Winning team Galway (1st win) Leinster Wexford Connacht Galway | Munster Kerry Ulster Cavan | |
Captain Michael Walsh (St Grellan's, Ballinasloe) | ||
The 1925 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 39th staging of Ireland's premier Gaelic football knock-out competition. Galway were the winners.
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The championship has become known for the farcical manner in which the play-offs took place. The Connaught final was not held in time to produce a team that could compete against the other three provinces in the semi-finals. Mayo was therefore nominated to represent the province. Mayo beat Wexford in the semi final. Kerry beat Cavan in the other semi-final. However, both Kerry and Cavan were disqualified for fielding illegal players. This meant that Mayo were declared champions without the need for a final. However, in the meantime, Galway had defeated Mayo in the Connaught final and this put the GAA in a bind. They withdrew their nomination of Mayo to represent Connaught, and chose Galway as rightful Connaught champions. Thus, Galway became All-Ireland champions.
However, this was deemed unsatisfactory by all. So the GAA ordered the semi-finals to be replayed with Galway taking the rightful place of Connaught champions. However, Kerry complained that their semi-final victory over Cavan should stand. When the GAA insisted that it should not stand, Kerry withdrew, leaving Cavan to automatically proceed to the final. Galway defeated Cavan in the final. The farce went on so long that the final was not played until January 10, 1926. Cavan, despite having previously been disqualified, finished with a silver medal. Mayo, despite having previously been declared champions, were eliminated. Galway, despite having previously been removed from the tournament, were champions.
Connacht Championship
An objection was made and a replay ordered.
An objection was made and a replay ordered.
Ulster Championship
An objection was made and a replay ordered.
All-Ireland Championship
The Connacht championship was not finished in time, so Mayo were nominated to play in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Both teams lodged objections against each other, and both were disqualified.
With both Kerry and Cavan disqualified, Mayo now had no opponent to play in the All-Ireland final. And when Galway defeated Mayo in the Connacht final, the GAA decided to award the All-Ireland title to Galway. However, this was then seen as unsatisfactory, so the championship was refixtured with Kerry, Cavan, Wexford and Galway. Kerry wanted their victory over Cavan to stand, but when they were ordered to replay it, they withdrew in protest.