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The 1979 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 93rd staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 13 May 1979 and ended on 16 September 1979.
| Championship details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 13 May – 16 September 1979 |
| Teams | 33 |
| All-Ireland Champions | |
| Winning team | Kerry (25th win) |
| Captain | Tim Kennelly |
| Manager | Mick O'Dwyer |
| All-Ireland Finalists | |
| Losing team | Dublin |
| Captain | Tony Hanahoe |
| Manager | Kevin Heffernan |
| Provincial Champions | |
| Munster | Kerry |
| Leinster | Dublin |
| Ulster | Monaghan |
| Connacht | Roscommon |
| Championship statistics | |
| No. matches played | 35 |
| Top Scorer |  Mikey Sheehy (6-18) |
| Player of the Year | Mikey Sheehy |
← 1978 1980 → | |
Kerry entered the championship as the defending champions.
On 16 September 1979, Kerry won the championship following a 3-13 to 1-8 defeat of Dublin in the All-Ireland final.[1] This was their 25th All-Ireland title and their second in succession.
Kerry's Mikey Sheehy was the championship's top scorer with 6-18. He was also named as the Texaco Footballer of the Year.
The second round of the Leinster football championship is dropped this year after 1 year.
Connacht Senior Football Championship
Quarter-finals
| 27 May 1979 Quarter-final | Galway | 2-20 – 3-5 | London | Pearse Stadium, Galway |
| G McManus 0-10, P O'Neill 1-2, T Naughton 1-1, S Joyce 0-3, P McGettigan 0-2, P Rooney 0-1, B Talty 0-1. | E Creighton 3-1, M McGovern 0-4. | Referee: PJ McGrath (Mayo) |
| 3 June 1979 Quarter-final | Sligo | 0-12 – 1-13 | Leitrim | Markievicz Park, Sligo |
| J Kent 0-5, A Brennan 0-4, J Brennan 0-1, F Henry 0-1, M Laffey 0-1. | F Smith 0-5, P Holohan 1-0, M Martin 0-3, L Flynn 0-1, P McPartland 0-1, S Crossan 0-1, L Kelly 0-1, M Quinn 0-1. | Referee: T Cunningham (Galway) |
Semi-finals
| 17 June 1979 Semi-final | Leitrim | 1-10 – 3-12 | Mayo | Páirc Sheáin Mhic Dhiarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon |
| S Crossan 1-6, P McPartland 0-1, F Smith 0-1, M Martin 0-1, F Holohan 0-1. | J McGrath 3-1, G Cuddy 0-3, C Kelly 0-2, L Donoghue 0-2, P O'Brien 0-2, A Garvey 0-1, WJ Padden 0-1. | Attendance: 5,500 Referee: J Geraghty (Galway) |
| 24 June 1979 Semi-final | Roscommon | 3-11 – 1-11 | Galway | Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon |
| A McManus 1-2, J O'Gara 1-1, S Kilbride 1-1, D Earley 0-3, M Freyne 0-2, M Menton 0-1, E McManus 0-1. | G McManus 1-3, R Lee 0-3, P Talty 0-2, J Hughes 0-1, B O'Donnell 0-1, S Joyce 0-1. | Attendance: 15,500 |
Final
| 15 July 1979 Final | Mayo | 2-10 – 3-15 | Roscommon | McHale Park, Castlebar |
| J McGrath 2-5, L Donoghue 0-2, G Cuddy 0-1, H Gavin 0-1, T O'Malley 0-1. | T McManus 2-1, D Earley 0-5, M Finneran 1-1, J O'Connor 0-4, E McManus 0-2, M Freyne 0-1, J O'Gara 0-1. | Attendance: 23,700 Referee: P Gorman (Sligo) |
Leinster Senior Football Championship
First round
| 13 May 1979 First round | Meath | 6-19 – 0-3 | Kilkenny | Páirc Tailteann, Navan |
| B Cullen 4-0, F Barry 2-4, M Fay 0-4, E Mahon 0-4, M Ryan 0-3, F O'Sullivan 0-2, P Finnerty 0-2. | G Ryan 0-1, J O'Donnell 0-1, M Fitzgerald 0-1. |
