Ireland’s County Mayo breaks 75-year ‘curse’ in Gaelic football championship victory

County Mayo ended a 75-year drought by winning the GAA All Ireland Football Championship, defeating the previously favored County Kerry to claim the Sam Maguire Cup. The victory put to rest the legendary 'curse' allegedly placed on Mayo by a priest in 1951, after the team disrupted a funeral procession during their celebrations; the curse was said to last until all members of the 1951 squad had died, with the last two passing in 2021 and 2023. The historic win coincided with Reek Sunday, a traditional Catholic pilgrimage day in Mayo, and GAA President Jarlath Burns referenced Our Lady of Knock during the trophy presentation to Mayo captain Jack Coyne at Croke Park.