1961 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship

The 1961 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship was the 40th staging of the championship since its establishment by the GAA in 1912.

1961 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship
All Ireland Champions
WinnersLouth (4th win)
CaptainGussie Sheelan[1]
All Ireland Runners-up
Runners-upYorkshire
Provincial Champions
MunsterKerry
LeinsterLouth
UlsterMonaghan
ConnachtGalway
1960
1962

The competition format saw the four provincial champions compete in two 'Home' semi-finals, the winners of which then contested the All-Ireland 'Home' final at Croke Park.

Louth, having accounted for Meath, Longford and Offaly in the Leinster preliminary rounds and Dublin in the provincial final, went on to defeat Kerry and Galway in the All-Ireland Series to emerge as 'Home' champions.

In the last stage of the competition, the victorious 'Home' finalists then met the champions of Britain to determine who would be crowned overall All-Ireland Junior Football Champions for 1961.[2]

The title match was played on 8 October in Leeds. The 1961 British champions Yorkshire provided the opposition for Louth. A tight game ended in victory for the Wee County side by three points.[3][4]

Results

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Final

6 August 1961   Louth 2–04 - 0–08   Dublin Páirc Tailteann, Navan
GK 1 Jim Clifford (St Patrick's)
RCB 2 Oliver Coombes (Wolfe Tones)
FB 3 Jim Butterly (Mattock Rangers)
LCB 4 Anthony Kirwan (Dreadnots)
RHB 5 Gussie Sheelan (St Patrick's) (c)
CHB 6 Michael Kelly (Wolfe Tones)
LHB 7 Noel McDonnell (Drogheda Parnells)
MF 8 Ted Russell (Naomh Mhuire)
MF 9 Paddy Jordan (St Patrick's)
RHF 10 Seán Goodman (Walshestown Rovers)
CHF 11 Jim Sheelan (St Patrick's)
LHF 12 Jim Judge (Newtown Blues)
RCF 13 Ronnie McDonnell (Seán McDermott's)
FF 14 Henry Donnelly (St Patrick's)
LCF 15 Fra Kirk (Clan na Gael)
Substitutes:
16 Jim Kearns (O'Connells) for Judge
17 Paddy Reilly (Naomh Mhuire) for Ronnie McDonnell
GK 1 Martin Leonard (St Maur's)
RCB 2 Paddy Archibold (St Joseph's)
FB 3 Leo Hickey (Ballyboughal)
LCB 4 Brian Cooney (Rialto Gaels)
RHB 5 Pat Fox (Rialto Gaels)
CHB 6 Liam O'Hagan (c)
LHB 7 Denis Dempsey (Rialto Gaels)
MF 8 Colin Fox (Ballyboughal)
MF 9 Frank McKearney (O'Toole's)
RHF 10 Paddy Barrett (Ballyboughal)
CHF 11 Bert Ennis (Garristown)
LHF 12 R. Kinsella (Fingal Ravens)
RCF 13 Nicky Dempsey (Rialto Gaels)
FF 14 A. Burke (Na Fianna)
LCF 15 Pat Somers (St Anne's)
Substitutes:
16 P. Nally for Burke
17 Eamonn Burgess (Good Counsel) for Kinsella
18 F. Sheehan for C. Fox

'Home' Semi-Finals

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27 August 1961   Louth 2–07 - 1–08   Kerry Gaelic Grounds, Drogheda
27 August 1961   Galway 5–09 - 1–01   Monaghan Ballinasloe, County Galway

'Home' Final

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10 September 1961   Louth[5] 0–11 - 1–07   Galway Croke Park, Dublin

All-Ireland Final

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(Roundhay Park, Leeds, England)

8 October 1961
  Louth[6][7] 1–13 1–10 Yorkshire
(HT: 0–08 - 1–05)
Gls: Jim Sheelan (1-0)
Pts: Kirk (0-06), Fagan (0-02), Jim Sheelan (0-02), Donnelly (0-02) Judge (0-01)

Referee: Brian Smyth (Meath)
GK 1 Jim Clifford (St Patrick's)
RCB 2 Oliver Coombes (Wolfe Tones)
FB 3 Jim Butterly (Mattock Rangers)
LCB 4 Anthony Kirwan (Dreadnots)
RHB 5 Gussie Sheelan (St Patrick's) (c)
CHB 6 Michael Kelly (Wolfe Tones)
LHB 7 Paddy Dixon (Clan na Gael)
MF 8 Frank Fagan (Newtown Blues)
MF 9 Paddy Jordan (St Patrick's)
RHF 10 Jim Sheelan (St Patrick's)
CHF 11 Muckle McKeown (O'Raghallaighs)
LHF 12 Jim Judge (Newtown Blues)
RCF 13 Seán Goodman (Walshestown Rovers)
FF 14 Henry Donnelly (St Patrick's)
LCF 15 Fra Kirk (Clan na Gael)
Substitutes:
16 Joe Mallon (Newtown Blues) for Jordan
17 Leslie Toal (Clan na Gael) for Coombes

Manager:
Paddy McArdle
GK 1 M. Courtney
RCB 2 D. Grennan
FB 3 L. Daly
LCB 4 T. Fox
RHB 5 P. Donlon
CHB 6 P. Beirne
LHB 7 P. O'Hara
MF 8 M. Jordan
MF 9 J. Kelly
RHF 10 H. Marron
CHF 11 M. Keegan (c)
LHF 12 M. Kelly
RCF 13 P. Burke
FF 14 M. Neary
LCF 15 J. Shields

References

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  1. ^ "Condolence Book for Augustine (Gussie) SHEELAN". www.rip.ie/Deathnotices/Louth. 11 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Louth Juniors take on Yorkshire at Leeds". Drogheda Independent. 7 October 1961.
  3. ^ "Remembering Louth All-Ireland junior winner Paddy Jordan". Dundalk Democrat. 25 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Louth Profile". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Nicknames at very core of GAA folklore". Drogheda Independent. 25 August 2011.
  6. ^ "Duleek Gate had lots of great greyhound men". Drogheda Independent. 21 October 2005.
  7. ^ "The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games" (PDF). GAA. 2021.