O'Raghallaighs wrote themselves a special place in Louth GAA history in 2010 when they became the first-ever intermediate club to win the Paddy Sheelan Cup, defeating senior powerhouses Cooley Kickhams and Glyde Rangers in the knockout stages to earn a welcome piece of mid-summer silverware - their first senior trophy since 1969 They also soldiered through to yet another IFC final but their brave bid for senior status was thwarted by Young Irelands in Ardee on Sunday October 10th as the Seamus Flood Cup again proved elusive. 

O'Raghallaighs showed their class in 2010, as they were once more counted amongst the very best intermediate clubs in the Wee County. Under the guidance of former county great Colin Kelly, the Hoops strung together an excellent Division One campaign; won the Paddy Sheelan Cup outright with eleven wins in twelve outings (eight of these against senior clubs); and qualified for the IFC final. Unfortunately, in the big one, it was to be a familiar hard-luck story as the famous Drogheda Hoops came up marginally short on county final day. O'Raghallaighs also earned a top four finish in Division Two but lost their promotion play-off against Naomh Malachi.
Though the 2-11 to 1-11 defeat to Young Irelands in the high-stakes clash of two of Louth's oldest clubs at Pairc Mhuire left a bitter taste in the mouth, casting a plume of disappointment around the clubhouse, it was nonetheless a magnificent year for O'Raghallaighs. Granted, the Flood Cup was the prize they wanted most, and Colin Kelly's men appeared to put themselves in pole position when accounting for competition favourites O'Connells in stunning fashion at the semi-final stage, but the middle-tier championship slipped through their fingers and it's time to move on and try again. There's always next year and it is surely only a matter of time before this gifted side regains O'Raghallaighs' seat at the top table.
In the meantime, the IFC run of 2010 brought great excitement to many while the outright victory in the Paddy Sheelan Cup - a competition now contested by both senior and intermediate clubs - was something else altogether. This win shows what the Green & Whites are capable of and must surely fill them with confidence and self-belief regarding their future prospects.
Not alone did O'Raghallaighs beat senior clubs in the semi-final and final of the Sheelan Cup, but they also recorded superb home and away wins over three other senior clubs - St Patricks, Naomh Malachi and Dundalk Gaels - in the group section of the competition, winning nine of their ten group games.
In Group D of the Sheelan Cup, O'Raghallaighs opened their season in considerable style with a 1-9 to 1-6 defeat of St Patricks at Lordship followed by a 2-8 to 0-13 win over Naomh Malachi in Drogheda. The Joes were beaten in Dromiskin (0-17 to 1-11) but O'Connells came out on top in Round Four (0-12 to 1-6) - O'Raghallaighs' only loss in the early-season competition.
Then came a second win over the Pats - 1-12 to 0-9 at Drogheda - and a 2-10 to 0-10 defeat of the Malachis at Courtbane in Round Seven, leaving O'Raghallaighs four points behind O'Connells with a game in hand. At Drogheda, the Joes were beaten by 1-12 to 3-5 in Round Eight and the would-be winners maintained the pressure at the top of the table with a mighty 3-13 to 1-6 home victory over Dundalk Gaels in their game in hand.
The Drogheda side joined O'Connells at the top of Group D when inflicting a 0-13 to 2-6 defeat on the Castlebellingham men at The Gaelic Grounds in Round Nine and an amazing 43-point margin of victory over the Gaels at the Ramparts in the last round was enough to book a place in the last four.
Having struck an astonishing 5-30 (to 0-2) against senior club Dundalk Gaels in their final group match, O'Raghallaighs caused a mini-sensation when beating Cooley Kickhams by 1-6 to 0-5 in their Sheelan Cup semi-final. Incredibly, the Hoops kept their illustrious opponents scoreless for the opening 40 minutes and afforded them just a solitary point from play over the hour. A fortuitous Craig McEnteggart goal helped the shock winners to a 1-3 to no score interval lead and nobody was happier at the final whistle than former Cooley player Johnny Clerkin, who enjoyed a fine first season in the O'Raghallaighs colours. Full forward Barry Flanagan and substitute Eoghan Farrelly each bagged a brace of overs.
