1980 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The 1980 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 94th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 11 May 1980 and ended on 21 September 1980.

1980 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Championship details
Dates	11 May – 21 September 1980
Teams	33
All-Ireland Champions
Winning team	Kerry (26th win)
Captain	Ger Power
Manager	Mick O'Dwyer
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing team	Roscommon
Captain	Danny Murray
Manager	Tom Heneghan
Provincial Champions
Munster	Kerry
Leinster	Offaly
Ulster	Armagh
Connacht	Roscommon
Championship statistics
No. matches played	33
Top Scorer	Matt Connor (5-31)
Player of the Year	Jack O'Shea
← 1979 1981 →

Kerry entered the championship as the defending champions.

On 21 September 1980, Kerry won the championship following a 1-9 to 1-6 defeat of Roscommon in the All-Ireland final. This was their 26th All-Ireland title and their third in succession.

Offaly's Matt Connor was the championship's top scorer with 5-31. Kerry's Jack O'Shea was named as the Texaco Footballer of the Year.

Munster Championship format change

Following a number of one-sided results in the Munster Championship in the late 1970s, the Munster Council changed the format in 1980. Kerry, long regarded as the standard bearers in the province, were given a bye to the Munster final. Cork, who had been second to Kerry since 1975, were given a bye to a lone semi-final. The other four "weaker" teams (Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford) were paired against each other in two preliminary round games. The winners of these two games faced each other in a lone quarter-final with the winners of that game qualifying to meet Cork in the lone semi-final. This format was previously used in 1941 and lasted only one season.

Results

Connacht Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Roscommon v London

1 June 1980 Quarter-final	Roscommon	9–19 – 1–10	London	Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon
	M Finneran 3-3, T McManus 3-3, D Earley 1-5, J O'Connor 1-3, M Dolphin 1-1, E McManus 0-4.		E Blake 0-4, D Barrett 1-0, J Keoghan 0-2, S Hehir 0-1, J Dunne 0-1, B McCamley 0-1, P Cavavan 0-1.	Referee: J Lee (Sligo)

Sligo v Mayo

8 June 1980 Quarter-final	Sligo	1–7 – 2–11	Mayo	Markievicz Park, Sligo
	M Laffey 1-5, F Henry 0-1, J Kearins 0-1.		T O'Malley 1-2, G Farragher 1-1, M Kearney 0-4, TJ Kilgallon 0-1, J Bourke 0-1, J McGrath 0-1, G Feeney 0-1.	Referee: T Moran (Leitrim)

Semi-finals

Galway v Roscommon

15 June 1980 Semi-final	Galway	0–10 – 1–14	Roscommon	Tuam Stadium, Tuam
	S Joyce 0-5, G McManus 0-2, S Burke 0-1, B Brennan 0-1, B Joyce 0-1.		T McManus 1-2, D Earley 0-3, M Finneran 0-3, J O'Connor 0-3, G Connellan 0-2, E McManus 0-1.	Referee: P Gorman (Sligo)

Mayo v Leitrim

22 June 1980 Semi-final	Mayo	1–17 – 1–8	Leitrim	St. Tiernach's Park, Crossmolina
	J McGrath 0-8, J Burke 1-1, G Farragher 0-4, T O'Malley 0-3, J Maughan 0-1.		M martin 1-5, O Honeyman 0-2, D McNulty 0-1.	Referee: T Cunningham (Galway)

Final

Roscommon v Mayo

13 July 1980 Final	Roscommon	3–13 – 0–8	Mayo	Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon
	M Finneran 1-5, J O'Connor 1-3, T McManus 1-1, E McManus 0-2, D Earley 0-1, J O'Gara 0-1.		J McGrath 0-5, M Carney 0-2, G Farragher 0-1.	Attendance: 17,880 Referee: M Kearins (Sligo)

Leinster Senior Football Championship

First round

Westmeath v Kilkenny

11 May 1980 First round

Westmeath

2–15 – 0–4

Kilkenny

O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

Carlow v Kildare

11 May 1980 First round	Carlow	2–11 – 2–17	Kildare	Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow
	W Cullen 2-5, P Delaney 0-2, N Bambrick 0-2, D Byrne 0-1, C Hughes 0-1.		T Shaw 1-4, T Carew 1-2, P O'Flaherty 0-5, N Byrne 0-2, J O'Rourke 0-1, D Reilly 0-1, P Kelly 0-1, G Power 0-1.	Referee: M Meally (Kilkenny)

