1978 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The 1978 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 92nd staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 7 May 1978 and ended on 24 September 1978.

1978 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Championship details
Dates	7 May – 24 September 1978
Teams	33
All-Ireland Champions
Winning team	Kerry (24th win)
Captain	Denis "Ógie" Moran
Manager	Mick O'Dwyer
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing team	Dublin
Captain	Tony Hanahoe
Manager	Tony Hanahoe
Provincial Champions
Munster	Kerry
Leinster	Dublin
Ulster	Down
Connacht	Roscommon
Championship statistics
Top Scorer	Jimmy Keaveney (2-31)
Player of the Year	Pat Spillane
← 1977 1979 →

Dublin entered the championship as the defending champions.

On 24 September 1978, Kerry won the championship following a 5-11 to 0-9 defeat of Dublin in the All-Ireland final. This was their 24th All-Ireland title and their first in three championship seasons.

Kerry's Pat Spillane was the choice for Texaco Footballer of the Year. Dublin's Jimmy Keaveney was the championship's top scorer with 2-31.

Leinster Championship format change

In 1978 Round 2 returns to the Leinster football championship.

Results

Connacht Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Sligo v London

21 May 1978 Quarter-final	Sligo	4-13 – 2-10	London	Markievicz Park, Sligo
	M Hoey 3-8, M McIntyre 1-0, J Kent 0-3, T Carty 0-1, G McCarrick 0-1.		T Quirke 1-2, D Keating 1-1, B O'Connell 0-2, J Flynn 0-2, T Flynn 0-2, N McCarthy 0-1, M McGovern 0-1, P Canavan 0-1.	Referee: S McMahon (Roscommon)

Mayo v Leitrim

28 May 1978 Quarter-final	Mayo	2-18 – 1-8	Leitrim	James Stephens Park, Ballina
	B Fitzpatrick 1-3, J Mallee 1-3, WJ Padden 0-4, W Nally 0-3, D Dolan 0-3, R Bell 0-3.		M Tighe 0-5, M Kiernan 1-1, B Wrynne 0-2.	Referee: J Geraghty (Galway)

Semi-finals

Galway v Sligo

11 June 1978 Semi-final	Galway	1-11 – 1-8	Sligo	Tuam Stadium, Tuam
	S Joyce 1-2, G McManus 0-4, T Naughton 0-2, P Lee 0-1, J Hughes 0-1, B Talty 0-1.		F Henry 1-1, M Hoey 0-4, M Kearins 0-1, M McIntyre 0-1, J Kearins 0-1.	Referee: PJ McGrath (Mayo)

Roscommon v Mayo

18 June 1978 Semi-final	Roscommon	1-12 – 1-9	Mayo	Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon
	J O'Connor 1-1, M Finneran 0-4, M Menton 0-3, A McManus 0-2, D Earley 0-1, S Kilbride 0-1.		L Donoghue 1-0, W Fitzpatrick 0-3, G Cuddy 0-2, W Nally 0-1, R Bell 0-1, D Dolan 0-1, WJ Padden 0-1.	Referee: T Cunningham (Galway)

Final

Galway v Roscommon

9 July 1978 Final	Galway	0-9 - 2-7	Roscommon	Pearse Stadium, Galway
	P McGettigan 0-2, T Naughton 0-2, G McManus 0-2, S Joyce 0-1, J Duggan 0-1, B Talty 0-1.		M Freyne 2-0, D Earley 0-3, S Kilbride 0-2, M Finneran 0-1, L O'Gara 0-1.	Attendance: 17,000 Referee: PJ McGrath (Mayo)

Leinster Senior Football Championship

First round

Carlow v Westmeath

7 May 1978 First round	Carlow	5-8 – 3-9	Westmeath	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
	B Doyle 3-2, D Byrne 1-1, T Geoghegan 1-0, M Moore 0-2, W Cullen 0-2, P Foley 0-1.		K Geraghty 1-5, J Keane 1-0, T McCormack 1-0, A O'Halloran 0-1, T Doyle 0-1, M Lowry 0-1, W Lowry 0-1.

Wicklow v Kilkenny

7 May 1978 First round	Wicklow	2-16 – 0-3	Kilkenny	Geraldine Park, Athy
	P Doyle 2-5, P O'Toole 0-3, T Murphy 0-2, P Baker 0-2, O Doyle 0-2, M Dunne 0-1, T Foley 0-1.		M Brennan 0-2, C Heffernan 0-1.

