WHEN THE victorious All-Ireland Mayo football team won the Sam Maguire in 1951 they passed through Foxford on the journey home. However they failed to wait quietly for a funeral cortège to pass by.
The presiding priest was so offended by their behaviour that he put a curse on Mayo football to never win a subsequent All-Ireland final until all members of the 1951 team were dead. Since then Mayo have reached the All-Ireland final in 1989, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2013, and 2016, losing each time.
This is one of sport's most famous 'curses' and has inspired a short film, An Mhallacht/The Curse, which will be shown at the Galway Film Fleadh. In this black-comedy - as Gaeilge with English subtitles - Mayo are once again in the All Ireland final. Dr Donal Green has his loyalties tested when he discovers one of his comatose patients is the last living player from the 1951 team.
An Mhallacht - English Subtitles from StationHouse Media on Vimeo.
An Mhallacht won the Grand Prix award at the recent Oddalenia Dublin Film Festival. It also won the Homegrown Short Film Award 2017 at the Sleeping Giants Film Festival in Warrenpoint last weekend. It stars Seamus Hughes, Marcus Lamb, Peadar Cox, Peadar Ó Treasaigh, Yvonne Ní Laife, and Aindrias De Staic. It was written by Antoin Beag Ó Colla, who has written for Red Rock and Des Bishop's This is Ireland. It was directed by Cóilín Ó Scólaí and produced by James Ryan of StationHouse Media.
The film screens in the Radisson Blu Hotel as part of the Fleadh's Way Out West strand Wednesday July 12 from 2.30pm. #FilmFleadh