Laois v Longford

18 May 1980 First round

Laois

5–12 – 1–10

Longford

O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

Wexford v Louth

18 May 1980 First round	Wexford	1–13 – 3–10	Louth	Croke Park, Dublin
	S Fitzhenry 1-2, G Byrne 0-2, T Wright 0-2, M McCarthy 0-1.		J McDonnell 2-4, JP Kane 1-1, A Wiseman 0-2, K Dawe 0-2 E Marmian 0-2, D Kelleher 0-1, P Lennon 0-1.	Referee: T Jordan (Dublin)

Quarter-finals

Kildare v Wicklow

1 June 1980 Quarter-final	Kildare	1–13 – 0–4	Wicklow	Croke Park, Dublin
	T Shaw 1-6, P Flaherty 0-2, M Moore 0-2, M Condon 0-1, J Kelly 0-1, G Power 0-1.		P Byrne 0-1, P O'Toole 0-1, T Murphy 0-1, P Baker 0-1.	Referee: D Guerin (Dublin)

Offaly v Louth

1 June 1980 Quarter-final	Offaly	0–13 – 0–7	Louth	Croke Park, Dublin
	M Connor 0-7, P Fenning 0-4, J Mooney 0-2.		K Dawe 0-3, A Wiseman 0-2, P Lennon 0-1, J McDonnell 0-1.	Attendance: 13,303 Referee: P Kelly (Dublin)

Dublin v Laois

8 June 1980 Quarter-final	Dublin	2–14 – 2–8	Laois	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
	C Duff 0-5, D Hickey 1-0, B Mullins 1-0, A O'Toole 0-2, A Roche 0-2, J Caffrey 0-2, B Brogan 0-1, J Ronayne 0-1, PJ Buckley 0-1.		T Prendergast 0-5, J Hovendon 1-0, J Costello 1-0, W Brennan 0-2, B Miller 0-1.	Attendance: 17,000 Referee: P Collins (Westmeath)

Meath v Westmeath

15 June 1980 Quarter-final	Meath	4–12 – 1–5	Westmeath	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
	F Barry 1-5, W Smith 1-1, F O'Sullivan 0-4, P Finnerty 1-0, J Cassells 1-0, C Reilly 0-1, C O'Rourke 0-1.		C Flanagan 1-0, W Lowry 0-1, M Kilcoyne 0-1, E Coughlan 0-1, D Corrigan 0-1, J Keane 0-1.	Referee: S Aldridge (Kildare)

Semi-finals

Offaly v Kildare

29 June 1980 Semi-final	Offaly	2–14 – 1–10	Kildare	Croke Park, Dublin
	M Connor 2-8, A O'Halloran 0-4, K Kilmurray 0-1, S Lalor 0-1.		G Power 1-1, T Carew 0-2, N Byrne 0-2, M Moore 0-1, T Shaw 0-1, P Flaherty 0-1, D Reilly 0-1, D Bergin 0-1.	Attendance: 13,046 Referee: P Kavanagh (Meath)

Meath v Dublin

6 July 1980 Semi-final	Meath	2–7 – 3–13	Dublin	Páirc Tailteann, Navan
	E Barry 1-2, L Smyth 1-1, C O'Rourke 0-3, F O'Sullivan 0-1.		B Doyle 1-3, J Ronayne 1-2, B Brogan 1-1, A O'Toole 0-2, C Duff 0-2, B Rock 0-1, K Moran 0-1, PJ Buckley 0-1.	Referee: H Reilly (Louth)

Final

Offaly v Dublin

27 July 1980 Final	Offaly	1–10 – 1–8	Dublin	Croke Park, Dublin
	Matt Connor 1-7 (0-3f), Aiden O'Halloran 0-2, Gerry Carroll 0-1.		Bobby Doyle 1-1, Barney Rock 0-3f, Tommy Drumm, Anton O'Toole, David Hickey, John Caffrey 0-1 each	Attendance: 50,276 Referee: Paddy Kavanagh (Meath)

Munster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Waterford v Tipperary

