Louth GAA reaffirm Mickey Harte commitment amidst Slaughtneil rumours

COMMITTED: Louth GAA maintain Mickey Harte will be their senior football manager in 2023 despite reports linking him with the vacant Slaughteil position. Pic: Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile

Louth GAA have maintained Mickey Harte will be their senior football manager in 2023 despite reports linking him to the vacant Slaughtneil position.

Following successive promotions, the three-time Tyrone All-Ireland winning boss only agreed a two-year extension to his term with The Wee County, which began in 2020 after he left his native county. He added a new selector in Peter Dooley last month.

However, in the wake of the Slaughtneil links, Louth were moved to release the following statement. 

“In response to reports today in some media outlets, Louth GAA would like to confirm Mickey Harte’s commitment to Louth GAA and affirm his and Gavin Devlin’s future involvement with Louth. We look forward to a promising 2023 in Division 2 of the NFL and our Leinster campaign under Mickey’s guidance.” 

According to the Belfast Live website, Harte, 70, is to replace Paul Bradley as Slaughtneil manager. Devlin has taken charge of his own club Ardboe. Slaughtneil lost to Glen in this year’s Derry SFC final.

Meanwhile, Mary Prenty, husband of Connacht secretary John, has put her name forward for the position of Mayo secretary. The Ballyhaunis woman is the current planning and training officer in Ballyhaunis and enters a contest with Davitts’ Ronan Kirrane for the position as Dermot Butler is stepping aside due to the five-year rule.

The death has occurred of popular Mayo GAA journalist Austin Garvin. A long-time contributor to the Mayo News, Western People and broadcaster with MidWest Radio, the Claremorris man was admired for his insightful analysis of football having twice coached Mayo’s minors to All-Ireland titles in the 1970s.

Recalling his memories of Mayo’s last All-Ireland SFC success in 1951 in this newspaper last year, Garvin said: “The bonfires blazed a long way out from Claremorris when they came through in ’51. They were later introduced to the crowd in The Mall in Castlebar but it was enough for me to see them in the flesh in my own town. My father Philip and mother Mary would listen to the games on the wireless and these players were huge heroes of mine and they became bigger ones as I got to know them subsequently, particularly Seán Flanagan.” 

Garvin’s funeral takes place in Claremorris at 1pm on Saturday. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h’anam dílis.