AFTER THREE QUARTERS of a century of hardship, Mayo football had its long-awaited moment of liberation.
Last Sunday was an epochal occasion, the stadium drenched in joy and emotion, smiles and tears, as the quest to land Sam Maguire concluded.
Mayo people from all walks of life had Croke Park experiences that were deeply personal and varied. The celebrations haven’t stopped since, the momentous homecoming took place in Castlebar on Monday and the carnival has toured around the county since.
It has been the greatest week of Mayo people’s lives and this is their story.
Colm is a Mayo selector and Davitts club man. He played in five All-Ireland senior finals during his Mayo playing career and won four All-Stars. On Thursday he celebrated his 40th birthday.
“Someone asked me Monday morning, have you regrets about (not winning) All-Irelands as a player? Of course you do, Jesus Christ sure how could you not? But it was a day for Mayo people.
“It wasn’t about ex-players, it was about the team of the ‘26. Forget the past now, it’s about the future.
“The big thing for me is that people could just move on now because it does hang a cloud over the county. People mightn’t know it or mightn’t realise it, but they’re almost depressed about it that they’ve never seen Mayo win the All-Ireland.
“They can forget that now, they can move on with their lives. It doesn’t have to be this mad obsession. That’s what this team have done, they’ve wiped a lot of the nonsense away.
Donncha McHugh and Colm Boyle celebrate winning. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
“I would have played with a lot of them older boys, legends of the county. No one outside the group will know what them boys have done in terms of prepping them for the games.
“You’ve a load of cubs, having that experience around, they were sensational. There’s a great photo we have of Darragh Beirne as a 9 or 10-year-old, hugging Cillian O’Connor after a game, and we had that in our dressing room. Them boys have inspired these fellas.
“I’ve been to a load of All-Ireland final banquets and was in hotels the following day. No one really wants to see you or talk to you. It’s all about the winners and that’s the way it should be.
“We had RTÉ last Sunday at the banquet, saw media guys there Monday morning, the lads went off to Temple Street Hospital with the cup. Stuff we never got to do in the past because didn’t get over the line.
“I watched The Sunday Game, the full celebrations after the hurling that night. I was looking at Limerick, which I wouldn’t normally do if we’re playing in the final the following week, but I watched that. I was saying to myself, ‘Jesus, I wouldn’t be unbelievable if that was us next week.’
Keith Higgins and Colm Boyle after last Sunday's final. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“We had a guy from Davitts in our banquet last Sunday. Billy Curran’s a legend of our club who we would have soldiered a lot with. He’d Sam Maguire over his head and it’s only when you see the likes of him pulling Sam over his head at two o’clock in the morning, you’re thinking, ‘Yeah, this is what it’s all about.’
“I would always (have) dreamt of bringing the cup back to Davitts as a player. I visualised it back in the day. It wasn’t meant to be.
“Fenton (Kelly) is actually a relation of mine, he’s a second cousin, so I’m delighted, I know all his family very well. He’s the first man in Davitts to win an All-Ireland senior medal
“We’ll have that moment when we get to Davitts, I don’t know when it’ll be but I’ll really look forward to it.”
Colm Boyle lifts the Sam Maguire. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
*****
2. Michael Gallagher
Michael is a stalwart of coaching at club and schools level in Mayo. He was there on Sunday in his role as the sports editor of The Mayo News.
“Two moments. When we brought Sam into the barony of Erris, which is where we and our club Ballycroy is from, they came across the bridge and oh my God, I never thought I’d see the day. Stunning. Bloody hell.
“My father was at death’s door. He was gone four weeks ago and he came back and is hanging on. We got him there and in the midst of all the lunacy we got a picture of him with Sam on his lap and Ryan O’Donoghue beside him. That’s it now. Job done.
Pat Gallagher with players Ryan O'Donoghue and Seamus Howard, with physio Martin McIntyre on the bridge in Bellacorick.
“When the final whistle went I was standing beside Padraig Farrelly in the media area in Croke Park.
“I gave him a hug, I sent my piece to the presses and my phone was ringing. It was my daughter Aisling from The Galway Hooker pub in Perth.
“It was a FaceTime call. I couldn’t hear her, she couldn’t hear me, but we were both crying mad. I just wanted her to be there, because of the economic situation in Ireland she has to work in the mines in Perth to gather up some money to get on the property ladder.
