| 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 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier 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 | London | 1-4 – 3-11 | Mayo | 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 | Galway | 2-16 – 0-6 | Leitrim | 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 | Mayo | 2-8 – 1-9 | Galway | 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 | Mayo | 0-12 – 0-4 | Sligo | 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 | Dublin | 0-10 – 0-8 | Wicklow | 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 | Westmeath | 1-9 – 1-14 | Offaly | 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 | Laois | 3-13 – 1-9 | Kildare | 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 | Dublin | 0-11 – 2-9 | Laois | 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 | Monaghan | 2-9 – 0-6 | Tyrone | 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 | Derry | 0-12 – 0-10 | Fermanagh | Dean McGlinchey Park, 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 | Down | 0-10 – 0-10 | Monaghan | 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 | Monaghan | 1-9 – 3-4 | Down | 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 | Armagh | 4-7 – 1-3 | Antrim | 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 | Down | 0-12 – 0-9 | Derry | 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 | Down | 3-12 – 1-10 | Armagh | 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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.