1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
| Championship details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10 May – 20 September 1981 |
| Teams | 33 |
| All-Ireland Champions | |
| Winning team | Kerry (27th win) |
| Captain | Jimmy Deenihan |
| Manager | Mick O'Dwyer |
| All-Ireland Finalists | |
| Losing team | Offaly |
| Captain | Richie Connor |
| Manager | Eugene McGee |
| Provincial Champions | |
| Munster | Kerry |
| Leinster | Offaly |
| Ulster | Down |
| Connacht | Mayo |
| Championship statistics | |
| No. matches played | 34 |
| Top Scorer |  Matt Connor (1-31) |
| Player of the Year |  Jack O'Shea |
← 1980 1982 → | |
The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 95th staging of the
inter-county Gaelic football
tournament. The championship began on 10 May 1981 and ended on 20 September 1981.
Kerry entered the championship as the defending champions and were hoping to win a record-equalling fourth successive championship title.
On 20 September 1981, Kerry won the championship following a 1-12 to 0-8 defeat of Offaly in the All-Ireland final.[1] This was their 27th All-Ireland title and their fourth championship in succession.
Offaly's Matt Connor was the championship's top scorer with 1-31. Kerry's Jack O'Shea was the choice for Texaco Footballer of the Year.
Munster Championship format change
The normal system of 2 Quarter-final's and 2 Semi-final's is back.
Results
Connacht Senior Football Championship
Quarter-finals
| 30 May 1981 Quarter-final | Emerald GAA Grounds, Ruislip | |||
| P Maher 1-3, J Keoghan 0-1. | M Carney 1-2, J Burke 1-2, J McGrath 1-0, E McHale 0-3, J Lyons 0-2, J Maughan 0-2. | Referee: T Cunningham (Galway) |
| 7 June 1981 Quarter-final | Tuam Stadium, Tuam | |||
| G McManus 0-11, TJ Gilmore 1-2, S Joyce 1-0, B Brennan 0-2, T Naughton 0-1. | F Smith 0-2, J Ward 0-1, M Quinn 0-1, J Logan 0-1, S Tighe 0-1. | Referee: PJ McGrath (Mayo) |
Semi-finals
| 14 June 1981 Semi-final | Sligo | 2-9 – 1-8 | Roscommon | Markievicz Park, Sligo |
| J Kearins 2-1, J Kent 0-3, M Hoey 0-3, PJ Kavanagh 0-1, J Stenson 0-1. | D Earley 1-3, L Dolphin 0-2, J O'Gara 0-1, T McManus 0-1, T Donlon 0-1. | Referee: P Egan (Leitrim) |
| 21 June 1981 Semi-final | McHale Park, Castlebar | |||
| J Bourke 1-1, J Lyons 1-0, M Carney 0-3, G Feeney 0-1, T Reilly 0-1, J McGrath 0-1, J Maughan 0-1. | S Joyce 1-1, V Daly 0-2, G McManus 0-2, B Brennan 0-1, B Talty 0-1, B Joyce 0-1, TJ Gilmore 0-1. | Attendance: 20,000 Referee: T. Moran (Leitrim) |
Final
| 12 July 1981 Final | McHale Park, Castlebar | |||
| M Carney 0-5, WJ padden 0-2, J Maughan 0-1, J Bourke 0-1, J McGrath 0-1, T O'Malley 0-1, M O'Toole 0-1. | John Kent 0-2, P Henry 0-1, E McHale 0-1. | Referee: T Cunningham (Galway) |
Leinster Senior Football Championship
First round
| 10 May 1981 First round | Longford | 1-10 – 3-10 | Westmeath | Pearse Park, Longford |
| B Smith 0-5, M Casey 1-0, T Sheridan 0-3, J McCormack 0-1, L Tierney 0-1. | W Lowry 0-4, E Coughlan 1-0, S Hannratty 1-0, M Behan 1-0, T McCormack 0-3, F Tone 0-2, E Tynan 0-1. | Attendance: 3,000 Referee: P Kavanagh (Meath) |
