The 1951 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 65th staging of Ireland's premier Gaelic football knock-out competition.
| All-Ireland Champions | |
|---|---|
| Winning team | Mayo (3rd win) |
| Captain | Sean Flanagan |
| All-Ireland Finalists | |
| Losing team | Meath |
| Captain | Séamus Heery |
| Provincial Champions | |
| Munster | Kerry |
| Leinster | Meath |
| Ulster | Antrim |
| Connacht | Mayo |
| Championship statistics | |
← 1950 1952 → | |
The Curse of '51
Mayo have not won an All-Ireland football final since 1951. Legend has it that a priest became furious when the Mayo team bus returning home from the 1951 final passed by a funeral without showing respect as they celebrated their All-Ireland win. The priest supposedly put a curse on Mayo, that they would not win another title until all of the team had died.[4] All remaining members of the team had died by 2023.[5][6] Paddy Prendergast, who was the final surviving member and played at full-back, died at the age of 95 on 26 September 2021.[7][8][9] Mick Loftus, who was a sub and did not play on the day, died at the age of 93 on 22 April 2023.[10]
The curse is one that was disproven, for records show there was no funeral in Foxford on that day.[11] In addition, there is no evidence of local belief in such a curse before the early 21st century.
Results
Connacht Senior Football Championship
| Mayo | 3-7 – 1-5 | Sligo |
|---|---|---|
| M Flanagan (0-2), S Mulderrig (2-2, one goal a penalty), M Mulderrig (0-2) & T Langan (1-1). |
| Mayo | 4-13 – 2-3 | Galway |
|---|---|---|
| H Dixon (0-1), E Mongey (0-1), P Carney (0-3), S Mulderrig (0-3); M Mulderrig (0-1), T Langan (1-3) & P Solan (3-1). |
Leinster Senior Football Championship
| Meath | 4-9 – 0-3 | Laois |
|---|---|---|
| Frankie Byrne 1-2 (0-2f), Jim Reilly 1-2, Brian Smyth and Matty McDonnell 1-1 each, Paddy Meegan 0-2f, Peter McDermott 0-1 | Tommy Murphy 0-2 (0-1 pen) and Des Connolly 0-1f |
Munster Senior Football Championship
| Cork | 2-13 – 2-4 | Limerick |
|---|---|---|
| E. Young (0-1), C. McGrath (0-7), D. O'Sullivan (0-3), M. Cahill (0-3) & P. Spillane (2-0). |
| Cork | 4-9 – 1-1 | Clare |
|---|---|---|
| N. Duggan (0-1), C. McGrath (0-2), C. O'Sullivan (0-2), M. Cahill (4-1), P. Spillane (0-1) & D. Kellaher (0-1). |
| Kerry | 5-6 – 1-1 | Waterford |
|---|---|---|
| J. Brosnan (0-1), P. Godley (0-3), S. O'Connor (2-0), F. O'Keeffe (1-1), E. Kennelly (1-0) & Tom Ashe (1-1). |
| Kerry | 1-6 – 0-4 | Cork |
|---|---|---|
| D. Hanafin (Snr) (1-0), T. Ashe (0-3), S. O'Connor (0-1), P. Godley (0-1) & G. O'Sullivan (0-1). | C. McGrath (0-1) & M. Cahill (0-1). |
Ulster Senior Football Championship
| Cavan | 2-9 – 0-7 | Down |
|---|---|---|
| P Donohoe (0-4), T Tighe (1-4), Cassidy (1-1) | Denvir (0-1), Fitzsimmons (0-3), Fitzmaurice (0-3) |
| Cavan | 1-6 – 1-4 | Derry |
|---|---|---|
| P Donohoe (0-2), T Tighe (0-2), Mc Enroe (1-1), Ed Carolan (0-1) | J E Mullan (0-3), J Murphy (1-0), P Keenan (0-1) |
| Antrim | 1-7 – 2-3 | Cavan |
|---|---|---|
| D Forde (1-1), Pa O Hara (0-1), K Armstrong (0-2), J Mc Callin (0-1), R Beirne (0-2) | P Donohoe (1-2), Ed Carolan (1-1) |
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
| Mayo | 1-5 – 1-5 | Kerry |
|---|---|---|
| P Irwin (0-1), S Mulderrig (0-3, one free), T Langan (1-0) & P Solan (0-1). | J. J. Sheehan (0-1), D. Hanafin (Snr) (0-1), P. Godley (1-0), T. Ashe (0-2) & G. O'Sullivan (0-1). |
| Mayo | 2-4 – 1-5 | Kerry |
|---|---|---|
| E Mongey (0-1), P Carney (0-1, free), S Mulderrig (0-1) & M Flanagan (2-1). | E. Dowling (1-1), G. O'Sullivan (0-1) & T. Ashe (0-1). |
Championship statistics
Miscellaneous
- In fact the Leinster football championship saw a triple of draws and replays they were in the following games as we know,
- Preliminary Round, Longford vs Carlow.- Quarter-Final, Wexford vs Westmeath.- Semi-Final, Meath vs Louth.