I'm sure this has come up before here but sure it's the off season... Over the weekend I saw some posts on social media about the Mayo v Kerry SF reply in Limerick - 10 years ago.

Without doubt the greatest sporting event that I've ever been to - the fact that i can say that even though Mayo were on the wrong side of the result shows how good it was.

It had everything, you name it, that match had it. It was in a packed Gaelic Grounds on a Saturday evening. High scoring, extra time, controversial decisions, fans on the pitch, the Higgings v James O D duel.

The GAA could not have had a better advertisement for playing games outside CP which sadly they have ignored.

So my question is - what are the stand out sporting occasions you've attended and why?

Cbar (Mayo) - Posts: 332 - 02/09/2024 09:41:50    2567959

Mayo v Dublin in 2006. It had everything. The hill beforehand. Mayo started well l, Dublin came roaring back into a 7 point lead and Mayo pip them at the end with a sublime kick from McDonald. Obviously the final collapse v Kerry stains it from our perspective but as a stand alone game it was unbelievable from a sporting drama event.

As for Limerick, the fact is we should have beaten them the first day. Five points up, Donaghy comes on and everyone knew what was going to happen. He should have been flattened.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11409 - 02/09/2024 10:39:27    2567966

All my Ireland semi final 17 for Joe cannings point. Nothing else comes near.

2maroonjerseys (Galway) - Posts: 98 - 02/09/2024 10:41:18    2567967

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6144 - 02/09/2024 12:04:26    2567992

I'm fortunate enough to have attended loads across different sports and there are different criteria you could apply to this but for me I'd go with the 2003 all Ireland hurling semi final between Wexford and Cork. Cork were Munster champions and hot favourites.

Beautiful weather, good size crowd, super start for Wexford with an early goal, went 5 up, cork came back, they went 6 up, we came back, they went 3 up, last puc of the game is a Rory McCarthy goal, finished 3-17 to 2-20 to do it all again 6 days later.

Last hurrah for Liam Dunne, Larry o gorman and Larry Murphy, announcement of the arrival of the Jacob brothers and Sean og and the rock.

Joe Deane and Mitch Jordan both got amazing goals, hooks, blocks, cracking scores, fast paced, individual battles everywhere.

The rock and Larry Murphy bursting eachother,

Setanta and Doc o Connor titanic aerial battle

Joe Deane trying to hurl underneath Darragh Ryan who he said was like an octopus

Even the crowd were wrecked after it

For non gaa Ireland and Holland 01 in Lansdowne was incredible.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 3148 - 02/09/2024 12:54:48    2568012

Games that come to mind are Derry v Antrim 2000 although that may just be nostalgia as I was only young at the time. Antrim almost won it but a last second free kick fell short.

Derry v Mayo 2007, it seemed like a big thing at the time knocking a team like Mayo out of championship given that Derry were no great team at the period.

In regards to atmosphere and tension it would be the 2022 and 2023 Ulster finals. They weren't great games to watch on TV but it was a different experience at the venue.

Another event which comes to mind is when the Derry 1993 team played an Ireland select team in 2008. It would have been one of last times those players played together. It was against a team of players like Maurice Fitzgerald, Tony Davis, Canavan, Jim Gavin, Jack Sheedy, etc.

I also liked the International rules games I attended.

PattyONeill (Derry) - Posts: 246 - 02/09/2024 13:54:47    2568030

Cbar (Mayo) - Posts: 332 - 02/09/2024 14:15:08    2568035

All Ireland hurling final 2024

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2679 - 02/09/2024 14:21:37    2568039

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13884 - 02/09/2024 15:13:39    2568054

Greatest in the sense of my own county, the performance
The day in Tullamore when we beat Kildare in Leinster Championship. My memory is we scored 2-14 and no wides
It was a great game to witness for a county whose days in the sun are few and far between

Blackbog (Carlow) - Posts: 713 - 02/09/2024 17:33:32    2568091

Hurling: Kilkenny v Tipp 2009 AI Final. Kilkenny going for 4 in a row after blitzing every team put in front of them. But this Tipp team was different. They played without fear and stood up to Kilkenny until the last 10 mins when Shefflin stuck a controversial penalty away and a quick fire second straight after but what a battle it was before that. Tommy Walsh put in one of the greatest AI displays I've ever seen. Kelly and Corbett firing for Tipp. Shefflin being Shefflin. It had it all. Wasn't lucky enough to be at 2014 first final but seeing Tipp emerge as worthy rivals to a legendary Kilkenny side in 2009 was great to experience live.

