Just like that, another inter-county season is over. Could anyone have predicted a more memorable ending? Where were you when it happened? The day Mayo finally returned to the promised land. A dream generations had lived and died without seeing finally unfolded on Jones’ Road, producing one of the greatest eruptions of emotion Croke Park has ever witnessed.
Things move quickly in sport. Not long ago, Mayo were dumped out of Connacht by Roscommon in a shock defeat to their neighbours. Sam Maguire seemed further away than ever as the county was once again written off. Now the infamous curse has been well and truly lifted.
In an instant, the pain of the previous seventy-five years was washed away by tears of joy as ‘The Green and Red of Mayo,’ rang out across Drumcondra at the final whistle. Even many of the Kerry supporters lingered to bear witness to history. They now sit on top, and the scenes that greeted the final whistle in Croke Park will almost certainly never be replicated.
McDonald
A player’s career can be defined by the bounce of a ball or the toss of a coin. Teenage sensation Kobe McDonald, whose father Ciarán endured so much heartbreak in green and red, now leaves as a bona fide Mayo legend, regardless of whether he ever pulls on the county jersey again.
Fresh from completing his Leaving Certificate, the Crossmolina prodigy jets off to Melbourne on Friday to join AFL side St Kilda after a breakthrough campaign that should leave him firmly in contention for Young Footballer of the Year alongside several of his Mayo teammates.
Had the Westerners fallen short once again, the conversation would undoubtedly have centred on what the county was about to lose, with endless debate over the departure of one of its brightest young stars. Instead, he leaves with an All-Ireland medal in his pocket and the adoration of an entire county. If he returns one day, he may well find a statue of himself waiting for him outside Sticks Bar in Crossmolina.
A murmur rippled through the crowd before swelling into anticipation as the teenager accelerated into space”
When the dust settles on 2026, and people look back on the day Jack Coyne lifted Sam Maguire, this championship may simply be remembered as the summer that we all became aware of the brilliance of Kobe McDonald.
The effect he had on Mayo’s run was evident every time he touched the ball. A murmur rippled through the crowd before swelling into anticipation as the teenager accelerated into space, his pace, balance and imagination lifting supporters from their seats.
While other players were arguably more influential across the campaign. The likes of Ryan O’Donoghue, Darragh Beirne or Jack Carney, no one brought quite the same sense of excitement or X-factor as McDonald, as with every touch of the ball, it felt as though something extraordinary might happen.
Credits
McDonald’s emergence added another layer to a Mayo story that has so often been defined by glorious near misses and heartbreaking endings. This time, though, there was no cruel twist. For the first time in seventy-five years, Mayo etch their names into the Sam Maguire Cup once more, in what is without doubt the story of the summer, and few counties have waited longer or deserved the moment more.
Despite its reputation as the strongest province in the country, not a single northern county reached the All-Ireland semi-finals ”
Kerry, to their immense credit, deserve enormous plaudits. They have been outstanding champions and repeatedly found another gear this year when it mattered most. The Fossa brothers, David and Paudie Clifford, were magnificent once again and look certain to be among the frontrunners for All-Star honours.
Elsewhere, Louth dared to dream, while the transitioning Dubs showed there are brighter days ahead, pushing Kerry all the way in a gripping semi-final. The Ulster Championship, meanwhile, remains Gaelic football’s great bear pit. Yet such is its ferocity that, despite its reputation as the strongest province in the country, not a single northern county reached the All-Ireland semi-finals this year.
While the scenes of Mayo’s long-awaited triumph will live forever in the memories of those inside Croke Park and the countless supporters watching around the world, Oisín McConville’s Wicklow also deserve special recognition. Their superb Tailteann Cup triumph secured the Garden County’s first national senior honour and, with it, a place among the Sam Maguire contenders next season.
In just his fourth year in charge, the Crossmaglen man has transformed Wicklow’s fortunes, delivering a historic success that ranks among the stories of the championship.
Hurling
It was a similar story in the hurling world, although its final outcome was nowhere near as dramatic or unforeseen. Nonetheless, it is equally remarkable how quickly narratives can change in sport.
Twelve months ago, Limerick hurling was supposedly finished. Their shock All-Ireland quarter-final defeat at the hands of Dublin was portrayed as the end of an era. The great green machine had finally run out of road. The legs had gone, the conveyor belt of talent had dried up, and a barren period without honours was deemed inevitable.
Elsewhere, the future appeared to belong to others. Tipperary were hailed as the sport’s new standard-bearer, the land of milk and honey, after lifting Liam McCarthy. Cork were widely tipped to dominate 2026, with last year’s final collapse dismissed as an unfortunate blip rather than a symptom of something deeper.
Kilkenny, meanwhile, looked agonisingly close to reclaiming their place at the top table, having fallen just short to eventual champions Tipperary. Clare were confined to the doldrums after a dire defence of their crown, while the top three to emerge from Leinster was deemed a formality. Fast forward 12 months, and almost every one of those predictions have been turned on their head.
