Paul Williams EXCLUSIVE - Mayo supporters botch "hit job" on 1951 survivors

[sid waddell]

Mayo 1951 survivors have lucky escape as supporters forget to carry out "hit" plan

GANGLAND EXCLUSIVE by Paul Williams
Irish Independent, September 22nd, 2017

The two surviving members of Mayo's 1951 All-Ireland-winning team had a lucky escape after last Sunday's Croke Park final, when a plan by a group of Mayo supporters to mount a professional "hit" on them fell through, the Irish Independent has learned.

Details of the shocking botched "hit" on Paddy Prendergast and Padraig Carney have been provided to this newspaper by a source who was present on the night the shocking plan was hatched.

Prendergast and Carney, both now in their late 80s, are the only members of the last Mayo team to win the Sam Magure Cup who are still alive. Legend has it that following that 1951 final, the victorious returning team ignored a funeral cortege in the town of Foxford, and a local priest was so angered that he put a curse upon the Mayo team that they would never win another All-Ireland while any of those players were still alive.

Mayo continue to wait for another All-Ireland victory, with Sunday's agonisisng one point loss to Dublin their ninth final defeat in succession since 1951.

It has emerged that the sinister "hit plan" on Prendergast and Carney was hatched by a group of disgruntled Mayo supporters in a Dublin pub on Sunday night.

The source who was present gave the following account: "There were three Mayo men drinking at the next table to where I was and I could hear everything they were saying. They were in a very downbeat mood and became progressively more drunk as the night wore on. Around 11pm, as the Sunday Game highlights programme was drawing to a close, one of them mentioned "the curse" and how Mayo would never win the All-Ireland while Prendergast and Carney are still alive."

The source continues: "One of the men then opined that the current Mayo team might have one more chance to win the All-Ireland in 2018, but that Prendergast and Carney would have to be "taken out" first in order for victory to be achieved. One of the other men then suggested using either the Kinahan or Hutch gangs to organise a professional "hit" on them. Then the three men all started laughing."

The laughing of the men was "sinister in tone" according to the source present. "They made no effort to conceal the plan from other people and were talking openly about it. They agreed to discuss the plan again the next morning with a view to paying either the Kinahan or Hutch gangs to carry out the "hit"".

This writer has become aware of the identities of the men, and can now reveal them as "The Supporter", a 58 year-old man from Castlebar believed to be the ringleader of the plot, "The Brother", a 56 year-old man from Castlebar, and "The Cousin", a 61 year-old man originally from Swinford but now living in Dublin.

Approached by this writer as to the sinister nature of their planned criminal enterprise, the response of "The Supporter" was shocking in its tone.

"What? Are you crazy? It was a joke, a bit of black humour. You have to have a bit of black humour about you when you support Mayo. Is this a serious call or a wind up or what?"

"The Supporter" then issued a furious denial about the details of the evil plot and the planned Monday meeting to confirm it.

"Sure meself and the brother and the cousin went back to the cousin's house in Cashtleknock around midnight to shleep off the drink and none of us thought no more about it. Meself and the brother travelled back to Mayo on the Monday on the train. There was no actual "hit" plan. I didn't even remember what we shaid the next mornin', and it's only come back to me now that you bring it up. We were dhrunk talkin'. You do understand this, yes? "

A Garda source says they are taking the details of the plot "extremely seriously".

Contacted by this writer, Prendergast and Carney both bravely stated that "they do not feel under threat" from the planned hit.

[Syferus]

This one is in even more poor taste than the others.

[From the Bunker]

Did not read the above rubbish. Presume it is in very poor taste!

Shame!

[sid waddell]

Did not read the above rubbish. Presume it is in very poor taste!

Shame!

An insult to two great Gaels and to Gaels everywhere!

Ban him!

[mrhardyannual]

Did not read the above rubbish. Presume it is in very poor taste!

Shame!

An insult to two great Gaels and to Gaels everywhere!

Ban him!

After the disgraceful effort posted re. Tony Keady and in particular re. his wife one would have thought that you might reassess your ability to discern what is humorous and what's not, but obviously not. I suppose we could try education but I fear it would be as diamonds to swine.

[sid waddell]

Did not read the above rubbish. Presume it is in very poor taste!

Shame!

An insult to two great Gaels and to Gaels everywhere!

Ban him!

After the disgraceful effort posted re. Tony Keady and in particular re. his wife one would have thought that you might reassess your ability to discern what is humorous and what's not, but obviously not. I suppose we could try education but I fear it would be as diamonds to swine.

What sort of "education" would you have in mind now?