Dividied loyalties in McEneaney household ahead of Monaghan v Louth
Monaghan manager Eamonn McEneaney. GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Qualifier, Round 2, Laois v Monaghan, O'Moore Park, Portlaoise, Co. Laois. Picture credit: Dáire Brennan / SPORTSFILE.
By John Harrington
Eamonn McEneaney isn’t sure whether he can’t win or can’t lose on Saturday when Monaghan play Louth in the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final.
A three-time Ulster SFC winner with the Farney County and former county senior team manager, the Castleblayney man is Monaghan to the marrow, but he also has very strong connections with Louth.
He’s lived there for the past 36 years and had a very successful stint as the county senior football team manager winning the O’Byrne Cup, Tommy Murphy Cup, and Division Two of the Allianz Football League.
His eldest son Jim was a stylish forward for many years with Louth while his other son Seán was part of last year’s Leinster Senior Championship winning panel.
Eamonn also managed the Louth minor footballers this year with Jim helping out in his backroom team, so it’s fair to say he’s made a big contribution to football in his adopted county.
But as much as Louth is now his home, the savage loves his native shore so McEneaney will be wearing blue and white colours in Croke Park on Saturday.
“The gas thing is I was at the Louth-Armagh game supporting Louth and I'll be going to the game on Saturday and people will be saying you fairly changed camps!” says McEneaney.
“But I'm a Monaghan footballer born and bred. Played with Monaghan and managed Monaghan. You can't look past that, you can't forget your roots, but I would obviously have a lot of time for Louth because I've lived there for 36 years and my family are all Louth people as such. Now, they would also have an affinity for Monaghan.
“If Monaghan managed to win this game they'd support Monaghan in the next game because they have the tie through myself and would have gone to an awful lot of stuff involving Monaghan when I managed them.
“And if Louth win I'll obviously be delighted for all the ones in our house and all the people I know that's involved with Louth football.”
Jim McEneaney of Louth in action against Padraic Harnan of Meath during their 2016 Leinster GAA Football Senior Championship Quarter-Final match between Meath and Louth at Parnell Park in Dublin. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile.
The McEneaneys have had trickier days that this Saturday to navigate in the past.
Back in 2012 when Eamonn was Monaghan manager they played a Louth team that included his son Jim in a Division 2 Allianz Football League match.
“Jim was giving us plenty of trouble that day I was thinking to myself what are we going to do here?”, recalls McEneaney. “I have to do my job as a manager and find a way to close him down.
“Luckily enough Louth had a man sent off and we had an extra-man so we were able to play with a sweeper which solved my problem without having to get someone to do a job on Jim which obviously wouldn't have gone down well in our house!”
McEneaney has a happy habit of coming out on the right side of the result whenever he’s involved in match between Monaghan and Louth.
Monaghan won that Division 2 League game in 2012, and six years previously he managed Louth to victory over Monaghan en route to winning the Tommy Murphy Cup.
This year, his Louth minor team defeated Monaghan in the Paul McGirr Cup semi-final
“Those Louth minors were a great bunch of young fellas, probably one of the better teams I ever worked with in terms of attitude," says McEneaney.
“We were unlucky not to get over the line against Kildare in the Leinster semi-final. We had far more shots and 14 wides to their three, but Kildare showed great resilience in that match and you have to take your chances when they come which we didn't. Kildare have obviously shown since that they're a very good side.
“It's gas. I've never managed any county other than Monaghan and Louth and I've never had a desire to manage any other county.”
Louth manager Eamonn McEneaney pictured during the 2009 Leinster Senior Championship Quarter-Final, Laois v Louth, Parnell Park, Dublin. Picture credit: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE.
This year he was also involved with both Louth and Monaghan players on the same team as manager of DKIT’s Sigerson Cup team.
Louth quartet Kieran McArdle, Cormack McKeown, Dara Mcdonnell, and Tadhg McDonnell and Monaghan trio Stephen Mooney, Oisin McGorman, and Kian Mulligan were brothers in arms together for the university team but will be pitted against one another on Saturday.
“They know each other very well and they all get on very well together but there will be no quarter asked nor given on Saturday,” says McEneaney. “They're all very honest fellas and there will be no quarter ask nor given when they take to the pitch.
“I personally think it's going to be a very tight game. Monaghan have gotten the better of Louth in the last few years on occasions when they've met but I fancy it's going to be a very close game that could come down to a mistake or two or either team taking more of their chances when they come.
“You always need that little bit of luck too. In a close game there's always something that can give you a lift or something that happens that turns it like Louth's goal in the last minute against Armagh.
“It all boils down to making things happen at the right time and you make your own luck at times by trying hard and working hard.
“It's a massive opportunity for both counties and there are similarities between both teams this year in terms of the resilience, courage and determination that they've shown to get to where they are.”
