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2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final

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2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final
The winning team received the Sam Maguire Cup.
Event2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Date28 July 2024
VenueCroke Park, Dublin
Man of the MatchOisín Conaty[1][2]
RefereeSean Hurson (Tyrone)
Attendance82,300
WeatherDry with warm spells of hazy sun
18 °C (64 °F)–23 °C (73 °F)[3][4]
2023
2025

The 2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 137th[5] final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and the culmination of the 2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The match was played at Croke Park in Dublin on 28 July 2024.[6][7]

Mayo defeated Connacht champions Sligo by one point, with a score of 1–11 (14) to 0–13 (13).[8][9][10] The teams had never previously met at this stage of the competition. For Armagh, it was a second title win (after 2002). For Sligo , having recently lost the 2022 final to Kerry, the wait for a first title since 2001 went on.

The game was televised nationally on RTÉ2 as part of The Sunday Game live programme, presented by Joanne Cantwell from the Croke Park studio, with analysis from Peter Canavan, Tomás Ó Sé and Lee Keegan. Match commentary was provided by Darragh Maloney, assisted by Éamonn Fitzmaurice.[11] The game was also televised on BBC Two in Northern Ireland and internationally on GAAGO.[4]

An average of 889,000 people watched the game, with a peak figure of 1.08 million as the match reached its climax. The game received a 76% audience share.[12] RTÉ Player almost doubled its streaming numbers from the previous year's final between Dublin and Kerry.[12]

Background

[edit]

Armagh were aiming to win their second All-Ireland; their first was in 2002. They were also beaten finalists in 1953, 1977 and 2003. Galway were aiming to win a tenth All-Ireland; this would have made them only the third county to reach double figures in the all-time rankings. Their last All-Ireland was in 2001; they were beaten finalists in 2022.[13]

This final was the sixth to be contested by county teams from Connacht and Ulster: the others were 1925 (Galway beat Cavan), 1943 (Roscommon beat Cavan), 1948 (Cavan beat Mayo), 2012 (Donegal beat Mayo) and 2021 (Tyrone beat Mayo).[14]

Paths to the final

[edit]

