Cardinal O'Donnell Cup

The Cardinal O'Donnell Cup is an annual senior league competition organised by Louth GAA for the Division 1 teams in Gaelic football in County Louth.

Cardinal O'Donnell Cup
Founded	1927
No. of teams	12
Title holders	St Mochta's (2nd title)
Most titles	Cooley Kickhams (15)
Sponsors	John O'Neill Sand and Gravel

Format

All 12 teams play each other once, with the top four traditionally qualifying for the semi-final stage. The semi-final victors then face off in the final of the competition. There is also relegation to Division 2 for the worst-performing team(s).^[1]

Trophy

The winning team is presented with the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup, named after Patrick O'Donnell, who was Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1924 until his death in October 1927.

The trophy, which was donated to the County Board of Louth GAA by the Cardinal in 1926,^[2] is a replica of the Ardagh Chalice. The inaugural winners of the competition were Wolfe Tones of Drogheda.

Roll of Honour

#	Team	Wins	Years won
1	Cooley Kickhams	15	1936, 1937, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1989, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
2	Newtown Blues	14	1933, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1977, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2005, 2010, 2018, 2022
3	St Mary's	13	1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1971, 1975, 1991, 2002, 2021, 2024
4	Clan na Gael	10	1929, 1982, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000
5	Dundalk Young Irelands	6	1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1948, 1978
	St Patrick's	6	1999, 2003, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014
7	Stabannon Parnells	5	1945, 1950, 1951, 1995, 1998
	Wolfe Tones	5	1927, 1928, 1931, 1934, 1935
9	Roche Emmets	4	1958, 1960, 1961, 2001
10	Dundalk Gaels	3	1942, 1943, 1944
11	Dreadnots	2	1988, 2016
	Mattock Rangers	2	2011, 2015
	Naomh Máirtín	2	2017, 2019
	Oliver Plunketts	2	1957, 1959
	St Mochta's	2	2023, 2025
16	O'Raghallaighs	1	1973
	St Fechin's	1	1985
	St Bride's	1	1968
	Kilkerley Emmets	1	1980
	Glyde Rangers	1	1932
	Boyne Rangers	1	1930

Finals

‡ winners also won Louth Senior Football Championship that year

§ Title awarded to St Mary's after objection. Oliver Plunketts fielded an ineligible player

