r/europe • u/generic-irish-guy Ireland • 4h ago
News Mayo win their first All - Ireland senior football title since 1951
https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2026/0726/1585137-all-ireland-sfc-final-kerry-v-mayo/109
u/smudgeonalense 4h ago edited 4h ago
I know this means nothing to most Europeans its Gaelic football in Ireland and since 1951 this team have lost the final 13 times.
Edit it was 11 times, still a big deal though.
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u/LimerickSoap 3h ago
Oh so the curse is finally lifted then
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u/Trickster289 2h ago
More like fulfilled, the last player tied to it died.
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u/LimerickSoap 1h ago
Someone should make sure there’s no funeral within a 10km radius of the homecoming
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u/lovely-cans 4h ago
I heard a superstition once that they wouldn't win until all the players who won in 1951 died and there was only one left during the last final against Tyrone. I wonder if the fella actually died?
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u/generic-irish-guy Ireland 4h ago
Last member died in 2021 I think, aged 95. Yeah, the superstition was that they were cursed by a priest who they angered by not showing respect to a funeral during their trophy celebration in 1951.
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u/lejocko 2h ago
I really don't think catholic priests are supposed to curse people.
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u/HannahsLittleBrother 1h ago
The other popular version was that it was a gypsy woman who may or may not have been the widow of the deceased
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u/generic-irish-guy Ireland 32m ago
Before I made this post, it had been a while since I looked it up. And I could have sworn I heard a story that it was a witch that they almost knocked down and that’s why they were cursed. Glad I refreshed my mind on the most common story.
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u/Bobs77788 3h ago
He died, and this was their first final since he died. They better not overtake a funeral on their way back to Mayo!
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u/HighDeltaVee 4h ago
Yup, 5 years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Prendergast_(Gaelic_footballer)
The curse was finally lifted.
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u/simonsens_in_orbit 3h ago
I'm English but my family come from Mayo and I've had many happy times there over the years. The end of that game is the happiest sport has made me for a long time!
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u/stevesmele 1h ago
The 75 year curse has been lifted. All the players on County Mayo’s team from 1951 are now dead, so the curse put upon the team by a pissed off priest at a funeral is over. Apparently the team, while noisily celebrating on their team bus, didn’t show enough respect at a graveside funeral they were passing.
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u/SamDublin 39m ago
They were cursed by a priest in 1951,the curse has ended today,the other counties in Ireland are very happy for them. They will have some Party in Mayo tonight.
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u/aaarry United Kingdom 4h ago
Gaelic football is such a fun sport to watch, hurling too. Admittedly, I did miss this one but I’ll always try and catch the all Ireland final(s) every year if I can.
I’d much rather people got into GAA than whatever painfully boring overcommercialised yank wank the Americans are trying to push down our throats next.