Second round

Wicklow v Wexford

28 May 1978 Second round

Wicklow

4-15 – 1-8

Wexford

Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow

Kildare v Louth

4 June 1978 Second round	Kildare	4-15 – 1-8	Louth	Páirc Tailteann, Navan
	T Carew 1-6, G Power 2-0, M Condon 1-1, D Hyland 0-2, P Magan 0-2, J Geoghegan 0-1, H Hyland 0-1, F Mulligan 0-1, J Crofton 0-1.		D Kelleher 1-0, P Lennon 0-3, JP O'Kane 0-2, P McEvoy 0-1, D McCoy 0-1, E Judge 0-1.	Referee: P Kelly (Dublin)

Offaly v Longford

4 June 1978 Second round	Offaly	2-12 – 0-8	Longford	Cusack Park, Mullingar
				Attendance: 3000 Referee: C Conlon

Quarter-finals

Dublin v Carlow

18 June 1978 Quarter-final	Dublin	6-15 – 2-9	Carlow	Croke Park, Dublin
	J McCarthy 3-7, T Hanahoe 1-4, D Hickey 1-0, B Doyle 1-0, J Keaveney 0-3, F Ryder 0-1.		P Kavanagh 0-5, D Byrne 1-1, T Geoghegan 1-0, P Foley 0-1, P Quirke 0-1, P Browne 0-1.

Kildare v Meath

18 June 1978 Quarter-final	Kildare	3-14 – 1-12	Meath	Croke Park, Dublin
	P Mangan 1-3, M Condon 1-2, T Carew 1-2, H Hyland 0-4, G Power 0-2, J Geoghegan 0-1.		M Fay 0-7 (0-4f), G McEntee 1-0, K Rennicks 0-2, E Magee 0-1, C O'Rourke 0-1, J Cassells 0-1.	Referee: N O'Donoghue (Dublin)

Laois v Offaly

25 June 1978 Quarter-final	Laois	2-8 - 0-16	Offaly	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
				Attendance: 20,000 Referee: M Meally (Kilkenny)

Semi-finals

Kildare v Wicklow

2 July 1978 Semi-final	Kildare	4-14 – 2-6	Wicklow	Croke Park, Dublin
	M Condon 2-1, J Geoghegan 1-3, T Carew 0-6, H Hyland 1-1, P Dunny 0-1, P Mangan 0-1, J Crofton 0-1.		T Foley 1-1, T Murphy 1-1, O Doyle 0-1, M Coffey 0-1, P O'Toole 0-1, P Byrne 0-1.	Referee: D Guerin (Dublin)

Dublin v Offaly

9 July 1978 Semi-final	Dublin	2-9 – 0-12	Offaly	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
	J Keaveney 1-7, J McCarthy 1-1, B Doyle 0-1.		J Mooney 0-3, V Henry 0-3, P Doyle 0-2, W Bryan 0-1, M Connor 0-1, M Wright 0-1, P Fenning 0-1.	Attendance: 22,000 Referee: S Murray (Roscommon)

Final

Dublin v Kildare

30 July 1978 Final	Dublin	1-17 – 1-6	Kildare	Croke Park, Dublin
	Jimmy Keaveney 0-7 (0-3f, 1 '45), Tony Hanahoe 1-2, Anton O'Toole 0-2, Robbie Kelleher, Brian Mullins, Bernard Brogan Sr, John McCarthy, Padraig Hogan, Paddy Gogarty 0-1 each		Denis Dalton 1-0, Tommy Carew 0-3 (0-2f), Mick Condon 0-2, Pat Dunny 0-1	Attendance: 53,512 Referee: Paddy Collins (Westmeath)

Munster Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Clare v Limerick

28 May 1978 Quarter-final	Clare	0-19 – 1-4	Limerick	Páirc Uí Seancháin, Dunbeg
	M Downes 0-5, A Moloney 0-4, J McGrath 0-3, T Curtin 0-3, M Keogh 0-2, N Roche 0-1, B O'Reilly 0-1.		K Rennteon 1-1, M Quish 0-1, C O'Connor 0-1, G Murray 0-1.	Referee: G Ryan (Tipperary)

Tipperary v Waterford

28 May 1978 Quarter-final	Tipperary	1-16 – 2-13	Waterford	Ned Hall Park, Clonmel
	C Murphy 0-8, H Mulhaire 1-2, V O'Donnell 0-2, G McGrath 0-2, M McCarthy 0-1, J Ryan 0-1.		J Hennessy 1-0, T Casey 0-6, M Hackett 1-1, P Keating 0-2, P Murphy 0-2, B Fleming 0-2.	Referee: B Cross (Limerick)

