1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
# 1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 95th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 10 May 1981 and ended on 20 September 1981.

Kerry entered the championship as the defending champions and were hoping to win a record-equalling fourth successive championship title.

On 20 September 1981, Kerry won the championship following a 1-12 to 0-8 defeat of Offaly in the All-Ireland final. This was their 27th All-Ireland title and their fourth championship in succession.

Offaly's Matt Connor was the championship's top scorer with 1-31. Kerry's Jack O'Shea was the choice for Texaco Footballer of the Year.

## Munster Championship format change

The normal system of 2 Quarter-final's and 2 Semi-final's is back.

## Results

### Connacht Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

### Leinster Senior Football Championship

First round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

### Munster Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

### Ulster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

### All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Semi-finals

Final

## Championship statistics

### Top scorers

**Overall**

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Matt Connor | Offaly | 1-31 | 34 | 5 | 6.80 |
| 2 | Mikey Sheehy | Kerry | 1-22 | 25 | 4 | 6.25 |
| 3 | Tom Prendergast | Laois | 6-5 | 23 | 4 | 5.75 |
| 4 | Eamonn McEneaney | Monaghan | 1-17 | 20 | 3 | 6.66 |
| 5 | Eoin Liston | Kerry | 4-6 | 18 | 4 | 4.50 |

**Single game**

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Tom Prendergast | Laois | 3-3 | 12 | Kildare |
| 1 | Eoin Liston | Kerry | 3-3 | 12 | Clare |
| 3 | Donal Donohoe | Cavan | 2-5 | 11 | Antrim |
| 3 | Gay McManus | Galway | 0-11 | 11 | Leitrim |
| 5 | Kevin Dawe | Louth | 2-4 | 10 | Laois |
| 5 | Eamonn McEneaney | Monaghan | 1-7 | 10 | Tyrone |
| 7 | Matt Connor | Offaly | 0-9 | 9 | Westmeath |
| 8 | Eamonn Whelan | Laois | 2-2 | 8 | Louth |
| 8 | Matt Connor | Offaly | 1-5 | 8 | Wexford |
| 8 | Mikey Sheehy | Kerry | 1-5 | 8 | Cork |
| 8 | Eddie Mahon | Wexford | 0-8 | 8 | Offaly |
| 8 | Anto McCaul | Dublin | 0-8 | 8 | Laois |

### Miscellaneous

* London after six years in the Connacht championship play their games this year on home ground at Ruislip.
* Mayo won their first Connacht title since 1969.
* Kerry become the third team in the history of the championship to win four All-Ireland titles in-a-row. They equalled the record set by Wexford (1915-1918) and Kerry (1929-1932).
