​Every sport has its defining rivalries, from the football battles of Barcelona and Real Madrid to the rugby clashes of New Zealand and South Africa, or the boxing showdowns between Mexico and Puerto Rico. Gaelic football follows that pattern, and when Dublin and Kerry square off, it always feels special. The two counties have shared an impressive 70 All-Ireland titles between them, with Kerry leading the roll of honour on 39 to Dublin’s 31. Over the years they have faced each other at many stages in the pursuit of Sam Maguire, producing moments that are woven into the fabric of the game.
History between the sides traces back to 1893, when club champions represented their counties and Dublin’s Young Irelands defeated Laune Rangers. Yet it was the 1955 final that truly drew a line in the sand: Kerry, already an established force with 17 titles, faced a Dublin side led by a young Kevin Heffernan whose name would become synonymous with this enduring rivalry. Kerry claimed a 0-12 to 1-6 victory in a game attended by more than 87,000 people, signaling the rise of a fierce contest between the two counties.
By the early 1970s Kerry sat at the pinnacle of the roll of honour, having captured a 22nd title as Dublin claimed their 18th in 1974 with Heffernan at the helm. The following year, under the leadership of a youthful Mick O’Dwyer, Kerry travelled to Dublin with a lineup featuring Pat Spillane, Mikey Sheehy, Denis ‘Ogie’ Moran, Páidí Ó Sé, and captain Mickey ‘Ned’ O’Sullivan. They stunned the reigning champions with a 2-12 to 0-11 win, marking the start of a renowned five-year saga between the teams.
The rivalry continued into the next season’s final, but this time Dublin had their day. John McCarthy, Jimmy Keaveney, and Brian Mullins found the net, and a young Kevin Moran came of age. Moran would later win FA Cup medals with Manchester United and appear at two FIFA World Cups for the Republic of Ireland, but before those turnings of his career, he helped Dublin claim the following year’s title with victory over Armagh. In the semi-final, Dublin again accounted for Kerry, winning 3-12 to 1-13 as McCarthy, Hickey, and Bernard Brogan struck, a match that is often cited as one of the greatest Gaelic games of all time.
The Dublin dominance was short-lived, and the 1978 final produced one of the sport’s most iconic moments. Mikey Sheehy exploited Dublin goalkeeper Paddy Cullen’s protests over a free awarded against him, lofting the ball into the net for a goal. Eoin ‘Bomber’ Liston then added a hat-trick of goals as Kerry overwhelmed Dublin, and they continued their momentum into the 1979 final, with two goals from Sheehy and another from Egan sealing a memorable late-decade triumph for Kerry. Kerry’s success in these years cemented their status as a dominant force and heightened the intensity of the Dublin-Kerry rivalry, setting the stage for a storied chapter in Gaelic football history.