“That angers me greatly, that she missed Mayo winning an All-Ireland. As Mayo won the All-Ireland after 75 years, the greatest supporter I have seen in my lifetime, she was in Perth.
“Another moment came when we went to the Maldron (Hotel) after with my daughter Saoirse. We met Ciaran McDonald and he said after he got speaking to the boys and something to eat, he was thinking of going to bed.
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“Saoirse would not be an excitable type but she got to shake his hand and when he left, she said, ‘When I was little, that man was God.’
“And I said, ‘He still is.’ ”
Ciaran McDonald celebrates after the game. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
*****
3. Lee Keegan
Westport club man Lee was a five-time All-Star for Mayo, and played in seven All-Ireland senior finals. He was on punditry duty for RTÉ last Sunday.
“To see what it means to Mayo people and beyond has been crazy. The outpouring of emotion has been special.
Lee Keegan. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“One of the moments that sticks out for me was Andy’s speech after the Louth game. It was a defining moment because we had been laughed at, sneered at, joked at, poked at.
“And we had a defiant moment, Andy saying, ‘Fuck this, I have had enough of this.’
“I think that seeped into the mentality. It was our time and Andy took back something from that. I think the players really went with it and the connection with the support has been really special since.
“Jack Coyne’s speech will stick long in the memory of all of us. The moment when the hooter went, it will live on with a lot of people.
“And not just in Mayo. I think nationwide. We just love our football, we are very proud of our players and our team and what they have done.”
Orla Carney is Mayo native, from the Breaffy club, who lives in Dublin and is a producer for The Last Word on Today FM. Her father Martin played for Donegal and Mayo, and was co-commentator for Midwest Radio last Sunday.
“I’ve been completely overwhelmed by it all, the joy shared by Mayo people all over the world, the love and well wishes we’ve received. I’ve spoken to people this week that I haven’t spoken to in 15 years. It would reaffirm your faith in the goodness of people.
“I’m delighted for the older Mayo people. I was too young for ’96 and 97, I didn’t experience ’89, there’s a hell of a lot of people who’ve soldiered for longer than me, who always wondered how we would feel. We all thought around ‘16-’17 we might experience it but we’d to wait another ten years. It was absolutely worth the wait, no problem, I’d do it all again.
Martin Carney's commentary as Mayo ended their 75-year wait for Sam Maguire has gone viral 🤣 👏
On Louise's show, his daughter Orla Carney shares what it was like hearing her dad's now-viral call of one of the biggest moments in Mayo GAA history. 💚❤️🏆
“I feel very privileged to have been there and witness it in the flesh, tickets were really hard to come by this year. The match finished at five o’clock. My eldest sister was in the Cusack Stand, she eventually came around to myself and my other sister about 15 minutes after the cup was lifted. We were still bawling crying.
“We didn’t leave the stadium until twenty to seven. They could not get rid of us. I had no interest in leaving, I wanted to soak up every last second of it. I wanted to take in every fan that was around of me, people of all ages breaking down, collapsing, hugging strangers, crying in each other’s faces. It was a beautiful thing.
“After the match I met Tommy Cavanan, who’s from Breaffy as well. Tommy and a group from home have booked a train to Castlebar from Heuston on the Monday after every All-Ireland and never got on it.
“I met Tommy outside on Jones Road on Sunday evening was with his wife Miriam, and he said ‘I’m finally getting on the 12.45 train tomorrow!’
Mayo fans in Castlebar on Monday night. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“I know a fella who lives in Boston and on the Sunday evening he booked a flight home, so that he could be in Castlebar for the homecoming. He was there and I met him. He had no regrets whatsoever, he was so glad he did it, there was no way in hell that he was missing out.
“Everywhere in Castlebar was rammed Monday evening, there was no way you were getting in, so it just became one massive street party. Music blaring, people climbing up trees and lampposts, flares and fireworks being let off. At one stage we were having a game of limbo, which was made of a bunch of Mayo headbands tied together. Met loads of people from school, it was a big reunion.
“I’m massively proud of the lads, how they went about things. I’m thrilled for the ex-players, I hope they feel it’s their win. There was something pure in the whole thing. I’ll never forget the few days, it was a total joy.”
