# 2024 Louth county football team season

The following is a summary of Louth county football team's 2024 season.

## Competitions
### O'Byrne Cup
#### Fixtures

* 6 January 2024 (2024-01-06) 19:00 IWT (UTC±0) Match 7
* Report
| Meath | 2-13 (19) – (10) 1-07 | Louth |
| (HT: 1-05 – 1-04) |||
* Páirc Tailteann, Navan

### O'Byrne Shield

Teams defeated in their first match played in a shield tournament, which Louth won.

#### Fixtures

* 13 January 2024 (2024-01-13) 13:00 IWT (UTC±0) Match C
| Westmeath | 0-12 (12) – (18) 2-12 | Louth |
* Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA, Kinnegad
* 10 February 2024 (2024-02-10) 12:00 IWT (UTC±0) Match D (Shield Final)
* Report
| Louth | 1-18 (21) – (16) 2-10 | Wicklow |
| (HT: 0-8 – 1-4) |||
* Dowdallshill, Dundalk Referee: Ian Howley

### National Football League Division 2

Louth began with an away fixture against Armagh.
On 6 December 2023, the GAA announced that all Division 2 Round 7 games would be played separately from the Round 7 games in Division 1, 3 and 4, on Saturday, 23 March 2024, at 19:00, including Kildare v Louth at Dr Cullen Park. The rest of the fixtures were also confirmed on 6 December 2023.

#### Table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Donegal | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 128 | 83 | +45 | 13 | Advance to NFL Division 2 Final and promotion to 2025 NFL Division 1 |
| 2 | Armagh | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 132 | 86 | +46 | 12 | Advance to NFL Division 2 Final and promotion to 2025 NFL Division 1 |
| 3 | Cavan | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 103 | 117 | −14 | 7 | |
| 4 | Cork | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 119 | 125 | −6 | 7 | |
| 5 | Meath | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 86 | 105 | −19 | 6 | |
| 6 | Louth | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 121 | 101 | +20 | 6 | |
| 7 | Fermanagh | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 94 | 129 | −35 | 5 | Relegation to 2025 NFL Division 3 |
| 8 | Kildare | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 82 | 119 | −37 | 0 | Relegation to 2025 NFL Division 3 |
* 1 2 Cavan are ranked ahead of Cork because they won the head-to-head game between the teams
* 1 2 Meath are ranked ahead of Louth because they won the head-to-head game between the teams

#### Fixtures
### Leinster Senior Football Championship

The draw for the 2024 Leinster Championship was made on 21 October 2023, with Louth drawn to face Carlow or Wexford in the quarter-final.

#### Bracket

| Preliminary roundvte | Preliminary roundvte | Preliminary roundvte | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| | | | Dublin | Dublin | 3-19 | | | | | | |
| Longford | Longford | 3-12 | Meath | Meath | 0-12 | | | | | | |
| Meath | Meath | 3-19 | | | | Dublin | Dublin | 3-22 | | | |
| | | | | | | Offaly | Offaly | 0-11 | | | |
| | | | Laois | Laois | 1-08 | | | | | | |
| | | | Offaly | Offaly | 2-13 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Dublin | Dublin | 1-19 |
| Westmeath | Westmeath | 1-11 | | | | | | | Louth | Louth | 2-12 |
| Wicklow | Wicklow | 2-09 | Kildare | Kildare | 0-16 | | | | | | |
| | | | Wicklow | Wicklow | 1-12 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Kildare | Kildare | 0-13 | | | |
| Carlow | Carlow | 0-08 | | | | Louth | Louth | 0-17 | | | |
| Wexford | Wexford | 4-19 | Louth | Louth | 4-10 | | | | | | |
| | | | Wexford | Wexford | 0-15 | | | | | | |

