obviously great that they do get the recognition for it.”

Although she is content with her decision to step away from the inter-county limelight, Flood acknowledges it might be difficult to watch on as a spectator when Louth are playing in Division Three of the Lidl National Football League and the TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football championship next year.

Yet she will continue to line out at club level with St Patrick’s for the foreseeable future and Flood is hopeful this will help her to deal with not being part of the county scene in 2026.

“I’m still in the WhatsApp groups, so I’ve seen their pre-season set-up. I definitely won’t miss that, but I suppose when the girls are actually playing and I’m there supporting them on the sideline, it will be tough. I’m still playing club football and that, so hopefully it’s not going to be as bad as it seems,” Flood added.

“Club football is still there and it’s still full on as well. It’s not as if I’m completely walking away from the game, but I just felt that it was the right time to step away from the county set-up.”

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