Mayo fans celebrate during the Castlebar homecoming. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
*****
5. Edwin McGreal
Edwin is a native of Breaffy and now lives in Achill. He was a journalist with the Mayo News for 20 years, and is now the editor of Mayo Books Press.
“We were driving home Sunday, we’d the seven-seater full of family. I’m living in Achill now, and we said we’d call in to our home house in Breaffy, just to see Mam and Dad and my sister.
“We were passing the Breaffy pitch, I was in the passenger seat and just turned to my brother-in-law who was driving, and said, ‘Do you see that in there, that’s home to four All-Ireland senior champions.’
“I started bawling again as soon as I said it.
Mayo's Breaffy contingent - Aidan O'Shea, Jack Livingstone, Matthew Ruane and Robert Hennelly. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
“When you think of the hard times Aidan (O’Shea) and Robbie (Hennelly) had, and they’ve been on the receiving end of some awful stuff over the years, and that they got to have their day when they climbed the steps.
“We were in Castlebar on Monday, I brought the kids to it, then I went to Belmullet on Wednesday, and got to see the lads. The cup came to Breaffy on Friday. I’d never touched Sam Maguire before, but got to finally hold it then. Some emotion.
Matthew Ruane and Edwin McGreal with Sam Maguire in Breaffy on Friday.
“I was first in Croke Park in ’89, lifted over the turnstiles by my Dad. I’ve been at most finals since, couldn’t get a ticket in ’97. I was even there in 2020 during Covid, working as a journalist.
“I’ve never cried like it in my life. I’d be quite emotional anyway, but the slightest things set you off. We’ve three kids, I’ve been bringing the eldest two to all the games, Frankie (9) and Éamon (7). I had the two of them with me for the Louth game, but we just couldn’t get three tickets beside each other this time, unfortunately.
“But to have my daughter with me on Sunday, I’ll remember it forever more.
Edwin McGreal at the Mayo-Louth semi-final with his son Éamon and daughter Frankie.
“The week has been manic. You meet people on the road, and you’re clenching fists at each other, you’re meeting people in the shop and you’re hugging each other. The whole place is floating.
“Some Mayo people reckoned it would be an anti-climax when we did it after all the waiting.
“It has been everything we thought it would be and then some.”
******
6. Pádraig O’Hora
Pádraig is Ballina Stephenites clubman and a former Mayo player who played in the 2021 final. In May of this year, he was part of a three-man expedition that scaled Mount Everest after 47 days. Last Sunday he was a pundit for BBC NI.
“To be honest, straight after the game the big standout point for me was how taken aback I was by Kerry.
“Not just the supporters. The way Jack O’Connor spoke about it from a management perspective and the players. They were so dignified and gracious in defeat. They waited around.
Pádraig O'Hora after losing the 2021 All-Ireland final. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“I mean, they were really fantastic. We talk about GAA culture being different to others, in particular to soccer. But the respect and passion between the fans was something else.
“I was in Croke Park to the bitter end and then out to Jones’ Road. I spoke to as many people from Kerry as I did Mayo. All of them were really gracious. Totally sound. Taking photos with the kids.
“I just thought it was a really good showing of what the GAA is all about and how it can be, how it should be.
“That was my takeaway, was that I have never, ever seen it in any other sporting event. Hats off to them, really.”
******
7. Anne-Marie Flynn
Anne-Marie Flynn is a Mayo fan from Ballina, and writes a supporters column for The Mayo News and mft.ie.
“The level of joy that was there was in its purest form, undiluted. That joy hasn’t diminished, it feels like everything has fundamentally changed for the better in Mayo, that people are carrying themselves differently. It has been really lovely to realise how the rest of the country is actually enjoying this quite a lot as well.
“It’s struck me as well that it’s incredible how quickly your mindset can change. For Mayo over the last 30 years or so, there’s been this narrative to win just one would be fine. And now it’s Friday morning and we listen to Andy Moran in Ballaghaderreen saying last night that we should get greedy and want more. Now we’re all chatting and saying why wouldn’t we go again? It’s remarkable to have that conversation.
