1997 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The 1997 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 111th 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 1997 and ended on 28 September 1997.

1997 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Championship details
Dates	11 May 1997 – 28 September 1997
Teams	32
All-Ireland Champions
Winning team	Kerry (31st win)
Captain	Liam Hassett
Manager	Páidí Ó Sé
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing team	Mayo
Captain	Noel Connelly
Manager	John Maughan
Provincial Champions
Munster	Kerry
Leinster	Offaly
Ulster	Cavan
Connacht	Mayo
Championship statistics
Top Scorer	Maurice Fitzgerald (0-28)
Player of the Year	Maurice Fitzgerald
← 1996 1998 →

Meath entered the championship as the defending champions; however, they were defeated by Offaly in the Leinster final.

On 28 September 1997 Kerry, the most successful county in Gaelic football history, claimed their 31st All-Ireland title - and their first since 1986 - with a 0–13 to 1–7 victory over Mayo.

This year also saw Ulster's most successful county, Cavan, win their first provincial title since 1969.

Munster Championship format change

A new 2 year system was introduced in Munster meaning that Kerry, Cork & Clare would have straight access to the Munster semi-finals for Limerick, Tipperary & Waterford would play in a Preliminary Round and the bye team in a lone Quarter final involved.

Fixtures and results

Munster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Limerick v Tipperary

11 May 1997 Preliminary round	Limerick	1-13 - 0-16	Tipperary	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	D Ryan 0-5, J Quane 1-1, M Galvin 0-3, Damien Reidy 0-2, D Fitzgibbon 0-1, N Frewen 0-1.		D Browne 0-7, P Lambert 0-4, D Foley 0-3, S Owens 0-1, B Burke 0-1.	Referee: N Barrett (Cork)

Tipperary v Limerick

18 May 1997 Preliminary round replay	Tipperary	1-17 - 2-8	Limerick	Ned Hall Park, Clonmel
	B Cummins 0-8, J Owens 1-1, D Browne 0-2, D Foley 0-2, B Burke 0-1, M Sheehan 0-1, J Williams 0-1, S Maher 0-1.		Damien Reidy 1-1, J Quane 1-0, P Galvin 0-3, I Walsh 0-2, D Rayn 0-1, N frewen 0-1.	Referee: N Barrett (Cork)

Quarter-final

Waterford v Tipperary

1 June 1997 Quarter-final	Waterford	1-5 - 2-7	Tipperary	Fraher Field, Dungarvan
	G Keane 1-2, O Costelloe 0-2, S Bergin 0-1.		B Cummins 1-2, D Foley 1-0, M Sheehan 0-1, B Burke 0-1, J Williams 0-1, J Owens 0-1, D O'Connor 0-1.	Referee: W O'Mahony (Limerick)

Semi-finals

Clare v Cork

22 June 1997 Semi-final	Clare	1-14 - 1-13	Cork	Cusack Park, Ennis
	G Keane 0-8, M Daly 1-3, M Hynes 0-1, B Keating 0-1, C Shannon 0-1.		C Corkery 0-4, S O'Brien 1-0, F Collins 0-3, A Dorgan 0-2, J Kavanagh 0-2, B Corcoran 0-1, B Murphy 0-1.	Referee: M Curley (Galway)

Kerry v Tipperary

29 June 1997 Semi-final	Kerry	2-12 - 1-10	Tipperary	Austin Stack Park, Tralee
	M Fitzgerald 0-7, J Crowley 1-1, D O'Dwyer 1-0, L Hassett 0-2, D Ó Sé 0-1, K Burns 0-1.		D Browne 1-1, B Cummins 0-3, D Foley 0-2, S Maher 0-1, B Burke 0-1, D Lyons 0-1, M Sheehan 0-1.	Referee: K Walsh (Clare)

Final

Kerry v Clare

20 July 1997 Final	Kerry	1-13 - 0-11	Clare	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	P Laide 1-2, M Fitzgerald 0-5, D Ó Cinnéide 0-2, D Dwyer 0-1, B Clarke 0-1, MF Russell 0-1, J Crowley 0-1.		M Daly 0-5, G Keane 0-4, F Lohan 0-1, J Enright 0-1.	Referee: N Barrett (Cork)