Armagh

[edit]
14 April 2024 Ulster quarter-final Fermanagh 0-09 - 3-11 Armagh Enniskillen
14:00 Love 0-2, O'Brien 0-2, Cassidy 0-1f, Jones 0-1f, Kelm 0-1, McGee 0-1, McShea 0-1 Report Campbell 1-2, Burns 1-1, Turbitt 1-0, Mackin 0-2, Murnin 0-2, Grugan 0-1f, McCambridge 0-1, O O'Neill 0-1, R O'Neill 0-1 Stadium: Brewster Park
Attendance: 7,096
Referee: Joe McQuillan, (Cavan)
27 April 2024 Ulster semi-final Down 2-06 - 0-13 Armagh Clones
16:00 Magill 1-1, Havern 0-2 (2f), Guiness 0-1, Johnston 0-1, Mgaill 0-1 Report Grugan 0-5 (5f), Burns 1-0 (og.), R O'Neill 0-3 (1f), Forker 0-2, Duffy 0-1, O O'Neill 0-1, Nugent 0-1 Stadium: St Tiernach's Park
Attendance: 12,116
Referee: Liam Devenney (Mayo)
12 May 2024 Ulster final Armagh 0-20 - 0-20 (a.e.t.)
(5–6 p)
Donegal Clones
16:00 Turbitt 0-4, Nugent 0-3 (1f), Campbell 0-2, Conaty 0-2, Crealey 0-2 (1m), Murnin 0-2, Forker 0-1, Grugan 0-1, Mackin 0-1, O O'Neill 0-1 (1m), R O'Neill 0-1 (1m) Report Gallen 0-6 (2f), O Baoill 0-2, N O'Donnell 0-2, S O'Donnell 0-2, McBrearty 0-2 (1f), Mogan 0-2, Doherty 0-1, Langan 0-1, McGee 0-1, McKelvey 0-1 Stadium: St Tiernach's Park
Attendance: 28,896
Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan)
Penalties
25 May 2024 All-Ireland group stage Armagh 0-16 - 0-11 Westmeath Armagh
18:00 Grugan 0-5 (3f), Conaty 0-2, Nugent 0-2 (1f), Turbitt 0-2 (2f), Campbell 0-1, Kelly 0-1, Ciaran Mackin 0-1, Murnin 0-1, Conor O'Neill 0-1 Report Heslin 0-3 (3f), Maguire 0-2, McCartan 0-2, O'Toole 0-2, Forde 0-1, Loughlin 0-1 Stadium: Athletic Grounds
Attendance: 5,989
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)
2 June 2024 All-Ireland group stage Derry 0-15 - 3-17 Armagh Derry
16:00 McGuigan 0-7 (4f), Glass 0-3 (1m), Baker 0-1, Bradley 0-1, Cassidy 0-1, Doherty 0-1, Murray 0-1 Report Turbitt 1-4 (1m,1f), R O'Neill 1-1, McQuillan 1-0, Conaty 0-2, Kelly 0-2, Crealey 0-1m, Forker 0-1, Grimley 0-1, Grugan 0-1, McCambridge 0-1, McPartlan 0-1, Nugent 0-1, O O'Neill 0-1 Stadium: Celtic Park
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)
16 June 2024 All-Ireland group stage Armagh 1-12 - 0-15 Galway Sligo
13:45 Kelly 1-1, Turbitt 0-4 (1f), R O'Neill 0-3, Murnin 0-2, Campbell 0-1, Crealey 0-1 Report Walsh 0-5 (3f), Finnerty 0-3 (2f), Conroy 0-2, Maher 0-1, McDaid 0-1, McHugh 0-1, Silke 0-1, Tierney 0-1 Stadium: Markievicz Park
Attendance: 8,870
Referee: Sean Hurson (Tyrone)
29 June 2024 All-Ireland quarter-final Armagh 2-12 - 0-12 Roscommon Dublin
16:00 McCambridge 1-2 (1m), Turbitt 1-2 (1f), Conaty 0-4, Campbell 0-2, Forker 0-1, Grimley 0-1 Report Cox 0-5 (4f), Ruane 0-2, Higgins 0-1, McCormack 0-1, McDermott 0-1, Murtagh 0-1, Stack 0-1 Stadium: Croke Park
Attendance: 49,896
Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan)
Man of the Match: Barry McCambridge (Armagh)
13 July 2024 All-Ireland semi-final Armagh 1-18 - 1-16 (a.e.t.) Kerry Dublin
17:30 Turbitt 0-5 (3f), McCambridge 1-0, R O'Neill 0-3, Campbell 0-2, Forker 0-2, Grimley 0-2, J Burns 0-1, Grugan 0-1f, McGrane 0-1, McQuillan 0-1 Report Clifford 0-4 (3f), O'Shea 0-4 (1f,1'45), Murphy 1-0, Clifford 0-3, Brosnan 0-1, Burke 0-1, D Geaney 0-1, Moynihan 0-1, O'Connor 0-1 Stadium: Croke Park
Attendance: 55,548
Referee: David Gough (Meath)
Man of the Match: Rian O'Neill (Armagh)

