Mayo win first All-Ireland Senior Football title in 75 years as ‘curse lifted’ with thrilling victory over Kerry at Croke Park | Gaelic Football News
Mayo claimed a first All-Ireland Senior Football title for 75 years as they beat defending champions Kerry in a thrilling final at Croke Park.
Mayo had lost 11 finals in a row, two of which went to a replay, since their last title in 1951 but secured a 1-20 to 1-17 triumph in emotional scenes on Sunday.
Manager Andy Moran – who lost six finals in a row during his playing days with Mayo – guided the club to silverware in his first season in charge.
Captain Jack Coyne told the BBC after Mayo’s fourth title overall: “This is the stuff of dreams. To every Mayo boy or girl around the world, dream big things.
“Everything is possible and we showed that today. The saying is keep the faith. We kept the faith. We’re All-Ireland champions.”
‘Curse lifted’ as Mayo claim long-awaited title
Kerry, who beat Donegal in last year’s final to earn a record-extending 39th championship, pushed for a late leveller but Tommy Conroy clinched a famous win for Mayo.
Legend has it that a curse was placed on Mayo back in 1951 when their homecoming celebrations after winning the title disrupted a funeral.
The priest reportedly said the club would not win another All-Ireland trophy while any member of the team was still alive.
The last living player from that 1951 side, Dr Mick Loftus, died in 2023 and three years on the curse appears to have lifted.
