“McKelvey Magic as Louth Start League Campaign with Armagh Win”

National Hurling League Division 3

Louth 1-20 Armagh 1-15
BOX-IT Athletic Grounds

Louth Senior Hurlers made the perfect start to their 2026 National Hurling League Division 3 campaign with a hard-fought five-point victory over Armagh at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds on Saturday afternoon.

In an absorbing contest that swung both ways, Louth showed resilience, scoring power and composure down the stretch, with a late Ciaran McKelvey goal proving decisive after a sustained Armagh comeback.

First Half

Louth settled quickly and opened the scoring through a Darren Geoghegan free, but Armagh responded well, with Conor Murphy registering two early points as the visitors matched Louth stride for stride.

Points from Ciaran McKelvey and Seaghan Conneely kept Louth ticking over, and by the 15-minute mark the sides were level at 0-4 apiece, reflecting a lively and evenly balanced opening quarter.

From there, Louth began to assert control. Geoghegan was deadly accurate from placed balls, converting a succession of frees, while McKelvey continued to impress from play. Louth’s efficiency in front of goal saw them open up a four-point cushion by the half-hour mark.

A late John Casey point added to the tally as Louth carried strong momentum into the break.
Half-time: Louth 0-13 Armagh 0-8.

Second Half

Louth pushed on immediately after the restart, with Ciaran McKelvey extending the lead. However, the complexion of the game shifted when Kyle Rafferty was shown a red card, forcing Louth to dig deep.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Geoghegan remained composed, slotting over a 65 to keep daylight between the sides. By the 45th minute, Louth still held a five-point advantage at 0-15 to 0-10.

Armagh rallied strongly in the third quarter, aided by a purple patch where they began to dominate possession and pressure Louth’s defence. Although an Armagh player was later dismissed, the visitors surged back into the contest and hit 1-15, effectively wiping out Louth’s lead and bringing the sides level approaching the final stretch.

At that critical juncture, Louth showed real character. Ciaran McKelvey stepped up with back-to-back points to steady the ship before the defining moment arrived. McKelvey, outstanding throughout, finished emphatically to the net to swing the momentum decisively back in Louth’s favour.

Louth saw out the closing moments with maturity to seal an impressive opening-round win.
Full-time: Louth 1-20 Armagh 1-15.

Louth Team: Conor Clancy; Aaron McGuinness, John Casey (0-1), Stephen Kettle; Sean Hodgins, Peter Fortune, Kyle Rafferty; Darren Geoghegan (0-8, 6f/1’45’), Michael O’Shea; Seaghan Conneely (0-1), Thomas McCreesh, James Costelloe; Sam Phelan, Conor Murphy (0-3), Ciaran McKelvey (1-7).

Subs: Paddy Lynch for Sam Phelan (HT), Sean Magill for James Costelloe (51 Mins), Mark Gahan for Thomas McCreesh (69 Mins).

Armagh Team: Ruairi Fullerton; Stephen O’Keeffe, Paudie Lappin, Darren McMullan; Dáire Harvey, Barry Shortt (0-2, 1f/1’65’), Tom Lennon; Odhrán Curry (0-1), Peter McKearney (0-2); Jake Loughran (0-8, 5f), Dylan McKenna (0-1, Eoin McGuinness; Jack Scallon, Ciarán Duffy, Joe O’Connor.

Subs: Aaron Cullinane (0-1) for Jake Scallon, Marty Moan for Ciarán Duffy (47 Mins), Danny Magee for Eoin McGuinness (51 Mins), Dan Mone for Darren McMullan (57 Mins).