New BBC podcast explores the Curse of '51
The Mayo senior football team that won the 1951 All-Ireland senior football title by beating Meath.
The infamous Curse of '51 is to be explored in a new BBC podcast.
In the new season of the BBC World Service's Amazing Sport Stories, Irish-American sports reporter Dave McKenna investigates whether a decades old hex could be what’s behind Mayo’s failures. Mayo have appeared in 13 finals (including replays) since winning their last All-Ireland title in 1951, and have failed to capture the Sam Maguire Cup (1989, 1996 after a replay, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2016 after a replay, 2017, 2020 and 2021).
Dave McKenna, presenter, says: “The Curse of County Mayo has been the story of legend for years in the sporting world. The BBC World Service have set the task to investigate this tale, so I’ll bring listeners around the globe the chance to understand the history behind the mystery.
"Can failure in sport be caused by a curse? That’s what The Curse of County Mayo is trying to find out. In US baseball, for the Boston Red Sox, there was the so called “Curse of the Bambino”. This is the story of Ireland’s equivalent. Why hasn’t Mayo’s Gaelic football team won the All-Ireland championship since 1951? Some believe it’s because of the Mayo Curse.
"On the 23 September 1951, County Mayo’s Gaelic football team had just won the sport’s most prestigious competition: The All Ireland championship. During their celebratory journey home, they passed a funeral and, apparently drunk on their success, forgot to stop and pay their respects – or at least, that’s how the story goes.
"Legend has it that the priest presiding over the funeral set a curse on the team as punishment: “As long as you all shall live, County Mayo will never win another All-Ireland!” Over the years, County Mayo’s team would lose final after final - cementing belief in the curse for many. But could this curse really exist?"
The Curse of County Mayo is available as a podcast on BBC Sounds and other major podcast platforms. The first episode was aired on BBC World Service Radio last Saturday, and the remaining episodes on December 8 and December 16.
You can listen to podcast by clicking here.