	Preliminary Round					Quarter-final					Semi-finals					Final
	Limerick		1-13 2-08
	Tipperary		0-16 1-17			Tipperary		2-7
						Waterford		1-5
											Kerry		2-12
											Tipperary		1-10
																Kerry		1-13
																Clare		0-11
											Clare		2-13
											Cork		1-14

Leinster Senior Football Championship

First round

Wexford v Westmeath

11 May 1997 First round	Wexford	2-5 - 0-11	Westmeath	O'Kennedy Park, New Ross
	J Lawlor 1-1, M Mahon 1-0, L O'Brien 0-3, B Kirwan 0-1.		K Lyons 0-3, M Flanagan 0-3, T Cleary 0-3, O Keating 0-1, G Heavin 0-1.	Attendance: 2,000 Referee: S McCormack (Meath)

Offaly v Longford

11 May 1997 First round	Offaly	5-17 - 0-13	Longford	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
	A Kelly 1-3, R Malone 1-2, C McManus 1-2, V Claffey 1-1, C Quinn 1-0, P Brady 0-3, F Cullen 0-2, S Grennan 0-1, R Mooney 0-1, J Grennan 0-1, V Mooney 0-1.		D Barr 0-6, E Barden 0-3, E McCormack 0-3, T Smullen 0-1.	Attendance: 18,000 Referee: A Walsh (Dublin)

Westmeath v Wexford

17 May 1997 First round replay	Westmeath	2-17 - 1-15	Wexford	Cusack Park, Mullingar
	M Staunton 1-2, T Cleary 0-4, P Conway 1-0, G Heavin 0-3, S Colleary 0-2, M Treanor 0-2, J Murray 0-2, M Flanagan 0-1, J Cooney 0-1.		J Byrne 0-8, S Dolan 1-1, Lawlor 0-4, Doran 0-1, Guinan 0-1.

Second round

Offaly v Westmeath

25 May 1997 Second round	Offaly	0-8 - 0-8	Westmeath	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
	V Claffey 0-4, P Brady 0-2, R Mooney 0-1, C McManus 0-1.		T Cleary 0-7, J Cooney 0-1.	Attendance: 11,000 Referee: P O'Toole (Longford)

Westmeath v Offaly

7 June 1997 Second round replay	Westmeath	0-7 - 1-14	Offaly	Cusack Park, Mullingar
	T Cleary 0-5, P Conway 0-1, G Heavin 0-1.		D Reynolds 0-6, P Brady 1-2, V Claffey 0-2, C McManus 0-1, J Kenny 0-1, R Mooney 0-1, M Daly 0-1.	Attendance: 11,000 Referee: P O'Toole (Longford)

Quarter-finals

Louth v Carlow

1 June 1997 Quarter-final	Louth	1-13 - 1-10	Carlow	St. Conleth's Park, Newbridge
	C Kelly 0-6, C O'Hanlon 1-0, A Rooney 0-2, A Hoey 0-2, O McDonnell 0-1, R Rooney 0-1, S O'Hanlon 0-1.		A Keating 0-5, W Quinlan 1-0, P Nolan 0-2, J Nevin 0-2, S Kavanagh 0-1.	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: J Bannon (Longford)

Laois v Kildare

8 June 1997 Quarter-final	Laois	1-7 - 1-11	Kildare	Croke Park, Dublin
	T Bowe 1-1, I Fitzgerald 0-3, T Maher 0-1, D Sweeney 0-1, L Turley 0-1.		P Graven 0-8, G Ryan 1-2, N Buckley 0-1.	Attendance: 25,211 Referee: P Casserly (Westmeath)

Offaly v Wicklow

15 June 1997 Quarter-final	Offaly	1-17 - 1-8	Wicklow	Croke Park, Dublin
	D Reynolds 0-7, P Brady 1-3, S Grennan 0-3, V Claffey 0-2, C McManus 0-1, M Daly 0-1.		K O'Brien 1-0, C Daye 0-3, D McMahon 0-2, J Behan 0-1, S Miley 0-1, S O'Neill 0-1.	Attendance: 62,342 Referee: P McGann

