LADIES GAA | Bishop steps down from role as manager of Louth Ladies
Monaghan native led Wee County to All Ireland glory
Louth Ladies are on the lookout for a new manager after Darren Bishop confirmed that he is to step down from the role due to family commitments.
The Monaghan native took over after the untimely passing of Micheal McKeown in the summer of 2018 and guided the Wee County to a Leinster final and an All Ireland Junior Championship final where they were beaten by Limerick.
The Reds went one better this year. After a very impressive campaign which saw them win six of their seven matches and top the Division Four table, they were beaten by Antrim in the league semi-final.
The lessons of that loss were put to good effect as Louth romped to victory over Carlow in the Leinster final and they followed that up with impressive wins over Carlow, London and Antrim before impressively defeating Fermanagh to claim the All-Ireland Junior Championship title at Croke Park last month.
In a statement released to the panel, Bishop thanked the players for their efforts over the past 18 months and expressed his delight that they got their reward with victory in the All-Ireland final.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I have decided to step away and this is due, primarily, to family commitments,” said Bishop. “The birth of my two boys have changed my priorities in life and my family deserve my full attention.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed being your manager and I feel very privileged to be given this opportunity. Collectively, as a group, you have been fantastic to work with and anything that I ever asked of you during training and matches was always followed through. You ultimately got what you deserved at the end of this year by winning the All Ireland title and I was delighted for you all.
“Going forward for this team, it’s important that you remain focused and driven to continue to seek the high standards and expectations you achieved this year.”
Bishop also thanked his backroom team of David Shevlin, Brigid Russell and Pat Carr who each brought their own unique set of skills to the management set-up.
“I would also like to thank physio Laura Grills, Martina Nolan and Cliondha Russell for their great effort and commitment, while two men who deserve praise are Warren Mathews and PJ McGrane who brought the year to life with the fantastic photography and video analysis.
“To the members of the county board, and both the present and past chairmen, Liam O’Neill and Dermot Woods, I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for taking a gamble on me last year and this year. For me, personally, it has been a fantastic experience and an opportunity that I will always be grateful for.”