Football: Derry v Down 1994 Ulster championship. I was only youngster when I went to this one but I can still remember some of those great scores that day. Realistically, if the championship back then was structured as it is now or even the old qualifier format, this would have likely been the All Ireland Final. Down obviously went on to win it all that year but Derry gave them their toughest battle and speaking to Down people since about it, they all seem to say they celebrated that first round victory more than they did when they beat Cork to make it to the final. Says it all. It was played on a knife edge. All or nothing stakes. As much as I like to see teams get a second chance in the AI, there was an intensity about that game that would be hard to find at the provincial stage of the championship today.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2501 - 02/09/2024 17:34:25    2568092

The 2005 All Ireland semi final between Tyrone and Armagh. Some great hardhitting football. Their third meeting in that years championship. Unbelievable atmosphere between two sets of supporters who genuinely do not like each other. One teams scores their supporters jump up cheering reminding their rival supporters. And the free kick from The Great to win it. Magic.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7651 - 02/09/2024 18:03:33    2568101

All Ireland finals 92 and 2012, this years Ulster final was great too. I suppose I'd pick '92 as the best of the 3 though, it being the first time we won it.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3032 - 02/09/2024 18:34:12    2568106

1974 AI Football Final! Utter bonkers! It was seismic from what went before! Nothing has ever come close! Check out the footage on ewe chewb!

Onion_Sack (Dublin) - Posts: 256 - 02/09/2024 20:20:19    2568114

CiarraiMick (Dublin) - Posts: 3844 - 02/09/2024 20:26:02    2568115

i was lucky enough to watch my county in 3 all ireland senior finals , winning two in 96 and 99. hard to say can you put other games ahead of them, but for sheer drama i dont think i can beat meath 2-20 Kildare 3-17 in 1997 leinster semi final. two stand out pinch me games have to be meath 2-14 Kerry 0-5 in 2001 and meath 5-9 Dublin 013 in 2010. to beat kerry by 15 points in an all ireland semi final was crazy and to beat dublin by 11 poiints in a leinster championship game was mad as well, i think dublin were actually 1/3 in bookies that day

dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 767 - 02/09/2024 21:09:20    2568119

Football: 2006 All Ireland semi-final Mayo v Dublin
Hurling: 2005 All Ireland semi-final Galway v Kilkenny
Louth match: 1991 Leinster quarter-final v Kildare

Ollie2 (Louth) - Posts: 911 - 03/09/2024 09:09:22    2568155

Donegal v Dublin AI Semi-Final 2014.

There was a school of thought that Jim McGuinness's Donegal had done well to win their AI in 2012 and that swash-buckling Dublin would put manners on us. It certainly looked that way for most of the first half. But we steadied ourselves and found ourselves ahead at halftime. Dublin continued their all out attack strategy second half and Donegal ruthlessly punished them at will on the counter attack.

Unfortunately we couldn't go on to seal the deal against Kerry in the final. But as a standalone game, it's probably up there as one of Donegal's greatest ever performances and had an atmosphere to match.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9519 - 03/09/2024 10:39:48    2568167

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6144 - 03/09/2024 11:15:54    2568176

Ireland 3-0 Soviet Union, Dalynount Park. 1974. Don Givens hat-trick. Liam Brady and Johnny Giles bossing midfield. Joe Kinnear's sublime cross for the second, and Steve Heighway steaming down the left wing. Not to forget the Vladimir Kaplichny-Terry Mancini punch up that got them both sent off.

It had everything - and It seemed like there were 100,000 people in Dalyer that day.

CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 732 - 03/09/2024 11:25:44    2568178