Meath v Dublin

15 June 1997 Quarter-final	Meath	1-13 - 1-10	Dublin	Croke Park, Dublin
	O Murphy 1-1, T Giles 0-3, J McDermott 0-2, T Dowd 0-2, B Reilly 0-2, J McGuinness 0-1, G Geraghty 0-1, E Kelly 0-1.		C Redmond 0-4, K Barr 1-0, B Stynes 0-2, P Curran 0-1, E Heery 0-1, J Gavin 0-1, P Ward 0-1.	Attendance: 62,342 Referee: B White (Wexford)

Semi-finals

Offaly v Louth

29 June 1997 Semi-final	Offaly	1-10 - 0-11	Louth	Páirc Tailteann, Navan
	D Reynolds 0-7, S Grennan 1-0, R Malone 0-2, V Claffey 0-1.		C O'Hanlon 0-3, C Kelly 0-2, O McDonnell 0-2, S White 0-2, B Kerin 0-1, S Melia 0-1.	Attendance: 18,000 Referee: J Bannon (Longford)

Kildare v Meath

6 July 1997 Semi-final	Kildare	1-9 - 0-12	Meath	Croke Park, Dublin
	M Lynch 1-0, P Graven 0-3, D Kerrigan 0-2, W McCreery 0-1, N Buckley 0-1, E McCormack 0-1, A Rainbow 0-1.		T Giles 0-4, G Geraghty 0-3, J McGuinness 0-2, T Dowd 0-1, B Reilly 0-1, O Murphy 0-1.	Attendance: 46,595 Referee: C Buckley (Offaly)

Kildare v Meath

20 July 1997 Semi-final replay	Kildare	3-17 - 2-20 (aet)	Meath	Croke Park, Dublin
	P Graven 0-6, P McCormack 0-4, N Buckley 0-4, T Harris 1-0, B Murphy 1-0, W McCreery 1-0, M Lynch 0-1, D Earley 0-1, P McCormack 0-1.		T Giles 2-8, J Devine 0-4, B Reilly 0-3, T Dowd 0-2, O Murphy 0-2, G Geraghty 0-1.	Attendance: 54,290 Referee: P O'Toole (Longford)

Meath v Kildare

3 August 1997 Semi-final second replay	Meath	1-12 - 1-10	Kildare	Croke Park, Dublin
	O Murphy 1-4, B Reilly 0-2, T Giles 0-2, J McDermott 0-1, C Coyle 0-1, J McGuinness 0-1, T Dowd 0-1.		N Buckley 0-5, D Kerrigan 1-0, P Graven 0-3, M Lynch 0-1, E McCormack 0-1.	Attendance: 55,572 Referee: P O'Toole (Longford)

Final

Offaly v Meath

16 August 1997 Final	Offaly	3-17 - 1-15	Meath	Croke Park, Dublin
	V Claffey 1-5, R Malone 2-0, C Cunn 0-4, P Brady 0-3, D Reynolds 0-3, C McManus 0-1, R Mooney 0-1.		B Reilly 0-7, J McGuinness 1-2, O Murphy 0-3, T Giles 0-3.	Attendance: 46,047 Referee: B White (Wexford)

	2nd Round					Quarter-finals					Semi-finals					Final
	Offaly		0-08 1-14
	Westmeath		0-08 0-07			Offaly		1-17
						Wicklow		1-08
											Offaly		1-10
											Louth		0-11
						Louth		1-13
						Carlow		1-10
																Offaly		3-17
																Meath		1-15
						Laois		1-07
						Kildare		1-11
											Meath		0-12 2-20 1-12
											Kildare		1-09 3-17 1-10
						Meath		1-13
						Dublin		1-10

