Statistics and records Although London has been in five finals, no team from outside Ireland has ever won the tournament. Dublin are the current champions, having defeated Tyrone in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final in 2018. They are only the second county to win back-to-back titles after Offaly won in 2015 and 2016.
The Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in 1879 by Michael Cusack as a means for "the people to play games and have fun". As well as administering an annual national football championship, its members also run several other sports including hurling, camogie, shinty, and handball.
Currently, Ireland is divided into 32 counties or gaelic territories that administer most sports except football and hurling. Each county or territory has one representative team in the All-Ireland Championships. The exception is County Dublin which has two teams - one senior and one junior - in the championships. There is also a city team in Dublin called Dublin City FC which plays in the Premier Division of the AIFF's Irish League. This team is not affiliated with Dublin GAA nor Tyrone GAA but instead is owned and operated by Dublin City Council. In addition, there is a parish team in each county that can also compete in the championships. These teams are usually named after their local parish church.
On September 17, 1995, Dublin won the championship following a 1-10 to 0-12 defeat of Tyrone in the All-Ireland final. This was their 22nd All-Ireland title and their first in twelve championship seasons. The game was played at O'Connor's Park in New York.
Dublin entered the championship as defending champions. They lost their opening match to Kerry but went on to claim the title with three straight wins from then on. This is their second All-Ireland victory over Tyrone.
The Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in 1887. It is based in Donnybrook, Dublin but has offices in Casement Aerodrome, County Cork and Ashbourne House, Parnell Square, Dublin 7.
Its mission is "to promote and maintain Gaelic Games at all levels – inter-county, provincial, junior & social - and to develop young people through sport."
Since its formation, the association has organized all-Ireland championships for the following games: hurling, football, camogie, and bocce. The association also runs the annual All-Ireland Finals between the senior men's football teams of Leinster and Ulster. These meetings are sometimes called the "Leinster/Ulster Final" or "the All-Ireland Senior Final".
Dublin Dublin are the current champions. The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was held on Saturday, December 19, two weeks after the semi-finals, due to COVID-19 and state constraints. It was the first All-Ireland final to be played without a crowd since the 1880s.
The game saw Dublin defeat Kerry by a score of 2-16 to 1-17. This is their fourth title overall and third in a row. It is also their first championship match since Eamonn Doran took over as manager in January 2019. Before then, he had only one other victory during his tenure - against Tyrone in September 2018. He has now guided Dublin to three consecutive titles.
Kerry were attempting to win a record eighth All-Ireland title. They have been beaten on all previous attempts by Dublin. The last time they won the championship was in 1990. That year, they also went on to lose the World Cup final to Italy. Since then, they have never won another title. However, the millennium season saw them claim the National League title, making it nine championships in total.
The final was played under "super-8" rules, with eight inter-county teams taking part. Each team will play four matches over the course of the championship and can only win, draw or lose one game per day.
Kerry, on the other hand, began the competition as the reigning champions. However, they were eliminated in the All-Ireland semi-final by Galway. Dublin won the title on September 22, 1963, after defeating Galway in the All-Ireland final 1-9 to 0-10. This was their 17th All-Ireland championship, and their first in five years.
Dublin were the dominant team of the sixties. They won three successive championships from 1959 until 1961, including an undefeated year in 1960. Kerry also won three in a row between 1957 and 1959. But none of these teams have been able to repeat their successes since then. The sixties saw some amazing matches played by some great players. Here are some of the most memorable ones:
In 1959, Dublin faced Kerry in the All-Ireland final. It was regarded as one of the best games ever played and it produced a record attendance for an all-Ireland game. This match went to extra time and then into a replay because both sides wanted the title so badly. In fact, this game ended up being more important than many decades later games because it proved that Kerry could be beaten by a "minor" team like Dublin.
In 1962, Dublin again faced Kerry in the All-Ireland final. This time there was no need for a replay because Dublin beat Kerry once again by just one point - 1-11 to 2-10. This was the beginning of an era where Dublin would dominate the sport.
Cork holds the all-time championship record, having won it 12 times. Galway is the current champion. The All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship was established in 1964 in response to a proposal introduced in Congress by the Kerry County Board. The tournament has increased in relevance and notoriety since then. Today, it is one of three national championships used to determine the overall All-Ireland champions at the end of each year.
Currently, the top two teams from the Leinster and Munster championships advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals. The winners of these games go on to contest the All-Ireland final. In addition, the third-place team from Leinster can qualify for an All-Ireland quarter-final if they win their group game. The fourth-placed team from Munster can also qualify for a quarter-final if they win their group game.
The All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship has always been played during the summer break of the main Irish football season. However, this policy has caused problems when countries other than Ireland have had to release players for international matches. This has led to some unusual scheduling decisions. For example, in 1999, 2001, and 2003, the final was scheduled while both Leinster and Munster were in action simultaneously. This meant that neither competition could finish until after all the under-21s had been decided.
The 42nd edition of Ireland's highest Gaelic football knock-out competition, the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, took place in 1928. Kildare came out on top. Cork claimed the Munster championship for the first time since 1916. Sligo won the Connacht championship for the first time. Kildare has won the All Ireland title for the second year in a row. They were accompanied into Croke Park by Derry who made their debut in the championship.
Cork's championship victory was somewhat controversial. The final was drawn at half-time with Cork leading 2-1. When play resumed Kildare scored two quick goals to take a 3-2 lead. However, a late goal from Donie Cassidy for Cork brought the deficit back to one score. It was later discovered that during the break a Kildare player had entered the field of play with an injured foot and remained there until he was replaced by a substitute. The Kildare player never returned to the game and his team lost by default. This means that Cork finished as champions on points difference alone.
Cork went on to face Dublin in the All-Ireland final. Both teams were bidding for their third title in four years and it proved to be another exciting match. In fact, it is still regarded as one of the best finals ever played. With just over ten minutes left to play Cork were trailing by a point. Two quick goals from Paddy Maguire gave Cork a comfortable lead which they held onto to claim their third title in four years.
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