The myth of Mayo’s curse remains intact after Tyrone clinched the All-Ireland football championship title. Hopes of County Mayo winning their first title since 1951 were dashed yesterday when they lost to Tyrone.
Mayo have not won the Gaelic football final for 70 years since they beat County Meath. Legend has it that a curse was placed on the team by an enraged priest after they apparently failed to pay their respects to a funeral they passed on their homecoming journey following the victory. The story goes that the side would not win again under the curse until all the members of that team had died, as the Observer reported last week.
One member of the 1951 winning team is still alive – Paddy Prendergast, aged 94 – so the curse still theoretically endures, which has fuelled intense interest in the game.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... ball-title
Mayo had good reason to be confident going into the final, Tyrone hadn't won against them for 13 years.
Gaelic football, Hurling and Camogie (which is just hurling played by women with a few minor rule changes) remain avowedly amateur sports - The GAA doesn't pay players and it's top stars holding other professions whilst competing annually in two competitions the Allianz League and the All Ireland Championship.
