It was a soft day in Castlebar, but as Mayo’s heroes returned from Dublin with the Sam Maguire, tens of thousands of fans turned out to see the hard evidence that a 75-year drought was over.
The legend “Mayo for Sam” has gone around the world in recent decades, turning up everywhere from the slopes of Alpe d’Huez to the Australian outback. Now, at last, the slogan was being reversed and repatriated. “Sam for Mayo” was finally a reality.
As fans awaited its arrival at MacHale Park, they were treated to breathless progress reports of the trophy’s train journey from Dublin, as if it might still take a wrong turn somewhere.
The announcement, at about 4.30pm, that “Sam Maguire has crossed the Shannon!” drew one of the bigger cheers. For a piece of silverware that had avoided Mayo since 1951, it was too late to turn back.
Mayo supporters during the homecoming at MacHale Park, Castlebar. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho
When the famous cup arrived on stage two hours later, held aloft by the men who beat Kerry, the raucous cheers that welcomed it were like Croke Park at the final whistle all over again.
“They sneered at us, they laughed at us, but they won’t be laughing any more,” Mayo manager Andy Moran told a heaving crowd. He happily acknowledged that the fans had earned the right to go “a little bit mad”.
Mayo manager Andy Moran and captain Jack Coyne with the Sam Maguire Cup after arriving in Castlebar, Co Mayo, on Monday. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
Many Mayo supporters woke on Monday, after little sleep, rubbing their eyes and wondering if the game had really happened.
At lunchtime in Westport, the Bowery Bar was as full as it had been the previous afternoon. Watching a full rerun of the game on TV, supporters reacted again as if seeing it live.
When commentator Marty Morrissey said a woman at the game couldn’t “bear to watch with 14 minutes to go”, it seemed to set nerves tingling anew.
Roars of “Up Mayo!” again greeted the points that stretched the lead back out. They were followed by gasps of disbelief when Jordan Flynn punched the ball against the crossbar with the goal at his mercy. So it continued, until the result was confirmed.
In Castlebar, meanwhile, fans were starting to get used to the idea of their team being All-Ireland champions. Despite predictions of mass absenteeism, most businesses managed to open on Monday.
But the AIB branch on Market Street was taking a half day, “to celebrate with our county and community”. A notice on the door of O’Hehir’s cafe announced: “Due to the imminent arrival of Sam in the county town, we will be closing slightly early.”
There were even some signs of cockiness creeping in, as the 1798 monument, commemorating the “Races of Castlebar”, became an impromptu shrine to Sunday’s triumph.
Along with Mayo flags, a cinema-style poster had been attached to the pikes, spoofing the 1999 movie Runaway Bride.
This one was Runaway Bridesmaid, billed as a “romantic comeback”, with Sam Maguire replacing Richard Gere in the lead male role and Mayo manager Andy Moran, wearing a fetching green and red dress, in the part originally played by Julia Roberts. “Now showing in Mayo,” read the small print, which added: “Not showing in Kerry.”
A huge crowd turned up at MacHale Park in Castlebar, Co Mayo, to welcome home the new All-Ireland champions. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
Elsewhere, however, there were reminders of the 75-year nightmare from which this GAA-mad county was waking.
A local bookshop had an “All-Ireland final special”, combining Moran’s memoir, Lessons Learned, along with House of Pain, Keith Duggan’s sympathetic outsider view of the county’s past heartaches. Nearby, a display in another window explained the history of the infamous “curse” under which Mayo GAA had supposedly suffered for so long.
Nobody in their right mind ever believed it. Even so, it took the white magic of wearing the 1951 jerseys again to confirm the malediction lifted. And as the team bring Sam on a tour of Mayo in coming days, you can be sure they’ll be even more careful than usual not to disrespect any funerals.