Year	Winner	Score	Opponent	Score	Final Venue
2025[3]	St Mochta's	4-17	St Joseph's	0-14	Darver
2024[4]	‡ St Mary's	1-15	St Mochta's	1-12	Stabannon
2023[5]	St Mochta's	0-12	Naomh Máirtín	0-11	Darver
2022[6]	Newtown Blues	0-11	St Mary's	1-07	Darver
2021[7]	St Mary's	-	A Final was not played	-	-
2020	Cancelled (COVID-19)
2019[8]	Naomh Máirtín	2-19	St Mary's	1-12	The Grove
2018[9]	‡ Newtown Blues	2-10	Naomh Máirtín	1-08	Gaelic Grounds
2017[10]	Naomh Máirtín	0-18 (AET)	Dreadnots	1-10	The Grove
2016[11]	Dreadnots	2-15	Geraldines	1-16	Stabannon
2015[12]	Mattock Rangers	1-12	St Patrick's	0-14	Páirc Uí Mhuirí
2014[13]	‡ St Patrick's	1-10	Dreadnots	1-06	Clan na Gael Park
2013[14]	St Patrick's	1-17	Cooley Kickhams	2-05	St Brigid's Park
2012[15]	‡ St Patrick's	0-18	O'Connells	0-08	St Brigid's Park
2011[16]	Mattock Rangers	3-13 (AET)	Dreadnots	2-12	McGeough Park
2010[17]	Newtown Blues	0-15	Kilkerley Emmets	0-09	McGeough Park
2009[18]	St Patrick's	0-12 (Replay)	Newtown Blues	1-08	McGeough Park
2008[19]	Cooley Kickhams	1-07	Newtown Blues	0-08	Clan na Gael Park
2007[20]	Cooley Kickhams	0-08 (Replay)	Naomh Malachi	0-06	Clan na Gael Park
2006[21]	Cooley Kickhams	1-06	Glyde Rangers	0-08	St Brigid's Park
2005[22]	Newtown Blues	0-11	Cooley Kickhams	0-07	Páirc Na nGael
2004 [23]	Cooley Kickhams	1-10	Glyde Rangers	0-07	Clan na Gael Park
2003[24]	‡ St Patrick's	0-13	St Bride's	1-07	Clan na Gael Park
2002[25]	St Mary's	1-05	Mattock Rangers	0-04	Gaelic Grounds
2001 [26]	Roche Emmets	1-09	St Patrick's	0-08	St Brigid's Park
2000[27]	Clan na Gael	2-05 (Replay)	Cooley Kickhams	1-06	St Brigid's Park
1999	St Patrick's	1-14	Cooley Kickhams	0-09	St Brigid's Park
1998	Stabannon Parnells	0-08	Newtown Blues	0-05	Páirc Mhuire
1997	Clan na Gael	1-08 (Replay)	Newtown Blues	1-05	The Grove
1996	Clan na Gael	1-12	St Patrick's	0-03	St Brigid's Park
1995	Stabannon Parnells	0-11	St Joseph's	0-07	The Grove
1994	Clan na Gael	3-07	Dundalk Gaels	1-11	St Brigid's Park
1993	‡ Clan na Gael	2-07 (Replay)	Stabannon Parnells	1-08	St Brigid's Park
1992	‡ Clan na Gael	0-12	Newtown Blues	1-05	The Grove
1991	St Mary's	1-11	Stabannon Parnells	0-04	Knockbridge
1990	Clan na Gael	1-09	St Mary's	0-06	Cluskey Park
1989	‡ Cooley Kickhams	0-06	St Patrick's	0-05	St Brigid's Park
1988[28]	Dreadnots	0-13	St Mary's	2-04	The Grove
1987	‡ Clan na Gael	1-08	Dreadnots	0-05	The Grove
1986	‡ Newtown Blues	0-10	Clan na Gael	1-04	Páirc Mhuire
1985[29]	St Fechin's	0-09	Cooley Kickhams	1-03	McGeough Park
1984	Newtown Blues	0-08	Dundalk Young Irelands	0-03	McGeough Park
1983	Cooley Kickhams	2-07	Clan na Gael	0-07	St Brigid's Park
1982	Clan na Gael	2-10	Newtown Blues	0-04	The Grove
1981	‡ Newtown Blues	2-11	Kilkerley Emmets	1-05	Cluskey Park
1980	Kilkerley Emmets	1-09	Cooley Kickhams	2-05	Clan na Gael Park
1979	Cooley Kickhams	1-07	Clan na Gael	1-06	St Brigid's Park
1978	Dundalk Young Irelands	1-11	St Mary's	0-04	Páirc Mochta
1977	Newtown Blues	2-09	Roche Emmets	2-05	The Grove
1976	‡ Cooley Kickhams	2-10	Newtown Blues	1-09	Clan na Gael Park
