All-Ireland Final

This was to be, if not the battle of the century, at least the final of the decade. That was the assessment from all the pundits as Galway geared up to secure their third All-Ireland title in a row, against Meath. The credentials of both sides were perfect: Galway unbeaten since the 1963 All-Ireland final with Dublin against a Meath team that had put in an incredible second-half performance against Down

Down GAA

The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down...

 to win by ten points. The champions, with the breeze behind them, made the early running. With 13 minutes gone they had strolled to a 3 point lead. Despite the best efforts of the Meath side to keep the score that low against A Galway side who had the momentum, the crucial score came not long after. Cyril picked up possession and played the ball across the Meath goal. As it bounced across the face of John McCormack's goal, Mattie McDonagh

Mattie McDonagh

Matthew 'Mattie' McDonagh was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Ballygar and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team from 1956 until 1968. McDonagh later served as manager of the Galway team...

 came steaming in and planted the ball into the back of the net with relative ease. It was Galway's first goal in their "Three In A Row" assault. Thirty seconds later, Liam Sammon

Liam Sammon

Liam Sammon is retired Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He played football with his local clubs Father Griffins and Salthill-Knocknacarra and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team from 1966 until 1979...

 pointed followed quickly by another from Seamus Leydon

Seamus Leydon

Seamus Leydon is famous Gaelic footballer from County Galway. He was a vital part of Galway’s great "Three In A Row" side of the Mid 60’s. The "Dunmore Dynamo" was the scourge of all right half backs up and down the county for a decade....

. This left it at 1-05 to no score in favour of Galway. Murty Sullivan got Meath off the mark but at half-time, they trailed by 8 points, 1-06 to 0-01. A reshuffled Meath team re-opened the second half with promise, but the revival they sought, desperately needing a goal, never looked like coming. Meath outscored Galway in the second half but it was merely an irrelevant statistic as the Tribesmen had made it "Three In A Row", with a six-point victory. The ingredients were there for a thrilling contest were there for a thrilling contest, but on the day it all came apart for Meath and remained the same for a Galway side who made GAA

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

 history with their performance.

Galway Maroon & White Shirts/White Shorts/Maroon Socks	1-10 - 0-07 (final score after 60 minutes)	Meath Green & Gold Shirts/White shorts/Green Socks
Manager: ??? ---- Team: Johnny Geraghty (GK) Enda Colleran Enda Colleran Enda Colleran was an Irish Gaelic football manager and player. He played football with his local club Tuam Stars and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team from 1961 until 1971. Colleran captained Galway to back-to-back All-Ireland titles in 1965 and 1966 and later served as manager...  (Capt.) Noel Tierney Bosco McDermott Colie Mcdonagh Sean Meade Martin Newell Jimmy Duggan Pat Donnellan Cyril Dunne Mattie McDonagh Mattie McDonagh Matthew 'Mattie' McDonagh was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Ballygar and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team from 1956 until 1968. McDonagh later served as manager of the Galway team... Seamus Leydon Seamus Leydon Seamus Leydon is famous Gaelic footballer from County Galway. He was a vital part of Galway’s great "Three In A Row" side of the Mid 60’s. The "Dunmore Dynamo" was the scourge of all right half backs up and down the county for a decade.... Liam Sammon Liam Sammon Liam Sammon is retired Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He played football with his local clubs Father Griffins and Salthill-Knocknacarra and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team from 1966 until 1979... Sean Cleary John Keenan ---- Substitutes: John Donnellan John Donnellan John F. Donnellan is a former Irish politician and sportsperson. He served as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála for Dáil Éireann for twenty-five years. He played Gaelic football with his local club Dunmore McHales and with the Galway senior inter-county team in the 1960s.-Early & private life:John...	Half-time: 1-06 - 0-01 Competition: All-Ireland Senior Football Championship All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn... (Final) Date: 15.30 BST Sunday, September 25, 1966 Venue: Croke Park Croke Park Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation... , Dublin Attendance: 71,569 Referee: John Hatton (Cill Mhantáin) Match rules: 60 minutes. Replay if scores still level. Maximum of 3 substitutions.	Manager: ??? ---- Team: John McCormack(GK) Dinny Donnelly Jack Quinn Peter Darby Pat Collier Bertie Cunningham Pat Reynolds Peter Moore Tom Brown Tony Brennan Murty O'Sullivan Davy Carty (Capt.) Gerry Quinn Noel Curran Ollie Shanley ---- Substitutes: Mick White Jack Fagan Martin Quinn