Saw Doctors return to Mayo in some style

The TF was lit up on the weekend as The Saw Doctors made their long-awaited return to County Mayo, joining in on the All-Ireland celebrations that seem to have no plan of slowing down any time soon.

The Tuam-based band came to Castlebar for the first time in over 15 years to play two sold-out shows in the TF, and the atmosphere in the town over the weekend was palpable.

Following the historic win on July 26, The Saw Doctors’ 1992 song ‘Green and Red of Mayo’ flew to number one on the Irish Spotify Charts.

It was played across radio stations, at our homecomings, on stage at Electric Picnic with the Mayo team, and at every party that has taken place in the county ever since.

On Friday, as you made your way into Castlebar and towards the TF, the flurry of Mayo jerseys increased tenfold. The crowd were proudly sticking their chests out, as instructed to do so by our beloved captain Jack Coyne.

Inside, it was a mix of young and old concert-goers. For a band that has been performing for four decades, their music clearly transcends generations. Their lyrics have no age, and their songs have no expiry date.

The talented duo, Davy Carton and Leo Moran, have been rejoined by founding member Pearse Doherty. The eight-man line-up also included former Waterboys member Anthony Thistlethwaite, Rickie O’Neill, Kieran Duddy, Tommy Carton and Noelie McDonnell.

Proud Galway men, they told the packed-out auditorium they had come all the way from Tuam on Michael Moran’s bus, before launching into ‘All the Way From Tuam’.

‘No matter where you’re from, everyone’s local’, so say the lyrics, and it truly felt like the case inside that room on Friday.

Everyone was joined together in celebration, with Mayo at the front and centre of the stage and history in our national sport being celebrated no matter where you were from, unless you were from Kerry, maybe.

At one point, a member of the band came onto the stage wearing a Galway jersey.

The crowd immediately erupted, shouting ‘off, off, off’ in unison. Only to be told that Joyce Country represents both counties. That explanation was met with a cheer from the crowd. They let him off.

Everyone is local no matter where you are from, remember?

The band’s first number one single, ‘I Useta Lover’, went down a treat. People were up on their feet, singing along, coming together to live in the moment and appreciate the show The Saw Doctors were putting on for us.

Not only was the significance of them being in Mayo, and of us being All-Ireland champions, at the forefront of everyone’s minds, but for music lovers, it was some show.

The lights, the sound, their energy and their vibe. They had total control over the room, getting the crowd going from the moment they stepped on stage.

It was not lost on anyone how lucky we were to have tickets, to be in that room, and to see one of Ireland’s most popular and loved bands perform in Mayo - the home of the All-Ireland Champions.

Then came the songs that have become part of the fabric of The Saw Doctors.

‘N17’ had the whole room on their feet. Then came ‘To Win Just Once’, and every word hit differently than it did when listening to the song before July 26. The room was bouncing. There were smiles everywhere. People were embracing.

But there was still one song to come.

‘Green and Red of Mayo’ rang out.

It was a moment. Everyone in the room, every single word, was sung loud and proud.

The Saw Doctors knew the power they had in their hands at that moment in time to create a core memory for us Mayo supporters.

And they did. The standing pitch became a sea of raised arms and waving flags, with people lifted onto each other’s shoulders as the whole crowd sang along.

A song that was written on a ferry making its way back from Clare Island after the first Féile in 1990, inspired by the picturesque green and red landscape of our beautiful county, will forever live on in the hearts of Mayo people.

It is our song, our history, our pride.