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The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (Irish: Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Maigh Eo) or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county football and hurling tams. Separate county board are responsible for the camogie and ladies football teams.
History
Though not affiliated through the 1890s, there is strong evidence of GAA activity in Mayo and the rivalry with Galway that brought success to both counties from the 1930s on was already in evidence.
Gaelic football
One of the great turning points in GAA history west of the Shannon was the 1935 Connacht final when 26,000 turned out to see League champions Mayo beat the All-Ireland champions Galway in Roscommon. The following year Mayo were leading by a goal in the last minute when Brendan Nestor scored an equalising goal for Galway - he raised the flag himself and caused a riot. Mayo won the replay and captured their first All-Ireland. The following year, 1937, they were victim of Louis Blessing's last-minute goal in the semi-final against Cavan in another match that featured a pitch invasion. It ended Mayo's run of 57 matches without defeat. Mayo dominated the National League for six years, but pulled out of the 1939-40 league (duly won by Galway) in a grievance over the 1939 semi-final, a bad-tempered draw and replay with Kerry.
Mayo took ten years to come out of Connacht again, won revenge over Kerry, narrowly lost the 1948 All Ireland final to Cavan and 1949 semi-final to Meath but returned in 1950 to win an extraordinary All-Ireland when Louth's Sean Boyle had his kick-out charged down and Mick Flanagan broke through for a freak winning goal. In 1951 Mayo retained the All Ireland with three late points from Padraig Carney, known as the flying doctor because of the method of return from the United States. Eight wides and a one point defeat in the replayed 1955 All Ireland semi-final brought that particular era to an end. The 1967 team ended Galway's four-in-a-row dreams but went on to another one-point semi-final defeat (Kerry in 1969), their last league success and two defeats in league finals. In 1996 Mayo felt they should have won a controversial All Ireland final against Meath, Ray Dempsey's 45th minute goal giving them a lead of six points to slip away and seeing Colm Coyle's long shot bounce over the bar for the equaliser. During a bad-tempered replay, they led by four points at half-time only to succumb to a Tommy Dowd goal. Mayo were always chasing the 1997 final, and were heavily beaten again in 2004.
Honours
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championships: 3
- 1936, 1950, 1951
- All-Ireland Junior Football Championships: 5
- 1933,1950, 1957, 1995, 1997
- All-Ireland Under 21 Football Championships: 4
- 1967, 1974, 1983, 2006
- All-Ireland Minor Football Championships: 6
- 1935, 1953, 1966, 1971, 1978, 1985
- National Football Leagues: 11
- 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1949, 1954, 1970, 2001
- Connacht Senior Football Championships: 40
- 2004, 2006
Hurling
Although their only senior hurling championship match successes since beating Galway by 10-1 to 4-1 in the 1908 Connacht final have been against Sligo in 1991 and 1992, Davey Synnott helped Connacht to Railway cup victories in 1982 and 1983.
Honours
- Connacht Senior Hurling Championships: 1
- 1908
Ladies' Gaelic football
Honours
- All-Ireland Junior Ladies' Football Championships: 1
- 1987
- All-Ireland Minor Ladies' Football Championships: 1
- 1987
Bibliography
- Mayo's Football Triumphs by M A Clune (Dublin, Pearse Press 1954)
- The Green Above The Red, A Compilation Of Mayo's All-Ireland Triumphs At All Levels by Terry Reilly And Ivan Neill (Ballina 1985).
External links
"Mayo GAA"