Five Unlikely Upsets in Gaelic Football History

In recognition of Meath’s shock triumph over Dublin, which booked them an opportunity to win their first Leinster Final since 2010 against Louth on May 11th, we have decided to look back at other great upsets that have occurred in the Football Championship over the years.

1982 All-Ireland Final: Offaly 1-15 Kerry 0-17

Perhaps the most famous Gaelic Football match of all time took place on September 19th, 1982. Kerry, an all-powerful juggernaut led by the brilliant Mick O’Dwyer, were chasing an unprecedented fifth All-Ireland in a row, unbeaten in the Championship since 1978. Offaly, under their manager Eugene McGee, were searching for their first All-Ireland since 1972. Kerry were huge favourites for the match in Croke Park, with many feeling that the result was already a done deal for Micko’s men. That appeared true as Kerry built up a 4-point lead, heading into the last ten minutes.

Offaly brought it back to 2 points, and then the most talked about substitute in Gaelic Football history stepped up. Seamus Darby, only brought on with seven minutes to go, caught a long ball and scored one of the most well-known goals ever scored in Irish sport. That Kerry team had superstars like Eoin Liston, Jack O’Shea, and Paidi O’Shea at its disposal, but Offaly, with five sets of brothers in their lineup, secured a remarkable victory, the last time Offaly have climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand to lift the Sam Maguire.

1994 Connacht Final: Leitrim 0-12 Mayo 2-4

Leitrim had not won a Connacht title in 67 years when they took to the Dr Hyde Park field in Roscommon on July 24th, 1994. Facing them was a Mayo side, who were searching for their third consecutive Connacht title. Leitrim, led by the unerring accuracy of captain Declan Darcy that summer, recovered from conceding a goal after just 18 seconds to lead their more illustrious rivals by three points at half time.

Leitrim then looked like they were going to coast to a Connacht title when they began the first 20 minutes of the second half, outscoring Mayo by 6-1. Mayo did mount a late surge, but Leitrim held on to win their first Nestor Cup since 1927. On lifting the Cup, Darcy was joined by the 1927 captain, Tom Gannon, a sight that is still one of the most iconic scenes in Football history.

Newbridge or Nowhere 2018: Kildare 0-21 Mayo 0-19

Mayo were the biggest rivals for the all-conquering Dublin team during the 2010s, with the two counties facing off in three All-Ireland Finals, four, if you include the 2016 replay. Stephen Rochford’s men had faced the Dubs in 2017, and even though they lost to Galway in the 2018 Connacht Championship, many still expected them to have a say in the latter stages of the 2018 All-Ireland. Enter Kildare and their manager, Cian O’Neill. Fresh from being drawn with Mayo in Round 3 of the football qualifiers, Kildare, led by their boss, refused to sacrifice home advantage against Mayo for a Croke Park double header.

O’Neill even appeared on a national news broadcast to declare that Kildare would be taking to the field in St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge, and not Croke Park. ‘Newbridge or Nowhere’ became the Kildare rallying cry before the game, and when the two sides stepped out in St Conleth’s Park on June 30th, 2018, their performance justified all the pre-game shenanigans. Kildare went toe-toe with Mayo and knocked them out of the 2018 Championship.

1992 Munster Final: Clare 2-10 Kerry 0-12

When Clare lost by ten points to Tipperary in 1989, it was considered a new low for the Banner County’s Gaelic Football team, yet just three years later many of that team would secure the greatest result in the history of Clare football. The arrival of Mayo man John Maughan as Clare manager in 1990 was the turning point. He brought a level of discipline and organisation, which brought incremental improvements in Clare, culminating in their historic triumph over a Kerry side that had Jack O’Shea, in his last ever Kerry appearance, Seamus Moynihan, making his first, and a free-scoring Maurice Fitzgerald in their starting 15.

2014 All-Ireland Semi-Final: Donegal 3-14 Dublin 0-17

Granted, it might not be as big a shock as some if the others on this list, but what it meant for Gaelic Football over the next six years was game-changing. Dublin entered the 2014 Semi-Final as defending All-Ireland champions but left Croke Park that day a beaten team. Jim McGuinness and Donegal had exposed weaknesses in Jim Gavin’s setup to hit the Dubs for three goals and beat them on the day.

It was a learning experience for Gavin and the Dubs, as he never again experienced losing in the Championship as Dublin manager. Gavin would lead Dublin to the 2015, 16, 17, 18 and 19 All-Ireland titles before walking away as arguably Gaelic Football’s greatest boss.

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