FOXFORD priest Fr Padraic Costello says there is "nothing" in the so-called Mayo All-Ireland curse.
The story goes that the curse emanated from an incident in 1951, when the Mayo players - celebrating having won the Sam Maguire Cup that year - failed to pay due respect to a funeral procession.
The local priest at the time is said to have placed a curse on Mayo, that they wouldn't win another All-Ireland until after all members of the '51 side had died. They have since been beaten in seven finals.
Fr Costello has blessed the current team, just in case, but insists there's no evidence to suggest that the curse is real:
"There doesn't seem to be any basis in the curse story. As Andy Moran, the present team captain, said recently, the reason we have''t won an All-Ireland title since 1951 is because we weren't good enough.
"I'm not praying that the team wins, just that they perform to the best of their ability. The present team has brought great joy to the county as a whole.