| Dates | 13 June - 27 September 1981 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 16 | ||
| Champions |  South Kerry (4th title)Paudie Sheahan (captain) | ||
| Runners-up |  Austin StacksTeddy Brick (captain) | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Matches played | 16 | ||
| Goals scored | 28 (1.75 per match) | ||
| Points scored | 237 (14.81 per match) | ||
| |||
The 1981 Kerry Senior Football Championship was the 81st staging of the Kerry Senior Football Championship since its establishment by the Kerry County Board in 1889.[1] The championship ran from 13 June to 27 September 1981.
Feale Rangers entered the championship as the defending champions, however, they were beaten by Austin Stacks in the semi-finals.[2][3]
The final was played on 27 September 1981 at Austin Stack Park in Tralee, between South Kerry and Austin Stacks, in what was their first ever meeting in the final. South Kerry won the match by 1-12 to 0-11 to claim their fourth championship title overall and a first title in 23 years.[4]
Results
First round
| 13 June 1981 First round | Spa-Glenflesk | 0-08 - 0-03 | Na Fianna | Spa Grounds |
| 14 June 1981 First round | Castleisland Desmonds | 2-09 - 0-05 | Kenmare | Currow Grounds |
| 14 June 1981 First round | Laune Rangers | 2-08 - 0-04 | Eoin Rua | FitzGerald Stadium |
| 14 June 1981 First round | Kerins O'Rahilly's | 1-07 - 1-03 | Killarney | FitzGerald Stadium |
| 21 June 1981 First round | St. Brendan's | 1-04 - 0-06 | John Mitchels | Austin Stack Park |
Second round
| 5 July 1981 Second round | Kerins O'Rahilly's | 1-09 - 1-07 | Spa-Glenflesk | J. P. O'Sullivan Park |
| S Walsh 0-4, N Kelter 1-0, D Keane 0-2, N O'Sullivan 0-1, S Kissane 0-1, M Griffin 0-1. | S Cronin 1-0, P Cronin 0-3, T Regan 0-1, J O'Donoghue 0-1, S Kelleher 0-1, J McCarthy 0-1. |
| 5 July 1981 Second round | Castleisland Desmonds | 2-03 - 0-09 | West Kerry | Austin Stack Park |
| M O'Connor 2-1, E O'Connor 0-1, D O'Connor 0-1. | T Doyle 0-7, D Higgins 0-2. |
| 15 August 1981 Second round | Laune Rangers | 3-05 - 1-09 | St. Brendan's | Austin Stack Park |
| J Griffin 1-1, J O'Dwyer 1-0, MF O'Shea 0-1, A Shannon 0-1, P Prendeville 0-1, F Russell 0-1. | M Ferris 1-1, P Crowley 0-2, P Flaherty 0-1, P Dowling 0-1, T Mahony 0-1, B Courtney 0-1, P McCarthy 0-1, J Connell 0-1. |
| 16 August 1981 Second round replay | Castleisland Desmonds | 3-06 - 0-08 | West Kerry | Austin Stack Park |
| M O'Connor 2-2, P Horan 1-2, D Buckley 0-1, D O'Connor 0-1. | J Doyle 0-3, T Sheehy 0-1, J Healy 0-1, T Doyle 0-1, P O'Shea 0-1, V O'Connor 0-1. |
Quarter-finals
| 15 August 1981 Quarter-final | Austin Stacks | 1-06 - 1-04 | Feale Rangers | Finuge Grounds |
| M Sheehy 0-4, J Power 1-0, JL McElligott 0-1, L Kerins 0-1. | R Bunyan 1-4. |
| 16 August 1981 Quarter-final | Shannon Rangers | 1-15 - 1-08 | Mid Kerry | Stack Park |
| L Horgan 1-1, E Liston 0-4, J Costello 0-3, J Walsh 0-3, J Kennedy 0-1, D Moran 0-1, T Dee 0-1, S Liston 0-1. | M O'Shea 0-4, D O'Sullivan 1-0, P Lynch 0-2, P Sheehan 0-2. |
| 22 August 1981 Quarter-final | South Kerry | 1-09 - 0-09 | Castleisland Desmonds | Con Keating Park |
| S Fitzgerald 0-5, F Courtney 1-0, P O'Mahony 0-2, P O'Connor 0-1, JP Curran 0-1. | D O'Connor 0-5, W O'Connor 0-2, M O'Connor 0-2. |
| 23 August 1981 Quarter-final | Laune Rangers | 0-10 - 0-07 | Kerins O'Rahilly's | J. P. O'Sullivan Park |
| J Evans 0-4, MF O'Shea 0-4, F Russell 0-1, J Shannon 0-1. | J Collins 0-2, S Kissane 0-2, N O'Sullivan 0-1, M Griffin 0-1, S Walsh 0-1. |
Semi-finals
| 30 August 1981 Semi-final | South Kerry | 1-12 - 1-06 | Laune Rangers | Austin Stack Park |
| S Fitzgerald 0-4, S Clifford 1-0. P O'Mahony 0-2, G Lynch 0-2, G O'Driscoll 0-1, P Sheehan 0-1, J Egan 0-1, J O'Shea 0-1. | J O'Dwyer 1-0, MF O'Shea 0-2, J Shannon 0-1, J Griffin 0-1, F Russell 0-1, A Shannon 0-1. | Referee: B O'Grady (John Mitchels) |
| 30 August 1981 Semi-final | Austin Stacks | 1-09 - 1-06 | Shannon Rangers | Austin Stack Park |
| N Power 1-1, M Sheehy 0-3, L O'Connell 0-2, D Sugrue 0-1, L Kerins 0-1, JL McElligott 0-1. | L Lynch 1-1, J Walsh 0-2, B Walsh 0-2, J Costello 0-1. | Referee: M Hayes (Kilcummin) |
Final
| 27 September 1981 Final | South Kerry | 1-12 - 0-11 | Austin Stacks | Austin Stack Park |
| J O'Shea 1-0, S Fitzgerald 0-3, J O'Sullivan 0-3, G O'Driscoll 0-2, P O'Mahony 0-2, JP Curran 0-1, P O'Connor 0-1. | M Sheehy 0-6, N Power 0-1, L Kerins 0-1, JL McElligott 0-1, G Power 0-1, L O'Connell 0-1. | Referee: T Brennan (Castleisland) |
Championship statistics
Miscellaneous
- South Kerry win their first title since 1958.
- South Kerry qualify for the final for the first time since 1958.
References
- ^ "The beginning". Laune Rangers GAA website. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ "Feale Rangers legends to be honoured". Irish Independent. 9 October 2003. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ "1980". Laune Rangers GAA website. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ "Paudie's links with both camps". Killarney Today. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
This page was last edited on 15 March 2023, at 10:13