Mayo's Kuba Callaghan, manager Andy Moran and David McBrien with the Sam Maguire Cup in Ballaghaderreen. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
“There was a lot of talk amongst Mayo supporters at a local level about how things felt different this year. It was probably borne out of what happened in 2021. For a lot of people that was just rock bottom in terms of following Mayo teams, there was a lot of expectation that year and when it all fell apart, there was a real sense of how are we ever going to come back from this? I certainly felt that in the immediate aftermath and the subsequent couple of years.
“What happened this year from half-time in the Meath game, that realisation that no matter how hopeless it might get in Mayo, that actually they will always come back at some point. I don’t think after that game anyone thought we’re win an All-Ireland, but it just proved if we hang in there long enough, good things will happen again.
“Going into the final, people had this realisation that we may not win this, we probably won’t, but if we lose we’re well equipped to deal with it. There was an awful lot of pressure off the team and our own expectations as well. People just went along and enjoyed the experience for what it was.
“As it happened it worked out pretty well in the end.”
Mayo fans at Thursday's homecoming in Charlestown. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
******
8. Jim Zoldy
Jim lives in Connecticut and his maternal great-grandfather Patrick Griffin was from Kilvine, near Irishtown, and emigrated to the US in 1888. He caught the Mayo bug in 2016 and has been back 23 times as a fan to be at their games.
“When presented with an over-abundance of choices, paralysis tends to result. I can’t settle on one memory that supersedes all others.
“One thread through many of them was the noise from the crowd; starting with ‘The Green and Red of Mayo’ before the throw in, to the roar after every turnover and concluding with the finale of Tommy’s point at the end, the eruption at the hooter and the crescendo when Jack hoisted Sam toward the heavens. Unreal!
Jim Zoldy (left) and his brother Bob.
“One funny thing was when my brother and I returned to Ireland. As we descended to the baggage claim area of Dublin airport on Sunday morning, Thin Lizzy’s The Boys are back in Town was playing over the sound system.
“Da boys are back!”
******
9. Rob Murphy
Rob is the proprietor of Murphy’s Centra in Ballinrobe and the host of the Mayo Football Talk podcast; mft.ie
“Every hour I am seeing someone I hadn’t seen since Sunday and there’s a beep of a horn, there’s a fist clenched, there’s a few words.
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Rob Murphy flanked by his uncle Jimmy Murphy (left) and his brother David (right) outside The Big Tree after the game.
“Everyone is connecting and celebrating. It’s just been something that has really struck me. I think there’s a sense that, ‘Jesus, I am so glad I am alive for this.’
“I’m not saying the journey was worth it. We always knew that when we lost one, it added another layer onto the party that would happen.
“We love football. We don’t love The Quest. We don’t love #MayoForSam. We love football. This game means everything to us here, it’s heart and soul and bread and butter. Girls and boys from the first chance they get a ball in their hands.
“The game is our culture, our life, our energy. Like Tommy Conroy comes into the shop here and you find yourself clapping him on the back in feckin’ February! “It wasn’t worth it, but it made it better. Both things can be true!”
*****
10. John Casey
John from Charlestown, a former Mayo player who played in the losing All-Ireland finals of 1996 and 1997.
“The game looked like déjà vu all over again after 15 minutes. Kerry cruising, few attacks and a few scores. We were hitting them into the ‘keepers hands…
“But you got a sense that they were getting a handle on things. The roller coaster of going in at half-time to going ahead, to five up in the second half and then Ryan O’Donoghue had the two-pointer chance. I said to a fella in front of me, ‘If O’Donoghue kicks this, we are home and hosed.’
John Casey. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
“To which he told me, ‘Would you ever shut up?’ And then Ryan dropped it short and Kerry went up and got a two-pointer themselves. It was looking disastrous.
“Shortly afterwards, Jordan Flynn hitting the crossbar. Mother of God.
“I have been at a lot of All-Irelands but never felt emotion like it.”
Ryan O'Donoghue and Diarmuid O'Connor. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
*****
The closing summary goes to Jarlath Burns, the GAA President who had the honour of handing over Sam Maguire to a Mayo captain for the first time in 75 years…
—-
“The day of the All-Ireland final for the GAA President is a very exhausting one. You go to Mass at 10.30am and you give a wee speech for that, thank the Priest and then you go over to get a photograph with all the volunteer stewards over at the Cusack Stand, where there is another speech, and thank them for their work.
