Taoiseach inviting Mayo’s 1951 heroes to Croker

TOGGING OUT?An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, TD, is pictured with former Mayo manager Mickey Moran, at The Mayo News/O’Neills Club Stars charity game in 2005.?Pic: Sportsfile

Taoiseach invites ’51 heroes to Croker


Edwin McGreal

AN Taoiseach, Enda Kenny is to invite the three remaining members of the last Mayo senior football team to win an All-Ireland to Sunday’s final against Dublin.
Paddy Prendergast, Fr Peter Quinn and PΡdraig Carney are the only survivors of the great Mayo side which won All-Irelands in 1950 and ’51 and they will be invited by the Taoiseach to this year’s decider.
Enda Kenny’s father Henry was himself an All-Ireland senior winner in 1936, the only other year Mayo won an All-Ireland.
“I’ve invited Fr Quinn to come to the match with me on the Sunday,” Mr Kenny told The Mayo News. “Hopefully he’ll come to the match and enjoy the atmosphere and the environment. I’m going to contact Paddy Prendergast and PΡdraig Carney, they are the last three survivors so that would be a great occasion.”
The contact with Fr Quinn was made through Fr Tommy Murphy, a schoolmate of Mr Kenny’s who is the head of the Columban order. Fr Quinn is a resident at the Columban’s base at Dalgan Park in Meath.
As President of Islandeady GAA Club, a side he also played with, the Taoiseach’s GAA links are strong, and he’s attended a good number of Mayo games this year. He’s hopeful that this will be the year the wait for a title ends.
“James Horan and his team have done a magnificent job here,” he told this newspaper in an exclusive interview. “I think last year’s defeat was a lesson learned by Mayo. I think they’re in a place where they can certainly win this. This is going to be a lifetime ambition and achievement for all these young men, for the entire panel. I think this is going to be great.
“I’m travelling all the counties of Ireland and there’s not a single county that will begrudge Mayo a win but you’ve got to win it on the pitch, on the scoreboard. You’ve got to get the ball over the bar, get the goals when they come. They have to win it. Nobody is going to show you any sympathy on the pitch. There’s no place to hide anymore. Our panel, our team, are more than capable of doing this.”