1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 95th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 10 May 1981 and ended on 20 September 1981.

1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Championship details
Dates	10 May – 20 September 1981
Teams	33
All-Ireland Champions
Winning team	Kerry (27th win)
Captain	Jimmy Deenihan
Manager	Mick O'Dwyer
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing team	Offaly
Captain	Richie Connor
Manager	Eugene McGee
Provincial Champions
Munster	Kerry
Leinster	Offaly
Ulster	Down
Connacht	Mayo
Championship statistics
No. matches played	34
Top Scorer	Matt Connor (1-31)
Player of the Year	Jack O'Shea
← 1980 1982 →

Kerry entered the championship as the defending champions and were hoping to win a record-equalling fourth successive championship title.

On 20 September 1981, Kerry won the championship following a 1-12 to 0-8 defeat of Offaly in the All-Ireland final. This was their 27th All-Ireland title and their fourth championship in succession.

Offaly's Matt Connor was the championship's top scorer with 1-31. Kerry's Jack O'Shea was the choice for Texaco Footballer of the Year.

Munster Championship format change

The normal system of 2 Quarter-final's and 2 Semi-final's is back.

Results

Connacht Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

London v Mayo

30 May 1981 Quarter-final	London	1-4 – 3-11	Mayo	Emerald GAA Grounds, Ruislip
	P Maher 1-3, J Keoghan 0-1.		M Carney 1-2, J Burke 1-2, J McGrath 1-0, E McHale 0-3, J Lyons 0-2, J Maughan 0-2.	Referee: T Cunningham (Galway)

Galway v Leitrim

7 June 1981 Quarter-final	Galway	2-16 – 0-6	Leitrim	Tuam Stadium, Tuam
	G McManus 0-11, TJ Gilmore 1-2, S Joyce 1-0, B Brennan 0-2, T Naughton 0-1.		F Smith 0-2, J Ward 0-1, M Quinn 0-1, J Logan 0-1, S Tighe 0-1.	Referee: PJ McGrath (Mayo)

Semi-finals

Sligo v Roscommon

14 June 1981 Semi-final	Sligo	2-9 – 1-8	Roscommon	Markievicz Park, Sligo
	J Kearins 2-1, J Kent 0-3, M Hoey 0-3, PJ Kavanagh 0-1, J Stenson 0-1.		D Earley 1-3, L Dolphin 0-2, J O'Gara 0-1, T McManus 0-1, T Donlon 0-1.	Referee: P Egan (Leitrim)

Mayo v Galway

21 June 1981 Semi-final	Mayo	2-8 – 1-9	Galway	McHale Park, Castlebar
	J Bourke 1-1, J Lyons 1-0, M Carney 0-3, G Feeney 0-1, T Reilly 0-1, J McGrath 0-1, J Maughan 0-1.		S Joyce 1-1, V Daly 0-2, G McManus 0-2, B Brennan 0-1, B Talty 0-1, B Joyce 0-1, TJ Gilmore 0-1.	Attendance: 20,000 Referee: T. Moran (Leitrim)

Final

Mayo v Sligo

12 July 1981 Final	Mayo	0-12 – 0-4	Sligo	McHale Park, Castlebar
	M Carney 0-5, WJ padden 0-2, J Maughan 0-1, J Bourke 0-1, J McGrath 0-1, T O'Malley 0-1, M O'Toole 0-1.		John Kent 0-2, P Henry 0-1, E McHale 0-1.	Referee: T Cunningham (Galway)

Leinster Senior Football Championship

First round

Longford v Westmeath

10 May 1981 First round	Longford	1-10 – 3-10	Westmeath	Pearse Park, Longford
	B Smith 0-5, M Casey 1-0, T Sheridan 0-3, J McCormack 0-1, L Tierney 0-1.		W Lowry 0-4, E Coughlan 1-0, S Hannratty 1-0, M Behan 1-0, T McCormack 0-3, F Tone 0-2, E Tynan 0-1.	Attendance: 3,000 Referee: P Kavanagh (Meath)

Kilkenny v Wexford

10 May 1981 First round	Kilkenny	2-4 – 2-11	Wexford	Nowlan Park, Kilkenny
	S Fennelly 1-1, P Lannon 1-1, J O'Donnell 0-1, J Walsh 0-1.		G Howlin 2-0, E Mann 0-6, T Wright 0-3, G Byrne 0-1, J Wright 0-1.	Referee: C Lally (Laois)