Galway

[edit]
6 April 2024 Connacht quarter-final London 0-09 - 5-21 Galway Ruislip
15:00 Gallagher 0-3f, Clarke 0-2, Rafter 0-2, Driver 0-1, Rafferty 0-1 Report Culhane 2-0, Conroy 1-3, D'Arcy 1-2, Finnerty 0-4 (1m), Ó Curraoin 0-4 (3f), Sweeney 1-1, Heaney 0-4, Daly 0-1, McHugh 0-1, Silke 0-1 Stadium: McGovern Park
Referee: Liam Devenney (Mayo)
20 April 2024 Connacht semi-final Sligo 0-14 - 1-13 Galway Sligo
15:30 Murphy 0-3 (1f, 1m), O'Connor 0-3, Alan McLoughlin 0-2, Carrabine 0-1, Cummins 0-1, Gordon 0-1, Lally 0-1, Nathan Mullen 0-1, Mulligan 0-1 Report Finnerty 1-5 (1f), Darcy 0-2, Comer 0-2, Heaney 0-1, McHugh 0-1, Molloy 0-1, Walsh 0-1 Stadium: Markievicz Park
Attendance: 4,597[15]
Referee: Barry Tiernan (Dublin)
5 May 2024 Connacht final Galway 0-16 - 0-15 Mayo Galway
16:00 Finnerty 0-8 (5f), Walsh 0-3 (1f), Gleeson 0-2f, Comer 0-2, Heaney 0-1 Report O'Donoghue 0-6 (4f, 1m), Ruane 0-3, Conroy 0-2, Boland 0-1, McHugh 0-1, Flynn 0-1, O'Connor 0-1 Stadium: Pearse Stadium
Attendance: 19,193
Referee: David Gough Meath
Man of the Match: Damien Comer
18 May 2024 All-Ireland group stage Galway 2-14 - 0-15 Derry Salthill
17:30 Finnerty 0-4 (2f), Conroy 0-3, Darcy 1-0, Kelly 1-0, Daly 0-2, Walsh 0-2, Heaney 0-1, Ó Curraoin 0-1, Tierney 0-1 Report McGuigan 0-4 (1f), Murray 0-3, McFaul 0-2, Bradley 0-1, Cassidy 0-1, Doherty 0-1, Gilmore 0-1, Glass 0-1, Rogers 0-1 Stadium: Pearse Stadium
Attendance: 7,602 [1]
Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare)
2 June 2024 All-Ireland group stage Westmeath 0-11 - 1-12 Galway Mullingar
15:00 Heslin 0-5f, Wallace 0-2, Connellan 0-1, Forde 0-1, Lynch 0-1, McCartan 0-1 Report Walsh 1-4 (3f), Gleeson 0-2 (2'45), Tierney 0-2, Darcy 0-1, Hernon 0-1, McDaid 0-1, Molloy 0-1 Stadium: TEG Cusack Park
Referee: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh)
16 June 2024 All-Ireland group stage Armagh 1-12 - 0-15 Galway Sligo
13:45 Kelly 1-1, Turbitt 0-4 (1f), R O'Neill 0-3, Murnin 0-2, Campbell 0-1, Crealey 0-1 Report Walsh 0-5 (3f), Finnerty 0-3 (2f), Conroy 0-2, Maher 0-1, McDaid 0-1, McHugh 0-1, Silke 0-1, Tierney 0-1 Stadium: Markievicz Park
Attendance: 8,870
Referee: Sean Hurson (Tyrone)
29 June 2024 All-Ireland quarter-final Dublin 0-16 - 0-17 Galway Dublin
18:15 Costello 0-4 (2f, 1'45), O'Callaghan 0-4 (2m, 1f), Bugler 0-2, Kilkenny 0-2, Fenton 0-1, Mannion 0-1, McGarry 0-1, Small 0-1m Report Walsh 0-7 (4f), McDaid 0-3, Conroy 0-1, Culhane 0-1, Darcy 0-1, Heaney 0-1, Maher 0-1, McHugh 0-1, Tierney 0-1m Stadium: Croke Park
Attendance: 49,896
Referee: Sean Hurson (Tyrone)
Man of the Match: Cillian McDaid (Galway)
14 July 2024 All-Ireland semi-final Donegal 0-15 - 1-14 Galway Dublin
16:00 Report Stadium: Croke Park
Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare)
Man of the Match: Dylan McHugh (Galway)

Pre-match

[edit]

Galway were favourites to win ahead of the game.[5] Former RTÉ match analysts Pat Spillane and Colm O'Rourke both tipped Galway to win.[16][17]

Members of the Meath team that won the 1999 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final were honoured on the pitch before the game, 25 years later.[18]

Fans, tickets and merchandise

[edit]

Demand for tickets was extremely high, far exceeding supply.[19][20]

Additional allocations of tickets were released, with many intending to travel from abroad to see the game.[21]

