Brennan insists that it’s key to “take the opportunities to promote GAA in the Wee County as much as possible” and the numbers attending his regular Zoom meetings have increased massively in recent weeks.
That has coincided with heady days in Louth after a heartening Leinster SFC final display against the Dubs was followed up by a strong second-place finish in the All-Ireland group stages.
The biggest step yet came last Sunday, however, when they took down Cork to book their All-Ireland quarter-final place amid jubilant scenes in Inniskeen. Brennan was keen for his players to soak in every bit of that sweet success before eventually slipping into forward mode.
“You have to acknowledge the achievement of the group. I’d say they’re the most successful Louth team in 67 years, when you look at it in black and white. That’s a huge achievement for this group and for a county like Louth,” Brennan said.
“That has to be acknowledged and you have to harness that energy and put it into your preparations then.”
Alcohol bans are often spoken about in GAA circles, especially during the championship, but Brennan had no issue with anyone wetting their whistle.
“I have always been a proponent that if a guy likes to take a couple of drinks to unwind, as long as it’s done in a balanced fashion, that’s fine. And it’s important to celebrate the achievement that they had,” he continued.
“I would have learned a lot from playing under [Paul] ‘Pillar’ Caffrey. I was probably too young. I was only 18 or 19 coming in, but there was far too much drinking going on. We were nearly a drinking team playing Gaelic football.
“Pat Gilroy came in and he had to go at it a different way. It was not tee-total, but ‘we’re off it when we’re off it and when we’re on it, we’re all on it together’, which evolved to a place where Jim Gavin came in.
It was a case where the Louth footballers are at now, in terms of their maturity levels, and their maturity levels around alcohol and socialising.
“If it’s something that helps you relax, having a couple of beers, off you go. But if it’s going to hinder your recovery significantly, or if you’re carrying a knock, or if it’s going to hinder your performance or training, then that’s a problem you need to look at.
“That’s my take on it. The group in Louth right now are a very mature group.”
Brennan bucks plenty of trends with his holistic approach and while some managers would not compare their team to others, he has no hesitation in using their neighbours Monaghan as a prime example of what Louth can achieve.
“Since I have gotten involved with Louth, I have used the example of Monaghan. They have half the population of Louth, but they are a success. Ten years in Division 1, getting to All-Ireland semi-finals,” he said.
“They were the only side to have won their All Ireland quarter-final last year having gone through a preliminary [quarter-final]. ‘If Monaghan can do it, why can’t Louth?’”
Sunday’s last-eight clash against Donegal throws up a reunion with Jim McGuinness, the man who famously pulled off one of the most sensational upsets in championship history as Donegal downed Brennan’s Dubs in the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final.
“I was on the sideline, I was injured. I know it has been said before by some of my team-mates that that game made the group under Jim Gavin and the five-in-a-row, that went on to six-in-a-row.
“I have played against Jim McGuinness. I have met teams that he has been over. What I always found playing teams with Jim McGuinness is they are extremely honest and hard-working.
“We all know Donegal, they are going to be giving everything for Jim and their county – and our players are going to be doing the same.”