Waterford v Tipperary

4 June 1978 Quarter-final replay	Waterford	2-19 - 2-17 (aet)	Tipperary	Fraher Field, Dungarvan
	T Casey 0-12, B Fleming 1-1, J McGrath 1-1, J Hennessy 0-2, M Hackett 0-2, P Keating 0-1.		H Mulhaire 1-4, S McCarthy 1-3, C Murphy 0-6, J Ryan 0-2, E McGrath 0-1, T Kavanagh 0-1.	Referee: B Cross (Limerick)

Semi-finals

Cork v Clare

11 June 1978 Semi-final	Cork	3-16 – 0-11	Clare	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	J Barry-Murphy 2-1, R Cummins 1-3, D Allen 0-5, D Barron 0-2, S Murphy 0-2, C Ryan 0-1, D McCarthy 0-1, D Hunt 0-1.		A Moloney 0-5, B O'Reilly 0-2, M Roche 0-1, T Cartin 0-1, M Keogh 0-1, M Downes 0-1.	Referee: W Fogarty (Kerry)

Kerry v Waterford

18 June 1978 Semi-final	Kerry	4-27 – 2-8	Waterford	Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney
	M Sheehy 2-8, P Spillane 2-5, J Egan 0-5, G Power 0-3, T Doyle 0-3, J Mulvihill 0-2, M O'Sullivan 0-1.		B Fleming 2-0, R Dunford 0-2, T Casey 0-2, T Keating 0-1, M Hackett 0-1, J McGrath 0-1, P Keating 0-1.	Referee: P O'Donovan (Cork)

Final

Cork v Kerry

16 July 1978 Final	Cork	3-7 - 3-14	Kerry	Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
	Dinny Allen 2-2 (1-0 pen, 0-2f), Jimmy Barry-Murphy 1-0, Ray Cummins 0-3 (0-2f), Tom Creedon (1 '50) and Dennis Lenihan 0-1 each		Mikey Sheehy 2-5 (0-4f), Pat Spillane 0-4, Ger Power 1-0, Tommy Doyle and John Egan 0-2 each, Paidi Ó Sé 0-1	Attendance: 46,000 Referee: Sean O'Connor (Limerick)

Ulster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Derry v Donegal

28 May 1978 Preliminary round	Derry	3-12 – 0-7	Donegal	Dean McGlinchey Park, Ballinascreen
	G Keane 1-6, J Fullerton 1-1, B O'Neill 1-0, M Lynch 0-2, B Kelly 0-1, D Kearney 0-1, G McIlhinney 0-1.		S Bonnar 0-2, F Rush 0-2, A Gallagher 0-1, S Marley 0-1, M Carney 0-1.	Referee: H McPoland (Antrim)

Quarter-finals

Antrim v Monaghan

21 May 1978 Quarter-final	Antrim	4-6 – 2-4	Monaghan	Casement Park, Belfast
	G Armstrong 2-1, M Darragh 2-0, K Gough 0-2, A Hamill 0-1, P O'Hare 0-1, S McGourty 0-1.		G Brannigan 1-1, E Tavey 1-0, K Treanor 0-1, P Kerr 0-1, D Mulligan 0-1.	Referee: J Gribben (Down)

Cavan v Armagh

11 June 1978 Quarter-final	Cavan	0-16 - 0-9	Armagh	Breffni Park, Cavan
	D Donoghue 0-6, P McGovern 0-3, R Cullivan 0-2, A King 0-1, O Leddy 0-1, M Goldrick 0-1, F McNamee 0-1, JJ Martin 0-1.			Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

Fermanagh v Down

11 June 1978 Quarter-final	Fermanagh	2-7 - 0-14	Down	St. Molaise Park, Irvinestown
	G McElroy 2-1, K Corrigan 0-2, J Donnelly 0-1, E McPartland 0-1, P McGinnity 0-1.		C McAlarney 0-3, S Fearon 0-3, P Heaney 0-2, E Toner 0-2, C Digney 0-2, Cunningham 0-1, V McGovern 0-1.	Referee: H Duggan (Armagh)

Derry v Tyrone

18 June 1978 Quarter-final

Derry

3-11 – 0-9

Tyrone

The Playing Fields, Lurgan

Semi-finals

Down v Derry

2 July 1978 Semi-final	Down	1-14 – 2-8	Derry	Casement Park, Belfast
	P Rooney 0-6, V McGovern 0-4, B Gardner 1-0, M Cunningham 0-3, J Digney 0-1.		D Kearney 0-4, B O'Neill 1-0, J Hargan 1-0, G Keane 0-2, M Lynch 0-1, T McGuinness 0-1.

