All-Ireland Series Sam Maguire 2026

[seafoid]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2026/07/30/final-was-the-greatest-sporting-occasion-ill-ever-attend-how-could-anything-beat-it/
Conversation turned, inevitably, to Kobe.

"We saw his auld fellah in Sligo last week, working away. Sure he still looks like he could play."

It was just the sort of myth-building – an interaction at a distance – you'd got used to hearing about Ciarán McDonald. I'd got a little closer to McDonald père that morning in the hotel, for the first time since we interviewed him on RTÉ television 12 years ago.

I shook his hand and told him we'd never had a reaction to an interview like it. He nodded shyly and said some nice things. Then I asked him if he fancied a sequel, and he hugged me and politely, warmly, declined.

In the days after that programme we were sent a photo of a pub in Achill, taken from behind the bar while the interview was on. There were seven men along the counter, all turned around in their seats to find out just what Ciarán McDonald sounded like, as they'd never heard him speak before.

[ 'The shackles are off': Colm Boyle says future Mayo teams will benefit from breakthroughOpens in new window ]

The whole tableau spoke to the enormity of Mayo as a county, and the enormity of football within it. The enigma of McDonald, the unknowability of him, seemed to sum up the ethereal, complicated nature of the game in the place. There was always something cinematic about Ciarán and Mayo. And now Kobe is eternal.

If Mayo had spent the entire 75 years since 1951 doing nothing other than devising the best possible way to end the wait, they couldn't have come up with a better day than last Sunday. And as the celebrations continue, they are starting to realise that maybe the feeling won't ever go away.

[DaleCooper]

Cheers for all the accolades here lads and lassies.

I'm just about alive but still buzzing.

Best days of our lives. I felt something was stirring after Clones with this absolutely brilliant bunch of young lads led by Andy and his crew.

Thanks again all, the wests awake.

Watched it back with Midwest commentary last night and Martin Carney bullishness during the game was amazing. "Kerry are rattled" said a few times, and he was right.

"Kobe Baby" and the "Kerrymen are like jellyfish waiting to sting,  one got me on beach other evening"

When you look back they looked positively pedestrian, entirely reliant on the Wizard to conjure something.

[J70]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2026/0727/1585248-castlebar-braced-for-monumental-mayo-homecoming/

I don't get this line from some of the Mayo ones. No one was laughing at Mayo over the years. They were just about the only team to go toe to toe with that Dubs team and come out with a lot of credit. Aside from the 04 and 06 finals, they were as good as team that played the game. I can see why Mayo management might say that behind closed doors to get players focussed but the reality is they were a very good side that just up against some other really good sides.

People absolutely were laughing and sneering at Mayo over the years.

There's been constant jibes and jokes at our expense and when you try to stick up for yourself as a Mayo person you were told to relax and it's only a joke.

Well listening to that for years and years from people who hardly kicked a ball themselves gets very hard to take, but there was nothing you could say, you just had to give a false smile and try to move the conversation on.

That has now all changed. I think Sunday has changed Mayo people, not just Mayo football.
As Jack Coyne said "Stick out your chest and be proud to be from Mayo".

Thank you Jack, Andy, all the players of 2026, and all the players and management over the years who all had to shoulder the same condescending comments and helped to bring us to where we are today - champions of Ireland.

Thanks also to all the posters on this board for their genuine congratulations and heartfelt tributes, it means a lot.

I'm soaking up every minute of these days, and I'm not being an ungracious winner, but I had to get that off my chest 

Ah thats class to read. You's deserve every minute of the celebrations- most of the stick is probably from jealous Rossies . Mayo were my second team for years if I'd to pick one, the f**k up in 2021 put me off them given who beat them that day but absolutely delighted for the whole county this week. Enjoy and look forward to welcoming you's all to Armagh in the league.

2021 broke the resolve of a lot of Mayo people, I wasn't sure I could ever let myself get as invested in it again after that loss.