Wicklow v Carlow

10 May 1981 First round	Wicklow	3-11 – 1-8	Carlow	Geraldine Park, Athy
	T Murphy 1-3, J Lynch 1-3, D Foley 1-0, P Burke 0-3, P O'Byrne 0-1, P Baker 0-1.		W Cullen 1-3, N Bambrick 0-2, D O'Connor 0-1, C Ware 0-1, M Doyle 0-1.	Referee: S Aldridge (Kildare)

Laois v Louth

17 May 1981 First round	Laois	5-8 – 3-8	Louth	Croke Park, Dublin
	E Whelan 2-2, W Brennan 1-4, D O'Loughlin 1-2, T Prendergast 1-0.		K Dawe 2-4, M McDermott 1-1, E Judge 0-1, G O'Callaghan 0-1, Jim McDonnell 0-1.	Attendance: 3,755 Referee: A Jordan (Dublin)

Quarter-finals

Dublin v Wicklow

31 May 1981 Quarter-final	Dublin	0-10 – 0-8	Wicklow	St. Conleth's Park, Newbridge
	J McCarthy 0-4, A McCaul 0-4, K Duff 0-1, PJ Buckley 0-1.		P Baker 0-3, P O'Byrne 0-2, T Murphy 0-2, J Lynch 0-1.	Attendance: 11,000 Referee: J Gunning (Offaly)

Westmeath v Offaly

31 May 1981 Quarter-final	Westmeath	1-9 – 1-14	Offaly	Cusack Park, Mullingar
	F Tone 1-4, S Hannratty 0-1, T Collins 0-1, E Tynan 0-1, W Lowry 0-1.		M Connor 0-9, B Lowry 1-2, S Lowry 0-1, J Moran 0-1, M Wright 0-1.	Attendance: 7000 Referee: K Campbell (Meath)

Wexford v Meath

7 June 1981 Quarter-final	Wexford	2-9 – 1-11	Meath	Croke Park, Dublin
	E Mahon 0-6, J Wright 1-0, G Howlin 1-0, G O'Connor 0-3.		E Barry 0-6, L Smith 1-1, C O'Rourke 0-3, F O'Sullivan 0-1.	Referee: D Guerin (Dublin)

Laois v Kildare

14 June 1981 Quarter-final	Laois	3-13 – 1-9	Kildare	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
	T Prendergast 3-3, W Brennan 0-5, E Whelan 0-3, M Moore 0-2.		G Power 1-4, T Shaw 0-2, L Tompkins 0-2, M Condon 0-1.	Referee: P Collins (Westmeath)

Semi-finals

Offaly v Wexford

28 June 1981 Semi-final	Offaly	1-16 – 0-14	Wexford	Croke Park, Dublin
	M Connor 1-5, B Lowry 0-4, G Carroll 0-3, J Mooney 0-2, M Wright 0-1, T Connor 0-1.		E Mahon 0-8, G Howlin 0-2, G O'Connor 0-2, G Byrne 0-1, S Fitzhenry 0-1.	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: C Lally (Laois)

Dublin v Laois

5 July 1981 Semi-final	Dublin	0-11 – 2-9	Laois	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
	A McCaul 0-8, J Thompson 0-2, J Ronayne 0-1.		T Prendergast 1-1, J Costello 1-0, W Brennan 0-3, E Whelan 0-2, D O'Loughlin 0-1, G Brown 0-1, M Moore 0-1.	Attendance: 25,000 Referee: P Kavanagh (Meath)

Final

Offaly v Laois

26 July 1981 Final	Offaly	1-18 – 3-9	Laois	Croke Park, Dublin
	Brendan Lowry 1-4, Matt Connor 0-5 (0-3f), Tomas O'Connor, Pat Fitzgerald, Gerry Carroll, Sean Lowry 0-2 each, Aidan O'Halloran 0-1		Willie Brennan 1-3 (0-2f), Mick Moore 1-2, Tom Prendergast 1-1, John Costello, Eamon Whelan, Declan O'Loughlin 0-1 each	Attendance: 28,398 Referee: Paddy Collins (Westmeath)

Munster Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Tipperary v Clare

31 May 1981 Quarter-final	Tipperary	0-9 – 3-14	Clare	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	B Kennedy 0-2, B Conway 0-2, M O'Riordan 0-2, H Mulhaire 0-1, G McGrath 0-1, J Dunne 0-1.		G Fitzpatrick 1-4, T Tubridy 1-4, M O'Reilly 1-2, P Burke 0-2, N Normoyle 0-1, M Murray 0-1.	Referee: W Fogarty (Kerry)

Limerick v Waterford

31 May 1981 Quarter-final	Limerick	0-10 – 0-10	Waterford	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	A Moran 0-3, K Hanley 0-2, T Cummins 0-2, M Quish 0-1, F Ryan 0-1, D Fitzgerald 0-1.		P White 0-4, M Horgan 0-2, R Dunford 0-1, M Hackett 0-1, T Keating 0-1, J Power 0-1.