For the first time since 1940, the Treaty County are both senior and minor All-Ireland champions”
Few gave Galway any chance of emerging from Leinster. After several lean years and with little recent underage success to fuel optimism, expectations were understandably modest. Yet they have blossomed into one of the most formidable teams in the country, with a host of promising players announcing themselves on the biggest stage. Foremost among them is towering teenager Jason Rabbitte.
In the end it was Limerick once again that came out on top, collecting a sixth All-Ireland title in nine seasons while also completing a remarkable clean sweep of honours across the grade. For the first time since 1940, the Treaty County are both senior and minor All-Ireland champions in the same year, evidence that another generation is waiting in the wings, having ended a 42-year wait for minor honours.
Meanwhile, Tipperary endured a desperately disappointing campaign while Kilkenny never sparked into life. Cork’s latest Croke Park collapse has only strengthened the growing belief that their biggest obstacle lies between the ears rather than in their hurling ability, as Clare came agonisingly close to defeating the eventual champions and making a second All-Ireland final in three years.
Limerick
Now the conversation has shifted entirely. Instead of asking whether Limerick’s reign was confined to the history books, the question is whether anyone can stop them again in 2027. Yet the biggest irony is that this championship was nowhere near as straightforward as last Sunday’s final might have suggested.
Clare had them on the ropes until Aidan O’Connor’s dramatic late goal in the semi-final, while Galway entered the decider full of confidence after dismantling Cork. Yet once the final settled, Limerick produced something eerily familiar.
It was reminiscent of the side that obliterated Cork in the opening half of the 2021 final or the team that scarcely missed a score in the second half of the 2023 decider. Their movement, physicality and ruthless efficiency all returned. Galway, a side many believed capable of exposing their weaknesses, simply had no answer playing against the Green Machine in a baptism of fire for their budding young stars.
Not long ago the same team had been labelled ageing, vulnerable and over the hill. Now, the coldest wind blowing through the hurling world is the realisation that the Green Giants are not only back; they may be hungrier than ever.
There is an unmistakable sense of unfinished business surrounding this squad as they continue their pursuit”
There was a sense in some quarters that 2026 would represent the final chapter for this extraordinary group and perhaps even for manager John Kiely, whose current deal has reached its conclusion. That now feels unlikely.
At just 54, Kiely has little reason to walk away, while few of Limerick’s established stars appear ready to call time. If anything, there is an unmistakable sense of unfinished business surrounding this squad as they continue their pursuit of sporting immortality.
Facts
The debate has now moved beyond whether this team belongs among the greats. The answer to that question is an irrefutable yes. Instead, it centres on where they rank.
Kilkenny’s astonishing haul of 11 All-Irelands in 16 seasons at the start of the millennium remains the benchmark, while Cork’s four-in-a-row side of the 1940s will always occupy a special place in hurling folklore.
Numerically, Limerick still have ground to make up on Brian Cody’s men. But what they can already claim is an extraordinary record on the biggest stage. Across 18 major finals, All-Ireland, Munster and National League, they have won 17. Their only defeat came via a penalty shootout.
In a relentless round robin championship structure, that level of consistency is unparalleled. Yet as attention turns towards another winter, the game’s wider concerns remain.
The managerial merry-go-round has already begun, with Derek McGrath taking charge in Wexford and Michael McShane replacing Davy Fitzgerald in Antrim. Championship restructuring will again dominate discussion after a season that, outside Limerick’s brilliance, often struggled to ignite in the way that Gaelic football did.
More importantly, hurling’s long-term health continues to demand attention. There have been signs of encouragement. Kildare’s continued rise has shown what sustained targeted investment and genuine desire can achieve, while Derry’s Christy Ring triumph means three Ulster counties will compete in the 2027 Joe McDonagh Cup, leading to calls for a reintroduction on the long scrapped provincial championship. But those remain exceptions rather than the rule.
The future of hurling should not simply be about who can stop Limerick or who can reach the levels that they have set”
Nearly 150 years after the foundation of the GAA, arguably the greatest field sport on earth still struggles to expand meaningfully beyond its traditional heartlands. The split season, while beneficial in many respects, has done little to broaden the game’s reach or create sustained exposure outside of the championship window.
The future of hurling should not simply be about who can stop Limerick or who can reach the levels that they have set. It should also be about ensuring more counties have the opportunity to try. Now it demands serious attention, investment and willpower from the powers that be to make it happen. The time for token gestures and lip service is long in the past.
Now, attention turns to the club game, where for many, packed parish grounds will once again become the centre of the sporting world, bringing with them the local and tribal rivalry that makes this time of year so special.
Before long, however, the inter-county wheel will begin to turn once again. When it does, Limerick and Mayo will return with the target of All-Ireland champions firmly on their backs, a sentence scarcely imaginable ten years ago. While John Kiely and Andy Moran’s men have re-established themselves as the standard bearers of the game, the challenge for everyone else is a straightforward one: find a way to knock the kings from their throne.
