The golden years: how many All-Ireland medals have these Kerry stars won?

It is 50 years since Kerry's coming of age — when football’s ‘golden years’ begun in 1975.

GOLDEN GENERATION: Front row, from left: Peggy King representing the late Kerry GAA chairperson Frank King, Willie Maher, Pat McCarthy, Patrick O’Sullivan (Kerry GAA chair), Edmund Scanlon (CEO, Kerry Group), Mickey Ned O’Sullivan, Kevin Griffin, John L McElligott, Johnny Mulvihill, Mick Galwey. Second row, l-r: Jack O’Shea, representative of John Long, John Higgins, Timmy Dowd, John Bunyan, John Kennedy, Eddie ‘Tatler’ O’Sullivan, Charlie Nelligan, Paudie O’Mahony, Tommy Doyle, Ambrose O’Donovan, Stephen Stack. Third row, l-r: Mary Egan representing the late John Egan, Claire Kirwan representing Sean Walsh, Patie O’Mahony, Brendan Lynch, Vincent O’Connor, Bernard O’Sullivan, Ger O’Keeffe, John O’Keeffe, Jimmy Deenihan, Pat O’Shea (Selector), Pat Spillane. Fourth row, l-r: Mick Spillane, Denis Ogie Moran, Ger O’Driscoll, Patie Mahony, Ger Lynch, Jerry O’Sullivan, Paudie Lynch, Batt O’Shea, Mikey Sheehy, Ger Power. Fifth row, l-r: Darragh Ó Sé representing Páidí Ó Sé, Karl O’Dwyer representing his late father Mick O’Dwyer, Eoin Liston, Pat Sheahan, Tom Spillane, Dermot Hannifin, Sean Liston, Donie Hartnett, Noel Kennelly representing the late Tim Kennelly. Pic: Domnick Walsh

THE great and the very good of Kerry football gathered last week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their coming of age — when football’s ‘golden years’ begun in 1975.

Over the next 11 years, Kerry would win eight Sam Maguires, and notoriously denied a ninth and the five in a row by a last minute Seamus Darby goal for Offaly in the 1982 decider at Croke Park.