[2] Situated in an area of north Louth that contains several GAA clubs, Kilkerley's local rivals are considered to be Roche Emmets[3] and St Bride's.

The Emmets enjoyed a significant period of success in the late 1970s, winning the Junior 1 League in 1977 and then beating Dreadnots in the final of the 1978 Louth Intermediate Football Championship.

The jump from junior to senior football in the space of two years was made possible in no small part by being able to call on the services of county players J.P. O'Kane and the Lennon brothers, Terry and Pat.

More silverware was won in 1980 when Kilkerley defeated Cooley Kickhams 1–09 to 2–05 in the final of the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup to claim their first ever senior trophy.

[8] They returned to the county final in 1986, this time losing narrowly by 3–05 to 2–07, against a strong Newtown Blues team that completed a clean sweep of senior competitions.