 | |||||||
| Event | 1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship | ||||||
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| Date | 14 September 1947 | ||||||
| Venue | Polo Grounds, New York City | ||||||
| Referee | M O'Neill (Wexford) | ||||||
| Attendance | 34,491 | ||||||
| Weather | 86 °F (30 °C) [1] | ||||||
The 1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the sixtieth All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland. Cavan were captained by John Joe O'Reilly.
For the first and only time, the final was played outside Ireland, at the Polo Grounds in New York City, to cater for the large Irish-American community there. The New York final was also intended to observe the centenary of the Great Famine that triggered mass Irish emigration to the U.S. and other countries. [2] Around 30,000 people were in the ground for the final. [3] Cavan travelled by air and Kerry by sea; the Cavan team credited their victory partially to their shorter time spent travelling. The Cavan team flew via the Azores, taking 30 hours. Kerry's trip by Ocean Liner took far longer. [3]
Mick Higgins, a key member of the Cavan team that day, [4] recalled in later life: "There was no huge send-off for us in Cavan, but both teams got a good reception in New York when we arrived. I remember the team stayed in the Commodore Hotel, but I stayed with my relatives." He also remembered there was "oppressive heat" during the game itself. [3]
The Artane Boys' Band travelled to New York to play before the match, as they do traditionally at all All-Ireland finals. [5]
After a slow start, Cavan fought back to lead 2–5 to 2–4 at the break and went on to win by four points. Peter Donohoe scored eight points from frees and was called "the Babe Ruth of Gaelic football" in the New York press. Michael O'Hehir broadcast radio commentary back across the Atlantic Ocean. [6] [7]
O'Hehir noticed that broadcasting delays would bring the radio link down five minutes before the final had ended. [8] O'Hehir later recalled his plea:'"If there's anybody along the way there listening in, just give us five minutes more, and I kept begging for five minutes more". [8] The link stayed open. [8]
The Cavan team returned to Ireland aboard the RMS Queen Mary. Higgins recalled, "It was only after we arrived in Southampton that we realised the joy of it all. Large numbers of Cavan people turned up to see us in London and Birmingham. We were treated like kings in Cavan." [3]
The 1947 All-Ireland final brought about an understanding that a large audience existed for Gaelic games highlights. [2]
Mick Higgins, the last surviving member of the winning team, died in January 2010. [3]
This was the last All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final to be played on 14 September until the 2019 replay. [8]
John Joe O'Reilly was a legendary Gaelic footballer who played for the Cavan county team. He is the only man to lead a team to All Ireland glory outside of Ireland, having captained the Breffni men to victory against Kerry in the iconic 1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final played at the Polo Grounds in New York City.
The Cavan County Board or Cavan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Cavan.
The history of the Gaelic Athletic Association is much shorter than the history of Gaelic games themselves. Hurling and caid were recorded in early Irish history and they pre-date recorded history. The Gaelic Athletic Association itself was founded in 1884.
Michael James Hehir was an Irish hurling, football and horse racing commentator and journalist. Between 1938 and 1985 his enthusiasm and memorable turn of phrase endeared him to many. He is still regarded as the original 'voice of Gaelic games'.
Mick Higgins was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for the Cavan county team, winning three All-Ireland medals during his career. In later years he was a successful coach.
Philip Joseph Duke (1925–1950) was a Gaelic footballer who played for the Cavan county team.
Owen Roe McGovern was a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Cavan county team, winning two All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals in 1947 and '48.
Peter Donohoe was a Gaelic footballer who played for the Cavan county team.
Anthony "Tony" Tighe (1927–2005) was a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Cavan county team. He won three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals: in 1947, 1948 and 1952.
Joseph Stafford was a Gaelic footballer who played for the Cavan county team.
The 1948 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 61st All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1948 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland. Contested by a team from the Ulster (Cavan) and a team from Connacht (Mayo), such a meeting in the decider between teams from these provinces would not happen again until 2012.
The 1949 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 62nd All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1949 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1952 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 65th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1952 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 61st staging of Ireland's premier Gaelic football knock-out competition.
The 2014 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 127th edition of the GAA's premier inter-county Gaelic football since its establishment in 1887. It was played between 31 counties of Ireland, London and New York.
The 1997–98 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Church & General National Football League, was the 67th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.
The Cavan county football team represents Cavan in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Cavan GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Ulster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.
Teddy O'Connor was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for a number of clubs sides including Laune Rangers, Bantry Blues, Dr. Crokes and Killarney and at inter-county level with the Kerry senior football team.
Denis J. Lyne was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for club side Killarney Legion and at inter-county level with the Kerry senior football team.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)In the Croke Park Museum the current exhibition Tuning In – from Wireless to Wifi celebrates the broadcasting of Gaelic games. One of the most famous of these took place when Michael O'Hehir, commentating live from the Polo Grounds in New York, realised that because of delays the radio link, which was booked until five o'clock, would go down five minutes before the Cavan-Kerry All-Ireland final ended. 'If there's anybody along the way there listening in, just give us five minutes more, and I kept begging for five minutes more,' O'Hehir recalled in a later interview. Whether he was heard or not, the link remained open. That was 72 years ago and the only other football final until this year played on September 14th.