| 13 May 1979 First round | Carlow | 1-16 – 4-7 | Wexford | Nowlan Park, Kilkenny |
| W Cullen 0-9, P Quirke 0-4, C Byrne 1-0, J Walsh 0-2, D Byrne 0-1. | M Magee 2-5, G Howling 1-0, J Wright 1-0, R Neville 0-1, P Neville 0-1. | Referee: M Meally (Kilkenny) |
| 20 May 1979 First round | Louth | 1-14 – 1-6 | Longford | Croke Park, Dublin |
| JP O'Kane 1-3, D Reid 0-3, S Reid 0-2, D Kelleher 0-2, E Sheelin 0-2, J McDonnell 0-1, G Nixon 0-1. | P Mullooly 1-2, D Shanley 0-1, J Murphy 0-1, T McCormack 0-1, D Shanley 0-1. | Attendance: 2,290 |
| 20 May 1979 First round | Laois | 4-13 – 2-8 | Westmeath | O'Connor Park, Tullamore |
| T O'Brien 2-3, E Condron 2-0, E Whelan 0-3, G Browne 0-2, Robert Millar 0-2, W Brennan 0-1, G Lalor 0-1, D O'LOughlin 0-1. | J Farrell 1-1, M Kilcoyne 1-0, L Gillivan 0-3, W Lowry 0-1, T McCormack 0-1, J Quigley 0-1, J Mulligan 0-1. | Referee: J Gunning (Offaly) |
| 27 May 1979 First round replay | Wexford | 2-6 – 0-12 (aet) | Carlow | Nowlan Park, Kilkenny |
| G Howlin 1-1, G Byrne 1-0, R Neville 0-2, M McGee 0-1, J Wright 0-1, G O'Connor 0-1. | P Quirke 0-4, W Cullen 0-3, E Ellis 0-2, J Walsh 0-1, C Byrne 0-1, M Moore 0-1. | Referee: M Meally (Kilkenny) |
| 3 June 1979 First round second replay | Wexford | 1-12 – 0-7 | Carlow | Nowlan Park, Kilkenny |
Quarter-finals
| 3 June 1979 Quarter-final | Dublin | 4-16 – 0-4 | Louth | Páirc Tailteann, Navan |
| J Keaveney 1-5, D Hickey 1-5, P Ellis 1-1, B Doyle 1-0, J McCarthy 0-2, M Hickey 0-1, T Hanahoe 0-1, B Brogan 0-1. | A Wiseman 0-2, P Lennon 0-2. | Referee: R Barry (Meath) |
| 10 June 1979 Quarter-final | Meath | 0-12 – 1-9 | Kildare | Croke Park, Dublin |
| M Fay 0-5, C O'Rourke 0-3, F O'Sullivan 0-2, M Ryan 0-1, P Finnerty 0-1. | P Mangan 0-7, M Condon 1-0, H Hyland 0-1, P McCarthy 0-1. | Referee: T Jordan (Dublin) |
| 10 June 1979 Quarter-final | Wicklow | 3-11 – 0-13 | Wexford | Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow |
| J Lynch 2-2, T Foley 1-0, P Baker 0-3, T Murphy 0-2, P Burke 0-2, J McDonald 0-2. | G O'Connor 0-6, M McGee 0-3, G Howlin 0-2, G Byrne 0-1, L Fardy 0-1. | Referee: C Lally (Laois) |
| 17 June 1979 Quarter-final replay | Meath | 1-20 – 3-9 | Kildare | Croke Park, Dublin |
| M Ryan 1-7, K Rennicks 0-5, C o'Rourke 0-4, M Fay 0-3, P Smith 0-1. | G Power 2-0, P McCarthy 0-5, M Moore 1-0, P Mangan 0-3, M Condon 0-1. | Referee: T Jordan (Dublin) |
| 17 June 1979 Quarter-final | Offaly | 1-12 – 0-13 | Laois | O'Connor Park, Tullamore |
| S Lowry 0-5, M Connor 1-1, P Doyle 0-2, K Kilmurray 0-2, M Wright 0-1, G Carroll 0-1. | A O'Brien 0-4, E Whelan 0-4, W Brennan 0-3, D O'Loughlin 0-1, M Moore 0-1. | Referee: P Collins (Westmeath) |
Semi-finals
| 1 July 1979 Semi-final | Dublin | 3-13 – 2-7 | Wicklow | St. Conleth's Park, Newbridge |
| T Hanahoe 1-2, M Hickey 1-2, J Keaveney 0-5, B Mullins 1-0, P Ellis 0-2, B Brogan 0-1, F Ryder 0-1. | J Lynch 1-3, P Baker 1-2, P Burke 0-1, T Foley 0-1. | Attendance: 20,000 Referee: K Campbell (Meath) |
| 8 July 1979 Semi-final | Meath | 2-6 – 0-16 | Offaly | Croke Park, Dublin |
| C O'Rourke 1-2, E Barry 1-2, M Fay 0-1, F O'Sullivan 0-1. | S Lowry 0-10, M Connor 0-2, K Kilmurray 0-1, J Mooney 0-1, T Fitzpatrick 0-1, P Fenning 0-1. | Attendance: 21,404 Referee: P Kelly (Dublin) |