“You race over in time to meet the Jubilee team and you have to make a meaningful contribution to those lads as it means a great deal to them, especially this year with the passing of Paul Clancy, his wife Johanna and children were there, Finn representing his father. And Geraldine O’Mahony was there, wife of the late John.
Finn Clancy, representing his late father Paul Clancy, joined by Michael Donnellan and Ja Fallon. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
“Then you have a sponsors’ event in the Croke Park box. After the game there is a dinner for all the referees and officials, with about 70 odd people there, a speech there and later on you attend the winning banquet and The Sunday Game broadcast, where there is another speech.
“But the one speech I never prepare or think that much of is the one straight after the All-Ireland final. That has to emerge as the game goes on.
“I was making notes on the programme about both teams and you have the captain circled and it’s important to know something about them. As the game wore on I started thinking more about Mayo.
“For that five or ten minutes when you are waiting for the captain to come up and knowing that the whole country will be watching you and there is a responsibility to articulate the mood of the country. It’s a very daunting prospect, but an incredible privilege.
GAA President Jarlath Burns. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
“A fella in our club took a video of me doing the speech, because you don’t know if anyone in our club will ever do it again. But bewilderment, shock, awe, it was all in there.
“As the game wore on and they took the lead, you still thought there was going to be another two, three years of therapy for Mayo people. I don’t think the nation could have taken them losing again.
“I don’t believe in curses. Curses are rubbish. It’s ridiculous to think that a priest would have the power to put a curse on.
“There was something psychological going on there. I am just happy for them that they could throw the shackles off, and win more than just once.”
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'We got a picture with Sam on his lap and Ryan O’Donoghue beside him. That's it now. Job done'
AFTER THREE QUARTERS of a century of hardship, Mayo football had its long-awaited moment of liberation.
Last Sunday was an epochal occasion, the stadium drenched in joy and emotion, smiles and tears, as the quest to land Sam Maguire concluded.
Mayo people from all walks of life had Croke Park experiences that were deeply personal and varied. The celebrations haven’t stopped since, the momentous homecoming took place in Castlebar on Monday and the carnival has toured around the county since.
It has been the greatest week of Mayo people’s lives and this is their story.
*****
*****
1. Colm Boyle
“Someone asked me Monday morning, have you regrets about (not winning) All-Irelands as a player? Of course you do, Jesus Christ sure how could you not? But it was a day for Mayo people.
“It wasn’t about ex-players, it was about the team of the ‘26. Forget the past now, it’s about the future.
“The big thing for me is that people could just move on now because it does hang a cloud over the county. People mightn’t know it or mightn’t realise it, but they’re almost depressed about it that they’ve never seen Mayo win the All-Ireland.
“They can forget that now, they can move on with their lives. It doesn’t have to be this mad obsession. That’s what this team have done, they’ve wiped a lot of the nonsense away.
“I would have played with a lot of them older boys, legends of the county. No one outside the group will know what them boys have done in terms of prepping them for the games.
“You’ve a load of cubs, having that experience around, they were sensational. There’s a great photo we have of Darragh Beirne as a 9 or 10-year-old, hugging Cillian O’Connor after a game, and we had that in our dressing room. Them boys have inspired these fellas.
“I’ve been to a load of All-Ireland final banquets and was in hotels the following day. No one really wants to see you or talk to you. It’s all about the winners and that’s the way it should be.
“We had RTÉ last Sunday at the banquet, saw media guys there Monday morning, the lads went off to Temple Street Hospital with the cup. Stuff we never got to do in the past because didn’t get over the line.
“I watched The Sunday Game, the full celebrations after the hurling that night. I was looking at Limerick, which I wouldn’t normally do if we’re playing in the final the following week, but I watched that. I was saying to myself, ‘Jesus, I wouldn’t be unbelievable if that was us next week.’
“We had a guy from Davitts in our banquet last Sunday. Billy Curran’s a legend of our club who we would have soldiered a lot with. He’d Sam Maguire over his head and it’s only when you see the likes of him pulling Sam over his head at two o’clock in the morning, you’re thinking, ‘Yeah, this is what it’s all about.’
“I would always (have) dreamt of bringing the cup back to Davitts as a player. I visualised it back in the day. It wasn’t meant to be.
