26 random musings after 75 years of waiting
Mayo footballer Paul Towey with officials from his club Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club at the team's reception in the town last Thursday afternoon. Picture: John O'Grady
Words do not really do any of it justice, but here are some of my observations in the aftermath of an amazing time revelling in the glory of Mayo's All-Ireland SFC victory.
1. Andy wears the crown well. In his media and public outings since, he has been humble, composed and honest. Post-full-time whistle last Sunday week, rather than understandably erupting into euphoria, he immediately sought out Jack O'Connor for a few respectful and gracious words. A class act.
2. How good was it to hear that Ryan O'Donoghue was sick with nerves on the morning of the game? Not because we wish any ill will on the lad, but it is very reassuring that he can feel cripplingly anxious and then go on to produce a masterclass like that. What a great message for any person about to play a big match, go for a job interview, sit an exam or perform on stage. Nerves are natural. They won't stop you being your best.
3. Mayo winning the All-Ireland for the first time in 75 years. New York Knicks winning the NBA title for the first time in 53 years. Arsenal winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years. Is the world about to end?
4. Did anyone catch Darragh Beirne's full-pelt, pitch-long sprint into the Hill end just before throw-in? Probably just wanting to burn off some excitement and nervous energy and get the muscles firing. When I saw the ferocity and intent in that run, I knew he was primed to have a good game.
5. Martin Carney had his Gary Neville commentary moment. Red Nev went viral for his orgasmic groans when Fernando Torres scored a late breakaway winner for Chelsea in the Nou Camp in 2012. Martin got as excited and received as much worldwide traction for his fantastic calling of the historic last few moments of the match.
6. It felt like a home match for Mayo in Croke Park. Perhaps it was because so many neutrals had jumped on board, but the attendance felt like it was weighted at least 70:30 in Mayo's favour.
7. Spare a thought for the likes of Eoghan McLaughlin and Michael Plunkett, who left the squad recently enough. Sure, they'll be delighted for their buddies and proud to be from Mayo, but it is difficult to narrowly miss out on being part of such a momentous occasion. It's cruel, but that's the nature of sport. Through form and fitness, there are always people coming and going from panels, so there will always be poor unfortunates who just miss out on major successes.
8. As painful as the losses were at the time, thank goodness we did not win the All-Ireland finals in the Covid years of 2020 and 2021. In an empty or half-full Croke Park, we would have been robbed of the joyous scenes we witnessed and experienced last Sunday week.
9. Mayo kicked 17 scores in the final, Kerry kicked 18. Chasing two-pointers all season reaped dividends for Andy's men on the greatest day of all.
10. The Croke Park DJ, Kevin McDermott, deserves a raise. He played an absolute blinder on All-Ireland Final day. Apart from the obvious Saw Doctors classics, his choice of post-match tunes, such as by Florence and the Machine, u by Fatboy Slim and by the Black Eyed Peas, perfectly captured the scale and emotion of an epic moment.
11. There were heroes everywhere on the pitch, but none more heroic than Conor Loftus. To win two All-Irelands in the last 18 months, after the tragedy and pain he has had to endure, marks him out as a very special person. He also joins Stephen Coen, Diarmuid O'Connor and Mattie Ruane as Mayo's most decorated players of all time, having won the clean sweep of Minor, Under-21 and Senior All-Ireland titles.
12. For a while now, it has felt like Gaelic football under the new rules was becoming a game of kick-outs, i.e. whoever won the kick-out battle and breaks was invariably going to win the match. Mayo torpedoed that hypothesis, retaining less than 40% of their own kick-outs but deservedly and convincingly winning the match. I'm glad that this is the case and that Mayo found a way to win without relying too heavily on restarts, as our game is at its best when fluid and flowing, and we wouldn't want it to become dominated by set pieces and set plays like American Football.
13. All-Ireland victories produce copycats, so let’s hope Andy’s team’s buccaneering, give-it-a-lash, front-foot style is aped across the country in the coming years.
14. I get the sentiment, and this is perhaps a bit of a pedantic point, but I would query the phrase “Sam is coming home”. Sam Maguire was from Dunmanway, Co Cork, while the iconic trophy that bears his name was designed and commissioned in Dublin by jewellers Hopkins & Hopkins, with the silverwork crafted by Dublin silversmith Matthew J. Staunton of D’Olier Street.
15. Kudos to the Mayo S&C team. The Mayo players were at the pitch of the game and at the peak of their powers at the climax of the season. Kerry, on the other hand, looked unfit, leggy and shot. Andy remarked that there were 38 fit players at training on Thursday night. What a wonderfully strong position to be in, and that must have given the squad a real shot in the arm. From a physicality point of view, I can't recall any players going down with cramp in a high-octane and helter-skelter game. From an aesthetic point of view, many of the players’ biceps looked huge when lifting Sam. A job well done, Conor Finn, David Hughes, Barry Solan et al.
16. Jack Carney's magnificent pass to release David McBrien into wide open spaces in the 70th minute was coolness personified. It was the moment I knew the job was done. As Rudyard Kipling wrote: "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!" A man indeed.
17. The vintage club kits being worn by the players on the open-top bus ride around Mayo was a lovely detail. Club is where it all begins.
18. Damn Ryan O’Donoghue for pressing so hard and tackling like a maniac. Every club manager around the country now expects us corner-forwards to replicate that level of intensity every week.
19. News spread this week that Kobe's parents will travel Down Under with him as he embarks on the next chapter of his career in the coming weeks. If his stellar talent wasn't enough to help him adapt to his new professional surroundings, having loved ones close by will certainly ease the adjustment. Jorge and Celia Messi did something similar when their young son, Leo, moved from Argentina to Spain.
20. Robbie Hennelly kicking 65s into the Davin End with his son Billy in tow, post-trophy presentation, was a class moment.
21. Caroline Currid's golden record is much lauded in GAA circles, but what about Paddy Tally's? The Tyrone man coached his native county to their first All-Ireland ever, Kerry to their first in eight years, Mayo to their first in 75 years, Galway to their first semi-final in 17 years and Down to their only All-Ireland final in 32 years. Not to mention his amazing Sigerson victory, leading minnows St Mary's Belfast to their first win in 28 years.
22. They say that Italia ’90 spawned the Celtic Tiger. It begs the question whether Mayo’s victory will spark a similar economic boom in the county. Bank of Ireland’s latest Spending Pulse would suggest so. The bank estimates that Mayo’s long-awaited triumph sparked an estimated €4.2 million spending bonanza over the All-Ireland weekend. It’s clear that Mayo folk are sticking their chests out and spending, spending, spending!
23. Jack Coyne's speech was just perfect. His shout-out to former players who wore the Green and Red really resonated with, and meant a lot to, this writer.
24. The wheel starts turning again. Junior Championship last Friday night and a Ted Webb Shield victory for Mayo Under-16s on Saturday. On the back of Kobemania, one wonders, will any of those Under-16s play a starring role in Mayo's All-Ireland senior success in 2028?
25. As the dust settles on a dreamlike week, Intermediate and Senior Club Championships probably cannot come soon enough for members of the Mayo squad. It will give them a valid excuse to stay in and get some sleep!
26. As Marty Morrissey said: "All the jokes about Mayo being losers: delete, delete, delete." At the end of the school year, I got a lovely card of thanks from a dyed-in-the-wool Galway fan in my class. We’ve always had great banter back and forth about our respective teams' fortunes. His card contained the usual platitudes with a stinging sign-off: “And remember Mr. Ronaldson, I will be drawing down my pension before Mayo win the All-Ireland." I look forward to seeing Iarlaith at the start of the new school year in September.