Connacht Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Galway v Mayo

25 May 1997 Quarter-final	Galway	0-15 - 1-16	Mayo	Tuam Stadium, Tuam
	N Finnegan 0-9, J Donnellan 0-3, S Óg de Paor 0-1, D Meehan 0-1, V Daly 0-1.		M Sheridan 0-8, PJ Loftus 1-0, D Nestor 0-2, L McHale 0-2, K McDonald 0-2, P Fallon 0-1, J Casey 0-1.	Attendance: 18,500

London v Leitrim

1 June 1997 Quarter-final	London	1-13 - 2-18 (aet)	Leitrim	Emerald GAA Grounds, Ruislip
	P Hehir 0-6, T Maguire 0-5, F Hussey 1-0, S Hehir 0-2.		D Darcy 2-11, F McBrien 0-3, P McLoughlin 0-2, G Flanagan 0-1, B Guckian 0-1.

Semi-finals

Sligo v Roscommon

23 June 1997 Semi-final	Sligo	1-14 - 1-11	Roscommon	Markievicz Park, Sligo
	P Taylor 0-8, D Sloyane 1-2, P Neary 0-3, E O'Hara 0-1.		T Ryan 1-1, L Dolan 0-4, N Dinneen 0-2, D Duggan 0-1, A Nolan 0-1, T Connellan 0-1, N O'Donoghue 0-1.

Mayo v Leitrim

29 June 1997 Semi-final	Mayo	0-18 - 0-11	Leitrim	MacHale Park, Castlebar
	M Sheridan 0-7, K McDonald 0-4, D Byrne 0-2, P Holmes 0-1, K Mortimer 0-1, J Horan 0-1, J Casey 0-1, PJ Loftus 0-1.		D Darcy 0-8, K McLoughlin 0-1, A Cullen 0-1, F McBrien 0-1.

Final

Mayo v Sligo

3 August 1997 Final	Mayo	0-11 - 1-7	Sligo	Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon
	M Sheridan 0-6, C McDonald 0-2, J Horan 0-1, D Nestor 0-1, R Golding 0-1.		B Walsh 1-1, P Taylor 0-3, D Sloynane 0-1, K Killeen 0-1, P Durcan 0-1.	Attendance: 22,000 Referee: M Curley (Galway)

	Quarter-finals					Semi-finals					Final
	Mayo		1-16
	Galway		0-15			Mayo		0-18
	Leitrim		2-18			Leitrim		0-11
	London		1-13								Mayo		0-11
											Sligo		1-07
						Roscommon		1-11
						Sligo		1-14

Ulster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Down v Tyrone

18 May 1997 Preliminary round	Down	2-9 - 0-15	Tyrone	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	J Treanor 0-5, G Mason 1-1, G Deegan 1-1, M Linden 0-2.		A Cush 0-5, Peter Canavan 0-4, S Lawn 0-2, N Donnelly 0-1, C McBride 0-1, B Dooher 0-1.	Referee: M McGrath (Donegal)

Down v Tyrone

25 May 1997 Preliminary round replay	Down	1-11 - 3-8	Tyrone	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	C McCabe 1-1, J Treanor 0-4, M Linden 0-3, C Deegan 0-1, G Deegan 0-1, F Caulfield 0-1.		A Cush 0-5, Peter Canavan 1-1, S Lawn 1-0, M McGleenan 1-0, S McCallan 0-1, E Kilpatrick 0-1.	Attendance: 24,622 Referee: M McGrath (Donegal)

Quarter-finals

Donegal v Antrim

25 May 1997 Quarter-final	Donegal	2-12 - 1-13	Antrim	MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey
	B Murray 1-1, T Boyle 1-1, M Boyle 0-4, N Hegarty 0-2, D Bonner 0-2, B McGowan 0-1, B McLaughlin 0-1.		K Madden 1-2, P Derby 0-3, F Wilson 0-2, J Wilson 0-2, P McCann 0-2, M Mulholland 0-1, D Smyth 0-1.	Attendance: 10,000

Monaghan v Derry

1 June 1997 Quarter-final	Monaghan	2-8 - 1-11	Derry	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	S McGinnity 0-5, P Duffy 1-1, N Marron 1-0, D McArdle 0-1, D McKiernan 0-1.		J Brolly 1-3, J Cassidy 0-3, A Tohill 0-2, F McCusker 0-1.	Attendance: 10,340 Referee: M McBrien (Fermanagh)