“Fenton (Kelly) is actually a relation of mine, he’s a second cousin, so I’m delighted, I know all his family very well. He’s the first man in Davitts to win an All-Ireland senior medal
“We’ll have that moment when we get to Davitts, I don’t know when it’ll be but I’ll really look forward to it.”
*****
2. Michael Gallagher
“Two moments. When we brought Sam into the barony of Erris, which is where we and our club Ballycroy is from, they came across the bridge and oh my God, I never thought I’d see the day. Stunning. Bloody hell.
“My father was at death’s door. He was gone four weeks ago and he came back and is hanging on. We got him there and in the midst of all the lunacy we got a picture of him with Sam on his lap and Ryan O’Donoghue beside him. That’s it now. Job done.
“When the final whistle went I was standing beside Padraig Farrelly in the media area in Croke Park.
“I gave him a hug, I sent my piece to the presses and my phone was ringing. It was my daughter Aisling from The Galway Hooker pub in Perth.
“It was a FaceTime call. I couldn’t hear her, she couldn’t hear me, but we were both crying mad. I just wanted her to be there, because of the economic situation in Ireland she has to work in the mines in Perth to gather up some money to get on the property ladder.
“That angers me greatly, that she missed Mayo winning an All-Ireland. As Mayo won the All-Ireland after 75 years, the greatest supporter I have seen in my lifetime, she was in Perth.
“Another moment came when we went to the Maldron (Hotel) after with my daughter Saoirse. We met Ciaran McDonald and he said after he got speaking to the boys and something to eat, he was thinking of going to bed.
“Saoirse would not be an excitable type but she got to shake his hand and when he left, she said, ‘When I was little, that man was God.’
“And I said, ‘He still is.’ ”
*****
3. Lee Keegan
“To see what it means to Mayo people and beyond has been crazy. The outpouring of emotion has been special.
“One of the moments that sticks out for me was Andy’s speech after the Louth game. It was a defining moment because we had been laughed at, sneered at, joked at, poked at.
“And we had a defiant moment, Andy saying, ‘Fuck this, I have had enough of this.’
“I think that seeped into the mentality. It was our time and Andy took back something from that. I think the players really went with it and the connection with the support has been really special since.
“Jack Coyne’s speech will stick long in the memory of all of us. The moment when the hooter went, it will live on with a lot of people.
“And not just in Mayo. I think nationwide. We just love our football, we are very proud of our players and our team and what they have done.”
*****
4. Orla Carney
“I’ve been completely overwhelmed by it all, the joy shared by Mayo people all over the world, the love and well wishes we’ve received. I’ve spoken to people this week that I haven’t spoken to in 15 years. It would reaffirm your faith in the goodness of people.
“I’m delighted for the older Mayo people. I was too young for ’96 and 97, I didn’t experience ’89, there’s a hell of a lot of people who’ve soldiered for longer than me, who always wondered how we would feel. We all thought around ‘16-’17 we might experience it but we’d to wait another ten years. It was absolutely worth the wait, no problem, I’d do it all again.
“I feel very privileged to have been there and witness it in the flesh, tickets were really hard to come by this year. The match finished at five o’clock. My eldest sister was in the Cusack Stand, she eventually came around to myself and my other sister about 15 minutes after the cup was lifted. We were still bawling crying.
“We didn’t leave the stadium until twenty to seven. They could not get rid of us. I had no interest in leaving, I wanted to soak up every last second of it. I wanted to take in every fan that was around of me, people of all ages breaking down, collapsing, hugging strangers, crying in each other’s faces. It was a beautiful thing.
“After the match I met Tommy Cavanan, who’s from Breaffy as well. Tommy and a group from home have booked a train to Castlebar from Heuston on the Monday after every All-Ireland and never got on it.
“I met Tommy outside on Jones Road on Sunday evening was with his wife Miriam, and he said ‘I’m finally getting on the 12.45 train tomorrow!’
“I know a fella who lives in Boston and on the Sunday evening he booked a flight home, so that he could be in Castlebar for the homecoming. He was there and I met him. He had no regrets whatsoever, he was so glad he did it, there was no way in hell that he was missing out.