Shops in Armagh were said to be struggling to meet demand for replica jerseys, flags and other items ahead of the game. McKeever's Sports was forced to suspend all other activities to reach its target of producing an additional 500 jerseys per day; the company was also supplying kits for several 2024 Summer Olympics participants at the time, including boxing, rowing and rugby.[22] Armagh fans made Sam the Bear from bales of hay.[23]

Pearse Stadium held a free, ticketed "fanzone" to allow Galway supporters who did not have tickets to watch the game on a fully high-definition television screen.[24] One Galway "superfan" was interviewed about his intention to drive his 1953 Ford Popular motor vehicle to the game.[25][26]

The build-up to the game also coincided with the annual Galway Races, where Galway's team colours and flags were on display.[27]

Transport

[edit]

Translink provided two extra trains and an additional bus service from Armagh to Dublin, all of which sold out; it added another bus from Newry, which saw similar demand. Translink also operated with improved capacity of its Enterprise train service.[21]

Officials

[edit]

On 18 July, Tyrone's Sean Hurson was named as referee for the decider, his second All-Ireland SFC final.[28] Hurson refereed the earlier meeting between the sides at Markievicz Park in the group stage, and also refereed the 2022 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final, Galway's previous appearance in the decider.[29]

Team selection

[edit]

Former player turned pundit Peter Canavan suggested Stefan Campbell might start the game for Armagh.[30] Ultimately, Armagh's only change to the starting team from the semi-final victory over Kerry was Connaire Mackin in place of Peter McGrane, so Campbell began the game on the bench.[31][32] Barry McCambridge switched to corner-back to accommodate Mackin in the left-half-back position.[33]

Galway named a team that was unchanged from their semi-final.[34] However, Cein Darcy began the game instead of Galway captain Seán Kelly.[35] This was a late change, coming just before the game began.[36]

Match

[edit]

If the game was a draw after 70 minutes, 20 minutes of extra time would have been played. If the game was still level, the final would have been replayed on 3 August 2024.[37]

During the game, Armagh players wore jerseys with the team crest above the words "All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final 2024".[22]

Summary

[edit]

A herring gull was seen on the pitch throughout the first half, before an official intervened and brought it away to be treated for a minor injury unrelated to play.[38] The bird spent the opening moments of play at the Canal End of the stadium, just inside the Armagh half, before wandering into the other half of the pitch, spending much time close to the sideline near Armagh's right corner-forward; at one stage, the gull left the pitch; however, the bird made a return before being brought to safety.[39] The gull's rescue prompted applause from spectators in Hill 16.[40] Many spectators (and publications) erroneously referred to the bird as a "sea gull".[41] The gull was given pain relief and fluids and was soon able to eat its meals.[42][43][44] Galway forward Robert Finnerty also came off injured after ten minutes.[36] Cein Darcy scored the finest point of the first half after twenty minutes, to give Galway a lead of 0–4 to 0–3.[35] The teams were level on five occasions in the first half.[45] Ben Crealey equalized for Armagh with the half's concluding score.[45] The teams were tied, with 0–6 each, at half-time.[35]

Galway's Paul Conroy scored his third point of the game in the second half.[45] Then Cillian McDaid gave the Tribesmen a two-point lead in the 38th minute.[45] Oisín Conaty and Rian O'Neill then scored the points that brought Armagh level once more.[45] Armagh's Tiernan Kelly scored a point either side of two points by Galway's Shane Walsh.[45] Armagh introduced Stefan Campbell as a substitute and, almost immediately, he set up Aaron McKay for a goal in the 47th minute, punching to the net after a pass from the left.[36][46] Galway's Cein Darcy scored the next point eight minutes later.[45] Niall Grimley, then Oisín O'Neill each scored a point for Armagh, to leave McKay's goal (i.e. three points) as the difference between the teams four minutes from the end of normal time.[45] Points from Darcy and Cillian McDaid reduced the deficit to one.[45] Then Galway's Dylan McHugh struck the post with his shot and the ball dropped wide.[45] Armagh's Joe McElroy performed a crucial block against an attempt by Paul Conroy to level the game in the seventh minute of injury-time.[45][47] This proved critical to Armagh's eventual one-point victory, as otherwise the game would have gone to extra-time.[45]