Thank God I stuck with it, Sunday and the last couple of days have been unbelievable, the sheer joy is wonderful to see.
I think everyone is letting themselves truly enjoy it, there's no longer a risk of it somehow ending in disaster.
I had my young fella beside me in Croker, his first final and they win the thing - he has no idea the heartache he has been spared 
It's brilliant for him and all the youngsters coming up and who might be lucky enough to go on to represent Mayo - they will never have to play with that burden, they'll be judged on their own performances, not the weight of 75 years.

After 2021-I had officially given up

The 2 preventable (soft) goals followed by the missed penalty were more than I could take (after 2017)

I had actually planned to go for a 2 hour hike last Sunday and leave my phone in the car and check the score when I got back.

Luckily my sons persuaded me to bring them into Boston and watch it in a pub.

When Flynn hit the crossbar and Kerry went down the pitch for a 2 pointer-I got that old familiar feeling. I went outside the bar....just couldn't take it any more


DOC was interviewed and he actually left the stand and retreated to the dressing room for the last 10 minutes-LOL-and lo and behold - COC was already there watching on a TV.

Once the final point was scored the ran back out to celebrate after all the heartache over the years

I'd given up on yez as well after the '21 final!

But fair fucks to your young lads. You have to watch, just in case. My auld lad couldn't take the stress and fear in '92 and missed a big chunk of the final that year. Regretted it ever after.

Hope you enjoyed it!

[AustinPowers]

Read an article  yesterday basically dissecting this Mayo curse. Every avenue  blocked off. Did any of the men of 51 actually say  this funeral thing happened?

Australia and NZ TV  had reports  about Mayo winning ,  but it wasn't really about Mayo winning the All Ireland, it was  all about the curse

If this curse  was  indeed all nonsense, where the hell did it come from?  Apparently  there was no talk of any curse until the 90's.

[weareros]

Read an article  yesterday basically dissecting this Mayo curse. Every avenue  blocked off. Did any of the men of 51 actually say  this funeral thing happened?

Australia and NZ TV  had reports  about Mayo winning ,  but it wasn't really about Mayo winning the All Ireland, it was  all about the curse

If this curse  was  indeed all nonsense, where the hell did it come from?  Apparently  there was no talk of any curse until the 90's.

Mayo didn't reach their next All-Ireland till 1989 so there wouldn't have been much talk of it. Paddy Prendergast's version of events is that they were stuck in the back of a lorry in Foxford and couldn't get out and there were people gathered around church but they didn't know there was a funeral going on.

https://youtu.be/kocuYdf5aOI?si=emgiWHuCq-jUlfp9

[JollyGreenGiant]

Read an article  yesterday basically dissecting this Mayo curse. Every avenue  blocked off. Did any of the men of 51 actually say  this funeral thing happened?

Australia and NZ TV  had reports  about Mayo winning ,  but it wasn't really about Mayo winning the All Ireland, it was  all about the curse

If this curse  was  indeed all nonsense, where the hell did it come from?  Apparently  there was no talk of any curse until the 90's.

I think it really took flight as a coping mechanism in the last decade where Mayo were repeatedly in finals and came off second best. In 2012 the ball had hardly been thrown in when they were 7 points down. In 2016 Cillian O'Connor missed a very late (score able) free to hand Sam to Dublin. In 2017 IIRC they were primed to win the game, but self destructed in many ways. They had also been in the 2013 final too which they lost by a point.

Tight margins separated them from major titles. And rather than maybe look at the fact that Mayo were generally second best, or that they let themselves down a bit at crucial moments, the spectre of "the curse" was an easier pill to swallow?

[whitey]

Read an article  yesterday basically dissecting this Mayo curse. Every avenue  blocked off. Did any of the men of 51 actually say  this funeral thing happened?

Australia and NZ TV  had reports  about Mayo winning ,  but it wasn't really about Mayo winning the All Ireland, it was  all about the curse

If this curse  was  indeed all nonsense, where the hell did it come from?  Apparently  there was no talk of any curse until the 90's.

