All-Ireland SFC: Dublin v Kerry – an age-old rivalry set for a new chapter

Every sport has its great rivalries, whether that is Barcelona-Real Madrid in football, New Zealand-South Africa in rugby, or Mexico-Puerto Rico when it comes to boxing.

Gaelic football is no different and when Dublin and Kerry go toe to toe, it is always special.

The counties have shared 70 All-Ireland titles between them, with Kerry leading the way on the roll of honour with 39 to Dublin’s 31.

Over the years, they have met at various stages in the race for Sam Maguire with some unforgettable moments that are woven into the tapestry of the game.

While meetings between them had been fairly sporadic since 1893 when club champions represented the county as Dublin’s Young Irelands defeated Laune Rangers, 1955’s final would draw the first real line in the sand.

Kerry were by now regarded as an established force with 17 titles to their name, coming up against a Dublin side spearheaded by a young Kevin Heffernan, whose name would become synonymous with the rivalry.

As it was, Kerry claimed a 0-12 to 1-6 win over the city slickers in a game that drew a crowd in excess of 87,000.