THROWBACK: When Mayo beat the greatest Galway team of all

There may be a moment next Sunday when the clouds over Salthill drift apart to give us a glimpse of Heaven’s packed grandstand where the great and the good will have prime seating.

Men who proudly wore the green and red, and maroon and white on glorious past Sundays will be fondly remembered by many as the present-day tyros vie for the greatest prize in our western kingdom.

Pearse Stadium has hosted many great battles between Mayo and Galway over the years and while next Sunday’s blockbuster captures our imagination, we cannot forget the men and the memories of yesteryear.

The Salthill venue has been the stage of magical Mayo celebrations and glorious Galway victories, but arguably the most memorable result of all occurred in the first Connacht Championship match played there between the counties on June, 25, 1967.

‘Groovin’ from The Young Rascals was number one on the day an ebullient, energetic, expressive Mayo team came to town and defeated the great Galway side who were hoping to win their fourth All-Ireland in succession later that season.

The men in green and red ran the three-in-a-row champions ragged in that Connacht semi-final and emerged victorious on a 3-13 to 1-8 scoreline to end the dominance of the mighty men in maroon.

SWINGING SIXTIES

The mid sixties had been the golden age of Galway football. The men of the Corrib and the Claddagh had easily beaten Mayo in the Connacht final of 1964 in Tuam before going on to defeat Kerry in the All-Ireland decider on September 27.

The following year, Mayo didn’t get the chance to dethrone the new All-Ireland champions because they exited at Connacht semi-final stage before Galway defeated Kerry for the second year in a row in the All-Ireland final later in the season.

Mayo were ready to dethrone the champions in 1966 when they met in Castlebar on July 17. They looked to have the game won but late points from Galway in injury time saw them home on a 0-12 to 1-8 scoreline.

The losers were devastated and that only multiplied a few months later when Galway brushed Meath aside, 1-10 to 0-7, to win their seventh All-Ireland title and their third in succession.

The champions were formidable. Noel Tierney, Enda Colleran, Bosco McDermott were some of the finest defenders ever to wear the Galway jersey. Jimmy Duggan was a star at midfield and the legendary Mattie McDonagh was a forward of high renown.

They were tough men too as Mayo’s ace attacker the late Joe Corcoran, told Terry Reilly in an interview for The Examiner in 2014.

“They were very hard to play. They’d pull your tonsils out, they’d get so close to you. They were on top of every move you’d make.”

They were equally ferocious on that famous day in 1967 when Corcoran, Johnny Carey, Joe Earley, Seamie O’Dowd, John Nealon, Johnny Farragher, the team's inspirational captain John Morley and their buddies came calling.

Galway ran out to an almighty roar. They were the greatest team in Ireland; the greatest team ever to wear the maroon and they were unstoppable in many people’s eyes.

Mayo had endured 12 years without a Connacht title and hadn’t beaten Galway in championship for a decade and a half. They had been knocked back time and time again, but the dawn of every season brought new expectations and with the great Seamus Daly and Willie Casey driving things behind the scenes, they carried a quiet confidence into the game.

BUILD UP

In the days leading up to the game the media lauded Galway with Damian McHugh in The Mayo News branding them ‘The greatest team ever to emerge from a footballing county in Ireland.’

However, Damian did close his match preview with the prophetic sentence - ‘The time is now ripe for a change. Mayo have to take their chances and forget all the hoodoo and ballyhoo about Galway being the kingpins of Connacht.’

They certainly took Damian’s advice and when Sunday afternoon came around the Mayo men paid absolutely no heed to the well-earned reputations of their opponents.

Mayo won the toss and their legendary captain, John Morley elected to play with the breeze on their backs. It proved to be a wise choice as the guests were seven points clear when the whistle sounded for half-time. The goal had arrived courtesy of Farragher but the Mayo men should have been further in front after kicking nine wides and Achill’s Michael J Ruddy had hit the crossbar with a screamer. 

Galway’s goal had been scored by Mattie McDonagh and the big crowd expected the champions to take over in the second half. However, fate had decreed that Mayo would dethrone the greatest Galway team of all time in their own back yard.

The fatal blow arrived five minutes into the new half. Seamus O’Dowd climbed into the heavens 50 yards from the Galway goal and arrived back with the ball. The 1966 Mayo minor captain saw green grass in front of him and took off. The young Ballina man raced towards the Galway posts and from 15 yards out lashed the ball to the back of the net.

The roar of the Mayo supporters could be heard back by the Moy and Mayo were on their way. 

Another goal arrived from Mick Ruane before the end and when the final whistle sounded the celebrations knew no bounds. The great Galway team had been beaten, Mayo were back and all was right with the world.

On Sunday next, the footballers of Mayo and Galway will once again go toe to toe on the famous patch of grass by the sea in Salthill. They will make memories and create golden moments with their daring deeds. Thousands of supporters will roar them on and memories will be immortalised on that famous patch of grass, as they were on that famous Sunday when ‘Groovin’ was top of the charts.