#### Fixtures

* RTÉ
* 12 May 2024 13:45 IST (UTC+1) Final
* Report
| Dublin | 1-19 (22) – 2-12 (18) | Louth |
| (HT: 0-6 – 0-7) |||
| Gls: O'Callaghan 1 (1m), Pts: Costello 6 (4f), Fenton 3, Basquel 1, Bugler 1, Lahiff 1, Mannion 1, Kilkenny 1, P Small 1 | | Gls: Keenan & Lennon 1-0, Pts: Mulroy 6 (5f), Grimes 4, Downey & Durnin 1. |
* Croke Park, Dublin Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan) Attendance: 23,113
| GK | 1 | Stephen Cluxton (Parnells) |
| RCB | 2 | Cian Murphy (Thomas Davis) |
| FB | 3 | Michael Fitzsimons (Cuala) |
| LCB | 4 | Eoin Murchan (Na Fianna) |
| RHB | 5 | Tom Lahiff (St Jude's) |
| CHB | 6 | John Small (Ballymun Kickhams) |
| LHB | 7 | Seán Bugler (St Oliver Plunketts/Eoghan Ruadh) |
| MF | 8 | Brian Fenton (Raheny) |
| MF | 9 | James McCarthy (Ballymun Kickhams) (c) |
| RHF | 10 | Ciarán Kilkenny (Castleknock) |
| CHF | 11 | Cormac Costello (St Vincent's) |
| LHF | 12 | Niall Scully (Templeogue Synge Street) |
| RCF | 13 | Paul Mannion (Kilmacud Crokes) |
| FF | 14 | Con O'Callaghan (Cuala) |
| LCF | 15 | Colm Basquel (Ballyboden St Enda's) |
| Substitutes: ||
| | 16 | Jack McCaffrey (Clontarf) for Scully |
| | 17 | Paddy Small (Ballymun Kickhams) for Basquel |
| | 18 | Brian Howard (Raheny) for Lahiff |
| | 19 | Ross McGarry (Ballyboden St Enda's) for Bugler |
| | 20 | Killian McGinnis (Skerries Harps) for Mannion |
| GK | 1 | Niall McDonnell (St Fechin's) |
| RCB | 2 | Dan Corcoran (Geraldines) |
| FB | 3 | Peter Lynch (Roche Emmets) |
| LCB | 4 | Donal McKenny (St Mary's) |
| RHB | 5 | Niall Sharkey (Glyde Rangers) |
| CHB | 6 | Anthony Williams (Dreadnots) |
| LHB | 7 | Conal McKeever (Clan na Gael) |
| MF | 8 | Tommy Durnin (Inniskeen Grattans, Monaghan) |
| MF | 9 | Bevan Duffy (St Fechin's) |
| RHF | 10 | Ciarán Downey (Newtown Blues) |
| CHF | 11 | Ciarán Keenan (St Mary's) |
| LHF | 12 | Conor Grimes (Glen Emmets) |
| RCF | 13 | Leonard Grey (St Patrick's) |
| FF | 14 | Sam Mulroy (Naomh Máirtin) (c) |
| LCF | 15 | Craig Lennon (St Mochta's) |
| Substitutes: ||
| | 16 | Dermot Campbell (Dreadnots) for Sharkey |
| | 17 | Conor Early (Na Fianna, Dublin) for Williams |
| | 18 | Ciarán Byrne (St Mochta's) for Durnin |
| | 19 | Ryan Burns (Hunterstown Rovers) for Keenan |
| | 20 | Liam Jackson (St Mary's) for Grey |

### All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Louth were drawn into Group 4.

#### Table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Kerry | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 36 | +39 | 6 | Advance to quarter-final |
| 2 | Louth | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 52 | −4 | 3 | Advance to preliminary quarter-final |
| 3 | Monaghan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 57 | −7 | 3 | Advance to preliminary quarter-final |
| 4 | Meath | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 63 | −28 | 0 | |

#### Fixtures

Louth advanced to a preliminary quarter-final against Cork, which they won, in a surprise victory to qualify for a first ever All-Ireland SFC quarter-final. Louth were knocked out in the quarter-final.
| Preliminary Quarter-Finalsvte | Preliminary Quarter-Finalsvte | Preliminary Quarter-Finalsvte | Quarter-Finals | Quarter-Finals | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Final | Final | Final |
| | | | Armagh | Armagh | 2-12 | | | | | | |
| Tyrone | Tyrone | 0-12 | Roscommon | Roscommon | 0-12 | | | | | | |
| Roscommon | Roscommon | 0-14 | | | | Armagh (a.e.t.) | Armagh (a.e.t.) | 1-18 | | | |
| | | | | | | Kerry | Kerry | 1-16 | | | |
| | | | Kerry | Kerry | 0-15 | | | | | | |
| Mayo | Mayo | 1-12 (3) | Derry | Derry | 0-10 | | | | | | |
| Derry (pens.) | Derry (pens.) | 0-15 (4) | | | | | | | Armagh | Armagh | 1-11 |
| | | | | | | | | | Galway | Galway | 0-13 |
| | | | Donegal | Donegal | 1-23 | | | | | | |
| Louth | Louth | 1-09 | Louth | Louth | 0-18 | | | | | | |
| Cork | Cork | 1-08 | | | | Donegal | Donegal | 0-15 | | | |
| | | | | | | Galway | Galway | 1-14 | | | |
| | | | Dublin | Dublin | 0-16 | | | | | | |
| Galway | Galway | 0-14 | Galway | Galway | 0-17 | | | | | | |
| Monaghan | Monaghan | 0-11 | | | | | | | | | |

## Notable events

* Louth appeared in consecutive Leinster finals for the first time since 1957 and 1958.
* Louth defeated Meath in the championship for the first time since 1975.
* Louth reached the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals for the first time. (They had reached the semi-finals and final on previous occasions, but had not reached the quarter-finals since that stage was introduced in 2001.)
* Sam Mulroy scored seven goals in league and championship.