| 10 May 1981 First round | Kilkenny | 2-4 – 2-11 | Wexford | Nowlan Park, Kilkenny |
| S Fennelly 1-1, P Lannon 1-1, J O'Donnell 0-1, J Walsh 0-1. | G Howlin 2-0, E Mann 0-6, T Wright 0-3, G Byrne 0-1, J Wright 0-1. | Referee: C Lally ( Laois ) |
| 10 May 1981 First round | Wicklow | 3-11 – 1-8 | Carlow | Geraldine Park, Athy |
| T Murphy 1-3, J Lynch 1-3, D Foley 1-0, P Burke 0-3, P O'Byrne 0-1, P Baker 0-1. | W Cullen 1-3, N Bambrick 0-2, D O'Connor 0-1, C Ware 0-1, M Doyle 0-1. | Referee: S Aldridge (Kildare) |
| 17 May 1981 First round | Laois | 5-8 – 3-8 | Louth | Croke Park, Dublin |
| E Whelan 2-2, W Brennan 1-4, D O'Loughlin 1-2, T Prendergast 1-0. | K Dawe 2-4, M McDermott 1-1, E Judge 0-1, G O'Callaghan 0-1, Jim McDonnell 0-1. | Attendance: 3,755 Referee: A Jordan (Dublin) |
Quarter-finals
| 31 May 1981 Quarter-final | St. Conleth's Park, Newbridge | |||
| J McCarthy 0-4, A McCaul 0-4, K Duff 0-1, PJ Buckley 0-1. | P Baker 0-3, P O'Byrne 0-2, T Murphy 0-2, J Lynch 0-1. | Attendance: 11,000 Referee: J Gunning ( Offaly ) |
| 31 May 1981 Quarter-final | Cusack Park, Mullingar | |||
| F Tone 1-4, S Hannratty 0-1, T Collins 0-1, E Tynan 0-1, W Lowry 0-1. | M Connor 0-9, B Lowry 1-2, S Lowry 0-1, J Moran 0-1, M Wright 0-1. | Attendance: 7000 Referee: K Campbell (Meath) |
| 7 June 1981 Quarter-final | Wexford | 2-9 – 1-11 | Meath | Croke Park, Dublin |
| E Mahon 0-6, J Wright 1-0, G Howlin 1-0, G O'Connor 0-3. | E Barry 0-6, L Smith 1-1, C O'Rourke 0-3, F O'Sullivan 0-1. | Referee: D Guerin (Dublin) |
| 14 June 1981 Quarter-final | O'Connor Park, Tullamore | |||
| T Prendergast 3-3, W Brennan 0-5, E Whelan 0-3, M Moore 0-2. | G Power 1-4, T Shaw 0-2, L Tompkins 0-2, M Condon 0-1. | Referee: P Collins ( Westmeath ) |
Semi-finals
| 28 June 1981 Semi-final | Offaly | 1-16 – 0-14 | Wexford | Croke Park, Dublin |
| M Connor 1-5, B Lowry 0-4, G Carroll 0-3, J Mooney 0-2, M Wright 0-1, T Connor 0-1. | E Mahon 0-8, G Howlin 0-2, G O'Connor 0-2, G Byrne 0-1, S Fitzhenry 0-1. | Attendance: 7,000 Referee: C Lally ( Laois ) |
| 5 July 1981 Semi-final | O'Connor Park, Tullamore | |||
| A McCaul 0-8, J Thompson 0-2, J Ronayne 0-1. | T Prendergast 1-1, J Costello 1-0, W Brennan 0-3, E Whelan 0-2, D O'Loughlin 0-1, G Brown 0-1, M Moore 0-1. | Attendance: 25,000 Referee: P Kavanagh (Meath) |
Final
| 26 July 1981 Final | Offaly | 1-18 – 3-9 | Laois | Croke Park, Dublin |
| Brendan Lowry 1-4, Matt Connor 0-5 (0-3f), Tomas O'Connor, Pat Fitzgerald, Gerry Carroll, Sean Lowry 0-2 each, Aidan O'Halloran 0-1 | Willie Brennan 1-3 (0-2f), Mick Moore 1-2, Tom Prendergast 1-1, John Costello, Eamon Whelan, Declan O'Loughlin 0-1 each | Attendance: 28,398 Referee: Paddy Collins ( Westmeath ) |
Munster Senior Football Championship
Quarter-finals
| 31 May 1981 Quarter-final | Tipperary | 0-9 – 3-14 | Clare | Gaelic Grounds, Limerick |
| B Kennedy 0-2, B Conway 0-2, M O'Riordan 0-2, H Mulhaire 0-1, G McGrath 0-1, J Dunne 0-1. | G Fitzpatrick 1-4, T Tubridy 1-4, M O'Reilly 1-2, P Burke 0-2, N Normoyle 0-1, M Murray 0-1. | Referee: W Fogarty (Kerry) |
| 31 May 1981 Quarter-final | Limerick | 0-10 – 0-10 | Waterford | Gaelic Grounds, Limerick |