Final
| 29 July 1979 Final | Dublin | 1-8 – 0-9 | Offaly | Croke Park, Dublin |
| Bernard Brogan Sr 1-1, Jim Ronayne 0-3, Jimmy Keaveney 0-2f, Bobby Doyle and Mick Hickey (0-1f) each | Sean Lowry 0-6 (0-4f), Kevin Kilmurray 0-2, Matt Connor 0-1 | Attendance: 52,348 Referee: Paddy Collins (Westmeath) |
Munster Senior Football Championship
Quarter-finals
| 20 May 1979 Quarter-final | Limerick | 1-9 – 1-15 | Clare | Gaelic Grounds, Limerick |
| 20 May 1979 Quarter-final | Tipperary | 1-14 – 0-7 | Waterford | Ned Hall Park, Clonmel |
| Referee: A. Fogarty (Kerry) |
Semi-finals
| 24 June 1979 Semi-final | Cork | 2-18 – 0-5 | Tipperary | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork |
| D Allen 0-8, C Kearney 1-2, D Barron 1-2, P Kavanagh 0-3, J Kerrigan 0-1, D McCarthy 0-1, T O'Reilly 0-1. | V O'Donnell 0-1, G McGrath 0-1, T McGrath 0-1, S Kearney 0-1, K Barron 0-1. | Referee: JJ Landers (Waterford) |
| 1 July 1979 Semi-final | Clare | 1-9 – 9-21 | Kerry | Hennessy Memorial Park, Milltown Malbay |
| S Moloney 0-4, D Casey 1-0, M Downes 0-3, N Normoyle 0-1, J McGrath 0-1. | P Spillane 3-3, G Power 2-2, E Liston 2-2, M Sheehy 1-4, V O'Connor 1-2, T Doyle 0-5, J O'Shea 0-2, J Egan 0-1. | Referee: J Dennigan (Cork) |
Final
| 22 July 1979 Final | Kerry | 2-14 – 2-4 | Cork | Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney |
| Ger Power 2-4, Pat Spillane 0-5, Mikey Sheehy 0-3 (0-2f), Tommy Doyle and Sean Walsh 0-1 each | Dinny Allen 1-2 (0-1f), Jimmy Barry-Murphy 1-0, John Courtney (0-1 pen) and Christie Kearney 0-1 each | Attendance: 46,146 Referee: Pat Lane (Limerick) Man of the Match: Ger Power |
Ulster Senior Football Championship
Preliminary round
| 20 May 1979 Preliminary round | Tyrone | 2-9 – 2-5 | Antrim | O'Neill Park, Dungannon |
| O Hetherington 0-6, K Toner 1-0, B Donnelly 1-0, E Devlin 0-1, P Bell 0-1, G Devlin 0-1. | S McGourty 0-4, S Muldoon 1-0, PJ O'Hara 1-0, K McAllister 0-1. | Referee: S McManus (Fermanagh) |
Quarter-finals
| 27 May 1979 Quarter-final | Monaghan | 0-14 – 0-10 | Down | St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney |
| K Finlay 0-5, E Finnegan 0-3, K Treanor 0-2, B Brady 0-2, D Mulligan 0-2. | W Walsh 0-8, V McGovern 0-1, D Watson 0-1. |
| 3 June 1979 Quarter-final | Armagh | 5-3 – 1-7 | Fermanagh | The Playing Fields, Lurgan |
| P Loughran 2-1, C McKinestrey 1-0, J Gernan 1-1, S Devlin 1-0, J McKerr 0-1. | G McIlroy 1-3, G McGinnitty 0-4. | Referee: S Murray (Monaghan) |
| 10 June 1979 Quarter-final | Cavan | 1-13 – 2-12 | Derry | Breffni Park, Cavan |
| T Brady 1-2, D Donoghue 0-5, R Cullivan 0-3, S Duggan 0-1, P McNamee 0-1. | B Kelly 1-5, J McAfee 1-2, E Young 0-1, A Dallas 0-1, M Lynch 0-1, T Doherty 0-1, T McGuinness 0-1. | Referee: H Duggan (Armagh) |
| 17 June 1979 Quarter-final | Donegal | 1-11 – 1-9 | Tyrone | Dean McGlinchey Park, Ballinascreen |
| S Flynn 0-5, M Sweeney 1-0, S Bonner 0-3, P McGeehan 0-1, M Lafferty 0-1, E Sharkey 0-1. | K Toner 1-0, M Harte 0-3, O Hetherington 0-2, K McGarvey 0-2, P Donnelly 0-1, B Donnelly 0-1. |
Semi-finals
| 24 June 1979 Semi-final | Monaghan | 2-10 – 2-8 | Armagh | Breffni Park, Cavan |