Waterford v Limerick

14 June 1981 Quarter-final replay	Waterford	0-10 – 1-4	Limerick	Fraher Field, Dungarvan
	T Casey 0-5, P White 0-3, J Kelly 0-1, T Keating 0-1.		T Cummins 1-0, A Moran 0-2, D Kiely 0-1, K Hanley 0-1.	Referee: M Griffin (Clare)

Semi-finals

Kerry v Clare

28 June 1981 Semi-final	Kerry	4-17 – 0-6	Clare	Frank Sheehy Park, Listowel
	E Liston 3-3, M Sheehy 0-6, J Egan 1-1, P Spillane 0-3, P Ó Sé 0-1, J O'Shea 0-1, T Spillane 0-1, O Moran 0-1.		G Fitzpatrick 0-2, P McNamara 0-2, N Roche 0-1, J McGrath 0-1.	Referee: P Lane (Limerick)

Waterford v Cork

28 June 1981 Semi-final	Waterford	0-7 – 2-18	Cork	Fraher Field, Dungarvan
	P White 0-3, M Kavanagh 0-2, T Casey 0-2.		D Allen 0-7, J Allen 1-2, D Barron 1-0, T Dalton 0-3, F O'Mahony 0-2, C Ryan 0-1, B Lotty 0-1, D Barry 0-1, S Hayes 0-1.	Referee: W Fogarty (Kerry)

Final

Kerry v Cork

19 July 1981 Final	Kerry	1-11 – 0-3	Cork	Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney
	Mikey Sheehy 1-5 (0-2f), Pat Spillane 0-3, Jack O'Shea, Eoin Liston, John Egan 0-1 each		Tom Creedon (0-1f), Dave Barry, Dinny Allen (0-1f) 0-1 each	Attendance: 41,292 Referee: Paddy Collins (Westmeath)

Ulster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Monaghan v Tyrone

17 May 1981 Preliminary round	Monaghan	2-9 – 0-6	Tyrone	St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney
	E McEneaney 1-7, S McAleer 1-1, K Treanor 0-1.		B Donnelly 0-2, P Ball 0-2, J Devlin 0-1, E McKenna 0-1.	Referee: S McManus (Fermanagh)

Quarter-finals

Antrim v Cavan

24 May 1981 Quarter-final	Antrim	2-13 – 2-12	Cavan	Casement Park, Belfast
	J Herron 1-4, K Gough 1-1, A McQuillan 0-4, D Maguire 0-3, S McGourdy 0-1.		D Donohoe 2-5, M Reilly 0-1, C O'Keeffe 0-1, M Faulkner 0-1.	Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

Armagh v Donegal

31 May 1981 Quarter-final	Armagh	2-16 – 0-13	Donegal	Athletic Grounds, Armagh
	B Hughes 1-1, N Marley 1-1, P Loughran 0-3, J Kernan 0-2, P Rafferty 0-2, J Loughran 0-2, C McKinstry 0-1, J Donnelly 0-1.		M McHugh 0-4, S Reilly 0-3, S Bonnar 0-2, M Gallagher 0-1, C Mulgrew 0-1, S Flynn 0-1, M Carr 0-1.	Referee: J Heaney (Tyrone)

Derry v Fermanagh

7 June 1981 Quarter-final	Derry	0-12 – 0-10	Fermanagh	Dean McGlinchey Park, Ballinascreen
	B Kelly 0-4, M Feeley 0-4, J McGrourty 0-2, T Doherty 0-1, J McAree 0-1.		P McGinnitty 0-4, G McEvoy 0-3, E McPartland 0-1, P Connolly 0-1, P Courtney 0-1.	Referee: S Gallagher (Donegal)

Down v Monaghan

14 June 1981 Quarter-final	Down	0-10 – 0-10	Monaghan	Pairc Esler, Newry
	B McGovern 0-7, N Toner 0-1, L Austin 0-1, D Morgan 0-1.		E McEneaney 0-6, S McAleer 0-2, D Mulligan 0-1, T Moyna 0-1.	Referee: J Gough (Antrim)