Mayo didn't reach their next All-Ireland till 1989 so there wouldn't have been much talk of it. Paddy Prendergast's version of events is that they were stuck in the back of a lorry in Foxford and couldn't get out and there were people gathered around church but they didn't know there was a funeral going on.

https://youtu.be/kocuYdf5aOI?si=emgiWHuCq-jUlfp9

It was all pisreogs

My grandfathers first cousin was on the 1950/1951 team

Probably half the team were Pioneers

There were 3 Doctors on the team/panel

There was a priest on the team

This implied narrative of a gang of lads (probably full to the gills with drink) disrespecting a funeral is complete rubbish

I think talk of the curse came about when Clare won the hurling in 1995 and then when the ball hopped over the bar in 1996 it really gained steam.

I'm highly superstitious and actually started to believe it myself-that's there was some type of a hex on them. But to tie it to a specific event is rubbish

[tiempo]

96 ball hop and 2016 Cillian O'Connor free are the 2 that got away in my view

[Armagh18]

96 ball hop and 2016 Cillian O'Connor free are the 2 that got away in my view

Was 16 the year of the 2 own goals? Remember O'Connor scoring a brilliant point from play one year to either force extra time or a replay.

2016 and 17 sort of blurred into one for me

[whitey]

96 ball hop and 2016 Cillian O'Connor free are the 2 that got away in my view

Donal Vaughan getting himself sent off in 2017 was the final straw for me.

They would have had a tap over free and an extra man for the final 20 minutes of the game  (plus stoppage time)

Missing the penalty in 2021-I think you have to go back to Dublin in 1992 to find another missed penalty in an AIF

They were literally inventing new ways to loose matches

[AustinPowers]

96 ball hop and 2016 Cillian O'Connor free are the 2 that got away in my view

- Anthony Finnerty  blasting wide in 89
- McHale  (of all players) sent  off  was huge in 96
- Brogan  goal Hill 16 end in 2013, and COC tapping over the late  free
- Hennelly dropping ball, giving away the penalty in 2017?

But I think the two goals  in 2016  was whenever I really  thought they were jinxed.  Dublin were poor that day , only managed 1 point in first half I think .  Mayo better team and still couldn't put them  away.

[Armagh18]

96 ball hop and 2016 Cillian O'Connor free are the 2 that got away in my view

Donal Vaughan getting himself sent off in 2017 was the final straw for me.

They would have had a tap over free and an extra man for the final 20 minutes of the game  (plus stoppage time)

Missing the penalty in 2021-I think you have to go back to Dublin in 1992 to find another missed penalty in an AIF

They were literally inventing new ways to loose matches

2002, but in fairness Oisin made up for it that day

[JollyGreenGiant]

Perhaps there was also a degree of manifesting the curse. As has been mentioned there were a laundry list of incidents that made a noticeable difference to the outcomes of finals. At a certain point that was likely to impact the players. For some reason there was a vintage of Mayo player that would crumble at a crucial moment and ultimately that meant they lost somewhere along the way (when there were less second chances).

They were a higher quality and better mentality version of the 2002-2009 Dublin Team. But the results were broadly the same.

[Captain Obvious]

96 ball hop and 2016 Cillian O'Connor free are the 2 that got away in my view

- Anthony Finnerty  blasting wide in 89
- McHale  (of all players) sent  off  was huge in 96
- Brogan  goal Hill 16 end in 2013, and COC tapping over the late  free
- Hennelly dropping ball, giving away the penalty in 2017?

But I think the two goals  in 2016  was whenever I really  thought they were jinxed.  Dublin were poor that day , only managed 1 point in first half I think .  Mayo better team and still couldn't put them  away.

Dublin couldn't have played any worse in that 2016 drawn final yet the narrative a decade later was Mayo was playing the greatest team ever and drawing with them was acceptable.

Loads of what ifs and and when you look back and see how Mayo left All-Ireland titles behind them.

Law of averages Mayo was eventually going to win it. Next question on Mayo is can they prove to be great team with this group of players that have average age of 24,with no baggage and win more All-Ireland titles?

[Armagh18]

I don't think they'll go back to back, but that's no slight on them as it's extremely difficult to do. No reason they can't pick up another one or two over the next 5-6 years though, plenty of talent there. Unless they upset anyone with the celebrations and end up with none until Kobe and the rest are dead and gone