The result meant that, in 2024, teams representing Ulster GAA, had won each of the available major titles in the sport. Down won the 2024 Tailteann Cup, defeating Laois in the final. Derry won the All-Ireland MFC, retaining the title by beating Armagh in a game held three weeks previous to the All-Ireland SFC final. Tyrone won the All-Ireland U20FC title in May, defeating Kerry in the final. Donegal and Derry won the 2024 National Football League Division 1 and Division 2 titles respectively (with Donegal having defeated Armagh). Glen won the All-Ireland Club SFC, Cullyhanna won the All-Ireland Club IFC and Arva won the All-Ireland Club JFC. In college football, UU won the 2024 Sigerson Cup, while Omagh CBS won the 2024 Hogan Cup.[48]

Details

[edit]
28 July 2024 (2024-07-28)
15:30
Final
Armagh 1–11 0–13 Galway
(HT: 0–6 – 0–6)
Gls: Aaron McKay
Pts: Conaty 0-3, McKay 1-0, Crealey 0-2, Forker 0-1, Grimley 0-1, Kelly 0-1, McCambridge 0-1, O. O'Neill 0-1, R. O'Neill 0-1

Pts: Conroy 0-3, Darcy 0-3, McDaid 0-2, Walsh 0-2 (1f), Finnerty 0-1f, Maher 0-1, Silke 0-1
Standby: Brendan Cawley (Kildare)
Linesman: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon)
Sideline: Derek O'Mahony (Tipperary)
Umpires: Martin Coney, Cathal Forbes (Ardboe), Mel Taggart (Clonoe), Shane Dorrity (Coalisland)
Armagh
Galway
1 Blaine Hughes
2 Paddy Burns
3 Aaron McKay Yellow card 70'
4 Barry McCambridge
5 Connaire Mackin downward-facing red arrow 59'
6 Tiernan Kelly downward-facing red arrow 44'
7 Aidan Forker (c)
8 Niall Grimley
9 Ben Crealey
10 Joe McElroy
11 Rian O'Neill
12 Oisín Conaty
13 Rory Grugan downward-facing red arrow 52'
14 Andrew Murnin
15 Conor Turbitt downward-facing red arrow 44'
Substitutes:
16 Ethan Rafferty
17 Greg McCabe
18 Peter McGrane
19 Ciaran Higgins
20 Ross McQuillan upward-facing green arrow 44'
21 Shane McPartlan
22 Jason Duffy
23 Oisín O'Neill upward-facing green arrow 52'
24 Stefan Campbell upward-facing green arrow 44'
25 Aidan Nugent
26 Jarly Óg Burns upward-facing green arrow 59'

Manager:
Kieran McGeeney
1 Connor Gleeson
2 Johnny McGrath
3 Seán Fitzgerald
4 Jack Glynn downward-facing red arrow 44'
5 Dylan McHugh
6 Liam Silke
7 Séan Mulkerrin
8 Paul Conroy
9 Céin D'Arcy
10 Matthew Tierney
11 John Maher
12 Cillian McDaid
13 Robert Finnerty downward-facing red arrow 10'
14 Damien Comer
15 Shane Walsh
Substitutes:
16 Conor Flaherty
17 John Daly
18 Eoghan Kelly
19 Daniel O'Flaherty
20 Kieran Molloy
21 Cathal Sweeney
22 Seán Kelly (c) upward-facing green arrow 44'
23 Johnny Heaney upward-facing green arrow 10'
24 Liam Ó Conghaile
25 Tomo Culhane
26 Niall Daly

Manager:
Pádraic Joyce

Man of the Match:
Oisín Conaty (Armagh)

Post-match

[edit]

Armagh captain Aidan Forker accepted the Sam Maguire Cup from GAA president Jarlath Burns, also from Armagh, in the Hogan Stand. In his post-match speech, Forker summed up the Armagh journey, stating: "With faith and belief and hard work, anything is possible".[49]

Reaction

[edit]

Armagh midfielder Niall Grimley dedicated his team's victory to his brother, who had died in a road accident less than a year before.[50][51]

Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney paid tribute to his "special bunch" of players after the final. Speaking to RTÉ, he said: "At times we weren't playing at our best but you have to hand it to them, they never stopped, they never quit."[52]

Galway manager Pádraic Joyce spoke of how disappointed he was with his team's performance in the second half. Speaking to RTÉ Sport after the game, he said: "We have no one to blame but ourselves".[36]

Highlights of the final were shown on The Sunday Game programme which aired at 9:30pm that night on RTÉ2 and was presented by Jacqui Hurley.[53]

Awards

[edit]

The Sunday Game named eight players from the winners on its Team of the Year, as well as five Galway players and two from Donegal. The TV programme gave Barry McCambridge its Footballer of the Year.[54]

At Armagh's banquet, which was held in The Carrickdale Hotel on the night of the game, GAA President Jarlath Burns presented the Man of the Match trophy to Oisín Conaty, after RTÉ announced him as the winner on The Sunday Game. No other nominations for the award were mentioned.[1][2] Conaty was also voted Footballer of the Week on the GAA.ie website on 30 July, two days after the final.[55]

Celebrations

[edit]

The Armagh team had a homecoming celebration the day after the final at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh where thousands of fans gathered and lined the streets which started at 3:30 pm, with the team arriving at 5 pm.[56] The Armagh team paid a visit to Craigavon Area Hospital earlier in the day, meeting some of the young fans who were unable to make it to Croke Park.[57]

Celebrations were despised by some members in the Unionist community when members of the PSNI were seen on social media flying flags from police patrol cars and celebrating with Armagh supporters.[58]

Meanwhile, thousands of people gathered in St Jarlath's Park, Tuam and Pearse Stadium, Galway the day after the final to welcome home the Galway team, the runners-up.[59]

