Séamus Darby

Séamus Darby is an Irish former sportsperson who played Gaelic football for County Offaly in the 1970s and 1980s. He played most of his club football for the Rhode club.] He is best remembered for scoring the shock late goal that deprived Kerry of a 5-in-a-row in the 1982 All-Ireland football final.

Early career

During his footballing career, Darby won Leinster provincial titles with Offaly in 1972, 1973 and 1982, playing in various forward positions. He won his first All-Ireland medal in 1972 when Offaly defeated Kerry in the final. He had been an unused substitute in the 1971 final, Offaly's first-ever win. He was dropped from the county panel after the 1976 season.

1982 All-Ireland

Darby was recalled to the Offaly team for the 1982 Leinster final, playing full-forward against Dublin. He pulled a hamstring in that match and missed the All-Ireland semi-final against Galway. His replacement Johnny Mooney played well in that match so Darby was left on the bench for the final.

The 1982 All-Ireland Final was a repeat of the previous year's encounter and was also significant in that a win for Kerry would give them an unprecedented fifth All-Ireland Final victory in a row. Kerry were winning by two points with two minutes to go when Darby arrived on the field of play as a substitute, with instructions to stay forward and try for a goal. Darby got behind his marker Tommy Doyle, caught a "high, lobbing, dropping ball", and scored one of the most famous goals of all time. It was his only kick of the match. Kerry fumbled the counter attack which allowed Offaly to win by one single point with a score of 1-15 to 0-17.

In 2005, Darby's goal against Kerry was voted third in a poll to find the Top 20 GAA Moments.

Later life

Darby's last match for Offaly was the Leinster semi-final against Dublin in 1984. He played club football for Rhode till 1986. He later played for Edenderry in 1989, and for Borrisokane in County Tipperary in 1991.

An urban myth held that Darby later became an alcoholic due to the goal because people would treat him drinks for scoring the goal that stopped Kerry's efforts to win five-in-a-row. This myth was fuelled by the breakdown of his marriage and the failure of several business ventures, leading him to emigrate to England for some years.

In 1998, he was running the "County Terrace" pub in London and working on the railways. By 2004, he had remarried and with his wife was running the "Greyhound Bar" in Toomevara. []

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