MAYO’S ALL-IRELAND curse will be finally lifted in 2016.
That’s according to Old Moore’s Almanac, which has released its predictions for the year ahead. This will be welcome news to Stephen Rochford, who last night was ratified as the new Mayo manager.
Mayo have not won Sam Maguire since 1951, when the team were said to be cursed by a local priest for failing to pay respect to a funeral on their victorious return to the county.
Legend has it that the local priest imposed the curse, stopping Mayo from winning another All-Ireland as long as any member of the 1951 team lived. Mayo have lost seven All-Ireland finals since, the latest against Dublin in 2013.
The Almanac, which has been publishing predictions for the past 252 years, also predicted that Galway would win the Liam MacCarthy Cup, making the west the best in 2016.
Last year, the Old Moore’s Almanac correctly predicted that Dublin and Kilkenny would be All-Ireland champions in 2015. Mayo kick-off their championship campaign against London, next year.