Dublin had drawn much attention to themselves by dismantling the reigning All-Ireland champions Meath in the final of that year's Leinster Senior Football Championship.

[4] British Rail were forced to schedule extra trains to Holyhead such was the clamour to see a Dublin team playing an exciting new brand of football.

[1] Cyril Freaney, who also played in the final (as corner-forward), later recalled the level of opposition to this approach: "You had people shouting 'soccer, soccer', we were 'soccerites'".

[5] Among those publications to tip Kerry in their previews were the Sunday Independent, Cork Examiner and local news sheet The Kerryman.

[5] John D. Hickey, in the Irish Independent, referenced Kerry's "rather peculiar state of thing", their expectation of victory, "they do believe and not without some reason that they are a law unto themselves when it comes to an All-Ireland final".

Ollie Freaney's goal five minutes from the[clarification needed] brought Dublin within three points, but Kerry weathered the storm and won.

[7] Kerry player Jim Brosnan, scorer of two crucial second-half points, was flown home from New York for the final; he was over there studying medicine.