11 May 1980 Preliminary round	Waterford	2–10 – 1–15	Tipperary	Fraher Field, Dungarvan
	M Hackett 1-2, S Aherne 0-4, J Hennessy 1-0, J Moloney 0-2, L Looby 0-1, T Hayes 0-1.		M Downes 0-5, H Mulcaire 1-1, S Sherlock 0-4, C Flaherty 0-2, B kennedy 0-2, E McGrath 0-1.	Referee: J Dennigan (Cork)

Clare v Limerick

11 May 1980 Preliminary round	Clare	1–11 – 1–11	Limerick	Páirc Uí Seancháin, Doonbeg
	N Roche 0-4, M Keogh 1-0, B Reilly 0-3, S Moloney 0-3, T Curtin 0-1.		A Moran 0-5, F Ryan 1-1, C Walsh 0-2, G Collins 0-2, P Ryan 0-1.

Limerick v Clare

25 May 1980 Preliminary round replay	Limerick	0–10 – 0–9	Clare	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	A Moran 0-7, C Walsh 0-2, G Collins 0-1.		B O'Reilly 0-3, N Normoyle 0-1, J McGrath 0-1, M Downes 0-1, S O'Doherty 0-1, P Garry 0-1, T Curtis 0-1.	Referee: J Conway (Kerry)

Quarter-final

Tipperary v Limerick

1 June 1980 Quarter-final	Tipperary	2–7 – 1–11	Limerick	Semple Stadium, Thurles
	K Barron 1-1, M Keating 1-1, C McGrath 0-3, B Kennedy 0-2.		A Moran 0-6, K Hanley 1-1, C Walsh 0-3.	Referee: W Fogarty (Kerry)

Semi-final

Cork v Limerick

8 June 1980 Semi-final	Cork	5–19 – 1–6	Limerick	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	D Allen 2-4, T Dalton 1-6, D Barry 1-3, J Allen 1-0, S Murphy 0-3, C Ryan 0-1, D Barron 0-1, T Creedon 0-1.		P Ryan 1-0, A Moran 0-3, C Walsh 0-1, T Cummins 0-1, K Hanley 0-1.	Referee: W Fogarty (Kerry)

Final

Cork v Kerry

6 July 1980 Final	Cork	0–12 – 3–13	Kerry	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	Dinny Allen 0-5 (0-2f), Tom Creedon 0-3f, Tadhg O'Reilly 0-2, Christy Ryan and Tim Dalton 0-1 each		Eoin Liston 2-1, Ger Power 1-2, Pat Spillane 0-5, Mikey Sheehy 0-3f, Tommy Doyle and John Egan 0-1 each	Attendance: 43,360 Referee: Pat Lane (Limerick)

Ulster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Antrim v Tyrone

18 May 1980 Preliminary round

Antrim

1–7 – 1–8

Tyrone

Casement Park, Belfast

Quarter-finals

Down v Monaghan

25 May 1980 Quarter-final	Down	1–4 – 0–13	Monaghan	Pairc Esler, Newry
	L Austin 1-0, D Morgan 0-2, J McCartan 0-2.		K Finlay 0-8, B Brady 0-3, D Mulligan 0-1, G McCarville 0-1.	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: J Heaney (Tyrone)

Fermanagh v Armagh

1 June 1980 Quarter-final	Fermanagh	1–4 – 3–8	Armagh	St. Molaise Park, Irvinestown
	F Sherry 1-0, J Cleary 0-3, B O'Reilly 0-1.		S Devlin 1-2, J Smyth 1-2, C McKinstrey 1-0, P Moriarty 0-1, D McCoy 0-1, M Murphy 0-1, B Canavan 0-1.	Referee: S Curry (Cavan)

Derry v Cavan

8 June 1980 Quarter-final	Derry	2–7 – 2–9	Cavan	Dean McGlinchey Park, Ballinascreen
	C McKee 1-1, M Moran 1-1, I Doherty 0-1, G McElhinney 0-1, B McGoldrick 0-1, M Lynch 0-1, A McGurk 0-1.		P McNamee 2-2, S Cole 0-3, D Donohoe 0-2, F McDonagh 0-1, C O'Keeffe 0-1.	Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

Donegal v Tyrone

15 June 1980 Quarter-final	Donegal	0–8 – 1–17	Tyrone	St. Molaise Park, Irvinestown
	S Reilly 0-6, S Bonner 0-2.		M Harte 0-5, P Hetherington 0-5, A Hamilton 1-0, P Donnelly 0-3, D O'Hagan 0-2, P Kerlin 0-2.	Referee: H Duggan (Armagh)

