Go ahead. Call it the Mayo Miracle
Forget The Odyssey. While millions were watching ancient myths revived on massive screens this weekend, the real thing was taking place in Croke Park in Dublin before 82,300 delirious fans.
The Gaelic Football team from County Mayo, which had not won the All Ireland football championship since 1951 when the squad was supposedly put under a spell by a parish priest, rose above that curse. Finally. Defeating perennial powerhouse Kerry.
Against all odds and a heavily favored team from The Kingdom, Mayo’s players on Sunday hoisted the Sam Maguire Cup as winner of the 2026 All-Ireland Finals.
You don’t have to know anything about the Gaelic Athletic Association and Ireland’s home-grown national games to appreciate the moment. (Gaelic football is nothing like American football. Nor is it like soccer, which most non-Americans call football.)
Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland. Capacity 82,300.
Broadcast commentary/E-graffitti
ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAA SINCE IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1884.
FOR 75 YEARS YOU HAVE PRAYED TO OUR LADY OF KNOCK AND TODAY OUR LADY HAS ANSWERED YOUR PRAYERS.
THE FAMINE IS OVER. THE FAMINE IS OVER. THE CURSE BE DAMNED.
MAYO, ALL-IRELAND FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS. IT’S THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD.
Five Quick Takes on Mayo’s Amazing All Ireland Accomplishment
FIRST – What’s this about some kind of Catholic Curse? The last time Mayo won the All-Ireland Football title at Croke Park was in 1951. Supposedly, members of that squad were celebrating on board the bus taking them home from Dubin to Ballina. When the bus passed through Foxforth on its main street as a funeral was being held. The players kept partying. The parish priest was so upset that he swore Mayo would never win another All-Ireland until every footballer on that bus had passed away. The last man standing from the 1951 squad, Dr. Mick Loftus, died in 2023. Who doesn’t love a local myth like that, right? Turns out the whole story is bréagach, which is a nice way of saying bullshit in Irish. 'I believed in the curse until about 15 minutes ago.' Mayo fan Sunday outside Croke Park
SECOND - Real brothers in arms. In all the excitement over Mayo’s win, little has been written about the fact that two of Mayo’s stars are the sons of a Mayo football great from the recent past. But by different mothers. Kobe McDonald and Jordan Flynn are the sons of Ciaran McDonald, who played in three All-Ireland football finals for Mayo but never touched the Sam Maguire trophy. We’ve not heard from either of the mothers. It gets better. Kobe is named for Kobe Bryant, Jordan is named for Michael Jordan. Kobe is so good he’s been signed to play football in Australia, where he’ll get paid for his efforts. (In the GAA players play for the love of sport and County, but not money.) Here’s Jordan Flynn on the Mayo win. “I like to think about destiny and faith and all that stuff and I do think it was written in the stars somewhere.”
THIRD - Is this really that big a deal? Yes. In May 2026, Arsenal won the Premier League title. It had been 22 years. In June 2026, the New York Knicks won the NBA championship. It had been 53 years. For Mayo fans, the wait has been even longer - 75 years. And the celebrations are only just beginning, reports the BBC. There were 82,300 fans on hand in Croke Park. That’s more than the 80,663 at the World Cup final and more than the 70,823 who made it to the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, CA this year.
Pilgrims on Croagh Patrick, located in Co. Mayo. On any given day you will see climbers wearing GAA Mayo jerseys.
FOURTH - Who believes in miracles? County Mayo is home to one of the holiest places in Ireland. Since 441 A.D. Croagh Patrick has been where penitent and prayerful pilgrims climb to the peak where St. Patrick fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. It’s not uncommon to see climbers wearing Mayo GAA jerseys. THE PILGRIMS HAVE climbed the Reek. Mayo are All-Ireland champions on the very first time Reek Sunday coincided with an All-Ireland football final. It’s happened. It really happened. ICYMI. The PHS website article on Climbing Croagh Patrick
The Sam Maguire Cup. AKA Sam.
FIFTH - “One of the greatest captain speeches of all time.” RTE. There was no shortage of superlatives in the saturation national coverage of the Mayo win, even when it came to the post-match proceedings.. Captain Jack Coyne did give a hell of a speech. You can watch it and read about it here. Standing right behind him were the President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly (Galway) and Taoiseach Micheal Martin (Cork). Coyne must have had a premonition of a Mayo win because the entire speech was written out. Obviously in advance. He thanked EVERYONE, even the refs and the team’s food staff BY NAME. I wouldn't be at all surprised if one or more members of this team ends up in Irish politics. In a heart-thumping victory speech to a Croke Park packed with Mayo fans, captain Jack Coyne told those from his home county and its diaspora: "Never stop dreaming. Stick your chest out and be proud to be from Mayo. The wait is over, Sam is home." (Sam is what they call the Sam Maguire Cup, awarded to winners of the All-Ireland.)
Further Reading
Besides emails from excited Mayo fans, I read a ton of the coverage in the Irish press. (And even some stories from the Brit press.) The Mayo victory could be a great gateway to the GAA. Columbia Red Branch is Greater Portland’s GAA presence in Oregon and SW Washington. You can follow them on Facebook.
Have you got 25 minutes to spare watching the post-game madness in Croke Park and Jack Coyne’s entire speech? Here it is.
But wait, there’s more. The BBC weighs in on the mysterious ways. Say what you like, believe what you choose, but the fact is Mayo didn’t win again until the last player from the 1951 squad had passed on.
PAYWALL – If you’ve got a sub to the New York Times this article will get you familiar with the GAA and the games Irish people play.
“For the uninitiated, Gaelic football is a hybrid of soccer, rugby and basketball, governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). The All-Ireland title has been contested since 1887, and now involves 31 of 32 counties on the island of Ireland plus teams drawn from London and New York.”
The crest of County Mayo, located in the Province of Connaught. Mayo is Ireland’s third largest county size-wise and 18th in population with 137,000 citizens.