1953–54 National Football League (Ireland)

The 1953–54 National Football League was the 23rd staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

1953–54 National Football League

League details
Dates	11 October 1953 – 9 May 1954
League champions
Winners	Mayo (9th win)
Captain	Pádraig Carney
League runners-up
Runners-up	Carlow
Captain	Billy McGuill
← 1952–53 1954–55 →

Carlow reached their only final to date, and opened well, leading Mayo by 0-2 to 0-1 after ten minutes. But then the 'flying doctor' Pádraig Carney, who came home from America for the game, levelled before Tommy Langan punched a goal from a Carney centre in the 26th minute. Mayo's second goal from M. Flanagan in the 10th minute of the second-half ended Carlow's dreams of National League glory, and gave Mayo their ninth NFL win.^[1][2][3]

Format

Teams are placed into Divisions I, II, III and IV. The top team in each division reaches the semi-finals.

Results

Division

Carlow won, ahead of Kerry, Cork, Wexford, Kildare, Waterford and Tipperary.

Division

Armagh won

Division III

Mayo won, finishing ahead of Longford, Westmeath, Sligo, Leitrim, Meath and Cavan.

Division

Dublin won

Finals

11 April 1954
Semi-Final

Carlow	1-10 – 1-7	Armagh
Ned Doogue goal		Mal McEvoy goal (pen)

Croke Park, Dublin

---

25 April 1954
Semi-Final

Mayo	0-11 – 0-7	Dublin
P Carney 0-7 (4f, 1 '50'); T Langan 0-3; D O'Neill 0-1

Croke Park, Dublin

---

9 May 1954
Final

Mayo	2-10 – 0-3	Carlow
T Langan 1-4; P Carney 0-4 (2f); M Flanagan 1-1; E Mongey 0-1		Ned Doogue 0-3 (3f)

Croke Park, Dublin

Attendance: 38,694^[4]

Referee: Sean Hayes (Tipperary)^[5]