Semi-finals

Monaghan v Armagh

22 June 1980 Semi-final	Monaghan	0–5 – 0–12	Armagh	Breffni Park, Cavan
	K Finlay 0-3, G McCarville 0-1, K Treanor 0-1.		P Loughran 0-4, S Devlin 0-3, N Marley 0-1, J Kernan 0-1, M Murphy 0-1, F McMahon 0-1, B Hughes 0-1.	Attendance: 17,224 Referee: J Heaney (Tyrone)

Tyrone v Cavan

29 June 1980 Semi-final	Tyrone	2–12 – 1–9	Cavan	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	P Kerlin 2-1, P Hetherington 0-4, D O'Hagan 0-3, K McCabe 0-2, G Taggart 0-1, M Harte 0-1.		C O'Keeffe 1-1, P McNamee 0-3, D Donoghue 0-2, P McGill 0-1, O Martin 0-1, B Tierney 0-1.	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: S McManus (Fermanagh)

Final

Tyrone v Armagh

20 July 1980 Final	Tyrone	4–7 – 4–10	Armagh	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	D O'Hagan 2-1, P Hetherington 1-2, P Kerlin 1-0, G Taggart 0-2, M Harte 0-2.		J Kernan 2-1, P Loughran 0-5, B Hughes 1-1, H Kernan 1-0, J Smyth 0-2, N Marley 0-1.	Attendance: 25,000 Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Semi-finals

Roscommon v Armagh

10 August 1980 Semi-final	Roscommon	2–20 – 3–11	Armagh	Croke Park, Dublin
	M Finneran 1-8, A McManus 1-2, J O'Connor 0-4, D Earley 0-3, J O'Gara 0-1, A Dooley 0-1, D Murray 0-1.		P Loughran 1-4, M Murphy 1-2, J Smyth 1-0, B Canavan 0-2, J Kernan 0-2, B Hughes 0-1.	Attendance: 36,043 Referee: S Aldridge (Kildare)

Kerry v Offaly

24 August 1980 Semi-final	Kerry	4–15 – 4–10	Offaly	Croke Park, Dublin
	P Spillane 2-2, J Egan 1-4, M Sheehy 1-3, G Power 0-2, T Doyle 0-2, D Moran 0-1, E Liston 0-1.		M Connor 2-9, G Carroll 2-1.	Attendance: 36,125 Referee: P Collins (Westmeath)

Final

Kerry v Roscommon

21 September 1980 Final	Kerry	1–9 – 1–6	Roscommon	Croke Park, Dublin
	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.	Attendance: 65,898 Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

Main article: 1980 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

Championship statistics

Top scorers

Overall

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Matt Connor	Offaly	5-31	46	4	11.50
2	Michael Finneran	Roscommon	5-20	35	5	7.00
3	Tony McManus	Roscommon	6-8	26	5	5.20

Single game

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Matt Connor	Offaly	2-9	15	Kerry
2	Matt Connor	Offaly	2-8	14	Kildare
3	Michael Finneran	Roscommon	3-3	12	London
	Tony McManus	Roscommon	3-3	12	London
5	Willie Cullen	Carlow	2-5	11	Kildare
	Michael Finneran	Roscommon	1-8	11	Armagh
7	Jim McDonnell	Louth	2-4	10	Wexford
	Dinny Allen	Cork	2-4	10	Limerick
	Matt Connor	Offaly	1-7	10	Dublin
10	Tom Shaw	Kildare	1-6	9	Wicklow
	Tim Dalton	Cork	1-6	9	Limerick
	Mikey Sheehy	Kerry	1-6	9	Roscommon

Miscellaneous

• Limerick beat Clare for the first time since 1945 after a replay.
• At the Munster final between Cork and Kerry at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork Secretary of the Cork County Board Frank Murphy delivered an oration in honour of Tom Barry, a guerrilla leader during the War of Independence. Barry had died in the week leading up to the game.
• Roscommon win the Connacht title for the fourth year in a row being the only time its happened not to be Galway/Mayo.
• Offaly stop Dublin to 7 Leinster titles in a row in the Leinster final.
• Roscommon play in the All Ireland final for the first time since 1962.
• The All Ireland semifinal between Kerry and Offaly sets a new record for goals (8) in a semifinal. It would not be equalled until 2020 and as of July 2022, it has not been surpassed.