Derry v Monaghan

8 June 1997 Quarter-final replay	Derry	2-15 - 0-10	Monaghan	Celtic Park, Derry
	J Brolly 1-4, D Dougan 1-0, S Downey 0-3, J Cassidy 0-2, F McCusker 0-2, D Heaney 0-1, R Rocks 0-1, SM Lockhart 0-1, K McKeever 0-1.		D Smith 0-5, D McKiernan 0-2, P Duffy 0-2, N Marron 0-1.	Attendance: 10,500 Referee: M McBrien (Fermanagh)

Cavan v Fermanagh

8 June 1997 Quarter-final	Cavan	1-12 - 1-12	Fermanagh	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	P Reilly 0-5, D McCabe 1-1, R Cunningham 0-3, M Graham 0-2, A Forde 0-1.		R Gallagher 1-7, L McBarron 0-2, S King 0-1, C Curran 0-1, K Donnelly 0-1.	Attendance: 14,783 Referee: J Curran (County Tyrone)

Tyrone v Armagh

15 June 1997 Quarter-final	Tyrone	1-12 - 0-12	Armagh	Healy Park, Omagh
	M McGleenan 1-2, Peter Canavan 0-5, A Cush 0-2, G Cavlan 0-1, B Dooher 0-1, C McBride 0-1.		O McConville 0-8, M Toye 0-1, G Houlahan 0-1, K McGeeney 0-1, J Rafferty 0-1.	Attendance: 22,000 Referee: P McEneaney (Monaghan)

Cavan v Fermanagh

15 June 1997 Quarter-final replay	Cavan	0-14 - 0-11	Fermanagh	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	P Reilly 0-3, F Cahill 0-3, M Graham 0-2, A Forde 0-1, C Brady 0-1, D Brady 0-1, R Carolan 0-1, J Reilly 0-1.		R Gallagher 0-5, S King 0-3, C Curran 0-2, M Gallagher 0-1.	Attendance: 17,752 Referee: J Curran (County Tyrone)

Semi-finals

Cavan v Donegal

22 June 1997 Semi-final	Cavan	2-16 - 2-10	Donegal	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	R Carolan 1-7, P Reilly 1-2, L Reilly 0-4, S King 0-1, D Reilly 0-1, R Cunningham 0-1.		T Boyle 1-1, M Boyle 0-4, B McLaughlin 1-0, B Roper 0-2, D Bonner 0-2, N Hegarty 0-1.	Attendance: 20,493 Referee: J Curran (County Tyrone)

Tyrone v Derry

29 June 1997 Semi-final	Tyrone	2-3 - 2-15	Derry	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	N Donnelly 1-0, M McGleenan 1-0, Peter Canavan 0-2, A Cush 0-1.		J Brolly 1-4, J Cassidy 0-4, S Downey 1-0, G Coleman 0-2, A Tohill 0-2, SM Lockhart 0-1, D Heaney 0-1, F McCusker 0-1.	Attendance: 25,271 Referee: P McEneaney (Monaghan)

Final

Cavan v Derry

20 July 1997 Final	Cavan	1-14 - 0-16	Derry	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	R Carolan 0-6, J O'Reilly 1-0, P Reilly 0-3, L Reilly 0-2, F Cahill 0-1, R Cunningham 0-1, D McCabe 0-1.		A Tohill 0-4, J Brolly 0-3, G Coleman 0-2, G McGill 0-2, J Cassidy 0-1, J McBride 0-1, F McCusker 0-1, K McKeever 0-1, D Dougan 0-1.	Attendance: 34,349 Referee: P McEneaney (Monaghan)

Main article: 1997 Ulster Senior Football Championship Final

	Preliminary Round					Quarter-finals					Semi-finals					Final
						Cavan		1-12 0-14
						Fermanagh		1-12 0-11
											Cavan		2-16
											Donegal		2-10
						Donegal		2-12
						Antrim		1-13
																Cavan		1-14
																Derry		0-16
						Monaghan		2-08 0-10
						Derry		1-11 2-15
											Tyrone		2-03
											Derry		2-15
						Tyrone		1-12
	Down		2-09 0-11			Armagh		0-12
	Tyrone		0-15 3-08

