Dublin defeat Mayo in yet another All-Ireland Final Thriller

Dublin won their twenty -seventh All-Ireland senior football title by defeating Mayo by 1-17 to 1-16 on September 17, 2017, for their third–in–a-row and their fifth in seven years. Already, they are been hailed as one of the best teams of all time, perhaps second only to the great Kerry team from 1975 to 1986, which won eight All-Ireland titles. Mayo supporters were again left stunned after a final, losing by one point with virtually the last kick of the game. While the Dublin team received due praise, the general reaction around the country was sympathy for Mayo, with many hailing them as the second best team of the last thirty years. They were just unfortunate to be there at the same time as this great Dublin team. Mayo supporters are really wondering what they have to do to win a final. Of course, there are many ifs about the final, with many regarding Mayo as the better team on the day, but the fact remains that Dublin survived an epic contest between two wonderful teams. Since 1989, Mayo teams have made Trojan efforts to win the Sam Maguire Cup but, unfortunately for them, it has proved elusive. The county has now lost nine All-Ireland senior finals from 1989 to 2017 (1989, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2017), with replays in 1996 and 2016. Their last three defeats in the final were by Dublin and by one point on each occasion. Mayo have only won three All-Ireland senior titles, in 1936, 1950 and 1951, out of sixteen final appearances, compared with 37 for Kerry out of 59 appearances and 27 for Dublin out of 40 deciders. Yet, Mayo supporters keep the faith that one day they will reach ‘the promised land’. Keith Duggan in the Irish Times on September 23, stated: “It’s an irony and it’s of no consolation to the players but, regardless of how this adventure finishes, it’s clear this Mayo team will be remembered on a national scale long after All-Ireland champion teams have faded into obscurity”.

Next year will see a new format, with what is called ‘the super eight’ replacing the current knock-out quarter-finals. The last eight will be placed in two groups of four. Each team will play the other three teams in their group, with one home game, an away game and the third one in Croke Park. The first group consists of the Connacht and Munster champions, the Ulster runner-up or the qualifier team that beats them in round four, as well as the Leinster runner-up, or the successful qualifier team. The second group consists of the Ulster and Leinster champions, as well as the Munster runner-up (or the successful qualifier team in round four, the Connacht runner- up (or the successful qualifier team). The two top teams in each group will qualify for the All-Ireland semi-finals, with the winner in one playing the runner-up in the second group. It is planned to have the All-Ireland final played in August to facilitate club games in September. Getting to an All-Ireland final is demanding, with every year turning up some surprises. Next year, it appears to be even more demanding. Only time will tell if Mayo are there, but the dream lives on.

Bernard O'Hara's latest book entitled Killasser: Heritage of a Mayo Parish is now on sale in the USA and UK as a paperback book at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk or Barnes and Noble

It is also available as an eBook from the Apple iBookstore (for reading on iPad and iPhone), from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (Kindle & Kindle Fire) and from Barnesandnoble.com (Nook tablet and eReader).

An earlier publication, a concise biography of Michael Davitt, entitled Davitt by Bernard O’Hara published in 2006 by Mayo County Council , is now available as Davitt: Irish Patriot and Father of the Land League by Bernard O’Hara, which was published in the USA by Tudor Gate Press (www.tudorgatepress.com) and is available from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. It can be obtained as an eBook from the Apple iBookstore (for reading on iPad and iPhone), from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (Kindle & Kindle Fire) and from Barnesandnoble.com (Nook tablet and eReader).