By: Tony Bagnall (Newry Democrat journalist).
Wednesday, August 17, 2005

DEEP shock, and then sadness, were the overwhelming emotions felt in the locality last Thursday when the news filtered through that Peter Loughran had died.

The 55-year-old ex-Armagh and Carrickcruppen footballer passed away after suffering a massive heart attack.

It was a huge blow, not only to his many friends in the Newry, Bessbrook and Camlough areas, but to GAA people the length and breadth of Ireland. Sincere sympathy goes to his wife Kate, sons Peter and Stephen, daughter Jane, father Oliver, mother Claire, brothers Jim and Brendan, sister Brea and indeed to all in the Loughran family circle.

The word legend is bandied about. But it most certainly applied to Peter. People call Peter Canavan, Peter the Great, but Peter Loughran owned that title before the Tyrone man was born.

Incidentally the late Peter played in a somewhat similar style to that of Canavan.

The last time I spoke to Peter Loughran was on the way to Croke Park to see Armagh play Tyrone in this year’s drawn Ulster final.

As the Democrat van stopped at the toll booth near Drogheda, Peter pulled up alongside us, wound down the window and shouted over: “Where’ s Patton (Gerry)?”

Apparently Peter was to take him to the match but there was a misunderstanding and the General was left at home. There was some craic over that mix-up – and indeed a few column inches in the Democrat.

His big pal Gerry Patton, who grew up with Peter and in fact was with him for a long time the day before he died, told the Democrat: “He was a fantastic footballer, the greatest player I have ever seen.

“And he was as tough as they come. My hair would rise on the back of my neck when he got the ball. When he was in form he played exhilarating football.

“Easily the greatest footballer never to win an All Star.”

Another old Armagh team mate of Peter’s, Kevin Rafferty, who played right half back in the 1977 All Ireland side and was present at his wake on Friday evening, told the Democrat: “Peter was a class act. One of the best players in Ireland in his time. He was an unreal corner forward.”

Joe Kernan was another 1977 All Ireland team mate and he also spoke in glowing terms about the Carrickcruppen star. “Peter was a true gentleman and a loyal servant to Armagh for many years.

“He was the top scorer throughout the whole of Ireland in the late seventies and was one of the best corner-forwards I ever saw – and that was at a time when the likes of Mike Sheehy was at his peak.”

Peter’s golden area was from 1977 to 1982 when his Carrickcruppen club won the South Armagh Championship three times, climaxing in reaching the Ulster Club final in 1982. In that team were another couple of immortals, cousin Peter Treanor and his brother Jim, the duo also playing with Peter in the 1977 Armagh All Ireland final team.

Peter also turned out for Ulster in the Railway cups of 1979 and 1980. And he managed Carrickcruppen – where his son Peter played with distinction for many years.

His reign began as a teenager in 1968 when he was first selected as a county Minor and in fact Peter played both Minor and Senior county football in the same season.

His funeral took place on Sunday at Carrickcruppen chapel with a massive crowd present to pay their respects to one of the greatest players ever to wear the orange shirt of Armagh.

Goodbye Peter; you will never be forgotten.