'Magical' - Dunmore group travel to Bilbao to watch Spurs win a European trophy
Pre-match at the San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao, Spain.
The last time Tottenham Hotspur triumphed in a final was in 2008. It was the English League Cup on that occasion, thanks to a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.
17 years on, Spurs have broken the duck to win their first European trophy since 1984.
Fans from near and far travelled to the Spanish city of Bilbao for the UEFA Europa League Final between Tottenham and Manchester United.
Both teams came into the final on the back of poor Premier League campaigns, but Spurs won’t mind, as their priceless 1-0 win, thanks to a first-half Brennan Johnson goal, secured Champions League football for the north London outfit next season.
![Dunmore, County Galway, native Patrick Cosgrove [left] and his cousin Harry from London, at the 2025 UEFA Europa League Final outside the San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao.](/cms_media/module_img/7582/3791061_2_articleinline_IMG_7147.jpeg "Dunmore, County Galway, native Patrick Cosgrove [left] and his cousin Harry from London, at the 2025 UEFA Europa League Final outside the San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao.")
The 2021 UEFA Champions League Final was the last time two English sides contested a major European club final, while, before that, in 2019, Spurs and Liverpool met in Madrid. Tottenham were defeated on that occasion, but all those years of hurt vanished when Ange Postecoglou's side defeated the Red Devils on Wednesday night.
One Spurs fan who travelled to Bilbao and was one of the lucky ones to have a match ticket was Dunmore native, Patrick Cosgrove.
Patrick, who has Mayo roots in the Belmullet area, travelled with a group from his home town.
Their overall travel itinerary consisted of two flights (Knock to Palma de Mallorca and on to Vitoria), a bus trip to Bilbao, and an upcoming 27-hour ferry journey home to Rosslare, which was all worth it to experience the historic moment.
“We went to the fanzone before the game, it was a great spot to soak up the atmosphere for the day,” Patrick said when asked about the build-up to the encounter.
“I paid a pretty penny for the match tickets, for me and my cousin Harry, but we aren’t going to get to many European finals, so I was never going to miss out on being there at the game.
"Nothing will beat that feeling for the goal, and when the final whistle went, it was just magical.”
Patrick and the Dunmore crew will board a ferry at 6pm this evening, no doubt still on cloud nine after being in Bilbao to see their side get over the line.