| B Brady 1-1, D Mulligan 1-0, K Finlay 0-3, T Moyna 0-3, K Treanor 0-1, H Clerkin 0-1, G McCarville 0-1. | M Murphy 2-1, P Loughran 0-4, B Canavan 0-2, J Kernan 0-1. | Referee: J Heaney (Tyrone) |
| 1 July 1979 Semi-final | Donegal | 2-9 – 0-14 | Derry | Healy Park, Omagh |
| S Flynn 1-2, E Sharkey 1-0, M Gallagher 0-3, S Brennan 0-2, S Reilly 0-1, M Lafferty 0-1. | B Kelly 0-6, A Dallas 0-2, P Doherty 0-2, M Lynch 0-1, J McAfee 0-1, A McGuirk 0-1, J Hargan 0-1. | Referee: S McManus (Fermanagh) |
Final
| 22 July 1979 Final | Monaghan | 1-15 – 0-11 | Donegal | St. Tiernach's Park, Clones |
| K Finlay 1-9, D Mulligan 0-3, B Brady 0-2, H Clerkin 0-1. | S Flynn 0-4, E Sharkey 0-2, S Brennan 0-2, S Harpur 0-1, S Bonnar 0-1, K Keeney 0-1. | Attendance: 21,272 Referee: H Duggan (Armagh) |
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Semi-finals
| 12 August 1979 Semi-final | Kerry | 5-14 - 0-7 | Monaghan | Croke Park, Dublin |
| M Sheehy 3-5, E Liston 1-1, G Power 1-0, J Egan 0-3, S Walsh 0-2, V O'Connor 0-1, P Spillane 0-1, D Moran 0-1. | K Finlay 0-4, H Clerkin 0-1, E Hughes 0-1. | Attendance: 32,254 Referee: P Collins (Westmeath) |
| 19 August 1979 Semi-final | Dublin | 0-14 - 1-10 | Roscommon | Croke Park, Dublin |
| M Hickey 0-9, B Doyle 0-2, A O'Toole 0-2, J Ronayne 0-1. | J O'Connor 0-5, M Finneran 1-1, D Earley 0-3, A McManus 0-1. | Attendance: 53,402 Referee: J Dennigan (Cork) |
Final
| 16 September 1979 Final | Kerry | 3-13 - 1-8 | Dublin | Croke Park, Dublin |
| M Sheehy 2-6, J Egan 1-1, P Spillane 0-4, E Liston 0-1, J O'Shea 0-1. | J Ronayne 1-0, B Doyle 0-3, T Hanahoe 0-2, D Hickey 0-2, A O'Toole 0-1. | Attendance: 72,185 Referee: H Duggan (Armagh) |
Top scorers
- Overall
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikey Sheehy | Kerry | 6-18 | 36 | 4 | 9.00 |
| 2 | Kieran Finlay | Monaghan | 1-21 | 24 | 4 | 6.00 |
| 3 | Pat Spillane | Kerry | 3-13 | 22 | 4 | 5.50 |
| 4 | Joe McGrath | Mayo | 5-6 | 21 | 2 | 10.50 |
| Ger Power | Kerry | 5-6 | 21 | 3 | 7.00 |
- Single game
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikey Sheehy | Kerry | 3-5 | 14 | Monaghan |
| 2 | Bernard Cullen | Meath | 4-0 | 12 | Kilkenny |
| Pat Spillane | Kerry | 3-3 | 12 | Clare | |
| Mikey Sheehy | Kerry | 2-6 | 12 | Dublin | |
| Kieran Finlay | Monaghan | 1-9 | 12 | Donegal | |
| 6 | Joe McGrath | Mayo | 2-5 | 11 | Roscommon |
| M. Magee | Wexford | 2-5 | 11 | Carlow | |
| 8 | Eamon Creighton | London | 3-1 | 10 | Galway |
| Joe McGrath | Mayo | 3-1 | 10 | Leitrim | |
| Eamon Barry | Meath | 2-4 | 10 | Kilkenny | |
| Ger Power | Kerry | 2-4 | 10 | Cork | |
| Mick Ryan | Meath | 1-7 | 10 | Kildare | |
| Gay McManus | Galway | 0-10 | 10 | London | |
| Seán Lowry | Offaly | 0-10 | 10 | Meath |
Miscellaneous
- The Munster semi-final between Kerry and Clare had the highest score in the history of the Munster championship 9-21 to 1-9.
- Monaghan's 1-15 to 0-11 defeat of Donegal in the Ulster final gave them their first provincial title since 1938.
- Roscommon in the Connacht final for the third year in a row only time a team not Galway/Mayo and ever done so.
- As Dublin win their sixth Leinster title in a row they follow Wexford (1913-1918) and Kildare (1926-1931) who previously done so.
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