ONE man Louth GAA couldn’t afford to lose is county chairman Peter Fitzpatrick, according to county ace Bevan Duffy.
Mickey Harte and Gavin Devlin’s shock exits earlier this week sent Louth GAA reeling, and while Duffy has lamented their departures, Fitzpatrick’s influence is arguably more far-reaching.
Nobody saw the news coming of Harte and Devlin leaving Louth – including Duffy – but the St Fechins clubman says when the dust settles, Louth people should be grateful for the contribution the pair made during their three-year stint.
Duffy has nothing but admiration for Harte and Devlin and was appreciative to them for extending his own inter-county career and creating memories in a Louth jersey he never thought were possible.
“I feel very lucky to have had the last few years playing with Louth and having Mickey and Gavin in charge,” said Duffy, who was already expected to step away from the inter-county scene at the end of 2023.
“I’m probably in a different place from the younger members of the squad who probably feel differently as that was probably my last year playing for the county and I've so much to be thankful for.
“But when all these emotions subside, I think people will be very appreciative of what the two lads did for Louth GAA.”
Under Harte and Devlin, Louth enjoyed back-to-back NFL promotions and were one win away from making it into Division One. The ‘Wee’ County also reached their first Leinster final in 13 years and competed in the round robin All-Ireland series.
“I got to create memories with Louth I never thought were possible,” Duffy said.
“My whole family was there at Croke Park, I got to walk my daughter across the Croke Park pitch. A friend of mine sent me a picture he took, I think, from the Upper Cusack of my daughter and me and it’s my screensaver now. All those things are special. A lot of that was down to Mickey and Gavin.
“Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll give the two lads a call and thank them for what they did for me and for Louth football.”
Duffy, however, still couldn’t quite grasp the logic of the pair’s move to Derry given the fierce and intimate rivalry the county shares with their native Tyrone.
“Obviously, Derry are further down the road than we are,” Duffy said.
“Is it a case of [Louth] are sitting in Division Two now, they got us to a Leinster final, can they go on and topple Dublin in the Leinster Championship? Can they push on and get to Division One?
“We asked these questions of ourselves last year, as a squad and management team, and the answer was that we will keep pushing on. Maybe it’s a case the two lads can see it sooner in Derry – that might be part of it. Derry were a kick of a ball away from beating Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-finals.
“But then you come back to the Derry-Tyrone rivalry. That’s the thing that throws me every time, when you think you’re thinking about this logically, and I just don’t get it.
“But, like I said, I’ve nothing but respect for the two of them and the journey we had over the last three years.”
Even though Duffy didn’t attend Monday night’s team meeting, called by captain Sam Mulroy, to confirm the news of Harte and Devlin’s departure – as Duffy was unlikely to remain part of the Louth panel in 2024, he still felt “heartbroken” by the news.
But, for him, there is only one piece of news that could eclipse Harte and Devlin’s departure – and that would be if Peter Fitzpatrick ever decided to walk away.
The popular county chairman temporarily quit earlier in the year over the GAA’s scuppered stadium plans announcement in Dundalk before assuming the reins again 24 hours later.
“When Peter quit earlier this year, I thought, ‘this is a disaster for Louth’ – and then he came back. If there’s one man that Louth need, it’s Peter Fitzpatrick. He’s the driver. He has just so much energy and passion for Louth.”