“Everywhere in Castlebar was rammed Monday evening, there was no way you were getting in, so it just became one massive street party. Music blaring, people climbing up trees and lampposts, flares and fireworks being let off. At one stage we were having a game of limbo, which was made of a bunch of Mayo headbands tied together. Met loads of people from school, it was a big reunion.
“I’m massively proud of the lads, how they went about things. I’m thrilled for the ex-players, I hope they feel it’s their win. There was something pure in the whole thing. I’ll never forget the few days, it was a total joy.”
*****
5. Edwin McGreal
“We were driving home Sunday, we’d the seven-seater full of family. I’m living in Achill now, and we said we’d call in to our home house in Breaffy, just to see Mam and Dad and my sister.
“We were passing the Breaffy pitch, I was in the passenger seat and just turned to my brother-in-law who was driving, and said, ‘Do you see that in there, that’s home to four All-Ireland senior champions.’
“I started bawling again as soon as I said it.
“When you think of the hard times Aidan (O’Shea) and Robbie (Hennelly) had, and they’ve been on the receiving end of some awful stuff over the years, and that they got to have their day when they climbed the steps.
“We were in Castlebar on Monday, I brought the kids to it, then I went to Belmullet on Wednesday, and got to see the lads. The cup came to Breaffy on Friday. I’d never touched Sam Maguire before, but got to finally hold it then. Some emotion.
“I was first in Croke Park in ’89, lifted over the turnstiles by my Dad. I’ve been at most finals since, couldn’t get a ticket in ’97. I was even there in 2020 during Covid, working as a journalist.
“I’ve never cried like it in my life. I’d be quite emotional anyway, but the slightest things set you off. We’ve three kids, I’ve been bringing the eldest two to all the games, Frankie (9) and Éamon (7). I had the two of them with me for the Louth game, but we just couldn’t get three tickets beside each other this time, unfortunately.
“But to have my daughter with me on Sunday, I’ll remember it forever more.
“The week has been manic. You meet people on the road, and you’re clenching fists at each other, you’re meeting people in the shop and you’re hugging each other. The whole place is floating.
“Some Mayo people reckoned it would be an anti-climax when we did it after all the waiting.
“It has been everything we thought it would be and then some.”
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6. Pádraig O’Hora
“To be honest, straight after the game the big standout point for me was how taken aback I was by Kerry.
“Not just the supporters. The way Jack O’Connor spoke about it from a management perspective and the players. They were so dignified and gracious in defeat. They waited around.
“I mean, they were really fantastic. We talk about GAA culture being different to others, in particular to soccer. But the respect and passion between the fans was something else.
“I was in Croke Park to the bitter end and then out to Jones’ Road. I spoke to as many people from Kerry as I did Mayo. All of them were really gracious. Totally sound. Taking photos with the kids.
“I just thought it was a really good showing of what the GAA is all about and how it can be, how it should be.
“That was my takeaway, was that I have never, ever seen it in any other sporting event. Hats off to them, really.”
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7. Anne-Marie Flynn
“The level of joy that was there was in its purest form, undiluted. That joy hasn’t diminished, it feels like everything has fundamentally changed for the better in Mayo, that people are carrying themselves differently. It has been really lovely to realise how the rest of the country is actually enjoying this quite a lot as well.
“It’s struck me as well that it’s incredible how quickly your mindset can change. For Mayo over the last 30 years or so, there’s been this narrative to win just one would be fine. And now it’s Friday morning and we listen to Andy Moran in Ballaghaderreen saying last night that we should get greedy and want more. Now we’re all chatting and saying why wouldn’t we go again? It’s remarkable to have that conversation.
“There was a lot of talk amongst Mayo supporters at a local level about how things felt different this year. It was probably borne out of what happened in 2021. For a lot of people that was just rock bottom in terms of following Mayo teams, there was a lot of expectation that year and when it all fell apart, there was a real sense of how are we ever going to come back from this? I certainly felt that in the immediate aftermath and the subsequent couple of years.
“What happened this year from half-time in the Meath game, that realisation that no matter how hopeless it might get in Mayo, that actually they will always come back at some point. I don’t think after that game anyone thought we’re win an All-Ireland, but it just proved if we hang in there long enough, good things will happen again.