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Semi-finals

Cavan v Kerry

24 August 1997 Semi-final	Cavan	1-10 - 1-17	Kerry	Croke Park, Dublin
	F Cahill 1-1, R Carolan 0-4, D McCabe 0-2, P Reilly 0-1, L Reilly 0-1, D O'Reilly 0-1.		M Fitzgerald 0-7, MF Russell 1-1, Billy O'Shea 0-2, E Breen 0-1, D Ó Sé 0-1, P Laide 0-1, L Hassett 0-1, D O'Dwyer 0-1, D Ó Cinnéide 0-1, B Clarke 0-1.	Attendance: 60,072 Referee: P Casserly (Westmeath)

Mayo v Offaly

31 August 1997 Semi-final	Mayo	0-13 - 0-7	Offaly	Croke Park, Dublin
	M Sheridan 0-4, K McDonald 0-3, D Nestor 0-2, F Costello 0-1, L McHale 0-1, K O'Neill 0-1, P Fallon 0-1.		D Reynolds 0-4, C Quinn 0-1, P Brady 0-1, J Grennan 0-1.	Attendance: 56,369 Referee: P Russell (Tipperary)

Final

Kerry v Mayo

28 September 1997 Final	Kerry	0-13 - 1-7	Mayo	Croke Park, Dublin
	M Fitzgerald 0-9, P Laide 0-2, D Ó Sé 0-1, J Crowley 0-1.		C McDonald 1-1, M Sheridan 0-3, J Horan 0-2, C McManamon 0-1.	Attendance: 65,601 Referee: B White (Wexford)

Main article: 1997 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

Championship statistics

Top scorers

Overall

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Maurice Fitzgerald	Kerry	0-28	28	4	7.00
2	Maurice Sheridan	Mayo	0-27	27	5	5.20
	David Reynolds	Offaly	0-27	27	5	5.20
4	Declan Darcy	Leitrim	2-19	25	2	12.50
5	Trevor Giles	Meath	2-18	24	5	4.80
6	Joe Brolly	Derry	3-14	23	4	5.75
7	Vinny Claffey	Offaly	2-15	21	7	3.00
	Ronan Carolan	Cavan	1-18	21	5	4.25
9	Peter Brady	Offaly	2-14	20	7	2.83
	Pádraig Graven	Kildare	0-20	20	4	5.00

Single game

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Declan Darcy	Leitrim	2-11	17	London
2	Trevor Giles	Meath	2-8	14	Kildare
3	Raymond Gallagher	Fermanagh	1-7	10	Cavan
	Ronan Carolan	Cavan	1-7	10	Fermanagh
5	Niall Finnegan	Galway	0-9	9	Mayo
	Maurice Fitzgerald	Kerry	0-9	9	Mayo
7	Vinny Claffey	Offaly	1-5	8	Meath
	Brendan Cummins	Tipperary	0-8	8	Limerick
	Ger Keane	Clare	0-8	8	Cork
	Jim Byrne	Wexford	0-8	8	Westmeath
	Pádraig Graven	Kildare	0-8	8	Laois
	Maurice Sheridan	Mayo	0-8	8	Galway
	Paul Taylor	Sligo	0-8	8	Roscommon
	Declan Darcy	Leitrim	0-8	8	Mayo
	Oisín McConville	Armagh	0-8	8	Tyrone

Miscellaneous

• On 11 May 1997, O'Kennedy Park, New Ross hosted its 1st game for 53 years it was the drawn game between Wexford vs Westmeath.
• Clare record their first win over Cork since 1941.
• Cavan win their first Ulster title since 1969 and last until 2020.
• Offaly won their first Leinster title since 1982.
• All Ireland semi-final Mayo vs Offaly was the first championship meeting between them.
• Kerry end their longest drought as All Ireland Champions of 11 years.