1975	‡ St Mary's	w/o	O'Raghallaighs	scr.	Páirc Uí Mhuirí
1974	Cooley Kickhams	1-14	St Mary's	1-06	Knockbridge
1973	O'Raghallaighs	1-11	St Bride's	0-06	Páirc Mhuire
1972	Cooley Kickhams	3-08 (Replay)	Newtown Blues	2-05	Knockbridge
1971	St Mary's	1-07	O'Raghallaighs	1-05	Páirc Uí Mhuirí
1970	Cooley Kickhams	4-03	Newtown Blues	2-05	The Grove
1969	‡ Newtown Blues	1-08	Mattock Rangers	1-05	The Grove
1968	St Bride's	1-10 (Replay, AET)	St Mary's	0-07	Páirc Mochta
1967	Cooley Kickhams	-	A Final was not played	-	-
1966	Cooley Kickhams	2-08	Newtown Blues	1-10	St Brigid's Park
1965	Newtown Blues	3-08	Clan na Gael	1-07	Páirc Uí Mhuirí
1964	‡ Newtown Blues	1-10	O'Raghallaighs	1-05	Gaelic Grounds
1963	‡ Newtown Blues	3-07	Roche Emmets	0-05	The Grove
1962	‡ Newtown Blues	1-15	Roche Emmets	0-05	Knockbridge
1961	Roche Emmets	1-10	Newtown Blues	1-05	St Brigid's Park
1960	Roche Emmets	3-04	Newtown Blues	1-09	Knockbridge
1959[30]	Oliver Plunketts	0-06	Roche Emmets	0-03	Páirc Mhuire
1958	‡ Roche Emmets	2-07	Darver Volunteers	0-04	Knockbridge
1957	‡ Oliver Plunketts	1-04	Dundalk Young Irelands	0-05	Knockbridge
1956[31]	‡ St Mary's	0-06	Dundalk Young Irelands	0-05	Athletic Grounds
1955[31]	‡ St Mary's	2-08	Stabannon Parnells	1-04	Athletic Grounds
1954[31]	§ St Mary's	1-07	Oliver Plunketts	1-08	Gaelic Grounds
1953[31]	St Mary's	-	A Final was not played	-	-
1952[31]	St Mary's	3-09	St Magdalene's	2-03	Gaelic Grounds
1951	Stabannon Parnells	2-07	Dundalk Young Irelands	0-07	Stabannon
1950	Stabannon Parnells	2-03	Dundalk Gaels	1-00	The Grove
1949	St Mary's	3-03	Dundalk Young Irelands	1-05	Páirc Mhuire
1948	Dundalk Young Irelands	2-10	St Mary's	2-05	Athletic Grounds
1947	St Mary's	w/o	Clan na Gael	scr.	Gaelic Grounds
1946	Cancelled
1945	Stabannon Parnells	0-05	St Magdalene's	0-04	Athletic Grounds
1944	Dundalk Gaels	0-07	St Magdalene's	0-02	Athletic Grounds
1943	Dundalk Gaels	1-06	St Bride's	1-05	Athletic Grounds
1942	‡ Dundalk Gaels	1-06	St Bride's	1-03	Athletic Grounds
1941	‡ Dundalk Young Irelands	3-07	Darver Young Irelands	1-01	The Grove
1940	‡ Dundalk Young Irelands	1-05	Glyde Rangers	1-03	The Grove
1939	Dundalk Young Irelands	3-03	Darver Young Irelands	1-03	Athletic Grounds
1938	‡ Dundalk Young Irelands	2-05	Wolfe Tones	1-03	Athletic Grounds
1937	Cooley Kickhams	1-06	Wolfe Tones	1-04	Gaelic Grounds
1936	Cooley Kickhams	3-06	Wolfe Tones	1-01	Athletic Grounds
1935	Wolfe Tones	1-04	St Magdalene's (Drogheda)	1-03	Gaelic Grounds
1934	Wolfe Tones	0-07	Newtown Blues	0-03	Gaelic Grounds
1933	‡ Newtown Blues	1-04	Glyde Rangers	1-02	Athletic Grounds
1932	Glyde Rangers	2-03	Newtown Blues	1-01	Gaelic Grounds
1931	‡ Wolfe Tones	2-06	Newtown Blues	1-06	Gaelic Grounds
1930	‡ Boyne Rangers	4-03	Wolfe Tones	1-02	Gaelic Grounds
1929	Clan na Gael	3-02	Wolfe Tones	0-03	Athletic Grounds
1928	Wolfe Tones	0-06	Boyne Rangers (Drogheda)	0-01	Gaelic Grounds
1927	Wolfe Tones	1-07	Gardaí	0-06	Gaelic Grounds

See also

• Mulligan, Fr.John (1984). The GAA in Louth - An Historical Record.
• Mulligan, Fr.John (2000). The GAA in Louth - An Historical Record (updated).