“Going into the final, people had this realisation that we may not win this, we probably won’t, but if we lose we’re well equipped to deal with it. There was an awful lot of pressure off the team and our own expectations as well. People just went along and enjoyed the experience for what it was.
“As it happened it worked out pretty well in the end.”
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8. Jim Zoldy
“When presented with an over-abundance of choices, paralysis tends to result. I can’t settle on one memory that supersedes all others.
“One thread through many of them was the noise from the crowd; starting with ‘The Green and Red of Mayo’ before the throw in, to the roar after every turnover and concluding with the finale of Tommy’s point at the end, the eruption at the hooter and the crescendo when Jack hoisted Sam toward the heavens. Unreal!
“One funny thing was when my brother and I returned to Ireland. As we descended to the baggage claim area of Dublin airport on Sunday morning, Thin Lizzy’s The Boys are back in Town was playing over the sound system.
“Da boys are back!”
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9. Rob Murphy
“Every hour I am seeing someone I hadn’t seen since Sunday and there’s a beep of a horn, there’s a fist clenched, there’s a few words.
“Everyone is connecting and celebrating. It’s just been something that has really struck me. I think there’s a sense that, ‘Jesus, I am so glad I am alive for this.’
“I’m not saying the journey was worth it. We always knew that when we lost one, it added another layer onto the party that would happen.
“We love football. We don’t love The Quest. We don’t love #MayoForSam. We love football. This game means everything to us here, it’s heart and soul and bread and butter. Girls and boys from the first chance they get a ball in their hands.
“The game is our culture, our life, our energy. Like Tommy Conroy comes into the shop here and you find yourself clapping him on the back in feckin’ February! “It wasn’t worth it, but it made it better. Both things can be true!”
*****
10. John Casey
“The game looked like déjà vu all over again after 15 minutes. Kerry cruising, few attacks and a few scores. We were hitting them into the ‘keepers hands…
“But you got a sense that they were getting a handle on things. The roller coaster of going in at half-time to going ahead, to five up in the second half and then Ryan O’Donoghue had the two-pointer chance. I said to a fella in front of me, ‘If O’Donoghue kicks this, we are home and hosed.’
“To which he told me, ‘Would you ever shut up?’ And then Ryan dropped it short and Kerry went up and got a two-pointer themselves. It was looking disastrous.
“Shortly afterwards, Jordan Flynn hitting the crossbar. Mother of God.
“I have been at a lot of All-Irelands but never felt emotion like it.”
*****
The closing summary goes to Jarlath Burns, the GAA President who had the honour of handing over Sam Maguire to a Mayo captain for the first time in 75 years…
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“The day of the All-Ireland final for the GAA President is a very exhausting one. You go to Mass at 10.30am and you give a wee speech for that, thank the Priest and then you go over to get a photograph with all the volunteer stewards over at the Cusack Stand, where there is another speech, and thank them for their work.
“You race over in time to meet the Jubilee team and you have to make a meaningful contribution to those lads as it means a great deal to them, especially this year with the passing of Paul Clancy, his wife Johanna and children were there, Finn representing his father. And Geraldine O’Mahony was there, wife of the late John.
“Then you have a sponsors’ event in the Croke Park box. After the game there is a dinner for all the referees and officials, with about 70 odd people there, a speech there and later on you attend the winning banquet and The Sunday Game broadcast, where there is another speech.
“But the one speech I never prepare or think that much of is the one straight after the All-Ireland final. That has to emerge as the game goes on.
“I was making notes on the programme about both teams and you have the captain circled and it’s important to know something about them. As the game wore on I started thinking more about Mayo.
“For that five or ten minutes when you are waiting for the captain to come up and knowing that the whole country will be watching you and there is a responsibility to articulate the mood of the country. It’s a very daunting prospect, but an incredible privilege.
“A fella in our club took a video of me doing the speech, because you don’t know if anyone in our club will ever do it again. But bewilderment, shock, awe, it was all in there.
“As the game wore on and they took the lead, you still thought there was going to be another two, three years of therapy for Mayo people. I don’t think the nation could have taken them losing again.
“I don’t believe in curses. Curses are rubbish. It’s ridiculous to think that a priest would have the power to put a curse on.
“There was something psychological going on there. I am just happy for them that they could throw the shackles off, and win more than just once.”
*****
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Champions At Last GAA Mayo Memories