Irish GAA
By Aidan Begley

Magic Moments to Mark The Start of a New Championship

Next month sees the start of the 2005 All-Ireland Champ-ionship’s with Cork and Kerry defending their Hurling and Gaelic Football titles respectively.
The All-Ireland never fails to produce some magical matches, fantastic pieces of individual brilliance and shock results. Over the last four decades, there have been a number of occasions when the All-Ireland has provided spectators with moments that have been written in Irish sporting folklore.
Along the way, a constant factor has been the broadcasting of these games by Irish television station RTE. In celebration of the new season starting, RTE have compiled a list of the 20 greatest GAA moments, with judges from the world of Gaelic Games picking out some of the most memorable incidents from the game in recent times.
So see if you agree with the likes of Jimmy Magee, Micheal O Muircheartaigh and Ger Canning on truly memorable GAA Moments.

Moment 1
Mattie McDonagh’s goal for Galway in the 1966 All-Ireland football final helps the men from the West of the Shannon to clinch the title for the third time in a row.
Judge: Brian Carthy

Moment 2
Tipperary hurling great Babs Keating looses his boots but still manages to score a truly unorthodox point during his county’s 1971 All-Ireland final win over the Cats.
Judge: Jimmy Magee

Moment 3
It is often said that one player can win a match on his own, but in the case Eddie Keher, this is true, as his personal tally of 2-9 almost single-handedly helped Kilkenny win the 1972 All-Ireland hurling title.
Judge: Jim Carney

Moment 4
Whilst still only a teenager, a young Jimmy Barry Murphy signals his arrival as a major star in Gaelic Football by scoring a stunning goal for Cork on their way to their 1973 All-Ireland football final victory.
Judge: Tony O'Donoghue

Moment 5
Dublin football’s glorious All-Ireland day in 1974 might not have come around if it hadn’t been for Goalkeeper Paddy Cullen’s crucial penalty save during the game.
Judge: Des Cahill

Moment 6
Mikey Sheehy’s spotted the goalkeeper off his line and his audacious lobbed goal sank the Dubs in the famous 1978 All-Ireland football final.
Judge: Ger Canning

Moment 7
Joe Connolly’s rousing victory speech following the Galway hurlers’ historic 1980 Liam McCarthy Cup success is the only non-playing memorable moment in the list.
Judge: Micheal O Muircheartaigh

Moment 8
The great Jack O’Shea scoring a spectacular goal for Kerry against Offaly in the 1981 football final.
Judge: Jim Carney

Moment 9
When Offaly’s Seamus Darby found the back of the Kerry net, he ended up depriving the Kingdom’s football greats a coveted five-in-a-row football titles back in 1982.
Judge: Marty Morrissey

Moment 10
Frank McGuigan rose to the big occasion and is in a class of his own as he hit 11 scintillating points for Tyrone in the 1984 Ulster football final.
Judge: Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh

Moment 11
It’s all too easy for Dublin star Barney Rock as he scored a bizarre goal against an almost absent Cork team in the quarter-final of the 1987 National Football League.
Judge: Des Cahill

Moment 12
Against Limerick, Cork’s John Fenton produced one of the greatest ground stroke goals ever seen in the Munster hurling semi final for the Rebels.
Judge: Ger Canning

Moment 13
The 1991 Meath/Dublin epic makes it onto the list and amongst the many goals and points scored, Kevin Foley’s dramatic late goal for the Royals in the fourth replay stands out.
Judge: Jimmy Magee

Moment 14
Limerick’s hurlers were simply stunned by Offaly’s amazing comeback in the so-called ‘five-minute final’ in 1994.
Judge: Tony O'Donoghue

Moment 15
Goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald’s penalty for a resurgent Clare side in the 1995 Munster hurling final.
Judge: Marty Morrissey

Moment 16
Controversy rages at the end of the 1998 All-Ireland hurling semi-final as Offaly stage a sit-down protest after the referee blows the game up too early.
Judge: Michael Lyster

Moment 17
Michael Donnellan’s inspirational point sealed Galway’s historic 1998 All-Ireland football final win over Kildare, ending the Tribesmen’s 32-year All-Ireland drought of bringing the Sam Maguire to Connacht.
Judge: Michael Lyster

Moment 18
As Maurice Fitzgerald coolly slotted over a gravity-defying sideline point for Kerry, he forces a replay against Dublin in the 2001 All-Ireland football quarter-final.
Judge: Darragh Maloney

Moment 19
This list wouldn’t be complete without a moment of DJ Carey magic and his performance in the 2002 All-Ireland hurling final against Clare stands out as something memorable.
Judge: Brian Carthy

Moment 20
Inspirational captain Peter Canavan playing through the pain barrier during Tyrone’s historic 2003 All-Ireland football victory.
Judge: Darragh Maloney

This list will provide many happy memories for fans young and old. But will the 2005 Championships provide the same drama as those of yesteryear?
Grab a copy of next month’s Harp to read a preview of both the Football and Hurling 2005 All-Ireland competition.