Mayo overcome 75 years of heartbreak to beat Kerry 1-20 to 1-17 and win All-Ireland football title

The wait is over

Mayo are All-Ireland senior football champions for the first time since 1951. The Westerners beat Kerry 1-20 to 1-17 at Croke Park on Sunday, ending a 75-year sequence of near-misses that included 11 lost finals. Thousands of green-and-red supporters wept as captain Jack Coyne raised the trophy and the stadium erupted into a rendition of 'The Green And Red of Mayo.'

Kerry, the record 39-time winners, had gone into the match as strong favourites. An early David Clifford goal helped them build a seven-point lead by the 16th minute, and at half-time they led 1-8 to 0-10. Andy Moran's side, written off after a patchy campaign, found something else in the second period.

The turning points

Mayo's revival was ignited by 19-year-old Darragh Beirne. His 40th-minute goal, crafted by a driving run from Ryan O'Donoghue, was the first Kerry had conceded since the opening round of the championship. From that moment Mayo pushed on: a Jack Carney two-pointer and four points between the 58th and 62nd minutes, including another O'Donoghue two-pointer, opened a five-point gap. Kerry gnawed at the deficit and David Clifford's late two-pointer closed it to a single point, but Tommy Conroy hit the decisive score to seal a three-point win.

Captain Coyne's rallying cry

Never stop dreaming. Stick your chest out and be proud to be from Mayo!

Coyne, the corner-back who had never before lifted a senior trophy, addressed the crowd with a message that captured the county's longing. "The wait is over," he said. "Sam is home. Maigh Eo abú." The speech drew the biggest cheer of the day and was immediately followed by the cup being held aloft.

Moran's prayer and the folklore

Mayo's victory also laid to rest one of sport's most enduring curses. According to legend, the 1951-winning team disrupted a funeral on their way home from Dublin and a presiding priest declared Mayo would not win another All-Ireland while any member of that side lived. The last survivor, Dr Mick Loftus, died in 2023; Sunday's final was Mayo's first appearance on the big day since 2021.

Manager Andy Moran, who played in several of those lost finals, revealed he turned to a different kind of belief when the game hung in the balance at the 69th minute. The 2001 Galway team, managed by his late mentor John O'Mahony, had been presented as the jubilee side before throw-in.

I said a little prayer to Jono. Jono's team is here, it's 25 years. My mentor, my friend, he tried twice at us. I said Jono if I need you it's now and he came up with the goods.

What they said

Darragh Beirne, the Claremorris teenager who scored 1-3, was almost disbelieving afterwards.

I feel like I'm dreaming, I keep on having to pinch myself. Kerry are one of the greatest champions ever, some of the best players ever played the game. We had to defend as a team, we couldn't defend as individuals.

He credited Moran for giving him the licence to play. "He called me, I thought it was a fake call to be honest with you. He said, you're coming into the senior squad, you're here to play, you're not here to take part. He gave me that confidence that allowed me to go out and express myself, told me to go out and have fun, play with a smile on your face."

In a county where Gaelic football is woven into identity, the result unspooled a lifetime of longing. The bonfires were lit and the celebrations began across Mayo and among the diaspora worldwide.