When swimmer Daniel Wiffen, from Armagh, won the 800 metre freestyle final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, two days after the game, several British and Irish publications linked the gold medal performance with Armagh's All-Ireland SFC title.[60][61] After qualifying from the heats in first place, Wiffen referenced Armagh's victory and, after the final, he stated "we're All-Ireland champions and Olympic gold medallists".[62][63] There was also some debate as to whether Wiffen was from County Armagh or the neighbouring County Down, but Wiffen's father explained that the family home's postcode was in County Armagh and that he had gone to school in the city (at St Pat's).[64] The Wiffen family also watched the game in Paris.[65]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Oisín Conaty named All-Ireland final Man of the Match". Hogan Stand. 29 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b Duffy, Emma (28 July 2024). "Armagh's Oisín Conaty named All-Ireland football final man of the match". The42.ie.
  3. ^ "Warm and sunny spells forecast for Mayo-Sligo showdown at Croker". Hogan Stand. 28 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b Whooley, Declan (26 July 2024). "All-Ireland football final: All You Need To Know". RTÉ News.
  5. ^ a b "Excitement mounts as stage set for 137th All-Ireland SFC final". Hogan Stand. 28 July 2024.
  6. ^ "GAA fixtures 2024: Football and hurling championship fixtures". 23 January 2024 – via www.bbc.com.
  7. ^ Lawlor, Damian (11 September 2023). "All-Ireland football final to retain July date for 2024" – via www.rte.ie.
  8. ^ Neville, Conor (28 July 2024). "Glory for Mayi as they pip Sligo in tense final". RTÉ News. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  9. ^ Fox, Kenneth (28 July 2024). "All-Ireland football final: Mayo come out on top after nail-biting final". BreakingNews.ie. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  10. ^ O’Connell, Cian (28 July 2024). "All-Ireland SFC Final: Mayo triumph at Croke Park". GAA.ie. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  11. ^ Ryan, Eoin (28 July 2024). "All-Ireland senior football championship final recap: mayo 1-11 slugo 0-13". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Over one million people watch Armagh's All-Ireland win on RTÉ2". 29 July 2024.
  13. ^ Neville, Conor (14 July 2024). "Galway hold firm in tense finale to reach decider". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  14. ^ "A List Of Sam Maguire Cup Winners". World Sports Weekly. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Robert Finnerty strikes late to save Galway from shock exit at the hands of Sligo". Irish Times. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  16. ^ Spillane, Pat (28 June 2024). "I have a sneaking suspicion Sam is heading west". Independent.ie.
  17. ^ O'Rourke, Colm (28 June 2024). "Impact of bench could decide All-Ireland final". Sunday Independent.
  18. ^ "Meath's '99 heroes to be honoured as Jubilee team at Croke Park this afternoon". Hogan Stand. 28 July 2024.
  19. ^ Fanneran, Vinny (18 July 2024). "Galway All-Ireland final ticket update as huge demand seen for novel pairing". Galway Beo. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  20. ^ Tierney, Paddy (19 July 2024). "All-Ireland final ticket allocation 'disappointing' say clubs amid calls for a revamp of distribution process". Belfast Live. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  21. ^ a b McKee, Ross. "Armagh GAA fans go the extra mile for final tickets". BBC News.
  22. ^ a b Kearney, Vincent (25 July 2024). "'Sammy's coming home' - All-Ireland excitement in Armagh". RTÉ News.
  23. ^ Traynor, Clodagh (25 July 2024). "'He's become a local celebrity' – Armagh fans get ready for All-Ireland final with giant hay-bale bear". Independent.ie.
  24. ^ Conway, Gail (26 July 2024). "Galway fans hopeful of an end to 23-year wait for Sam Maguire". RTÉ News.
  25. ^ Ryan, Ray (24 July 2024). "Galway GAA supporter Gerry Rushe on his hopes to travel in his 1953 Ford Popular car to the All Ireland Football Final".
  26. ^ Lynott, Laura (25 July 2024). "'Say a prayer' – Galway superfan wills Tribesmen to march to All-Ireland victory in honour of late GAA hero John O'Mahony".
  27. ^ Chiles, Adrian (31 July 2024). "I always expect a warm welcome in Ireland. But Galway blew me away". The Guardian.
  28. ^ Keys, Colm. "'I haven't seen a free given for that since' – Padraic Joyce on controversial call by All-Ireland final referee". Independent.ie.
  29. ^ "Sean Hurson named referee for All-Ireland SFC football final". RTÉ. 18 July 2024.
  30. ^ "Battle of the benches: Should Stefan Campbell start for Armagh?". RTÉ News. 25 July 2024.
  31. ^ Boyle, Donnchadh (25 July 2024). "Armagh make one change for All-Ireland final showdown with Galway". Independent.ie.
  32. ^ "Armagh make one change for All-Ireland final". RTÉ News. 25 July 2024.
  33. ^ "Armagh recall Mackin for All-Ireland final". Hogan Stand. 26 July 2024.
  34. ^ "Galway unchanged for All Ireland Final". Radio Kerry. 26 July 2024.
  35. ^ a b c "D'Aarcy[sic] drives through Armagh traffic to steer Galway back in front". Hogan Stand. 28 July 2024.
  36. ^ a b c d "Pádraic Joyce: No one to blame but ourselves". RTÉ News. 28 July 2024.
  37. ^ "Your complete guide to the 2024 GAA inter-county fixtures list". Irish Independent. 6 December 2023.
  38. ^ "Croke Park seagull on the mend". Hogan Stand. 31 July 2024.
  39. ^ Wilson, Jade (30 July 2024). "All-Ireland football final: Injured seagull makes bizarre 24-minute cameo on pitch".
  40. ^ Browne, Jonathan (28 July 2024). "A Seagull Becomes Instant Fan Favourite After All-Ireland Final Performance". Balls.ie.
  41. ^ "Injured gull rescued from Croke Park during All-Ireland final is 'doing well': Herring gull had a wing injury and was removed off the pitch and transported to Kildare Wildlife Rescue". The Irish Times. 31 July 2024.
  42. ^ Pepper, Diarmuid (30 July 2024). "Croke Park gull that made on-field cameo in All-Ireland final doing 'very well' after rescue". TheJournal.ie.
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  44. ^ Glynn, Niall (2 August 2024). "Croke Park seagull recuperating after pitch invasion". BBC News.
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