For more details of Mayo GAA see Mayo Senior Club Football Championship or Mayo Senior Club Hurling Championship.

The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) (Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Maigh Eo) or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.

History

Though not affiliated through the 1890s, there is strong evidence of GAA activity in Mayo and the rivalry with Galway that brought success to both counties from the 1930s on was already in evidence. This History between Mayo & Galway produced 2 of the finest footballing teams in the west. At present both counties have an equal amount of Connacht titles. They have an unequalled number of consecutive league titles having won it in 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, and 1939.

Gaelic football

Mayo have had past players named on the GAA team of the Millennium. Distinguished players in Mayo's past include Willie Joe Padden, Liam McHale, Tom Langan, Sean Flanagan and Seamus O'Malley.

One of the great turning points in GAA history west of the Shannon was the 1935 Connacht final when 26,000 turned out to see League champions Mayo beat the All-Ireland champions Galway in Roscommon. The following year Mayo were leading by a goal in the last minute when Brendan Nestor scored an equalising goal for Galway - he raised the flag himself and caused a riot. Mayo won the replay and captured their first All-Ireland. The following year, 1937, they were victim of Louis Blessing's last-minute goal in the semi-final against Cavan in another match that featured a pitch invasion. It ended Mayo's run of 57 matches without defeat. Mayo dominated the National Football League for six years, but pulled out of the 1939-40 league (duly won by Galway) in a grievance over the 1939 semi-final, a bad-tempered draw and replay with Kerry.

Mayo took ten years to come out of Connacht again, gained revenge over Kerry, narrowly lost the 1948 All Ireland final to Cavan and 1949 semi-final to Meath but returned in 1950 to also win an extraordinary All-Ireland when Louth's Sean Boyle had his kick-out charged down and Mick Flanagan broke through for a freak winning goal. In 1951 Mayo retained the All Ireland with three late points from Padraig Carney, known as the flying doctor because of the method of return from the United States. Eight wides and a one point defeat in the replayed 1955 All Ireland semi-final brought that particular era to an end. The 1967 team ended Galway's four-in-a-row dreams but went on to another one-point semi-final defeat (Kerry in 1969), their last league success and two defeats in league finals.

In 1996 Mayo felt they should have won a controversial All Ireland final against Meath, Ray Dempsey's 45th minute goal giving them a lead of six points to slip away and seeing Colm Coyle's long shot bounce over the bar for the equaliser. During a bad-tempered replay - which had an infamous brawl in which Liam McHale, one of Mayo's most influential players, was sent off - they led by four points at half-time only to succumb to a Tommy Dowd goal. Mayo lost the 1997, 2004, and 2006 finals to Kerry. Their narrow 1-16 to 2-12 semi-final victory over Dublin in the 2006 championship in front of 82,200 spectators in Croke Park earned them their 2nd final appearance in three years. But yet again they lost against Kerry.

Mayo Gaelic Football Squad

Number	Player	Position	Local Club
1	David Clarke	Goalkeeper	Ballina Stephenites
2	Dermot Geraghty	Right Full Back	Shrule-Glencorrib
3	David Heaney Captain	Full Back	Swinford
4	Keith Higgins	Left Full Back	Ballyhaunis
5	Aidan Higgins	Right Half Back	Charlestown Sarsfields
6	James Nallen	Centre Back	Crossmolina-Deel Rovers
7	Peadar Gardiner	Left Half Back	Crossmolina-Deel Rovers
8	Ronan McGarrity	Midfield	Ballina Stephenites
9	Pat Harte	Midfield	Ballina Stephenites
10	Billy Joe Padden	Right Half Forward	Belmullet
11	Ger Brady	Centre Forward	Ballina Stephenites
12	Alan Dillon	Left Half Forward	Ballintubber
13	Kevin O'Neill	Right Full Forward	Na Fianna
14	Conor Mortimer	Full Forward	Shrule-Glencorrib
15	Ciarán McDonald	Left Full Forward	Crossmolina-Deel Rovers
13	Michael Conroy	Right Full Forward	Davitts

Honours

• All-Ireland Senior Football Championships: 3
• 1936, 1950, 1951
• All-Ireland Junior Football Championships: 5
• 1933, 1950, 1957, 1995, 1997
• All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championships: 4
• 1967, 1974, 1983, 2006
• All-Ireland Minor Football Championships: 6
• 1935, 1953, 1966, 1971, 1978, 1985
• ''Vocational Schools Championship
• 1971, 1975, 1982, 1999
• National Football Leagues: 11
• 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1949, 1954, 1970, 2001
• Connacht Senior Football Championships: 41
• 1901, ‘03, ‘04, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘15, ‘16, ‘18, ‘20, ‘21, ‘23, ‘24, ‘29, ‘30, ‘31, ‘32, ‘35, ‘36, ‘37, ‘39, ‘48, ‘49, ‘50, ‘51, ‘55, ‘67, ‘69, ‘81, ‘85, ‘88, ‘89, ‘92, ‘93, ‘96, ‘97, ‘99, 2004, '06

Hurling

Gaelic football is the dominant game in county Mayo and Mayo's only tier-one senior hurling championship match successes since beating Galway by 10-1 to 4-1 in the 1908 Connacht final have been against Sligo in 1991 and 1992. They are currently playing in Tier Two of the hurling championship, the Christy Ring Cup. Davey Synnott, who helped Connacht to Railway cup victories in 1982 and 1983, was a notable player. On the current team, Keith Higgins and Stephen Broderick are the best-known players.

Honours

• Connacht Senior Hurling Championships: 1
• 1908

Ladies' Gaelic football

Honours

• All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championships : 4
• 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003
• All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Finalists:
• 2001 2007
• All-Ireland Junior Ladies' Football Championships: 1
• 1987
• All-Ireland Minor Ladies' Football Championships: 1
• 1987

Bibliography

• Mayo's Football Triumphs by M A Clune (Dublin, Pearse Press 1954)
• The Green Above The Red, A Compilation Of Mayo's All-Ireland Triumphs At All Levels by Terry Reilly And Ivan Neill (Ballina 1985).

External links

• Mayo Supporters Official Website
• Mayo on Hoganstand.com
• National and provincial titles won by Mayo teams
• Mayo GAA site
• Green and Red, a Mayo GAA blog
• Club Mayo Dublin