| A Moran 0-3, K Hanley 0-2, T Cummins 0-2, M Quish 0-1, F Ryan 0-1, D Fitzgerald 0-1. | P White 0-4, M Horgan 0-2, R Dunford 0-1, M Hackett 0-1, T Keating 0-1, J Power 0-1. |
| 14 June 1981 Quarter-final replay | Waterford | 0-10 – 1-4 | Limerick | Fraher Field, Dungarvan |
| T Casey 0-5, P White 0-3, J Kelly 0-1, T Keating 0-1. | T Cummins 1-0, A Moran 0-2, D Kiely 0-1, K Hanley 0-1. | Referee: M Griffin (Clare) |
Semi-finals
| 28 June 1981 Semi-final | Kerry | 4-17 – 0-6 | Clare | Frank Sheehy Park, Listowel |
| E Liston 3-3, M Sheehy 0-6, J Egan 1-1, P Spillane 0-3, P Ó Sé 0-1, J O'Shea 0-1, T Spillane 0-1, O Moran 0-1. | G Fitzpatrick 0-2, P McNamara 0-2, N Roche 0-1, J McGrath 0-1. | Referee: P Lane (Limerick) |
| 28 June 1981 Semi-final | Waterford | 0-7 – 2-18 | Cork | Fraher Field, Dungarvan |
| P White 0-3, M Kavanagh 0-2, T Casey 0-2. | D Allen 0-7, J Allen 1-2, D Barron 1-0, T Dalton 0-3, F O'Mahony 0-2, C Ryan 0-1, B Lotty 0-1, D Barry 0-1, S Hayes 0-1. | Referee: W Fogarty (Kerry) |
Final
| 19 July 1981 Final | Kerry | 1-11 – 0-3 | Cork | Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney |
| Mikey Sheehy 1-5 (0-2f), Pat Spillane 0-3, Jack O'Shea, Eoin Liston, John Egan 0-1 each | Tom Creedon (0-1f), Dave Barry, Dinny Allen (0-1f) 0-1 each | Attendance: 41,292 Referee: Paddy Collins ( Westmeath ) |
Ulster Senior Football Championship
Preliminary round
| 17 May 1981 Preliminary round | St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney | |||
| E McEneaney 1-7, S McAleer 1-1, K Treanor 0-1. | B Donnelly 0-2, P Ball 0-2, J Devlin 0-1, E McKenna 0-1. | Referee: S McManus (Fermanagh) |
Quarter-finals
| 24 May 1981 Quarter-final | Antrim | 2-13 – 2-12 | Cavan | Casement Park, Belfast |
| J Herron 1-4, K Gough 1-1, A McQuillan 0-4, D Maguire 0-3, S McGourdy 0-1. | D Donohoe 2-5, M Reilly 0-1, C O'Keeffe 0-1, M Faulkner 0-1. | Referee: S Murray (Monaghan) |
| 31 May 1981 Quarter-final | Armagh | 2-16 – 0-13 | Donegal | Athletic Grounds, Armagh |
| B Hughes 1-1, N Marley 1-1, P Loughran 0-3, J Kernan 0-2, P Rafferty 0-2, J Loughran 0-2, C McKinstry 0-1, J Donnelly 0-1. | M McHugh 0-4, S Reilly 0-3, S Bonnar 0-2, M Gallagher 0-1, C Mulgrew 0-1, S Flynn 0-1, M Carr 0-1. | Referee: J Heaney (Tyrone) |
| 7 June 1981 Quarter-final | Ballinascreen | |||
| B Kelly 0-4, M Feeley 0-4, J McGrourty 0-2, T Doherty 0-1, J McAree 0-1. | P McGinnitty 0-4, G McEvoy 0-3, E McPartland 0-1, P Connolly 0-1, P Courtney 0-1. | Referee: S Gallagher (Donegal) |
| 14 June 1981 Quarter-final | Pairc Esler, Newry | |||
| B McGovern 0-7, N Toner 0-1, L Austin 0-1, D Morgan 0-1. | E McEneaney 0-6, S McAleer 0-2, D Mulligan 0-1, T Moyna 0-1. | Referee: J Gough (Antrim) |
| 28 June 1981 Quarter-final replay | St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney | |||
| K Treanor 1-1, E McEneaney 0-4. G McCarville 0-2, K Finlay 0-1, H Clerkin 0-1. | B McGovern 1-0, D Morgan 1-0, J McCartan 1-0, L Austin 0-1, P O'Rourke 0-1, N Toner 0-1, A McGranaghan 0-1. | Referee: J Gough (Antrim) |
Semi-finals
| 21 June 1981 Semi-final | St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney | |||
