Offaly's 1980 Leinster hurling success chosen as greatest shock of all
Legendary commentator Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh has chosen Offaly's Leinster hurling final victory of 1980 as the greatest GAA shock that he has witnessed.
Offaly defeated then All-Ireland champions Kilkenny in the 1980 Leinster final on a scoreline of 3-17 to 5-10 at Croke Park. That victory 40 years ago saw Offaly win the Leinster senior hurling title for the first time. Johnny Flaherty scored two of Offaly's goals with Brendan Bermingham contributing the other.
However, the victory was tinged with sadness when news emerged that Tommie Horan, father of team captain Padraig, had died while listening to the game on the radio.
"Now, Kilkenny were All-Ireland champions and Offaly had never won a Leinster championship, and they hadn't appeared in many finals. In nearly 100 years since the GAA was founded, they'd never won a Leinster and were in very few finals," Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh told the 'Irish Daily Star'.
"I looked upon it as a miracle really, to beat a very good Kilkenny team in a Leinster final. To be there once in every 30 or 40 years, Offaly played in 11 consecutive finals (1980 to 1990), and Wexford were as good as Kilkenny at the time. They won seven of the 11 and they won four All-Irelands in the 20 years. It was a miracle, really," continued Ó Muircheartaigh.
"I always like to see things happening that never happened before. I saw Down, Armagh, Derry and Donegal all win Ulster for the first time - well Armagh had won one, way back - and to go on and win the All-Ireland for the first time. There's something special when the likes of those things happen, something extra."
Galway defeated Offaly in their 1980 All-Ireland semi-final but a year later, the midlanders overturned that result in the final itself, thereby lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time.
Meanwhile, Ó Muircheartaigh believes this year's All-Ireland championships will be on played on a knock-out basis due to the ongoing suspension of fixtures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I'd say it will be a knock-out. It will be tight to fit in everything because the clubs will have lost a lot of time, and to give them more time," said the hugely popular Kerryman, who is now 89 years old.
1980 Leinster final Offaly team & scorers
Damien Martin; Pat Moloughney, Mick Kennedy, Pat Fluery; Aidan Fogarty, Pat Delaney, Ger Coughlan; Joachim Kelly (0-1), Brendan Keeshan; Mark Corrigan (0-4), Brendan Bermingham (1-2), Pat Carroll; Paddy Kirwan (0-4), Padraig Horan (captain, 0-6), Johnny Flaherty (2-0). Subs: Eugene Coughlan, Martin Cashin.