Séamus Darby scored a crucial goal for Offaly in the 1982 All-Ireland SFC Final.
By Tom Stakelum
They say sport is a microcosm of society, reflecting the beliefs and values of a community. If there is one thing that the community of GAA and sporting lovers believe in, it is the value of the underdog story. A true underdog tale evokes feelings of joy, wonder, and hope, that sport can be unpredictable, that anything truly can happen. However, with the world of team sport seemingly becoming increasingly predictable, with great teams reaching the summit and staying on their perch, unmoved, for what seems like an eternity, the longing for an underdog tale of ‘Leicester’ proportions only grows.
In our world of Gaelic games, we have the All-Ireland SFC quarterfinals on the horizon, with two teams in particular, vying to light the wilting flame of the ‘GAA underdog’: Roscommon and Louth. Roscommon have failed to reach an All-Ireland SFC Semi-Final since 1991, while you have to venture back all of sixty-seven years to the last time the ‘wee county’ reached the final four. Should either of these proud footballing counties prevail this weekend, the next chapter of the ‘GAA underdog’ shall be written.
In hopeful preparation, let’s shine a light on four ‘Unlikely Upsets’ , in the realm of Gaelic football, that caught the imagination of the nation.
Offaly 1982 – All-Ireland SFC Winners
“a GOAL, a GOAL, a GOAL FOR OFFALY! There was a goal in the game! Ohhhh what a goal! And Offaly lead in the dying moments” ~ These were the famous words from the great Micheal O’Hehir, that greeted the most dramatic goal in Gaelic Football history. Seamus Darby’s last gasp goal against Mick O’Dwyer’s five-in-a-row chasing Kerry side secured a remarkable victory for ‘The Faithful’, sparking wild scenes of disbelief and delirium. Offaly’s first All-Ireland SFC triumph in a decade. This remarkable result still stands as the last time an Offaly team climbed the steps of the Hogan stand on All-Ireland SFC Final day. “Sensation of Sensations.”
Watch now: 1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Final: Kerry v Offaly - YouTube
Declan Darcy starred for Leitrim in 1994.
Leitrim 1994 – Connacht SFC Winners
Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon was the stage for the 1994 Connacht SFC Final, which saw a provincial silverware-starved Leitrim side take on defending champions Mayo. For a team who hadn’t tasted Connacht success since 1927, Leitrim went into this showpiece in a manner of quiet confidence, having put Galway to the sword in Tuam for the first time since 1949, the previous year. On their path to the 94’ final, Roscommon and Galway fell to the unblinking free taking of Leitrim captain Declan Darcy. In the final itself, Leitrim answered an early Mayo goal with six unanswered scores to put them three up at the interval, in an inspired display of first half defiance. Ultimately, the Connacht Final of ‘94 culminated as follows; Leitrim are two points up and win a free, Aidan Rooney steps up to take, he is told by the referee that this is the last kick of the game, a grin as wide as ‘Lough Allen’ appears on his face, he now knows that they have bridged the sixty-seven year gap to Connacht glory.
Declan Darcy took one side of the JJ Nestor Cup, while ninety-five-year-old Tom Gannon, the last Leitrim captain to do so, took the other. Raising the cup, high in the sky, a joyous tear had arrived, in the Leitrim eye.
Watch now: 1994 Connacht Senior Football Final: Leitrim v Mayo (youtube.com)
Tipperary won a dramatic Munster SFC Final in 2020.
Tipperary 2020 – Munster SFC Winners
A first Munster SFC crown in eighty-five years was the prize as Tipperary got the better of a fancied Cork side in Páirc UÍ Chaoimh on an historic November afternoon. This terrific triumph was made all the more significant as the Premier County marked the centenary of Bloody Sunday by donning the white and green of Grangemockler, just as they did on that dreadful day one-hundred years prior. In the match itself, Tipp only trailed once in the seventy minutes. Their leading lights Michael Quinlivan and Conor Sweeney combined for twelve points on the day, highlighting their status among the best forwards in the country. While it is deeply unfortunate that this game took place with the backdrop of an empty Páirc Uí Chaoimh, due to the coronavirus, there was one prudent positive that the pandemic brought to the blue and gold set up. This was the return of AFL ace Colin O’Riordan. A masterful midfield showing by the Sydney Swans man, in his first game for his beloved county in five years. Following the seismic victory, O’Riordan gave a memorable post-match interview in which he described it as one of the best days of his life.
Watch highlights now: https://fb.watch/sZeU73mG9H/
Cavan defeated Donegal in the 2020 Ulster SFC Final.
Cavan 2020 – Ulster SFC Winners
In our final ‘Unlikely Upset’, we take a look back at another provincial pandemic success in the much-maligned year of 2020. This time it was the turn of the Breffni men. Having just witnessed Tipperary claim the Munster SFC title against the odds, Cavan followed suit and prevailed as four-point winners over Donegal on a score line of 1-13 to 0-12. A late Conor Madden goal, following a miraculous piece of fielding from the imposing Thomas Galligan, at the death, proved the clincher for Cavan, as they got their hands on the Anglo-Celt Cup for the first time since 1997! In a remarkable coincidence, the four teams that advanced to the semi-finals of the All-Ireland SFC that year, were the same four that reached that stage in 1920 – Dublin, Mayo, Tipperary, Cavan.
Watch highlights now: https://fb.watch/sZe4wtTyu8/
