1948 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final

The 1948 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 61st All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1948 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland. Contested by a team from the Ulster and a team from Connacht, such a meeting in the decider between teams from these provinces would not happen again until 2012.
This was the last time Cavan defeated Mayo in a championship game until 2025.

Pre-match

Cavan were the defending All-Ireland SFC title holders.

Match

Summary

Cavan retained the title they had won in 1947 at Polo Grounds in Manhattan, New York City.
In a heavy wind, Cavan led 3–2 to 0–0 at half-time, but Mayo came back to lead the game. Cavan eventually made it two-in-a-row with a Peter Donohoe point. This final's eight goals is the most scored in a final, a record shared with the 1977 match.

Details

Cavan team

1 Des Benson
2 Willie Doonan
3 Brian O'Reilly
4 Paddy Smith
5 P. J. Duke
6 John Joe O'Reilly
7 Simon Deignan
8 Phil Brady
9 Victor Sherlock
10 Tony Tighe
11 Mick Higgins
12 John Joe Cassidy
13 Joe Stafford
14 Peter Donohoe
15 Edwin Carolan
;Sub used
17 Owen Roe McGovern
;Subs not used
16 Barney Cully
18 T. P. O'Reilly
19 John Wilson
20 Val Gannon
21 Seamus Morris

Mayo team

1 Tommy Byrne
2 Peter Quinn
3 Paddy Prendergast
4 Seán Flanagan
5 John Forde
6 P. McAndrew
7 Johnny Gilvarry
8 Éamonn Mongey
9 Pádraig Carney
10 Billy Kenny
11 Tommy Langan
12 Joe Gilvarry
13 Tom Acton
14 Peter Solan
15 Seán Mulderrig
;Subs not used
16 Mick Flanagann
17 Liam Hastings
18 Paddy Gilvarry
19 M. McNamara
20 Henry Dixon
21 J. Munnelly
22 P. Jordan
23 S. Daly