| Event | 1980 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 21 September 1980 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
| Referee | Seamus Murray (Monaghan) [1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 63,854 | ||||||
The 1980 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 93rd All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1980 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
Roscommon went five points up early on, John 'Jigger' O'Connor getting a goal after 35 seconds. Mikey Sheehy pegged a goal back and in a very scrappy game, (64 frees) the more experienced Kerry team ran out three-point victors. [3]
Towards the end of the first half, Kerry player Pat Spillane lay down injured and referee Seamus Murray tried to raise him from the ground. Commentator Michael O'Hehir also doubted the authenticity of Spillane's injury, in remarks that angered the Kerry County Board. [1]
Kerry completed a three-in-a-row sequence of titles; Tom Cryan wrote in the Irish Independent : "The first half has to be one of the worst ever seen in an All-Ireland final", Donal Carroll wrote in the same publication: "The statistics are chillingly disturbing in the awarding of 64 frees — 41 to Kerry — and six bookings, three to each side – made an utter shambles of what should have been an interesting trial of strength"; in 2022, Martin Breheny listed it among "five of the worst" All-Ireland SFC finals since 1972. [4]
This was the first of five All-Ireland SFC titles won by Kerry in the 1980s. [5]
| 21 September 1980 Final | Kerry | 1–9 – 1–6 | Roscommon | Croke Park, Dublin Attendance: 63,854 Referee: Seamus Murray (Monaghan) |
| M Sheehy 1–6, J O'Shea 0–1, G Power 0–1, P Spillane 0–1 | J O'Connor 1–2, D Earley 0–1, S Hayden 0–1, J O'Gara 0–1, M Finneran 0–1 |
          Kerry |     Roscommon |
Kerry =
Roscommon =
Michael Sheehy is an Irish Gaelic football selector and former player. His league and championship career at senior level with the Kerry county team spanned fifteen seasons from 1973 to 1988.
Lieutenant-General Dermot Earley DSM was a high-ranking military official in Ireland and with the United Nations. He was the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces from 2007 to 2010.
The Ireland international rules football team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football, a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football. The team is made up of Irish players from the Gaelic Athletic Association and Australian Football League.
The 2002 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 115th All-Ireland Final and showpiece game of the 2002 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship which began on 5 May 2002. It took place at Croke Park on 22 September 2002.
The 1946 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 59th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1946 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1960 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 73rd All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1960 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1962 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 75th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1962 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1975 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 88th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1975 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1976 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 89th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1976 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1978 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 91st All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1978 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1979 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 92nd All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1979 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 94th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 95th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The game, played at Croke Park in Dublin, culminated in one of the most famous goals of all time.
The 1984 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 97th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1984 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1985 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 98th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1985 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 1986 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 99th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1986 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The 2007 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 120th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 2007 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.
The Kerry county football team represents Kerry in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Kerry 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 Munster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.
The Roscommon county football team represents Roscommon in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Roscommon 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 Connacht Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.
Spillane went down injured before half-time and Seamus Murray, the Monaghan referee, was seen making several attempts to get Spillane off the turf.
Dermot Earley pictured with his son David after Roscommon beat Armagh in the 1980 All-Ireland football semi-final at Croke Park.
