Nursing home residents hail Mayo’s victory

For many of the residents at Ave Maria Nursing Home in Tooreen, Sunday, July 26, was much more than an All-Ireland final, it was the day a 75-year wait finally came to an end.

They gathered around the television in the nursing home's main room, hoping they were about to watch a match many had spent almost eight decades waiting to see.

One resident remembered listening to the 1951 final on the family radio, while others had quietly accepted they might never witness another All-Ireland win.

By Thursday morning when the Western People went to speak to some of the residents, the green and red jerseys were still on, the conversations were still centred on Sunday's victory, and their sense of pride had not faded one bit.

If anything, it had grown stronger, helped by the knowledge that the man lifting the cup as captain was Ballyhaunis native Jack Coyne.

Celebrations had been building throughout the weekend as residents gathered on Friday for a concelebrated Mass led by Fr Patrick Holleran and Fr Kieran Waldron, both residents at the nursing home, alongside Fr Jerald David.

During the Mass, nursing home owner Anne Feeney presented Fr Jerald with a Mayo jersey, which he later wore while climbing Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday.

Before the 3:30pm throw-in, residents watched the livestream of the Mass from Knock Basilica.

Afternoon tea followed before everyone settled in to watch Mayo take on Kerry.

When the final whistle sounded, decades of near misses, heartbreak and hope gave way to a feeling that many in the room had wondered if they would ever experience.

"We were overwhelmed, and everybody was so delighted. I thought I would never see it. I'm 82 years [old]. My husband was a good follower of football," said Sadie from Knockroe, Ballyhaunis.

She explained that she and her late husband had watched countless Mayo matches together over the years, although Sunday was the first time she had ever worn a green-and-red jersey herself.

For Christy Ruane, who is originally from Galway but lives in Knockroe, the win ranked among the greatest moments he has witnessed in his six decades living in Mayo.

“It's up there with the biggest stories that have happened since I came to Mayo 60 years ago,” he said.

“It was the greatest occasion here in Mayo since the airport opened. Then when the Pope came, this is up there with the best of them.”

Fr Patrick Holleran, from Killasser, Swinford, one of the celebrants at Friday's Mass in the nursing home, said Sunday's victory touched people of every age across the county.

“It got to the feelings and the hearts of every man, woman and child. That's how I would sum it up. The emotion was so high. I could feel it coming through from the rest of the people of Mayo,” he said.

He believes the long-awaited victory will inspire generations of young players across the west and said that celebrations have united Mayo people of all ages.

“It's very historic. We were tired listening to 1951, at least now we have put that to bed. It's been a long time coming.

“There is a great future for GAA in the west of Ireland, counties like Mayo, Galway, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon. It gives great courage and support to these counties.

“The spirit from the four-year-old, the 44-year-old, to the 84-year-old, they were all celebrating. There was a great sense of pride in my own place, my homeplace. It's a sense of pride in whatever part of Mayo you are from.” 

That pride Fr Patrick referred to was reflected in the memories shared around the room by other residents.

Margaret Johnson, from Knox Street, Ballyhaunis, is among the few Mayo supporters who can remember the county's last All-Ireland triumph in 1951. She was just 11 years old when she and her family gathered around the radio to listen to the final.

“We were very happy. They got a great welcome home from the people in the west. The captain of the team that year was Sean Flanagan,” she said.

Watching the team break the so-called curse and bring an end to the long wait was something she never thought she would see.

“The boys in it now are only young boys. They are 18 and 19. They’re nice people, they’re nice lads. The captain is from Ballyhaunis too,” she added with a smile.

Margaret proudly recalled celebrations from when the Mayo ladies brought home four All-Ireland titles in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003, remembering how her 101-year-old mother went outside at 3am to see the trophy arrive in Ballyhaunis in 1999.

For Nellie Kevanagh, originally from Ballinlough, Co Roscommon, Sunday's victory also brought back memories of her family in 1951.

“We were praying and hoping. We were very, very happy. Deep down I was hoping they would win. When the match started, it was very exciting.

“I was thinking about 1951, because my sister was working in the hotel in Claremorris, she was 17, and when the team won the match, they all went back there, all 80 of them, and they had their meal there.

“All the girls were in love with the footballers,” she added with a laugh.

As the conversation continued, one name kept coming up - Jack Coyne.

The residents spoke with immense pride about the Ballyhaunis man who captained Mayo to victory, saying his speech afterwards, particularly his call for people to "stick your chest out and be proud to be from Mayo", struck a chord with them all.

“He performed so well, the speech and everything he did, the way he led out his team. He was an ideal captain,” Christy said.

“It was beautiful. We are still overwhelmed. It’s still sinking in,” Sadie added.

Fr Patrick believes the scale of the achievement has yet to fully sink in.

“It takes a while to register really. We will be celebrating for the rest of the year.

“We have been so close and yet so far for many years, we have been knocking on the door for a long, long time.”