Monaghan v Down

28 June 1981 Quarter-final replay	Monaghan	1-9 – 3-4	Down	St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney
	K Treanor 1-1, E McEneaney 0-4. G McCarville 0-2, K Finlay 0-1, H Clerkin 0-1.		B McGovern 1-0, D Morgan 1-0, J McCartan 1-0, L Austin 0-1, P O'Rourke 0-1, N Toner 0-1, A McGranaghan 0-1.	Referee: J Gough (Antrim)

Semi-finals

Armagh v Antrim

21 June 1981 Semi-final	Armagh	4-7 – 1-3	Antrim	St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney
	P Rafferty 1-2, S Devlin 1-0, J Kernan 1-0, C McKinstrey 1-0, B Hughes 0-2, P LOughlin 0-2, J Loughran 0-1.		PJ O'Gara 1-0, D Maguire 0-2, K Gough 0-1.	Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

Down v Derry

5 July 1981 Semi-final	Down	0-12 – 0-9	Derry	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	B McGovern 0-5, G Blaney 0-2, N Toner 0-2, J McCartan 0-2, A Rogers 0-1.		J McAfee 0-3, B Kelly 0-2, J McGrourty 0-1, T Doherty 0-1, M Lynch 0-1, M McFeeley 0-1.	Referee: S McManus (Fermanagh)

Final

Down v Armagh

19 July 1981 Final	Down	3-12 – 1-10	Armagh	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	A Rodgers 0-4, G Blaney 1-0, N King 0-1, B McCartan 0-1.		P Loughran 0-5, B Hughes 1-1, C McKinstrey 0-2, P Moriarty 0-1, P Rafferty 0-1.	Attendance: 25,000 Referee: J Heaney (Tyrone)

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Semi-finals

Mayo v Kerry

9 August 1981 Semi-final	Mayo	1-6 - 2-19	Kerry	Croke Park, Dublin
	E McHale 1-0, J McGrath 0-2, J Lyons 0-1, A Garvey 0-1, M Carney 0-1, J Lyons 0-1.		M Sheehy 0-6, E Liston 1-2, G Power 1-0, D Moran 0-3, J Egan 0-3, P Spillane 0-3, J O'Shea 0-1, T Doyle 0-1.	Attendance: 24,631 Referee: P Collins (Westmeath)

Down v Offaly

23 August 1981 Semi-final	Down	0-6 - 0-12	Offaly	Croke Park, Dublin
	G Blaney 0-3, Jim McCartan 0-1, N King 0-1, B Toner 0-1.		M Connor 0-7, B Lowry 0-2, M Lowry 0-1, G Carroll 0-1, A O'Halloran 0-1.	Attendance: 35,406 Referee: W Fogarty (Kerry)

Final

Kerry v Offaly

20 September 1981 Final	Kerry	1-12 - 0-8	Offaly	Croke Park, Dublin
	M Sheehy 0-5, J O'Shea 1-0, D Moran 0-2, T Doyle 0-1, J Egan 0-1, P Ó Sé 0-1, S Walsh 0-1, G Power 0-1.		M Connor 0-4, S Lowry 0-2, T O'Connor 0-1, B Lowry 0-1.	Attendance: 65,898 Referee: P Collins (Westmeath)

Main article: 1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

Championship statistics

Top scorers

Overall

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Matt Connor	Offaly	1-31	34	5	6.80
2	Mikey Sheehy	Kerry	1-22	25	4	6.25
3	Tom Prendergast	Laois	6-5	23	4	5.75
4	Eamonn McEneaney	Monaghan	1-17	20	3	6.66
5	Eoin Liston	Kerry	4-6	18	4	4.50

Single game

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Tom Prendergast	Laois	3-3	12	Kildare
	Eoin Liston	Kerry	3-3	12	Clare
3	Donal Donohoe	Cavan	2-5	11	Antrim
	Gay McManus	Galway	0-11	11	Leitrim
5	Kevin Dawe	Louth	2-4	10	Laois
	Eamonn McEneaney	Monaghan	1-7	10	Tyrone
7	Matt Connor	Offaly	0-9	9	Westmeath
8	Eamonn Whelan	Laois	2-2	8	Louth
	Matt Connor	Offaly	1-5	8	Wexford
	Mikey Sheehy	Kerry	1-5	8	Cork
	Eddie Mahon	Wexford	0-8	8	Offaly
	Anto McCaul	Dublin	0-8	8	Laois

Miscellaneous

• London after six years in the Connacht championship play their games this year on home ground at Ruislip.
• Mayo won their first Connacht title since 1969.
• Kerry become the third team in the history of the championship to win four All-Ireland titles in-a-row. They equalled the record set by Wexford (1915-1918) and Kerry (1929-1932). Lasted until Dublin winning six in a row (2015-2020).