Jul 31, 2026 · 39 min · 13 segments
What curse lasts for 75 years? Is it true? Is it a myth? Well, the wait for silverware is finally over for Mayo. After supposedly being cursed by a priest 51 years, the Gaelic football team managed to…
Marcus BucklandHost
Mark PougatchHost
Um, and I'm really pleased we're doing this story because I first came across this story during Euro 2012.
I was playing for the Irish football media in Gdansk against presumably local Poles.
Uh, w- was this legitimate? Have you got an Irish grandparent, or were you an absolute rogue in the team?
And, um, I, I, I was talking to my friend, Conor McNamara, the commentator, who's from Limerick, and, and, and Kevin Kilbane was there, who grew up in Preston, but who's, who played for Ireland over 100 times, and his family are from County Mayo.
And I went, "What's all this?" And they went, "Well, this is the, what happened allegedly.
On the way back from winning the All-Ireland final in 1951, allegedly, the team didn't pay respects at a funeral cortege and had a curse put upon them." And I said, "Well, has it...
Have they lost lots of finals since?" So they both looked at me in unison and went, "Yes, they, they, they have found every single way to lose a final since 1951." And I said, "Well, wh- when is the curse supposed to be lifted?" And they went, "When the last player involved," although as we know, there's a little bit of finessing as in the story will tell, "dies," and then apparently they're free of the curse.
And also because Gaelic football is something that you and I, given our careers, we know roughly what it is, and it's occasionally on the telly in the UK, isn't it? But it does take a lit- it, it's not ridiculously complicated, but it takes a bit of understanding.
Um, and I'm really pleased we're doing this story because I first came across this story during Euro 2012.
I was playing for the Irish football media in Gdansk against presumably local Poles.
Uh, w- was this legitimate? Have you got an Irish grandparent, or were you an absolute rogue in the team?
And, um, I, I, I was talking to my friend, Conor McNamara, the commentator, who's from Limerick, and, and, and Kevin Kilbane was there, who grew up in Preston, but who's, who played for Ireland over 100 times, and his family are from County Mayo.
And I went, "What's all this?" And they went, "Well, this is the, what happened allegedly.
On the way back from winning the All-Ireland final in 1951, allegedly, the team didn't pay respects at a funeral cortege and had a curse put upon them." And I said, "Well, has it...
Have they lost lots of finals since?" So they both looked at me in unison and went, "Yes, they, they, they have found every single way to lose a final since 1951." And I said, "Well, wh- when is the curse supposed to be lifted?" And they went, "When the last player involved," although as we know, there's a little bit of finessing as in the story will tell, "dies," and then apparently they're free of the curse.
And also because Gaelic football is something that you and I, given our careers, we know roughly what it is, and it's occasionally on the telly in the UK, isn't it? But it does take a lit- it, it's not ridiculously complicated, but it takes a bit of understanding.
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