In the senior/intermediate subsidiary competition final at Collon on Saturday June 26th, a late pointed free from Rory Moore handed the Drogheda club an unbelievable 0-14 to 2-7 win over Glyde to collect senior silverware for the first time in 41 years. Brilliant midfielder Robert Mulroy bagged the opening point and Damien Boyle quickly added another. After conceding 1-1, the winners had a great run of scores from Ben Rogan, Barry Flanagan, Moore and Stephen Smith to go back in front.
Having led by 0-7 to 1-3 at the interval, O'Raghallaighs were unlucky when Rogan smashed a shot off the crossbar and fell behind with twelve minutes remaining before their opponents were reduced to 13 men for the closing ten minutes. Inspired by the outstanding Graham Leech, they made the numerical superiority count as two late Flanagan frees and one from Moore turned defeat into victory. Glyde were disgusted with the referee at the final whistle but O'Raghallaighs were understandably elated by their historic win.
O'Raghallaighs, 2010 Paddy Sheelan Cup winners: Shane Toal; Graham Leech, Johnny Clerkin, Graham Murray; James Moonan, Ciaran Brassil, Stephen Smith (0-1); Robert Mulroy (0-1), Chris Smith; Damhan Finnegan, Damien Boyle (0-1), Rory Moore (0-5); Ben Rogan, Barry Flanagan (0-5), Craig McEnteggart.
For the IFC, O'Raghallaighs found themselves in Group B, alongside Oliver Plunketts and Roche Emmets. In the group opener at Dunleer, Barry Flanagan scored 1-3 in a 1-8 to 0-11 draw with the Plunketts. However, a 2-12 to 1-9 win over Roche in the second group assignment sent the Hoops through to the Last Eight as group winners. Rory Moore (1-4) and Craig McEnteggart (1-1) were the scorers-in-chief as the town side progressed to a meeting with St Josephs.
The quarter-final was a real thriller: O'Raghallaighs led by 0-9 to 0-8 at half time and by 0-14 to 0-13 when the final whistle sounded, with Craig McEnteggart floating over a last-gasp winner and centre forward Rory Moore on target seven times.
Ben Rogan's late point secured a 0-13 to 1-10 draw with O'Connells in the original semi-final at Ardee on Saturday September 11th and the Hoops again showed their never-say-die spirit as Craig McEnteggart fisted a dramatic last-minute winning goal in the replay at Haggardstown a fortnight later - 2-6 to 0-11. O'Raghallaighs' first goal arrived courtesy of Barry Flanagan two minutes after the restart but they still trailed by 0-10 to 1-2 with ten minutes left. O'Connells then missed a penalty before the winners rallied with successive points from Flanagan, Anthony McGee, McEnteggart and Rory Moore.
It had been a wonderful year but the Drogheda men were edged out in the intermediate decider after the Hoops made a dreadful start to trail by eight points after 18 minutes and by 2-6 to 0-5 at half time. Ben Rogan's late goal almost sparked another remarkable revival but it just wasn't to be this time.
O'Raghallaighs - 2010 Louth IFC finalists: Joseph Flanagan; Graham Leech, Jonathan Clerkin, Graham Murray; Dean Byrne, Ciaran Brassil, Chris Smith; James Moonan (0-1), Robert Mulroy; Stephen Smith, Damien Boyle (0-1), Ruairi Moore (0-5); Craig McEnteggart (0-2), Barry Flanagan, Ben Rogan (1-0). Subs: Andrew Rogan for G Leech; Damhan Finnegan for C Brassil; Kevin McCormack for J Clerkin; Anthony McGee (0-1) for D Boyle; Eoghan Farrelly for B Flanagan. Tweet

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