| P Rafferty 1-2, S Devlin 1-0, J Kernan 1-0, C McKinstrey 1-0, B Hughes 0-2, P LOughlin 0-2, J Loughran 0-1. | PJ O'Gara 1-0, D Maguire 0-2, K Gough 0-1. | Referee: S Murray (Monaghan) |
| 5 July 1981 Semi-final | St. Tiernach's Park, Clones | |||
| B McGovern 0-5, G Blaney 0-2, N Toner 0-2, J McCartan 0-2, A Rogers 0-1. | J McAfee 0-3, B Kelly 0-2, J McGrourty 0-1, T Doherty 0-1, M Lynch 0-1, M McFeeley 0-1. | Referee: S McManus (Fermanagh) |
Final
| 19 July 1981 Final | St. Tiernach's Park, Clones | |||
| A Rodgers 0-4, G Blaney 1-0, N King 0-1, B McCartan 0-1. | P Loughran 0-5, B Hughes 1-1, C McKinstrey 0-2, P Moriarty 0-1, P Rafferty 0-1. | Attendance: 25,000 Referee: J Heaney (Tyrone) |
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Semi-finals
| 9 August 1981 Semi-final | Mayo | 1-6 - 2-19 | Kerry | Croke Park, Dublin |
| E McHale 1-0, J McGrath 0-2, J Lyons 0-1, A Garvey 0-1, M Carney 0-1, J Lyons 0-1. | M Sheehy 0-6, E Liston 1-2, G Power 1-0, D Moran 0-3, J Egan 0-3, P Spillane 0-3, J O'Shea 0-1, T Doyle 0-1. | Attendance: 24,631 Referee: P Collins ( Westmeath ) |
| 23 August 1981 Semi-final | Down | 0-6 - 0-12 | Offaly | Croke Park, Dublin |
| G Blaney 0-3, Jim McCartan 0-1, N King 0-1, B Toner 0-1. | M Connor 0-7, B Lowry 0-2, M Lowry 0-1, G Carroll 0-1, A O'Halloran 0-1. | Attendance: 35,406 Referee: W Fogarty (Kerry) |
Final
| 20 September 1981 Final | Kerry | 1-12 - 0-8 | Offaly | Croke Park, Dublin |
| M Sheehy 0-5, J O'Shea 1-0, D Moran 0-2, T Doyle 0-1, J Egan 0-1, P Ó Sé 0-1, S Walsh 0-1, G Power 0-1. | M Connor 0-4, S Lowry 0-2, T O'Connor 0-1, B Lowry 0-1. | Attendance: 65,898 Referee: P Collins ( Westmeath ) |
Championship statistics
Top scorers
- Overall
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Connor | Offaly | 1-31 | 34 | 5 | 6.80 |
| 2 | Mikey Sheehy | Kerry | 1-22 | 25 | 4 | 6.25 |
| 3 | Tom Prendergast | Laois | 6-5 | 23 | 4 | 5.75 |
| 4 | Eamonn McEneaney | Monaghan | 1-17 | 20 | 3 | 6.66 |
| 5 | Eoin Liston | Kerry | 4-6 | 18 | 4 | 4.50 |
- Single game
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Prendergast | Laois | 3-3 | 12 | Kildare |
| Eoin Liston | Kerry | 3-3 | 12 | Clare | |
| 3 | Donal Donohoe | Cavan | 2-5 | 11 | Antrim |
| Gay McManus | Galway | 0-11 | 11 | Leitrim | |
| 5 | Kevin Dawe | Louth | 2-4 | 10 | Laois |
| Eamonn McEneaney | Monaghan | 1-7 | 10 | Tyrone | |
| 7 | Matt Connor | Offaly | 0-9 | 9 | Westmeath |
| 8 | Eamonn Whelan | Laois | 2-2 | 8 | Louth |
| Matt Connor | Offaly | 1-5 | 8 | Wexford | |
| Mikey Sheehy | Kerry | 1-5 | 8 | Cork | |
| Eddie Mahon | Wexford | 0-8 | 8 | Offaly | |
| Anto McCaul | Dublin | 0-8 | 8 | Laois |
Miscellaneous
- London after six years in the Connacht championship play their games this year on home ground at Ruislip.
- Mayo won their first Connacht title since 1969.
- Kerry become the third team in the history of the championship to win four All-Ireland titles in-a-row. They equalled the record set by Wexford (1915-1918) and Kerry (1929-1932).
References
- ^ "Minister reveals how he lost Sam in 1981". The Irish Echo. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2016.