Cavan v Antrim

9 July 1978 Semi-final	Cavan	2-13 – 1-10	Antrim	St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney
	P McNamee 1-2, M Goldrick 0-4, C O'Keeffe 1-0, R Cullivan 0-3, P McGovern 0-2, D Donoghue 0-1, O Martin 0-1.		C Smith 1-1, M Darragh 0-4, G Armstrong 0-1, A McQuillan 0-1, D Laverty 0-1, J McKiernan 0-1, K Gough 0-1.	Referee: H Duggan (Armagh)

Final

Down v Cavan

23 July 1978 Final	Down	2-19 – 2-12	Cavan	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	J Byrne 1-3, E McGivern 1-1, C McAlarney 0-4, J Digney 0-3, L Austin 0-3, B Toner 0-2, M Cunningham 0-2, P Rooney 0-1.		A Brady 1-2, D Donohoe 0-5, C O'Keeffe 1-0, M Goldrick 0-3, R Cullivan 0-1, A King 0-1.	Attendance: 27,600 Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Semi-finals

Kerry v Roscommon

13 August 1978 Semi-final	Kerry	3-11 - 0-8	Roscommon	Croke Park, Dublin
	G Power 1-2, P Spillane 1-2, M Sheehy 0-4, P O'Mahony 1-0, J Egan 0-1, E Liston 0-1, J O'Shea 0-1.		J O'Connor 0-4, M Finneran 0-2, D Earley 0-1, J O'Gara 0-1.	Attendance: 25,594 Referee: S Aldridge (Kildare)

Dublin v Down

20 August 1978 Semi-final	Dublin	1-16 - 0-8	Down	Croke Park, Dublin
	J Keaveney 1-6, B Brogan 0-3, J McCarthy 0-2, B Doyle 0-2, A O'Toole 0-1, G O'Driscoll 0-1, P'O'Neill 0-1.		W Walsh 0-5, C Digney 0-1, C McAlarney 0-1, L Austin 0-1.	Attendance: 51,666 Referee: T Moran (Leitrim)

Final

Kerry v Dublin

24 September 1978 Final	Kerry	5-11 - 0-9	Dublin	Croke Park, Dublin
	E Liston 3-2, M Sheehy 1-4, J Egan 1-2, J O'Shea 0-1, G Power 0-1, P Spillane 0-1.		J Keaveney 0-8, B Brogan 0-1.	Attendance: 71,503 Referee: S Aldridge (Kildare)

Main article: 1978 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

Championship statistics

Top scorers

Overall

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Jimmy Keaveney	Dublin	2-31	37	5	7.40
2	Mikey Sheehy	Kerry	5-21	36	4	9.00

Miscellaneous

• Kevin Moran, who had signed for Manchester United F.C. in February 1978, was given permission from the club to line out for Dublin in their Leinster semi-final defeat of Offaly. He remained on the panel for all of Dublin's subsequent games.
• On 28 May 1978, James Stephens Park, Ballina hosted its first championship game for 28 years it was the Connacht Quarter-final between Mayo and Leitrim.
• At the Ulster final between Down and Cavan, an official attendance of 27,600 is given, however, it is estimated that between 6,000 and 8,000 extra spectators were at the game.
• In the All-Ireland semi-final between Down and Dublin, the Down players wore black armbands as a mark of respect to the late Michael Cunningham. He was the father of the team's centre-forward Mickey Cunningham and died in the week leading up to the match.
• Kerry won their first title in a year ending with 8. They became the first county in either code to win at least one All Ireland in years ending with all ten digits.

Roll of Honour

• Kerry - 24 (1978)
• Dublin - 20 (1977)
• Galway - 7 (1966)
• Wexford - 5 (1918)
• Cavan - 5 (1952)
• Cork - 4 (1973)
• Kildare - 4 (1928)
• Tipperary - 4 (1920)
• Down - 3 (1968)
• Meath - 3 (1967)
• Louth - 3 (1957)
• Mayo - 3 (1951)
• Offaly - 2 (1972)
• Roscommon - 2 (1944)
• Limerick - 2 (1896)